Information storage devices are used to retrieve and/or store data in computers and other consumer electronics devices. A magnetic hard disk drive is an example of an information storage device that includes one or more heads that can both read and write, but other information storage devices also include heads—sometimes including heads that cannot write.
In a modern magnetic hard disk drive device, each head is a sub-component of a head-gimbal assembly (HGA) that typically includes a laminated flexure to carry the electrical signals to and from the head. The HGA, in turn, is a sub-component of a head-stack assembly (HSA) that typically includes a plurality of HGAs, an actuator, and a flexible printed circuit (FPC). The plurality of HGAs are attached to various arms of the actuator, and each of the laminated flexures of the HGAs has a flexure tail that is electrically connected to the FPC.
Modern laminated flexures typically include conductive copper traces that are isolated from a stainless steel structural layer by a polyimide dielectric layer. So that the signals from/to the head can reach the flex cable on the actuator body, each HGA flexure includes a flexure tail that extends away from the head along the actuator arm and ultimately attaches to the FPC adjacent the actuator body. That is, the flexure includes traces that extend from adjacent the head and continue along the flexure tail to electrical connection points. The FPC includes conductive electrical terminals that correspond to the electrical connection points of the flexure tail.
To facilitate electrical connection of the conductive traces of the flexure tails to the conductive electrical terminals of the FPC during the HSA manufacturing process, the flexure tails must first be properly positioned relative to the FPC so that the conductive traces of the flexure tails are aligned with the conductive electrical terminals of the FPC. Then the flexure tails must be held or constrained to maintain proper alignment while the aforementioned electrical connections are made. Practically obtaining and maintaining such proper relative alignment in a high-volume manufacturing environment is a non-trivial challenge for manufacturers that require fast, cost-effective, and robust manufacturing processes to survive in a highly competitive industry.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved HSA designs, to facilitate relative positioning and electrical connection of the conductive traces of a flexure tail to the conductive electrical terminals of an FPC during HSA manufacture.
The disk drive 100 further includes a head stack assembly (HSA) 120 rotatably attached to the base 102. The HSA 120 includes an actuator body 122 having a bore and a pivot bearing cartridge 124 engaged within the bore for enabling the HSA 120 to rotate relative to the base 102 about actuator pivot axis 126. The actuator pivot axis 126 (oriented in & out of the page in
Now referring to
Still referring to
For that second purpose, the flexure 238 includes a flexure tail 260 that extends away from the head 240 along the actuator arm 228 and ultimately attaches to the FPC 250 adjacent the actuator body 222. That is, the flexure 238 includes traces that extend from adjacent the head 240 to electrical connection points in a terminal region 270 of the flexure tail 260. Likewise, HGA 230 includes a flexure 242 that includes a flexure tail 262 that attaches to FPC 250 in a terminal region 272. As can be seen in
Now referring to the embodiment of
Still referring to the embodiment of
For that second purpose, the flexure 338 of the embodiment of
This positioning of the mouth centerline 500 may enable increased vertical deflection of the flexure tails, which may provide increased vertical preload during electrical connection (e.g. more reliable physical contact of solder bumps on mating parts during a solder reflow process). For example in the embodiment of
However, this positioning of the mouth 352, in a position that is substantially equidistant from the first and second actuator arms 318 and 328, stands in contradiction to conventional wisdom, which would instead lead to an alignment of the center of the mouth with either the first or second actuator arm to facilitate electrical interconnection (because the sides of the flexure tails that have conductive traces would then face towards, rather than away from, the FPC 350).
The consequences of this contradiction with conventional wisdom may be at least partially mitigated in the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
In the foregoing specification, the invention is described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to those. It is contemplated that various features and aspects of the invention may be used individually or jointly and possibly in a different environment or application. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded as illustrative and exemplary rather than restrictive. “Comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are intended to be open-ended terms.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/195,288 to Tzong-Shii Pan, entitled “HEAD STACK ASSEMBLY WITH A FLEXIBLE PRINTED CIRCUIT HAVING A MOUTH CENTERED BETWEEN ARMS,” filed 2008 Aug. 20, pending.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160086624 A1 | Mar 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12195288 | Aug 2008 | US |
Child | 14954486 | US |