JPH04355284A - Loading/unloading device for magnetic head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always hold a magnetic head and a magnetic disk in a non-contact state by including the time of actuation and stop of a magnetic disk device, in the loading/unloading device for the magnetic head used for the magnetic disk device. CONSTITUTION:By the constitution provided with a movable body 5 provided with a loading/unloading bar 5a for supporting a flexure 3 provided with a magnetic head 2 at the time of unloading a magnetic head 2, a slide face 6 for moving the movable body 5 at the time of loading and unloading the magnetic head 2, and a driving sans consisting of a solenoid 7 and an iron core 9, the magnetic head 2 does not come into contact with a magnetic disk 1 and the magnetic head 2 is floated onto the magnetic disk 1, the reliability can be enhanced, and also, the recording area can be increased.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic head load/unload device in which a magnetic head and a magnetic disk always operate in a non-contact state, including when a magnetic disk drive is started or stopped.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a magnetic disk device used for recording and reproducing information, a magnetic head and a magnetic disk are in contact with each other when the device is stopped, and when the device is started, a magnetic disk equipped with a spindle motor is in contact with the magnetic disk. As it rotates, the magnetic head generates positive pressure on the slider surface and flies above the magnetic disk, and when the device stops, the contact start-stop method (hereinafter referred to as the CSS method) is used, in which the magnetic head and magnetic disk come into contact. has been done. Currently, the flying height of magnetic heads is 0.2μ
It has been put into practical use up to about m. In order to achieve this flying height, the slider surface of the magnetic head and the surface of the magnetic disk are made flat or mirror-finished. Its surface roughness is
The thickness is about 10 Å for a magnetic head and about 50 Å for a magnetic disk.

[0003] In recent years, as the density of magnetic recording has increased, magnetic disk devices have been required to have a larger recording capacity. One example is lower levitation. In order to lower the flying height, it is required that the slider surface of the magnetic head and the surface of the magnetic disk be made ultra-flat or ultra-mirrored. However, when the surface roughness of the magnetic disk becomes 50 Å or less, in the case of a magnetic disk device using the CSS method, adhesion tends to occur between the magnetic head and the magnetic disk, and the spindle motor for rotating the magnetic disk becomes difficult. It will stop rotating. In addition, in the case of the CSS system, the magnetic head and the magnetic disk slide against each other when the magnetic disk device is started and stopped, causing wear and dust generation. As the flying height of the magnetic head becomes lower, dust of about 0.1 .mu.m, which has not been a problem in the past, becomes a factor in magnetic head crashes, increasing the possibility that the reliability of the magnetic disk device will be lost.

Therefore, even if the flying height of the magnetic head can be lowered due to higher density magnetic recording by making the magnetic head smaller or adopting a negative pressure magnetic head, the reliability of the magnetic disk device due to adhesion and crashes is still high. The issue of performance remains unsolved at present, and is an important issue in increasing the capacity of magnetic disk drives.

[0005]Currently, as a breakthrough for the above problem,
A mechanism in which the magnetic head and the magnetic disk always operate in a non-contact state, including when the magnetic disk device is started and stopped; in other words, when the magnetic disk device is stopped, the magnetic head and the magnetic disk are in a non-contact unloaded state, and the magnetic disk A magnetic head load/unload device has been developed, which is a mechanical system to achieve a loading state in which the magnetic head flies above the magnetic disk when the device is started up (hereinafter referred to as "Load/Unload"). .

A conventional L/UL device will be explained below.

(Conventional Example 1) As shown in FIG. 5, a flexure 3 having a magnetic head 2 for recording and reproducing information on a magnetic disk 1 is supported by an arm 4. As shown in FIG. During unloading without contact between the magnetic head 2 and the magnetic disk 1, the flexure 3 is mounted on the L/UL board 12. The bending direction of the flexure 3 is the direction of the magnetic disk 1, and a positive load is applied to the direction of the magnetic disk 1.

The operation of the L/UL device configured as described above will be explained below. First, at the time of unloading, that is, when the magnetic disk device is stopped, as shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the flexure 3 is mounted on the L/UL board 12. When moving from the unload state to the load state, the magnetic disk 1 rotates and the actuator attached to the arm 4 moves, so that the magnetic head 2 moves from the L/UL plate 12 toward the magnetic disk 1 at low speed. It moves to the state shown in FIG. 6(b). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6(c), the magnetic head 2 moves, is loaded onto the rotating magnetic disk 1, and flies above the magnetic disk 1. (Hereinafter, this mechanism will be referred to as a ramp load device).

(Conventional Example 2) In FIGS. 7 and 8, Conventional Example 1
The same parts are given the same numbers and their explanations are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, a pressing rod 1 for pressing and bending a load pin 13 for pressing the flexure 3
It is equipped with 4. The bending direction of the flexure 3 is opposite to that of the magnetic disk 1, and a load is applied to the direction of the magnetic disk 1. In the case of this L/UL device, a negative pressure magnetic head slider is used.

The operation of the L/UL device configured as described above will be explained below. First, Figure 8(a)
As shown in , during unloading, that is, when the magnetic disk drive is stopped, the flexure 3
is fixed by a fixing device (not shown). When transitioning from the unload state to the load state, the magnetic disk 1 starts rotating, the flexure 3 is released from its fixation, the press rod 14 moves in the direction shown by arrow K, bends the load pin 13, and the load pin 13 is moved as shown in FIG. The flexure 3 is pressed as shown in (b). Furthermore, the flexure 3 is pushed in the direction of the magnetic disk 1 to complete loading, and the press rod 14 returns to its original position and floats above the magnetic disk 1 as shown in FIG. 8(c). (Hereinafter, this mechanism will be referred to as the load pin device).

0012

However, the above conventional configuration has the following problems.

That is, in the ramp load device,
At the moment when the loading operation is performed, that is, the flexure is L/
When the magnetic head leaves the UL plate and floats above the magnetic disk, the magnetic head tilts and cannot fly stably, causing the magnetic head to come into contact with the surface of the magnetic disk.Also, at the moment when the unloading operation is performed, that is, when the flexure is at L / Even when mounted on the UL board, the magnetic head slider may tilt and the magnetic head may come into contact with the magnetic disk surface, damaging the magnetic disk surface and causing loss of information written on the magnetic disk. There is a problem that sometimes magnetic head crashes occur, and furthermore, the positioning of the L/UL board on the outer periphery of the magnetic disk reduces the recording area of the magnetic disk, which is an obstacle to increasing the capacity of magnetic disk devices. It had the problem of becoming.

Next, in the load pin device, the bending of the flexure is a heavy load in the direction of the magnetic disk, so at the moment of unloading when the magnetic disk device is stopped, the flexure freely vibrates due to its spring property, and the magnetic head Contact with the disk surface may damage the surface of the magnetic disk in the same way as a ramp load device, resulting in loss of information written on the magnetic disk, magnetic head crash during L/UL, and problems with magnetic disk device failure. During operation, the flexure also vibrates due to vibrations in the external environment of the magnetic disk drive and comes into contact with the surface of the magnetic disk, so a mechanical system for fixing the flexure is required, resulting in high costs. Ta.

As described above, in the conventional L/UL device, the reliability of the magnetic disk device has not been established, and therefore, there are very few magnetic disk devices equipped with the L/UL device that have been put into practical use.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and allows the magnetic head to float above the magnetic disk without the magnetic head coming into contact with the magnetic disk, thereby achieving high reliability, increasing the recording area, and reducing costs. Magnetic head L/
The purpose is to provide UL devices.

[0017]

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to solve this problem, the L/UL device of the present invention provides an L/UL device that supports a flexure on which a magnetic head is disposed when unloading the magnetic head.
It has a configuration including a movable body provided with a UL bar and a drive means for moving the movable body when the magnetic head is at L/UL.

[0018]

[Operation] This structure prevents the magnetic head from tilting and the flexure from freely vibrating during L/UL of the magnetic head.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 3 showing an embodiment of the present invention, parts that are the same as those in the conventional example are given the same numbers and their explanations will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 1, 5a is a part of the movable body 5,
This is an L/UL bar that supports the flexure 3 during unloading. A driving means for moving the movable body 5 is constituted by a sliding surface 6 constituted by a sliding bearing, a solenoid 7 constituted by a bobbin 8 wound with a conductive wire, an iron core 9, etc. The spring 10 is used to pull the movable body 5 toward the magnetic head 2 during unloading. Further, 11 is the base of the L/UL device.

FIG. 1 shows the state when the magnetic head 2 is unloaded, and the movable body 5 is pulled by the spring force of the spring 10, that is, the tip of the L/UL bar 5a is located near the magnetic head 2. It is in a state.

The operation of the L/UL device configured as described above will be explained. As shown in FIG. 2(a), in the unloaded state, the flexure 3 is mounted on the L/UL bar 5a. Next, the magnetic disk device enters the startup state, and when the magnetic disk 1 rotates at 3600 rpm after a few seconds, the iron core 9 protrudes using the solenoid 7 as a driving source, as shown in FIG.
The UL bar 5a moves in the direction of the arm 4. Furthermore, L
The /UL bar 5a moves in the direction of the arm 4, and the magnetic head 2 is loaded onto the magnetic disk 1 as shown in FIG. 2(c).

FIG. 3(a) shows a state in which the magnetic head 2 is floating above the magnetic disk 1. Next, when the rotation of the magnetic disk 1 stops as shown in FIG. It moves at low speed in the direction of the UL bar 5a. Furthermore, when the magnetic head 2 reaches the outermost periphery as shown in FIG. , the magnetic head 2 is unloaded onto the L/UL bar 5a.

[0024] This embodiment was subjected to a repeated operation test 100,000 times in parallel with the load pin device and ramp load device of Conventional Example 2 to evaluate its practicality. The sliding marks of the L/UL mechanism and the amount of dust generated after the L/UL device test were evaluated. To evaluate the amount of dust generated, dust with a size of 0.1 μm or more was repeatedly monitored during operation tests.
A comparison was made of wear.

As a result of the test, some scratches were observed on the L/UL bar of the L/UL device of this example under a microscope. The ramp load device had the same damage as the L/UL device of this example. In addition, in the load pin device, visible sliding marks were observed on the sliding portion of the press rod and load pin.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, which shows the relationship between the number of dust particles with a size of 0.1 μm or more and the number of repeated operations,
The L/UL device of this example shown by curve A has 10
During normal operation up to 10,000 times, about 2 pieces of dust are generated per L/UL operation. However, a filter for removing dust is usually installed in a magnetic disk drive, and a few pieces of dust are all captured within the filter within one second, so a magnetic head crash does not occur. On the other hand, in conventional L/UL devices such as Conventional Example 1 shown by curve B and Conventional Example 2 shown by curve C, dust generation increases from around 70,000 times. This is expected to indicate that magnetic head crashes are beginning to occur, and even if the operation test is repeated 100,000 times or more, it is inferred that the amount of dust generated will further increase.

As described above, in the L/UL device of this embodiment, since the magnetic head does not tilt during L/UL, the magnetic head does not come into contact with the magnetic disk and L/UL is performed.
It can be seen that the reliability is superior to the conventional L/UL device because it can perform L/UL. Also, in this embodiment, like the conventional L/UL device, dust is generated from the sliding parts of the L/UL device, but the amount of dust generated is extremely small, and the generated dust is filtered through the circulation filter in the magnetic disk device. Since the data is captured immediately, the reliability of the magnetic disk drive is not lost. Therefore, it was confirmed that the L/UL device of this example is practically superior to the conventional L/UL device.

In order to securely fix the flexure during unloading, a hemispherical pivot is formed in the direction of the magnetic disk on the flexure that supports the magnetic head, and a hemispherical counterbore is formed on the L/UL bar. Even in the case where the flexure pivot is dropped into a hemispherical counterbore during unloading, repeated operation tests were conducted in the same manner as in this example, and it was found that some dust was not generated from the sliding part. However, it was confirmed that the reliability of the magnetic disk device was not lost and it was superior to the conventional L/UL device.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the magnetic disk device is stopped and started, the movable body of the L/UL device moves and the magnetic head is loaded by pushing the L/UL bar. , when starting up and stopping the magnetic disk drive, pull the L/UL bar to adjust the L/U of the magnetic head.
By performing L, the flying posture of the magnetic head does not tilt during L/UL, and the flexure does not freely vibrate during unloading, so the magnetic disk and magnetic head do not come into contact and slide during L/UL. becomes possible. Further, unlike conventional L/UL devices, the recording area is not narrowed and a mechanism for fixing the flexure is not required, so it is easy to increase the capacity and reduce the cost of the magnetic disk device.

[0030]

As is clear from the above description of the embodiments, the present invention provides a movable body provided with an L/UL bar that supports a flexure on which a magnetic head is disposed during unloading of the magnetic head, and a The configuration includes a drive means for moving the movable body during L/UL, which allows the magnetic head to float above the magnetic disk without the magnetic head coming into contact with the magnetic disk, resulting in high reliability and an increase in recording area and cost. This makes it possible to realize an excellent magnetic head L/UL device that can reduce the amount of light.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic oblique view showing the concept of the main parts of an L/UL device for a magnetic head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] An explanatory diagram of a series of operations from the unload state to the load state of the same L/UL device

[Figure 3] An explanatory diagram of a series of operations from the loading state to the unloading state of the same L/UL device

[Fig. 4] L/UL of L/UL device of one embodiment and conventional example
A diagram showing the relationship between the number of repeated operations and the number of dust particles with a size of 0.1 μm or more generated.

FIG. 5 is a schematic slanted view showing the concept of the main parts of a ramp load device, which is a conventional L/UL device for magnetic heads.

[Fig. 6] An explanatory diagram of a series of operations from the unload state to the load state of the ramp loading device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic slanted view showing the concept of the main parts of a load pin device, which is a conventional L/UL device for a magnetic head.

[Fig. 8] An explanatory diagram of a series of operations of the load pin device from an unload state to a load state.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Magnetic head 3 Flexure 5 Movable body 5a Load unload bar 6 Sliding surface 7 Solenoid 9 Iron core

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A magnetic head load unloader comprising: a movable body provided with a load/unload bar that supports a flexure when the magnetic head is unloaded; and a drive means for moving the movable body when the magnetic head is loaded/unloaded. Loading device. 2. A magnetic head loading/unloading device according to claim 1, wherein a hemispherical pivot is formed in the flexure in the direction of the magnetic disk, and a hemispherical counterbore is formed in the load/unload bar.