JP2006261406A - Disk drive - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a disk drive having a substrate unit of a structure for preventing without any addition of components and with a simple structure the damage and the disconnection of an FPC which are caused by the contacts of an FPC loop portion with the mounted components of the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The disk drive for supporting movably by a carriage a head for performing the recording and the reproducing of informations to a disk-form recording medium has a base mounted with a head amplifying circuit for amplifying the signal of the head; a cover having a shape nearly equal to the shape of this base, and having a connector capable of inputting/outputting the signal of the head from/to the outside of the apparatus; an FPC loop so extended from the base portion as to fasten it to the carriage and connected electrically with the head; and a substrate unit having an interference preventing tab for preventing this FPC loop portion from contacting directly with the base portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure of a substrate unit that connects a head and an electronic component in a disk device, and more particularly, to a disk device equipped with a substrate unit having a structure that prevents damage to an FPC loop portion extending from the substrate unit to a carriage.

  A head stack assembly (hereinafter referred to as HSA) used in a disk device such as a magnetic disk device transmits a signal from a recording / reproducing head and a drive current to a voice coil motor (hereinafter referred to as VCM). A flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as FPC) is wired.

  The FPC needs to be routed so as to minimize the influence exerted on the rotation operation of the HSA, and it is desirable that the structure be as simple as possible so that disconnection does not occur due to the repeated rotation operation of the HSA.

  In recent years, along with the miniaturization of HDDs, the components mounted on them have also been miniaturized, but compared to the proportion of HDD external size being miniaturized, head amplifiers and connectors mounted on them. The mounted parts are not proportionally smaller. Therefore, the gap between the FPC loop portion and the main body in the attached state becomes very narrow, and the PFC loop may be damaged at the time of attachment.

  As a structure that prevents damage and disconnection of the FPC due to contact between the FPC loop part and the board mounting component, a structure that prevents the damage and disconnection by covering the sliding part of the printed circuit board that contacts the FPC with a shield plate Is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

However, in this prior art, since a new structure such as a shield plate is purposely added, the structure is complicated, and there is a possibility that unnecessary attachment work and cost are generated.
JP 2003-36614 A (FIG. 1, summary)

  An object of the present invention is to provide a disk device having a substrate unit having a simple structure and preventing FPC damage and disconnection due to contact between an FPC loop portion and a substrate mounting component.

  In order to achieve the above object, a disk device according to the present invention includes a head for recording / reproducing information on a disk-shaped recording medium disposed in a housing, and movably supports the head and supports the head. A carriage that moves in the radial direction on the surface of the recording medium, a base portion on which a head amplifier circuit that amplifies the head signal is mounted, and a signal of the head that is substantially the same shape as the base portion can be input / output outside the apparatus. A cover portion having a connector to be connected, an FPC loop portion extending from the base portion and fixed to the carriage and electrically connected to the head, and interference that prevents the FPC loop portion from coming into direct contact with the base portion And a substrate unit having a prevention tab.

  According to the above invention, a disk having a substrate unit having a very simple structure and preventing FPC damage and disconnection due to contact between the FPC loop portion and the substrate mounting component without adding new components. An apparatus can be provided.

  Since the disk device of the present invention has the configuration and operation as described above, it has a very simple structure and is based on contact between the FPC loop portion and the board mounting component without adding a new component. It is possible to provide a disk device having a substrate unit having a structure for preventing damage and disconnection of an FPC.

Hereinafter, a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as an HDD) will be described in detail as a disk device according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the HDD includes a substantially rectangular box-shaped housing 10 in which various members to be described later are housed, and a rectangular control circuit board 12 provided on the outer surface of the housing 10. It is equipped with. The casing 10 and the control circuit board 12 are, for example, formed with a length L of 32 mm and a width W of 24 mm. The thickness T including the casing and the control circuit board depends on the number of discs to be stored, for example, It is set to about 3.3 mm or 5 mm.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the housing 10 includes a first shell 10 a and a second shell 10 b that are formed to have substantially the same dimensions. Each of the first and second shells 10a and 10b is formed in a substantially rectangular shape by a magnetic material, and a side wall is provided upright at the peripheral edge. The first and second shells 10a and 10b are arranged to face each other with their peripheral portions facing each other. A belt-like sealing material 16 is wound around the peripheral portions of the first and second shells 10a and 10b, and the peripheral portions are connected to each other by the sealing material, and a gap between the peripheral portions is sealed. Thus, a rectangular box-shaped sealed casing 10 is configured.

  A rectangular mounting surface 11 is formed on the bottom surface of the first shell 10a. The four corners of the housing 10 including the corners of the mounting surface 11 are formed by rounding in an arc shape. This prevents the sealing material 16 wound around the peripheral portion of the housing 10 from being damaged at the corners of the housing, and prevents airtightness from being deteriorated due to floating of the sealing material.

  In the housing 10, a plurality of support posts 18 are provided on the peripheral edge of the housing. Each support post 18 has a base end fixed to the inner surface of the first shell 10a, and is erected substantially perpendicular to the inner surface of the first shell. A screw hole is formed in the mounting surface 11 at the position of each support post 18 and extends into the support post.

  In the housing 10, for example, a magnetic disk 20 having a diameter of 0.85 inches that functions as a disk-shaped medium, a spindle motor 22 that supports and rotates the magnetic disk, and information writing to and reading from the magnetic disk are performed. A magnetic head 24, a carriage 26 (actuator) that movably supports the magnetic head with respect to the magnetic disk 20, a voice coil motor (hereinafter referred to as VCM) 28 as a drive motor for rotating and positioning the carriage, and a magnetic head A substrate having a ramp load mechanism 30 for unloading and holding the magnetic head at a position away from the magnetic disk when moved to the peripheral edge of the magnetic disk, a latch mechanism 32 for holding the carriage in the retracted position, and a head IC. Unit 8 etc. are stored.

  The magnetic head 24 has an air bearing surface and can move smoothly while flying over the rotating magnetic disk 20. However, if the non-rotating magnetic disk 20 and the magnetic head 24 face each other, information recorded on the magnetic disk 20 may be damaged.

  The spindle motor 22 is attached to the first shell 10a. The spindle motor 22 has a pivot 36, which is fixed to the inner surface of the first shell 10a, and is erected substantially perpendicular to the inner surface. The extension end of the pivot 36 is screwed to the second shell by a fixing screw 37 screwed from the outside of the second shell 10b. Thereby, the pivot 36 is supported at both ends by the first and second shells 10a and 10b.

  A rotor is rotatably supported on the pivot 36 via a bearing (not shown). The end of the rotor on the second shell 10b side constitutes a cylindrical hub 43, to which the magnetic disk 20 is coaxially fitted. An annular clamp ring 44 is fitted to the end of the hub 43 to hold the peripheral edge of the magnetic disk 20. As a result, the magnetic disk 20 is fixed to the rotor and is supported so as to be rotatable integrally with the rotor.

  An annular permanent magnet (not shown) is fixed to the end of the rotor on the first shell 10a side, and is positioned coaxially with the rotor. The spindle motor 22 has a stator core attached to the first shell 10a and a plurality of coils wound around the stator core, and the stator core and the coils are disposed with a gap outside the permanent magnet.

  The carriage 26 constituting the head actuator includes a bearing assembly 52 fixed on the inner surface of the first shell 10a. The bearing assembly 52 includes a pivot 53 that is erected perpendicular to the inner surface of the first shell 10a, and a cylindrical hub 54 that is rotatably supported by the pivot 53 via a pair of bearings. ing. The extending end of the pivot 53 is screwed to the second shell by a fixing screw 56 screwed from the outside of the second shell 10b. Thus, the pivot 53 is supported at both ends by the first and second shells 10a and 10b. The bearing assembly 52 that functions as a bearing portion is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 with respect to the spindle motor 22.

  The carriage 26 includes an arm 58 extending from the hub 54, an elongated plate-like suspension 60 extending from the tip of the arm, and a support frame 62 extending from the hub 54 in the direction opposite to the arm. The magnetic head 24 is supported on the extended end of the suspension 60 via a gimbal portion (not shown). A predetermined head load is applied to the magnetic head 24 toward the surface of the magnetic disk 20 by the spring force of the suspension 60. A voice coil 64 constituting the VCM 28 is integrally fixed to the support frame 62.

  The VCM 28 for rotating the carriage 26 around the bearing assembly 52 is fixed on the first shell 10a and opposed to each other with a gap therebetween, and fixed to the inner surface of one yoke and opposed to the voice coil. And a magnet (not shown). By energizing the voice coil 64, the carriage 26 rotates between a retracted position shown in FIG. 3 and an operating position located on the surface of the magnetic disk 20, and the magnetic head 24 moves to a desired track on the magnetic disk 20. Positioned above. The movable range of the carriage 26 is limited by the two stoppers 130 shown in FIG.

  The latch mechanism 32 fixed to the first shell 10a latches (locks) the carriage 26 moved to the retracted position, and when the HDD receives an external force such as an impact, the carriage 26 moves from the retracted position to the operating position. To prevent that.

  The ramp loading mechanism 30 includes a ramp member 70 that is fixed to the inner surface of the first shell 10 a and faces the peripheral edge of the magnetic disk 20, and a tab 72 that extends from the tip of the suspension 60 and functions as an engaging member. . The ramp member 70 is molded with resin or the like and has a ramp surface 73 with which the tab 72 can be engaged. When the carriage 26 rotates from the inner periphery of the magnetic disk 20 to the retracted position on the outer periphery of the magnetic disk 20, the tab 72 engages with the ramp surface 73 of the ramp member 70, and then is lifted by the ramp surface inclination. 24 unload operations are performed. When the carriage 26 is rotated to the retracted position, the tab 72 is supported on the ramp surface 73 of the ramp member 70 and the magnetic head 24 is held in a state of being separated from the surface of the magnetic disk 20.

  The board unit 8 is formed of a flexible printed circuit board, and has a base part 81 on which a head IC 9 and a plurality of retracting capacitors 10 are mounted, and has substantially the same shape as the base part 81, and inputs signals from the magnetic head 24 to the outside of the apparatus. And a cover portion 82 having a connector 87 capable of outputting. The base part 81 and the cover part 82 are provided with attachment through holes 85a to 85d (the base part 81 is provided with attachment through holes 85a and 85c, and the cover part 82 is provided with attachment through holes 85b and 85d. The base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are fixed to the inner surface of the first shell 10a by passing the screws 18 through the through holes 85a to 85d.

  The substrate unit 8 has an FPC loop portion 83 extending from the base portion 81. The extended end of the FPC loop portion 83 is connected to the vicinity of the bearing assembly 52 of the carriage 26 and is further electrically connected to the magnetic head 24 via a cable (not shown) provided on the arm 58 and the suspension 60. Yes. Further, a hook fixing portion 88 extends from the base portion 81, and the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are fixed by removing a hook for hooking a hook 89 to be described later.

  A connector 87 for connecting to the control circuit board 12 is mounted on the cover portion 82 of the board unit 8. The connector 87 is exposed to the mounting surface 11 of the first shell through an opening formed in the first shell 10a. A hook 89 extends from the cover portion 82. The hook 89 is formed in an L shape, and is hooked by a hook fixing portion 88 extending from the base portion 81 when the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are folded back and overlapped, thereby fixing the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82. It is. Further, an interference prevention tab 84 extends from the cover portion 92. The interference prevention tab 84 is also formed in an L shape, and when the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are folded and overlapped and further bent at a right angle to the substrate unit 8, the end portion of the L shape is in the direction of the carriage 26 of the FPC loop portion 83. Facing. The interference prevention tab 84 has a structure that prevents the FPC loop portion 83 from hitting the base portion 81 or the cover portion 82.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the control circuit board 12 made of a printed circuit board has a rectangular shape having a length and a width substantially equal to the mounting surface 11 of the housing 10. On the mounting surface 11 of the housing 10, a circular convex portion 70a corresponding to the spindle motor 22 and a circular convex portion 70b corresponding to the bearing assembly 52 are formed. The control circuit board 12 is formed with circular openings 72a and 72b corresponding to the convex portions 70a and 70b, respectively. The four corners of the control circuit board 12 are notched obliquely, for example, at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to each side to form a notch 77. A plurality of electronic components 74 and connectors 71 are mounted on the inner surface of the control circuit board 12, that is, on the surface facing the housing 10. The control circuit board 12 is connected to a flexible printed circuit board 76 for electrically connecting the HDD to an external device. The flexible printed circuit board 76 is drawn outward from one short side of the control circuit board 12, and a plurality of connection terminals 75 are formed at its extended end.

  The control circuit board 12 having the above configuration is disposed so as to overlap the mounting surface 11 of the housing 10 and is screwed to the first shell 10a with a plurality of screws. At this time, the control circuit board 12 is arranged with four sides aligned with the four sides of the mounting surface 11, that is, with the four sides of the mounting surface 11 coinciding. The convex portions 70a and 70b formed on the mounting surface 11 are disposed in the openings 72a and 72b of the control circuit board 12, respectively. The connector 71 mounted on the control circuit board 12 is connected to the connector of the board unit 34.

  The notches 77 formed at the four corners of the control circuit board 12 are positioned at the four corners of the mounting surface 11, respectively. Thereby, the four corners of the mounting surface 11 are exposed to the outside without being covered by the control circuit board 12. The corners of the housing 10 including the exposed four corners of the mounting surface 11 constitute a holding portion 78 for holding the housing without contacting the control circuit board 12.

  Hereinafter, an interference prevention structure for the FPC loop portion 83 of the board unit 8 formed of the flexible printed circuit board according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. .

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the board unit 8 of the present embodiment is formed of a flexible printed circuit board, and includes a base portion 81 on which a head IC 9 and a plurality of retracting capacitors 10 are mounted, and the base portion 81 is substantially the same. A cover portion 82 having the same shape and having a connector 87 capable of inputting and outputting signals from the magnetic head 24 to the outside of the apparatus.

  The base part 81 and the cover part 82 are provided with attachment through holes 85a to 85d (the base part 81 is provided with attachment through holes 85a and 85c, and the cover part 82 is provided with attachment through holes 85b and 85d. The base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are fixed to the inner surface of the first shell 10a by passing the screws 18 through the through holes 85a to 85d.

  A head IC 9 and a plurality of retract capacitors 10 are mounted on the surface of the base portion 81. The height of the retract capacitor 10 is formed higher than the height of the head IC 9, and is about 0.8 mm. It has become.

  The substrate unit 8 has an FPC loop portion 83 extending from the base portion 81. The extended end of the FPC loop portion 83 is connected to the vicinity of the bearing assembly 52 of the carriage 26 and is further electrically connected to the magnetic head 24 via a cable (not shown) provided on the arm 58 and the suspension 60. Yes. Further, a hook fixing portion 88 extends from the base portion 81, and the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are fixed by taking a structure for hooking a hook 89 described later.

  A connector 87 for connecting to the control circuit board 12 is mounted on the cover portion 82 of the board unit 8. The connector 87 is exposed to the mounting surface 11 of the first shell through an opening formed in the first shell 10a. A hook 89 extends from the cover portion 82. The hook 89 is formed in an L shape, and is hooked by a hook fixing portion 88 extending from the base portion 81 when the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are folded back and overlapped, thereby fixing the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82. It is. Further, an interference prevention tab 84 extends from the cover portion 92. The interference prevention tab 84 is also formed in an L shape, and when the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are folded and overlapped and further bent at a right angle to the substrate unit 8, the end portion of the L shape is in the direction of the carriage 26 of the FPC loop portion 83. Facing. The interference prevention tab 84 has a structure that prevents the FPC loop portion 83 from hitting the base portion 81 or the cover portion 82.

6, 7 </ b> A, and 7 </ b> B, the cover portion 82 is folded back at the position indicated by the dotted line BB ′ so as to face the base portion 81 back to back.
This assembly procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7A, the hook 89 extending from the cover portion 82 and the interference prevention tab 84 are first moved downward with respect to the board unit 8 with the head IC 9, the capacitor 10 and the connector 87 mounted thereon. Bend 90 degrees. Further, the joint portion of the FPC loop portion 83 extending from the base portion 81 and the base portion 81 is bent upward by 90 degrees.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the cover portion 82 is folded back at the position indicated by the dotted line B-B ′ and assembled so as to face the base portion 81 back to back. At this time, the L-shaped hook 89 extending from the cover portion 82 is caught by the hook fixing portion 88 extending from the base portion 81 and is fixed so that the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are not detached. Note that mounting through holes 85a to 85d provided in the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are provided (the mounting holes 85a and 85c are provided in the base portion 81, and the mounting through holes 85b are provided in the cover portion 82. 85d is provided), the screws 18 are passed through the through holes 85a to 85d, and the base portion 81 and the cover portion 82 are fixed to the inner surface of the first shell 10a.

Further, an L-shaped interference prevention tab 84 is fixed between the base portion 81 and the FPC loop portion 83 so as to be disposed.
Since the L-shaped interference prevention tab 84 is between the base portion 81 and the FPC loop portion 83, the FPC loop portion 83 does not directly contact the base portion 81. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the FPC loop 83 from sliding on the corner of the base portion 81 and being damaged.

Note that the tip of the L-shaped interference prevention tab 84 has a shape that faces the direction in which the FPC loop 83 is connected to the carriage 26.
FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the substrate unit 8 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 8A cut along the dotted line CC ′. As shown in FIG. 8B, an interference prevention tab 84 that extends from the cover portion 82 and is bent toward the base portion 81 (upward in the drawing) faces the FPC loop portion 83, and the FPC loop portion 83 is the base. The FPC loop portion 83 is less likely to be damaged because it contacts the interference prevention tab 84 with a large area before contacting the corner portion of the portion 81.

  In the present embodiment, the surface of the interference prevention tab 84 that faces the FPC loop portion 83, that is, the outer surface of the interference prevention tab 84 that faces the FPC loop portion 83 is coated with a resin material 84c. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the FPC loop portion 83 from being damaged due to contact and sliding with the interference prevention tab 84.

(Modification)
Next, a modified example of the shape of the interference prevention tab 84 in the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In the present modification shown in FIG. 9A, the shape of the interference prevention tab 84 is not an L shape but an I shape. That is, the I-shaped interference prevention tab 84 is fixed between the base portion 81 and the FPC loop portion 83.

  Also in this modified example, the I-shaped interference prevention tab 84 is located between the base portion 81 and the FPC loop portion 83, so that the FPC loop portion 83 is in direct contact with the base portion 81, as in the above-described embodiment. There is no. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the FPC loop portion 83 from sliding on the corner of the base portion 81 and being damaged.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an example using the interference prevention tabs 84a and 84b shown in FIG. 9B will be described as a second embodiment.
In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 9B, a plurality of interference prevention tabs 84a (first interference prevention tab 84a: I-shaped) and an interference prevention tab 84b (second interference prevention tab) are formed from the cover portion 82. 84b: L-shape) extends from the first embodiment described above. Here, the first interference prevention tab 84a is located at a position close to the hook 89, and the second interference prevention tab 84b is arranged at a position farther from the hook 89 than the first interference prevention tab 84a. The plurality of interference prevention tabs 84a and 84b are not limited to two, and a plurality of FPC loops 83 can be provided at the end of the base portion 81 at a position where the FPC loop 83 can easily ride on. It is possible to effectively prevent damage due to contact and sliding of the portion 83 with the base portion 81.

  In the disk device configured as described above, by adopting such a configuration, the FPC loop portion and the substrate mounting component are brought into contact with each other with a very simple structure and without adding new components. It is possible to provide a disk device having a substrate unit having a structure for preventing damage and disconnection of an FPC.

1 is a perspective view showing an HDD according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the HDD of FIG. 1. The top view which shows the housing | casing and internal structure of HDD of FIG. The perspective view which shows the control circuit board side of HDD of FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the HDD taken along line AA in FIG. 1. The expanded top view of the FPC structure with the interference prevention tab which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the FPC according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view and sectional drawing of FPC which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of FPC with the interference prevention tab which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing 10a ... 1st shell 10b ... 2nd shell 12 ... Control circuit board 16 ... Sealing material 20 ... Magnetic disk 26 ... Carriage 28 ... VCM
32 …… Latch mechanism 8 …… Substrate unit 81 …… Base part 82 …… Cover part 83 …… FPC loop part 84 …… Interference prevention tab 85 …… Through hole 87 …… Connector 88 …… Hook fixing part 89 …… Hook 90 …… Head IC
100 …… Capacitor

Claims (7)

A head for recording / reproducing information on / from a disk-shaped recording medium disposed in the housing;
A carriage that movably supports the head and moves the head radially on the surface of the recording medium;
A cover portion having a base portion on which a head amplifier circuit that amplifies the head signal is mounted, a connector that has substantially the same shape as the base portion and that can input and output the head signal to the outside of the device; and A board unit comprising: an FPC loop portion that is fixed to the carriage and electrically connected to the head; and an interference prevention tab that prevents the FPC loop portion from directly contacting the base portion;
A disk device having The disk device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the outer surface of the interference prevention tab facing the FPC loop portion is coated with a resin material. The disk device according to claim 1, wherein the interference prevention tab extends from the cover part and is bent between the FPC loop part and the base part. 2. The disk according to claim 1, wherein a capacitor for storing electrification to be used when the head is retracted is disposed near the head amplifier circuit in the base portion, the height being higher than that of the head amplifier circuit. apparatus. 2. The disk device according to claim 1, wherein the interference prevention tab has an L shape and a tip thereof faces in a direction in which the tab is connected to the carriage of the FPC loop portion. The disk apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interference prevention tab has an I-shape. The disk device according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of the interference prevention tabs.

Images