Vertically Translating Load/Unload Ramp Mechanism For Cold Storage Data Storage Device

• US 20200027477A1
• Filed: 07/18/2019
• Published: 01/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Garbarino, Jon M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,706,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 21/12 Raising and lowering; Back-spacing or forward-spacing along track; Returning to starting position otherwise than during transducing operation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 21/22 while the head is out of operative position
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4813 Mounting or aligning of arm assemblies, e.g. actuator arm supported by bearings, multiple arm assemblies, arm stacks or multiple heads on single arm G11B5/484 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/54 with provision for moving the head into or out of its operative position or across tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/56 with provision for moving the head support for the purpose of adjusting the position of the head relative to the record carrier, e.g. manual adjustment for azimuth correction or track centering G11B5/52, G11B5/54, G11B5/58 take precedence

Abstract

An approach to a reduced-head hard disk drive (HDD) involves a load/unload (LUL) ramp subsystem that includes a ramp assembly that includes a rotatable latch link configured for mechanical interaction with a head-stack assembly (HSA) and a LUL ramp coupled with the latch link, configured such that in response to a force applied to the latch link by the HSA, the latch link rotates which disengages a magnetic latch and drives the LUL ramp to rotate into an operational state disengaged from any recording disk of a multiple-disk stack. The subsystem may further include a motor configured to drive rotation of a lead screw to which the ramp assembly is attached, to drive vertical translation of the ramp assembly, thereby providing for loading the vertically-translatable HSA onto and off of each of the disks of the disk stack.

Claims

1. A vertically-translatable load/unload (LUL) ramp system for a reduced-head hard disk drive (HDD), the system comprising:

a ramp assembly comprising;

a rotatable latch link coupled with a ramp assembly base and configured for mechanical interaction with a head-stack assembly (HSA);

a ramp holder rotatably coupled with the latch link; and

a LUL ramp coupled with the ramp holder.

2. The LUL ramp system of claim 1, wherein the ramp assembly further comprises:

a magnetic latch comprising;

a magnet coupled with the ramp holder, and

a latch stop configured to magnetically attract to the magnet to hold the ramp holder and the LUL ramp in a first operational state.

3. The LUL ramp system of claim 2, wherein the first operational state is characterized by a distal end of the LUL ramp being positioned such that an outer perimeter of a recording disk of an HDD is disposed within a channel at the distal end of the LUL ramp.

4. The LUL ramp system of claim 2, further comprising:

a stepper motor configured to drive rotation of a lead screw to drive translation of the ramp assembly along an axis of the lead screw.

5. A hard disk drive comprising the LUL ramp system of claim 4.

6. The LUL ramp system of claim 1, wherein:

in response to a force applied from the HSA to the latch link, the latch link rotates in one of a counter-clockwise or clockwise direction; and

in response to the latch link rotating, the ramp holder and LUL ramp rotate together in an opposing direction to the latch link, thereby positioning the LUL ramp in a second operational state.

7. The LUL ramp system of claim 6, wherein the second operational state is characterized by a distal end of the LUL ramp being positioned such that an outer perimeter of a recording disk of an HDD is free of a channel at the distal end of the LUL ramp.

8. The LUL ramp system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more guide rails configured to interface with a respective corresponding interface of the ramp assembly; and

a stepper motor configured to drive rotation of a lead screw to drive translation of the ramp assembly along an axis of the lead screw and with support from the one or more guide rails.

9. The LUL ramp system of claim 8, wherein the ramp assembly interface comprises:

a first interface constituent to the latch link and positioned around a first guide rail of the one or more guide rails; and

a second interface constituent to the ramp assembly base and positioned around a second guide rail of the one or more guide rails.

10. The LUL ramp system of claim 9, wherein the ramp assembly interface further comprises:

a third internally threaded interface constituent to the ramp assembly base and positioned around the lead screw.

11. The LUL ramp system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first interface and the second interface comprises a bushing.

12. The LUL ramp system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first interface and the second interface comprises a linear bearing.

13. A hard disk drive comprising the LUL ramp system of claim 1.

14. A method for vertically translating a load/unload (LUL) ramp mechanism in a hard disk drive (HDD) to provide access to each of a plurality of recording disks, the method comprising:

driving a stepper motor to rotate a lead screw coupled to the stepper motor; and

allowing a LUL ramp mechanism that is coupled with the lead screw to translate vertically in response to rotating the lead screw.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein allowing the ramp mechanism to translate comprises:

providing one or more guide rails configured to interface with a respective corresponding interface of the ramp mechanism;

providing a first interface constituent to a latch link component of the ramp mechanism, wherein the first interface is positioned around a first guide rail of the one or more guide rails; and

providing a second interface constituent to a base component of the ramp mechanism, wherein the second interface is positioned around a second guide rail of the one or more guide rails.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein allowing the ramp mechanism to translate further comprises:

providing a third internally threaded interface constituent to the base component and positioned around the lead screw.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein allowing the ramp mechanism to translate further comprises:

providing a bushing for at least one of the first interface and the second interface.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein allowing the ramp mechanism to translate further comprises:

providing a linear bearing for at least one of the first interface and the second interface.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

while the ramp mechanism is translating, determining the vertical position of the ramp mechanism.

20. A reduced-head hard disk drive (HDD), comprising:

recording means for storing digital information;

reading/writing means for reading from and writing to the recording means;

loading/unloading means for loading the reading/writing means to access the recording means and unloading the reading/writing means from access to the recording means; and

means for translating the loading/unloading means from one recording means to another recording means.

21. The reduced-head HDD of claim 20, further comprising:

means for determining a vertical position of the loading/unloading means.