Patent ID: 6073486
Filing Date: 2000-06-13
Classification: G01N,G11B

Abstract:
A piezoelectric glide head for detecting surface anomalies on a continuously rotating flat disk surface comprising:a slider having a flight surface on one side thereof with a leading end and a trailing end at opposite ends of said flight surface in the longitudinal direction of the slider, said flight surface including at least one sensing edge extending in a direction transverse to said longitudinal direction, said slider being adapted to be supported so that said flight surface faces said disk surface with the disk surface being arranged to move from the leading end of the slider to the trailing end thereof as it rotates adjacent to the slider, the configuration of said flight surface and the slider support causing the slider to pitch away from the disk surface at the leading end thereof so that the sensing edge rides on an air bearing adjacent to and at a close spacing to said disk surface;a piezoelectric element secured to the slider and extending outwardly therefrom in cantilevered fashion, said element having a pair of opposed surfaces facing towards and away from said disk surface and having a shape so as to accentuate shock waves from the slider in at least one particular linear direction;electrodes positioned on said opposed surfaces of the cantilevered piezoelectric element with at least one of such surfaces being provided with a plurality of spaced electrodes positioned about the surface of the piezoelectric element to provide different stress readings for the modes of vibration imparted to the slider by anomalies on said flat disk surface;and electrical leads connected to said electrodes for direction to circuitry for determining the nature of the anomalies on said disk surface which create said modes of vibration in the slider.