JPH11203650A - Head supporting mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a magnetic disk device installed with plural disks thin in thickness by reducing the interval in the direction of the height with respect to a slider. SOLUTION: This mechanism is provided with the slider 3 and flexures 5 being suspension members, and the slider 3 is provided with a head on the floating surface 9 of the disk and grooves 12 to be coupled with the flexures 5 on its side surface, then the flexures 5 are coupled with the grooves 12. Thus, the interval Zh(Z-height) with respect to the slider is reduced, thereby making the magnetic disk device thin in thickness.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a head support mechanism for supporting a head in a disk device which performs recording and / or reproduction on a disk by magnetic, optical, and other methods using the head. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some disk drives have a plurality of heads, and these heads record and reproduce data on both sides of a disk. Such a conventional disk device requires a head support mechanism for supporting the head. In a conventional head support mechanism, a head is mounted on a support made of a ceramic material or the like called a slider, and is supported in a state of floating above a data recording surface of a disk at a predetermined interval. There is.

FIG. 4 shows a conventional head support mechanism, and FIG.
1 shows a conventional disk device using this head support mechanism. Referring to these figures, a plurality of disks 4
Rotates at a high speed and records data on the disk 4 or reproduces data on the disk by the slider 3 attached to the suspension 2.

The head support mechanism is roughly divided into a base plate 1 and a suspension 2 as shown in FIG.
And the slider 3. The base plate 1 includes a swing arm (not shown), a caulking hole 1b, and a base plate 1a, and is configured so that the base plate 1a is rotationally driven by the driving force of a voice coil motor (VCM) as an actuator mechanism.

[0005] The head arm portion 2 includes a base plate 1a.
The slider 3 attached to the distal end of the disk 4 is rotated in the radial direction of the disk 4 by the rotation of the base plate 1a. The suspension 2 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2B, the slider 3 includes a load beam 2a for applying a predetermined load to the slider 3 in the direction of the disk 4, and a folded portion 2b forming a side surface of the load beam 2a. The folded portion 2b is provided to reinforce the structural strength of the load beam 2a and to wire a lead wire connected to the head.

The slider 3 is supported by a suspension member called a flexure 5, and is connected to the suspension 2 via the suspension member. The flexure 5 is a leaf spring member constituting a gimbal mechanism,
A function for controlling the attitude of the slider 3 is provided. The suspension member includes a member called a dimple 6 for holding down the slider 3.

By the suspension 2 and the actuator mechanism, the slider 3 is supported on the disk 4 in a state of floating at a predetermined interval (floating amount SH) on the disk 4 as shown in FIG. Is rotated. The slider 3 has a flying surface 32 that floats by air dynamic pressure generated by high-speed rotation of the disk 4.

[0008]

The magnetic disk drive has a plurality of disks 4 mounted thereon in order to reduce the size and increase the storage capacity. Therefore, the sliders 3 are provided on both sides of each disk. In a disk device having a plurality of disks, the interval between the disks is a factor in determining the size in the height direction. That is, in order to reduce the thickness of the magnetic disk device, it is desirable to reduce the distance between the disks.

As a factor for determining the distance between the disks, as shown in FIG. 4B, there is a distance ZH relating to the slider 3 called "Z-Height". This interval Z
H is the height from the mounting surface with the swing arm to the floating surface 32, and is usually 0.584 mm (23 minc).
h) degree. By reducing the distance ZH with respect to the slider 3, the thickness of the disk device can be reduced as a whole. However, due to the thickness of the slider 3 and the thickness of the suspension 2, the distance ZH cannot be simply reduced.

In order to reduce the thickness of the suspension mounting structure, there is one disclosed in JP-A-2-294977. This is provided with a notch in the boss at the other end of the suspension. 2 arranged between disks
When mounting two suspensions from both the upper and lower sides of the actuator mounting part, the cutouts of the boss alternately overlap to reduce the thickness of the suspension mounting part, thereby reducing the disk space and reducing the overall thickness of the device. It is what we are trying to figure out.

However, even if the thickness of the suspension mounting portion of the actuator is reduced in this way, the thickness of the suspension and the thickness of the head cannot be reduced below a certain limit. Therefore, in this conventional example, there is a limit in reducing the disk interval. As described above, in the disk device, it is required to realize a space in the height direction with respect to the slider as small as possible, and particularly to reduce the thickness of the disk device on which a plurality of disks are mounted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to reduce the height of the slider in the height direction as much as possible, thereby making it possible to reduce the thickness of a disk drive on which a plurality of disks are mounted. .

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided a head support mechanism for supporting a head in a disk drive, comprising a slider member and a suspension member, wherein the slider member comprises a disk. A surface facing the data recording surface of the disk floats at a predetermined interval as a floating surface by rotation of the disk, and has a head on the floating surface and a groove on the side surface for coupling with the suspension member. The suspension member applies a predetermined load to the slider member in the direction of the data recording surface of the disk for controlling the attitude of the head, and is coupled to the groove. With the head support mechanism, the optimum thickness necessary for mounting the head and lead wire is secured, and the slider It realized that to minimize the distance in the height direction related, by particularly attained the thickness of the plurality of the mounted disk drive disks, solves the problems described above.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a head supporting mechanism for supporting a head in a disk drive, comprising a slider member and a suspension member. A structure in which a surface facing the data recording surface of the disk floats at a predetermined interval as a floating surface by rotation, and has a head on the floating surface, and has a groove on the side surface for coupling with the suspension member. The suspension member applies a predetermined load to the slider member in the direction of the data recording surface of the disk for controlling the attitude of the head. This has the effect of reducing the height-wise spacing of the members and reducing the thickness of the disk drive on which multiple disks are mounted. That.

The invention according to a second aspect of the present invention is that the slider has a terminal electrically connected to each of the head of the slider member and the suspension member in the groove. This makes it possible to simultaneously perform the mechanical coupling and the electrical coupling, and also allows the suspension member to be easily attached to the small slider member.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a head supporting mechanism for supporting a head in a disk drive, comprising a slider member and a suspension member, wherein the slider member is configured to rotate a disk to rotate a data recording surface of the disk. And a surface facing the floating surface at a predetermined interval as a floating surface, comprising a head on the floating surface, wherein the suspension member is provided on the disk with respect to a slider member for controlling the attitude of the head. A predetermined load is applied in the direction of the data recording surface, and the distance between the slider member in the height direction is reduced by being coupled to the side surface of the slider member. It has the effect of achieving the conversion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the suspension member is coupled to the slider member via a fixing member provided on a side surface of the slider member, so that the height of the suspension member can be reduced. This has the effect of reducing the size and reducing the thickness of a disk device on which a plurality of disks are mounted.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a head support mechanism according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line aa in FIG. 1. In the present invention, the disk device to which the head support mechanism is applied is a magnetic recording / reproducing device, an optical recording / reproducing device, and other types of recording / reproducing devices as long as the recording medium has a disk shape. It goes without saying that the present invention can be widely applied regardless of the recording method and the reproducing method, such as the structure and form of the head of the device.

Referring to these figures, the head supporting mechanism according to the first embodiment basically includes a base plate portion 1, a suspension 2, a slider 3, a flexure and a flexure shown in FIG. The base plate 1 is configured to be driven to rotate by the driving force of a voice coil motor as an actuator mechanism.
The head support mechanism according to the first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in which the slider 3 and the flexure 5 are shown as constituent elements, and the other constituent elements are not particularly described, so that description thereof is omitted. Have been.

The term "suspension member" as used in the claims includes a portion that performs a suspension function such as the suspension 2 and the flexure 5, and the "slider member" includes a portion that performs the slider function including the slider 3. Things.

The slider 3 according to the first embodiment has an A
It is those that are configured l ₂ O ₃ material in flat rectangular such -TiC, both side surfaces 7, back 8, the bottom surface 9, and has a front 10 and a rear surface 11. The bottom surface 9 is a floating surface (hereinafter, referred to as a floating surface 9) and faces the data recording surface of the disk 4. The slider 3 has a structure in which the slider 3 is caused to fly by receiving a floating pressure on the floating surface 9 by an air dynamic pressure generated by a high-speed rotational movement of the disk 4, and is usually processed into a convex shape called a crown. When the flexure 5 is mounted in the groove 12 for mounting the flexure 5 constituting the suspension member, the both sides 7 of the slider 3 are set to a depth that can ensure a sufficient adhesive strength, and are machined and dry. It is formed by etching or the like. The flexure 5 is bonded in the groove 12 of each side surface 7 of the slider 3 by bonding, ultrasonic bonding, mechanical bonding using a boss, or the like. A head (not shown) for transmitting and receiving data to and from the disk 4 is made of an MR or a thin film, and is provided on the flying surface 9.

When the disk 4 below the flying surface 9 of the slider 3 rotates at a high speed in such a configuration, the attitude of the slider 3 is controlled by the suspension function of the flexure 5, and the disk 4 is rotated toward the slider 3 by the rotation. Even if it fluctuates, it works so that the head mounted on the slider 3 can always maintain a stable posture.

Data on the disk 4 is recorded or reproduced by a head mounted on the slider 3. A terminal 13 for transmitting and receiving a signal recorded or reproduced by the head is provided in a groove 12 of the slider 3. Has flexure 5
Also, a terminal 14 is provided via an insulating layer 15, and the slider 3 and the flexure 5 are fixed to each other by bonding at the groove 12 or bonding between the terminal 13 and the terminal 14.

In the head support mechanism using the slider 3 having the above-described structure, the distance Zh between the sliders, which is referred to as “Z-Height”, can be reduced by at least the thickness of the flexure 5.

When the above-described slider 3 is applied to a head support mechanism of a magnetic disk drive using a plurality of disks 4, the distance Zh relating to the slider 3, which is one of the factors that determine the distance between the disks 4, can be reduced. Since the distance can be reduced, the interval between the disks 4 can be relatively reduced. With this, if the number of disks is the same, the thickness of the magnetic disk device can be relatively reduced, so that the thickness can be reduced. Further, the terminal 13 is provided in the groove 12.
With the configuration of 14, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the terminal portion, and it is possible to reliably perform electrical connection.

Further, since the electrical connection by the terminals 13 and 14 and the opportunistic joining of the slider 3 and the flexure 5 can be performed at the same place, it is easy to manufacture.

Further, the slider 3 and the suspension member can be connected simultaneously with the electrical connection for transmitting and receiving signals, and the electrical connection when the slider 3 is miniaturized (preferably about 1 mm square or less). Space for joining can be secured.

When the terminals 13 and 14 are made of gold and the flexure 5 and the terminals 13 and 14 of the slider 3 are ultrasonically bonded, the flexure 5 and the slider 3 are mechanically and simultaneously electrically connected. Can be performed, and the assembling work of the flexure 5 and the slider 3 is greatly simplified.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of a head support mechanism according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

The head supporting mechanism according to the second embodiment has a structure in which a fixing member 13 is fixed to each of both side surfaces 7 of the slider 3, and the flexure 5 is fixed to the fixing member 9.

Also in the structure of the second embodiment, for the same reason as in the first embodiment, the distance Zh relating to the slider 3, which is one of the factors determining the distance between the disks 4, can be reduced. If the number of disks can be made relatively small, the thickness of the magnetic disk device can be made relatively thin so that the thickness can be reduced.

Although the fixing member 13 is used in the second embodiment, the flexure 5 may be fixed directly to the side surface 7 of the slider 3. With this structure, the same operation and effect as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the slider member which is a component of the head support mechanism, an optimum thickness required for mounting the head is secured, and the slider member and the actuator mechanism are mounted. The distance between the mounting surface and the floating surface in the height direction of the slider member can be reduced. Therefore, particularly when the present invention is applied to a disk device using a plurality of disks, the distance between the sliders, which is a factor that determines the distance between the disks, can be reduced in the height direction. As a result, the distance between the disks can be reduced. Can be. This makes it easy to reduce the thickness of the disk device in which a plurality of disks are mounted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a head support mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line aa of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of a head support mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a conventional head support mechanism.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional disk device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Suspension 3 Slider 4 Disk 5 Flexure 7 Side 8 Back 9 Floating surface 12 Groove

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A head supporting mechanism for supporting a head in a disk drive, comprising: a slider member and a suspension member, wherein the slider member has a surface facing a data recording surface of the disk floated by rotation of the disk. A structure that floats at a predetermined interval as a surface, including a head on the air bearing surface, and a groove for coupling to the suspension member on a side surface, wherein the suspension member is used for controlling the attitude of the head. A head supporting mechanism for applying a predetermined load to the slider member in the direction of the data recording surface of the disk and being coupled to the groove. 2. The head supporting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the groove has a terminal electrically connected to each of the head of the slider member and the suspension member. . 3. A head supporting mechanism for supporting a head in a disk device, comprising a slider member and a suspension member, wherein the slider member has a surface facing a data recording surface of the disk raised by rotation of the disk. A surface on which the head floats at a predetermined interval, wherein the suspension member has a head in a direction of a data recording surface of the disk with respect to a slider member for controlling the attitude of the head. And a head support mechanism for applying a load to the slider member, the head support mechanism being coupled to a side surface of the slider member. 4. The head supporting mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said suspension member is connected to said slider member via a fixing member provided on a side surface of said slider member.