SHIPPING COMB

Abstract

A shipping comb combined with a head stack assembly (HSA) which includes sliders recording data onto or reading data from disks, suspensions having the sliders thereon, and end-taps at front ends of the suspensions, the shipping comb preventing the HSA from being damaged, the shipping comb including a body unit having protruding suspension spacers which are each inserted between middle portions of a pair of suspensions having a pair of sliders facing each other to prevent a collision of the middle portions of the pair of suspensions, and a head unit having protruding end-tap spacers inserted between the end-taps of the pair of the suspensions to prevent a collision of the front ends of the pair of suspensions, and connected to a front end of the body unit with a hinge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional shipping comb and a head stack assembly (HSA) supported by the shipping comb;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a shipping comb and a head stack assembly supported by the shipping comb according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a portion of the shipping comb of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a process of separating an HSA from a ramp and base member using the shipping comb of FIG. 3.

Claims

1. A shipping comb combined with a head stack assembly (HSA) having sliders recording data onto or reading data from disks, suspensions having the sliders thereon, and end-taps at front ends of the suspension, the shipping comb preventing the HSA from being damaged, the shipping comb comprising: a body unit having protruding suspension spacers which are each inserted between middle portions of a pair of suspensions having a pair of sliders facing each other to prevent a collision of the middle portions of the pair of suspensions; anda head unit having protruding end-tap spacers inserted between the end-taps of the pair of the suspensions to prevent a collision of the front ends of the pair of suspensions, and connected to a front end of the body unit with a hinge.

2. The shipping comb of claim 1, wherein the head unit rotates around the hinge to a predetermined angle with respect to the body unit so that the head unit reaches a first position where the end-tap spacers are inserted between the end-taps or a second position where the end-tap spacers are not inserted between the end-taps.

3. The shipping comb of claim 2, further comprising: limiters to limit a rotation angle of the head unit with respect to the body unit.

4. The shipping comb of claim 1, further comprising: at least a pair of the suspension spacers and a pair of the end-tap spacers corresponding to the HSA which includes at least two pairs of the suspensions.

5. The shipping comb of claim 1, wherein the head unit frictionally contacts the body unit at the hinge so as not to rotate due to its own weight with respect to the body unit.

6. The shipping comb of claim 1, further comprising: a middle supporting unit extending from a middle part of the body unit to support a middle part of the head stack assembly, the middle supporting unit having upper and lower support parts extending in the second direction to be positioned on upper and lower sides of the middle part of the head stack assembly.

7. The shipping comb of claim 1, further comprising: an inserting portion extending from the body unit in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions to be inserted in a shipping comb combining hole of the head stack assembly.

8. A shipping comb usable with a head stack assembly, the shipping comb comprising: a body unit having an elongated shape with first support protrusions extending from a midsection thereof and second spacing protrusions extending from an end thereof; anda head unit rotatably coupled to the body unit adjacent to the second spacing protrusions at a first end thereof and having third spacing protrusions extending from a second end thereof such that the head unit and the third spacing protrusions are rotatable together with respect to the body unit, the first support protrusions, and the second spacing protrusions.

9. A shipping comb assembly, comprising: a head stack assembly having a VCM coil, a swing arm extending from the VCM coil along a predetermined direction, a plurality of suspensions extending from the swing arm along the predetermined direction, and a plurality of sliders disposed on ends of the suspensions; anda shipping comb having a body unit extending along the VCM coil and the swing arm in the predetermined direction and being coupled thereto, a hinge having a rotating axis that is perpendicular to the predetermined direction, and a head unit rotatably connected to the body unit via the hinge and having a plurality of spacing protrusions that are movable to/from the suspensions.

10. The shipping comb assembly of claim 9, wherein the head unit is rotatable with respect to the body unit and the suspensions between a first position in which the spacing protrusions are disposed between the suspensions and a second position in which the spacing protrusions are disposed away from the suspensions.

11. The shipping comb assembly of claim 10, wherein the hinge comprises a first limiter and a second limiter to limit movement of the head unit between the first and second positions.

12. A hard disk drive, comprising: a base member;a spindle motor disposed on the base member to rotate one or more disks;a head stack assembly disposed on the base member adjacent to the disks and having a VCM coil, a swing arm extending from the VCM coil along a predetermined direction, a plurality of suspensions extending from the swing arm along the predetermined direction, and a plurality of sliders disposed on ends of the suspensions;a ramp disposed at a side portion of the base member along which the sliders are movable; anda shipping comb having a body unit extending along the VCM coil and the swing arm in the predetermined direction and being coupled to the swing arm, a hinge having a rotating axis that is perpendicular to the predetermined direction, and a head unit rotatably connected to the body unit via the hinge and having a plurality of spacing protrusions that are movable to/from the suspensions such that the head unit is movable to prevent the spacing protrusions from interfering with the movement of the sliders along the ramp.

13. The hard disk drive of claim 12, further comprising: a middle supporting unit extending from a middle part of the body unit to support the swing arm of the head stack assembly, the middle supporting unit having upper and lower support parts extending in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction to be positioned on upper and lower sides of the swing arm of the head stack assembly.

14. The hard disk drive of claim 12, wherein: the head stack assembly comprises a shipping comb combining hole extending in a direction that is perpendicular to the base member; andthe shipping comb further comprises an inserting portion extending from the body unit in the direction perpendicular to the base member to be inserted in the shipping comb combining hole of the head stack assembly.

15. The hard disk drive of claim 12, wherein the spacing protrusions comprise: end tap spacing protrusions disposed at a first end of the head unit opposite to the body unit to extend between end taps disposed on ends of the suspensions when the head unit is in a spacing position; andsuspension spacing protrusions disposed at a second end of the head unit adjacent to the body unit to extend between the suspensions when the head unit is in the spacing position and a non-spacing position.

16. The hard disk drive of claim 12, wherein the head stack assembly further comprises a pivot between the VCM coil and the swing arm about which the swing arm is moved to move the sliders between the ramp and the disk.