Disk device with improved impact resistance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11664049-B2
Application number	US-202217671174-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2022
Priority date	Mar 16, 2020
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a disk device includes a magnetic disk, a load beam, a flexure, a head unit, and a first restrictor. The load beam has a first face facing the magnetic disk. The flexure is attached to the first face. The head unit includes: a magnetic head attached to the flexure, configured to read and write information from and to the magnetic disk; and a heat-assister attached to the magnetic head, configured to heat the magnetic disk. The first restrictor is included in the head unit, configured to come in contact with at least one of the load beam and the flexure along with movement of the magnetic head away from the first face by a first distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A disk device comprising:
a magnetic disk;
a load beam having a first face facing the magnetic disk;
a flexure attached to the first face;
a head unit including:
a magnetic head attached to the flexure, configured to read and write information from and to the magnetic disk, and
an assister attached to the magnetic head, configured to assist the magnetic head to read and write information from and to the magnetic disk; and

a first restrictor included in the head unit, configured to come in contact with at least one of the load beam and the flexure along with movement of the magnetic head away from the first face by a first distance.

2. The disk device according to claim 1 , wherein
the load beam has a second face opposite the first face and is provided with a hole opening to the first face and the second face,
the flexure has a third face facing the first face,
the assister is attached to the magnetic head such that the assister passes through the hole, and
the first restrictor is included in the assister, and partially covers at least one of the second face and the third face.

3. The disk device according to claim 2 , wherein
the assister comprises:
an outer shell; and
an optical device housed in the outer shell, configured to irradiate the magnetic disk with light, and

the first restrictor protrudes from the outer shell.

4. The disk device according to claim 3 , wherein
the first restrictor protrudes from the outer shell in a first direction along the first face, and
in the first direction, a total length of the assister and the first restrictor is shorter than a length of the hole.

5. The disk device according to claim 3 , wherein
the first restrictor protrudes from the outer shell in a first direction along the first face, and
in the first direction, a total length of the assister and the first restrictor is longer than a length of the hole, and the assister is shorter in length than the hole.

6. The disk device according to claim 2 , wherein
the assister comprises:
an outer shell; and
an optical device housed in the outer shell, configured to irradiate the magnetic disk with light, and

the first restrictor is attached to the outer shell.

7. The disk device according to claim 2 , wherein
the first restrictor partially covers the second face, and restricts the magnetic head from moving further from the first face beyond the first distance by coming in contact with the second face along with movement of the magnetic head away from the first face by the first distance.

8. The disk device according to claim 2 , wherein
the flexure includes:
a stationary part fixed to the load beam; and
an elastic part connected to the stationary part and elastically movable with respect to the stationary part,

the magnetic head is attached to the elastic part, and
the first restrictor partially covers the third face of the stationary part, and restricts the magnetic head from moving further from the first face beyond the first distance by coming in contact with the third face of the stationary part along with movement of the magnetic head away from the first face by the first distance.

9. The disk device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a carriage that is movable relative to the magnetic disk; wherein
the load beam is connected to the carriage at an end in a second direction along the first face,
the magnetic head has a first end in the second direction and a second end in a third direction opposite to the second direction, and
the assister is attached to the magnetic head at a position closer to the second end than to the first end.

10. The disk device according to claim 9 , further comprising
a second restrictor included in the flexure and separated from the first restrictor in the second direction, the second restrictor restricts the magnetic head from moving further from the first face beyond a second distance by coming into contact with at least one of the load beam and the flexure along with movement of the magnetic head away from the first face by the second distance.

11. A disk device comprising:
a magnetic disk;
a load beam having a first face facing the magnetic disk,
a flexure attached to the first face,
a magnetic head attached to the flexure, configured to read and write information from and to the magnetic disk; and
a heat-assister configured to heat the magnetic disk, the heat-assister comprising:
a base that extends in an extending direction intersecting the first face, and
a protrusion that protrudes from the base in a protruding direction intersecting the extending direction and that partially covers at least one of the load beam and the flexure in the extending direction.

12. The disk device according to claim 11 , wherein
the load beam is provided with a hole opening to the first face, and
the base passes through the hole.

13. The disk device according to claim 12 , wherein
of the heat-assister, a part including the protrusion has a larger cross-sectional area orthogonal to the extending direction than a part passing through the hole.

14. The disk device according to claim 11 , wherein
the base is attached to the magnetic head such that the base extends from the magnetic head in the extending direction.

15. A disk device comprising:
a disk;
a load beam having a first face facing the disk;
a flexure attached to the first face;
a head unit including:
a head attached to the flexure, configured to read and write information from and to the disk, and
a heat-assister attached to the head, configured to heat the disk; and

a restrictor included in the head unit, configured to come in contact with at least one of the load beam and the flexure along with movement of the head away from the first face by a first distance.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corp

Inventors

• Kudo Masaya

Classifications

• G11B5/4833

  Structure of the arm assembly, e.g. load beams, flexures, parts of the arm adapted for controlling vertical force on the head (G11B5/484 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/6088 Primary

  Optical waveguide in or on flying head · CPC title

• G11B5/4866

  the arm comprising an optical waveguide, e.g. for thermally-assisted recording · CPC title

• G11B5/314 Primary

  where the layers are extra layers normally not provided in the transducing structure, e.g. optical layers (G11B5/3196 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11B2005/0021

  Thermally assisted recording using an auxiliary energy source for heating the recording layer locally to assist the magnetization reversal · CPC title