Head Gimbal Assembly With Four-Tether Flexibility Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head gimbal assemblies face challenges in achieving a balanced combination of flexibility and rigidity in the tether configuration, which affects the stability and performance of the suspension assembly in hard disk drives.
Innovation Solution
A head gimbal assembly with a tether configuration featuring four separate tethers, including two aft tethers and two fore tethers, with specific connections to the gimbal and circuit, providing enhanced flexibility and rigidity to improve stability and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a conventional tether configuration is used in the head gimbal assembly, then the structure is simpler, but the balance between flexibility and rigidity is insufficient, leading to increased out-of-plane deflections and reduced fine position control performance
Solution Approach 1:
The tether configuration is segmented into four separate tethers (two fore tethers and two aft tethers) instead of using a single or fewer tethers. Each tether is independently connected to specific lateral sides of the gimbal and circuit, allowing individual optimization of flexibility and rigidity characteristics. This segmentation enables the system to achieve better out-of-plane deflection control while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular assembly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the gimbal assembly is made more flexible to allow slider pitch and roll, then the slider can maintain operational distance over the disk surface, but excessive flexibility increases out-of-plane deflections and reduces fine position control precision
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the gimbal assembly are assigned different mechanical properties through the strategic placement and configuration of tethers. The fore tethers and aft tethers are connected to different lateral sides of the gimbal and circuit, creating localized stiffness variations. This allows the gimbal to exhibit controlled flexibility in directions needed for slider pitch and roll while maintaining sufficient rigidity in directions critical for fine position control, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A head gimbal assembly with a gimbal having a base portion and a tongue that are connected by a neck portion, wherein the tongue includes a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposing the first lateral side, first and second struts connected to the base portion, and a distal portion extending from distal ends of the first and second struts toward the tongue. First and second aft tethers have first ends connected to the first and second lateral sides respectively, and second ends connected to the distal portion. First and second fore tethers have first ends connected to the first and second lateral sides respectively, and second ends connected to the first and second struts respectively. A circuit is mounted on the gimbal. The slider is mounted on the tongue and electrically connected to the circuit.