Abstract:
Disclosed is a rigid disk drive information storage device (1) which includes a rigid disk (16) having a diameter in the range of about 45-50 mm, with a housing having a footprint that includes a width of about 51 mm and utilizing a rotary actuator (29) for positioning read/write recording elements across the surface of the disk. The disk storage devices further includes a footprint with a length of about 70 mm, includes dynamic loading apparatus (33, 34, 35) for loading the read/write recording elements, supported on a slider body (31), into operative relationship with the disk and further includes an inertial latch for preventing rotation of the actuator when the drive is subjected to a rotational force.
Abstract:
The invention consists of an in-spindle disk drive motor incorporating a novel two-piece aluminum spindle (36) and a method for fabricating the same. The spindle (36) is hollow and contains a removable steel flux sleeve (44) on which plastic permanent magnets (45) are mounted. The spindle is mounted by means of two bearings (43, 49) to a non-rotating stator shaft (41) disposed through the center of the spindle and rigidly attached to a disk drive base (30). One of the bearings (49) is located in a removable bearing sleeve (37) at the top of the spindle and the other is located beyond the steel sleeve (44) at the bottom end of the spindle. The aluminum spindle eliminates thermal distortion effects caused in prior art in spindle motors by the thermal expansion differences between aluminum disks and non-aluminum spindles.
Abstract:
A portable hard disk drive module (24) enclosing all of the operative components of the disk drive (52) is removably received by a receptacle (22) in a microcomputer system (10). The disk drive module (24) and the receptacle (22) each have an electrical connector (26, 36) and these connectors are coupled when the module (24) is in an operating position within the receptacle (22). The connectors comprise the sole interface between the operative components of the disk drive (52) and the remainder of the computer system (10). The receptacle (22) includes a transport mechanism (92) for moving the module (24) from a load position to the operating position and from the operating position to a module unload position. Accordingly, movement of the module (24) between these positions in the receptacle (22) is completely under machine control.
Abstract:
Head positioning assembly (10) for use with a conventional disk drive (12). The assembly (10) is adapted to position the ready/write head (22) on a rotating diskette (21) and includes a locating disk (30) provided with a cardioid cam groove (32). A cam follower (46) rides within the cam groove (32) and thereby causes a carriage (40) to move radially between a pair of guide rods (42 and 44) to position the read/write head (22). The locating disk (30) is caused to rotate by selectively activating a solenoid (98) which causes an idler assembly (72) to contact the locating disk (32) with a moving idler belt (90). The idler belt (90) is indirectly powered by the same brushless DC motor (16) which powers the disk drive (12). A sensing subassembly (50) senses a zero position aperture (34) and a plurality of track position apertures (36) and acts in conjunction with external circuitry (600) and the solenoid (98) to control the rotation of the locating disk (30). When no rotation is desired the locating disk (30) is restrained by a brake pin (84) engaging one of a series of brake detents (39). The predominant usage of the present invention is in magnetic disk drives in the data processing industry.