Road beam including slit feature

Abstract

Described herein is an improved load beam, in some embodiments, the load beam comprises a main surface including a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end including a tip weld, a dustpan, and a lift tab, side rails extending from the main surface and the dustpan, and a slit disposed in the main surface around the tip weld.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of suspensions for hard disk drives. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to the field of load beams for hard disk drives.

Background Art

[0002] In a disk storage device, a rotating disk is used to store information. A disk storage device typically includes a frame that provides attachment points and orientations for other components, and a spindle motor attached to the frame to rotate the disk. A head slider includes a read / write head for writing data to and reading data from the disk surface. The head slider is supported and properly oriented with respect to the disk by a suspension that provides both the forces and compliance necessary for proper head slider operation. As the disk within the storage device rotates under the head slider and the head suspension, the air above the disk also rotates, generating an air bearing that acts with the aerodynamic design of the suspension to produce a lift force. The lift force is suppressed by the spring force of the suspension, positioning the head slider at a desired height and alignment above the disk, referred to as the "fly height".

[0003] A suspension for a disk drive includes a load beam and a flexure. The load beam typically includes a mounting region for attaching the suspension to the actuator of the disk drive, a rigid region, and a spring region between the mounting region and the rigid region. The spring region provides a spring force that suppresses the aerodynamic lift generated in the suspension during drive operation as described above. The flexure typically includes a gimbal region having a slider mounting surface to which a head slider is attached. The gimbal region is elastically movable relative to the rest of the flexure in response to the aerodynamic forces generated by the air bearings. The gimbal region allows the head slider to move in the pitch and roll directions and follow the fluctuations of the disk surface. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0004] This specification describes improved load beams. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a load beam comprises a main surface including a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end including a tip weld, a dustpan-like portion, and a lift tab; side rails extending from the main surface and the dustpan-like portion; and slits positioned on the main surface around the tip weld.

[0005] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the convex portion of the slit is located distal to the tip weld. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the dustpan-shaped portion forming line is positioned to pass through the tip weld.

[0006] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the dustpan-like portion formation angle θ can be 15 to 25°. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the slit is semicircular in shape around the tip weld.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the slit is U-shaped around the tip weld. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the dustpan portion includes a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end includes a dustpan portion forming line, and the distal end includes a lift tab.

[0008] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the lift tab is positioned distal to the dustpan-like portion. According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the main surface includes dimples.

[0009] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the main surface includes a window. Suspensions with a load beam are also provided according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] Although several embodiments are disclosed, further embodiments of the Disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following "Modes for Carrying Out the Invention," which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the Disclosure. Therefore, the drawings and the "Modes for Carrying Out the Invention" should be considered as illustrative and not limiting.

[0011] To illustrate how the above-mentioned and other advantages and features of this disclosure can be obtained, the above-described principles will be explained more specifically by reference to specific examples shown in the accompanying drawings. These drawings show only exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and should not be considered to limit the scope of this disclosure. The principles will be described and explained more specifically and in detail using the following drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1A] This is a top view of an exemplary suspension according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 1B] This is a bottom view of an exemplary suspension according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is an exemplary top view of a load beam according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3]This is a side view of an exemplary load beam according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a top view of a second exemplary load beam according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] This specification describes load beams. Load beams in some embodiments of the present disclosure are part of a suspension for a magnetic disk drive unit. The disk drive unit includes a rotating magnetic disk or optical disk, which contains a magnetic pattern of 1s and 0s that constitutes data stored on the disk drive. The magnetic disk or optical disk is driven by a drive motor. Disk drive units in some embodiments include a suspension having a load beam, a base plate, and a gimbal, with a head slider mounted on the gimbal in close proximity to the distal end of the gimbal. The proximal end of the suspension or load beam is the supported end, i.e., the end closest to the base plate which is swaged or otherwise attached to an actuator arm. The distal end of the suspension or load beam is the end opposite the proximal end, i.e., the distal end is a cantilevered end.

[0014] The gimbal is coupled to a base plate, which in turn is coupled to a voice coil motor. The voice coil motor is configured to move a suspension in an arc to position the head slider on the correct data track on the magnetic disk. The head slider is mounted on the gimbal, which allows the slider to pitch and roll to follow the appropriate data track on the rotating magnetic disk, thus tolerating such variations without degrading performance. Such variations typically include disk vibration, inertial events such as bumping, and irregularities on the disk surface.

[0015] In some embodiments, the gimbal described herein is part of a dual-stage actuation (DSA) suspension. The DSA suspension may include a base plate and a load beam. The load beam includes a gimbal. The gimbal may include a mounted actuator and a gimbal assembly. The actuator is operable to act directly on the gimbal-shaped assembly of the DSA suspension, which is configured to include a read / write head slider.

[0016] In some embodiments, the gimbal may include at least one actuator joint configured to receive an actuator. According to some embodiments, the gimbal includes two actuator joints located on either side of the gimbal. Each actuator joint includes an actuator mounting shelf.

[0017] In some embodiments, each actuator is spread out in its respective gap within the actuator joint. The actuators are fixed to the slider tongue by adhesive. The adhesive may include conductive or non-conductive epoxy strategically applied to each end of the actuator. Positive and negative electrical connections from the actuator to the gimbal can be made by various techniques. When actuated, the actuators extend and retract, moving a read / write head mounted on the distal end of the suspension, thereby changing the length of the gap between the mounting ends.

[0018] In some embodiments, the suspension may be configured as a single-stage suspension, a two-stage device, a three-stage device, or other configurations. In some embodiments, a three-stage suspension includes actuators simultaneously positioned on the mounting plate area and on the gimbal, respectively. Depending on the circumstances, any variation of the actuator may be incorporated onto the suspension for the purposes of the embodiments disclosed herein. In other words, the suspension may include more or fewer components than those shown without departing from the scope of this disclosure. However, the components shown are sufficient to disclose exemplary embodiments for carrying out the disclosed principles.

[0019] As shown in more detail in Figures 1 and 2, the suspension 10 includes several separate components mounted together. The suspension 10 includes a load beam 12 to which the flexure is mounted. The load beam 12 is a substantially flat structure formed from a metal substrate such as stainless steel. The load beam 12 includes a flat main surface 14 (e.g., the top or bottom surface of the load beam 12) that extends over most of the load beam 12. The load beam 12 is substantially rigid so that separate parts of the main surface 14 do not move relative to each other during the normal operation of the suspension 10. The main surface is interrupted by various feature parts, such as windows 38 as shown in Figure 2. The load beam 12 may also include other windows. The windows open on a first side (e.g., the top side) and a second side (e.g., the bottom side) of the load beam 12 by extending through the substrate of the load beam 12. The windows can be used for alignment during assembly, and the windows can lighten and / or strengthen the load beam 12, and / or other components can extend through one or more windows.

[0020] The load beam 12 includes an attachment region at its proximal end, to which a base plate is attached. The attachment region and the base plate are attached to the actuator arm of the disk drive unit in a known manner. The load beam 12 further includes a rigid region at the distal portion of the load beam 12 and a spring region located proximal to the rigid region and distal to the attachment region. A flexure is attached to the rigid region of the load beam 12 to provide an elastic connection between the load beam 12 and the slider.

[0021] The spring region of the load beam 12 provides a desired gram load to counteract the force applied to the slider by an air bearing generated by the rotating disk. For this purpose, the spring region may include a pre-formed bend or radius that provides an accurate gram load force. The gram load is transmitted through the rigid region of the load beam 12 to the flexure. A dimple 9 may extend between the rigid region of the load beam 12 and the flexure to provide a point of transmission of the gram load.

[0022] In some embodiments, the load beam 12 includes side rails 22, 24. In some embodiments, the side rails 22, 24 have high lateral rigidity to achieve high torsional and rocking frequencies. In some embodiments, the side rails 22, 24 are made of stainless steel. In some embodiments, the side rails 22, 24 generally extend perpendicularly from the load beam 12. In some embodiments, the load beam 12 and the side rails 22, 24 form an integral part. In some embodiments, the load beam 12 and the side rails 22, 24 form an integral part made of stainless steel.

[0023] In some embodiments, the distal end of the load beam 12 includes a chip removal portion 18 and a lift tab 16. In some embodiments, the chip removal portion 18 includes a proximal end 26 and a distal end 28. In some embodiments, the lift tab 16 is disposed at the distal end 28 of the chip removal portion 18. In other words, the lift tab 16 is distal to the chip removal portion 18. In some embodiments, the proximal end 26 defines a chip removal portion formation line 30 between the chip removal portion 18 and the main surface 14 of the load beam 12.

[0024] In some embodiments, the side rails 22, 24 also extend from the chip removal portion 18. In some embodiments, the side rails 22, 24 extend generally perpendicularly from the chip removal portion 18.

[0025] In some embodiments, the distal end 28 of the load beam 12 further includes a tip weld 20. In some embodiments, the tip weld 20 is disposed on the flat main surface 14. The chip removal portion formation line in a conventional load beam (without slit) is disposed distal to the tip weld. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the chip removal portion formation line 30 extends through the tip weld 20. In other words, the chip removal portion formation line 30 is shifted towards the dimple 9 compared to a conventional load beam (without slit). For some embodiments, the chip removal portion formation line 30 is shifted towards the dimple 9 by 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm compared to a conventional load beam. As shown in FIG. 2, the chip removal portion formation line 30 is shifted towards the dimple 9 by 0.1 mm compared to the chip removal portion formation line in a conventional load beam (without slit).

[0026] In some embodiments, the distal end of the load beam 12 further includes a slit 32 positioned around the tip weld 20. In some embodiments, the slit 32 is positioned on a flat main surface 14. In some embodiments, the slit 32 is semicircular in shape, as shown in Figure 2. In some embodiments, the slit 32 is U-shaped, as shown in Figure 4. In some embodiments, the convex portion of the slit 32 (e.g., semicircular or U-shaped) is distal to the tip weld 20.

[0027] In conventional load beams, the dustpan formation line is shifted toward the lift tab (i.e., distal to the dustpan weld) due to the presence of an additional tip weld at the distal end of the load beam. To maintain the same load beam length, the dustpan formation angle is increased to achieve the target lift tab offset height. However, in conventional load beams, increasing the dustpan formation angle can easily lead to excessive deformation of the load beam material, potentially causing buckling of the load beam rail.

[0028] Without being bound by any particular theory, the improved load beam 12 reduces the buckling problem of the side rails 22, 24 of the load beam 12. The slit 32 makes it possible to shift the dustpan-forming line 30 toward the dimple 9 (i.e., away from the lift tab 16) compared to a conventional load beam. In addition, the slit 32 makes it possible to reduce the dustpan-forming angle θ compared to a conventional load beam (without slits), thereby reducing the buckling problem of the side rails at the dustpan-forming line in a conventional load beam.

[0029] In some embodiments, the lift tab offset height h can be maintained while the dustpan formation angle θ can be reduced by 2.0° to 8.0° compared to the dustpan formation angle θ in a conventional load beam (without slits). In some embodiments, the dustpan formation angle θ can be reduced by 4.0° to 8.0° compared to the dustpan formation angle θ in a conventional load beam (without slits). In other words, the dustpan formation angle θ in the exemplary embodiment of Figure 2 is smaller than the dustpan formation angle θ of a conventional load beam (without slits). As shown in Figure 3, the slit 32 allows the lift tab offset height h to be maintained (this height h is 0.250 mm in some embodiments) while reducing the dustpan formation angle θ to 24.7°. In some embodiments, the dustpan formation angle θ may be 15 to 25°, 18 to 25°, or 20 to 25°. Furthermore, since the slit 32 is narrow in width and positioned on the flat main surface 14, the rigidity of the lift tab 16 can be maintained.

[0030] Figure 4 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the load beam 212. As shown in Figure 4, the dustpan-forming line 230 is shifted toward the dimple 229 compared to the dustpan-forming line in a conventional load beam (without slits). In some embodiments, the dustpan-forming line 230 is shifted toward the dimple 229 more significantly (i.e., more than 0.1 mm) than the dustpan-forming line in a conventional load beam (without slits) compared to the exemplary embodiment in Figure 2. In some embodiments, the distal end of the load beam 212 further includes a slit 232 positioned around the tip weld 220. In some embodiments, the slit 232 is positioned on a flat main surface 214. In some embodiments, the slit 232 is U-shaped, as shown in Figure 4. In some embodiments, the convex portion of the slit 232 is distal to the tip weld 220. In some embodiments, the load beam 212 also includes a window 238.

[0031] In some embodiments, the dustpan formation angle θ can be reduced by 2.0° to 8.0° compared to the dustpan formation angle θ in a conventional load beam (without slits) while maintaining the lift tab offset height h. In some embodiments, the dustpan formation angle θ can be reduced by 4.0° to 8.0° compared to the dustpan formation angle θ in a conventional load beam (without slits). In some embodiments, the dustpan formation angle θ can be reduced to less than that of the exemplary embodiment in Figure 2 (i.e., more than 4.0°) compared to the dustpan formation angle θ in a conventional load beam (without slits). In other words, the dustpan formation angle θ in the exemplary embodiment in Figure 4 is smaller than the dustpan formation angle θ in a conventional load beam (without slits) and the dustpan formation angle θ in the exemplary embodiment in Figure 2 (i.e., less than 24.7°). In some embodiments, the dustpan formation angle θ may be 15 to 25°, 18 to 25°, or 20 to 25°. Without being bound by any particular theory, the improved load beam 212 mitigates the buckling problem of the side rails 222, 224 of the load beam 212.

[0032] The load beams according to the embodiments described herein are configured for use in conjunction with hard drive suspensions, including those described herein. While several embodiments are disclosed, further examples within the scope of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention” provided herein, which illustrate exemplary embodiments. Therefore, the drawings and “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention” should be considered essentially illustrative and not limiting. Various features and variations of the embodiments are discussed herein and illustrated in the drawings. While several embodiments are disclosed, further examples within this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention,” which illustrate exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the drawings and “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention” should be considered essentially illustrative and not limiting.

Claims

1. It is a road beam, A main surface including a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the distal end includes a tip weld, a dustpan-like portion, and a lift tab, Side rails extending from the main surface and the dustpan-shaped portion, The main surface comprises a slit arranged around the tip weld, The aforementioned tip welded portion is positioned on the dustpan-like portion forming line between the main surface and the dustpan-like portion, and is a load beam.

2. The convex portion of the slit is located distal to the tip weld portion, as described in claim 1.

3. The load beam according to claim 1, wherein the dustpan-shaped portion forming line is arranged to pass through the tip weld portion, or to pass through the proximal end of the tip weld portion.

4. The load beam according to claim 1, wherein the dustpan-like portion forms an angle θ of 15 to 25°.

5. The road beam according to claim 1, wherein the slit is semicircular in shape around the tip weld.

6. The road beam according to claim 1, wherein the slit is U-shaped around the tip weld.

7. The load beam according to claim 1, wherein the dustpan-like portion includes a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end includes the dustpan-like portion forming line, and the distal end includes a lift tab.

8. The load beam according to claim 7, wherein the lift tab is positioned distal to the dustpan-like portion.

9. The load beam according to claim 1, wherein the main surface includes dimples.

10. The load beam according to claim 1, wherein the main surface includes a window.

11. comprising a load beam, the load beam is A main surface including a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the distal end includes a tip weld, a dustpan-like portion, and a lift tab, Side rails extending from the main surface and the dustpan-shaped portion, The main surface comprises a slit arranged around the tip weld, The aforementioned tip welded portion is positioned on the dustpan-shaped portion forming line between the main surface and the dustpan-shaped portion, and is a suspension.

12. The suspension according to claim 11, wherein the convex portion of the slit is located distal to the tip weld portion.

13. The suspension according to claim 11, wherein the dustpan-shaped portion forming line is arranged to pass through the tip weld portion.

14. The suspension according to claim 11, wherein the dustpan-like portion forms an angle θ of 15 to 25°.

15. The suspension according to claim 11, wherein the slit is semicircular in shape around the tip welded portion.

16. The suspension according to claim 11, wherein the slit is U-shaped around the tip welded portion.

17. The suspension according to claim 11, wherein the dustpan-like portion includes a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end includes the dustpan-like portion forming line, and the distal end includes a lift tab.

18. The suspension according to claim 17, wherein the lift tab is positioned distal to the dustpan-shaped portion.

19. The suspension according to claim 11, wherein the main surface includes dimples.

20. The suspension according to claim 11, wherein the main surface includes a window.

21. It is a suspension, A load beam, wherein the load beam includes a mounting region at the proximal end of the load beam and a rigid region at the distal portion of the load beam. A base plate attached to the mounting area of ​​the road beam, The load beam comprises a flexure attached to the rigid region of the load beam, The aforementioned load beam is A main surface including a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the distal end includes a tip weld, a dustpan-like portion, and a lift tab, Side rails extending from the main surface and the dustpan-shaped portion, The main surface further comprises a slit arranged around the tip weld, The aforementioned tip welded portion is positioned on the dustpan-shaped portion forming line between the main surface and the dustpan-shaped portion, and is a suspension.

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