Abstract:
The magnetic head of the present invention is a small magnetic head capable of reducing inertia working thereto. The magnetic head of the present invention comprises: a suspension having a front end section and a rear end section; a slider mounting section being formed in the front end section of the suspension; and  
     a slider being mounted on the slider mounting section, the slider having a front end face and a rear end face, in which a read/write element is formed. The rear end face of the slider including the read/write element is headed to the rear end section of the suspension.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a magnetic head of a magnetic disk drive unit.  
           [0002]    A typical conventional magnetic disk drive unit is shown in FIG. 6. A symbol  100  stands for an enclosure of the disk drive unit. A magnetic disk  102  is accommodated in the enclosure  100  as a data recording medium. An arm  104  is swung by an actuator  106 . A suspension  108  is fixed to a front end of the arm  104 . A slider  110  is attached to a front end of the suspension  108  to face the magnetic disk  102 . To read or write data, the magnetic disk  102  is rotated and the arm  104  is swung about a shaft  105 .  
           [0003]    [0003]FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the suspension  108  to which the slider  100  is attached. The suspension  108  is an elastic thin metal plate, and the a gimbal section, to which the slider  100  is fixed, is provided to the front end of the suspension  108 . A slit encloses the gimbal section  120 , and the gimbal section  120  is connected to the front end of the suspension  10   i   8  by a connecting section  122 .  
           [0004]    The slider  110  is fixed to the gimbal section  120 , and its front end face “A” (see FIG. 8), in which a read/write element has been formed, is headed to the front end of the suspension  108 . Cable patterns are formed on the suspension  108  and take a long way to terminals of the slider  110  via the connecting section  122 . Note that, a symbol  112  stands for float patterns formed on a disk-side face of the slider  110 .  
           [0005]    In FIG. 8, the magnetic head is floated by an air stream “AS” caused by the rotation of the magnetic disk  102 . The air stream “AS” works to the disk-side face  111  from the rear side of the slider  110 . The slider  110  is slightly floated from a surface of the magnetic disk  102  by function of the float patterns  112 . With this action, the slider  110  is inclined and floated as shown in FIG. 8, so a lower edge of the front end face “A” including the read/write element is the lowest position close to the surface of the magnetic disk  102 .  
           [0006]    As described above, the magnetic head is floated from the surface of the magnetic disk  102  by the air stream “AS” caused by the rotation of the magnetic disk  102 . And, the arm  104  is swung in the state, in which the slider  110  is floated, so as to read or write data. The magnetic head is actuated at very high speed, so inertia working to the magnetic head should be low. However, as shown in FIGS.  6 - 8 , the end face “A” of the slider  110  including the read/write element is headed to the front end of the suspension  108 , so the front end section of the suspension  108  must be extended to form the cable patterns. By extending the front end section of the suspension  108 , the inertia working to the magnetic head must be greater.  
           [0007]    These days, small size magnetic disk drive units are required, so sizes of magnetic heads are made smaller. Therefore, the conventional magnetic head, in which the front end section of the suspension  108  is forwardly projected from the slider  110 , cannot be used for the small size magnetic disk drive unit.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention has been invented so as to solve the problems of the conventional magnetic head.  
           [0009]    An object of the present invention is to provide a small magnetic head, which can be properly employed to a magnetic disk drive unit and which is capable of reducing inertia working thereto.  
           [0010]    To achieve the object, the magnetic head of the present invention comprises:  
           [0011]    a suspension having a front end section and a rear end section;  
           [0012]    a slider mounting section being formed in the front end section of the suspension; and  
           [0013]    a slider being mounted on the slider mounting section, the slider having a front end face and a rear end face, in which a read/write element is formed,  
           [0014]    wherein the rear end face of the slider including the read/write element is headed to the rear end section of the suspension.  
           [0015]    In the magnetic head, a planar shape of the slider mounting section may be formed into a rectangular shape corresponding to a planar shape of the slider.  
           [0016]    In the magnetic head, a front end of the slider may be forwardly projected from a front end of the slider mounting section.  
           [0017]    In the magnetic head, the slider mounting section may be connected to the suspension by an adjusting section, which adjusts elasticity applied to the slider, and the slider mounting section, the adjusting section and the suspension may be integrated in one pieced.  
           [0018]    In the magnetic head of the present invention, the size of the magnetic head can be smaller than that of the conventional magnetic head, so that a smaller magnetic disk drive unit can be produced. Further, the inertia working to the magnetic head can be made lower, so that the magnetic disk head can be actuated at higher speed. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a magnetic head of an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a suspension, to which a slider is attached;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the magnetic head of another embodiment;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is an explanation view of the magnetic head floating from a surface of a magnetic disk;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5A is an explanation view showing a rotational direction of the magnetic disk of the conventional magnetic disk drive unit;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5B is an explanation view showing a rotational direction of the magnetic disk;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 6 is the schematic view of the conventional disk drive unit;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 7 is the plan view of the conventional magnetic head; and  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 8 is the explanation view of the conventional magnetic head floating from the surface of the magnetic disk. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a magnetic head of an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0031]    In the present embodiment, the slider  10  attached to a suspension  12  is inversely headed with respect to the heading of the slider of the conventional magnetic head (see FIGS. 7 and 8). Namely, in the conventional magnetic head, the end face “A” of the slider  110  including the read/write element is headed to the front end of the suspension  108  (see FIGS. 7 and 8). On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the slider  10  is mounted on the suspension  12 , and a rear end face “B” of the slider  10  including the read/write element is headed to a rear end section of the suspension  12 . Note that, a symbol  14  stands for a spacer fixed to the rear end section of the suspension  12 .  
         [0032]    In the conventional magnetic head shown in FIG. 7, the cable patterns must take along way via the front end of the suspension  108 . On the other hand, in the magnetic head shown in FIG. 1, cable patterns can be directly extended from terminals of the slider  10  toward the rear end section of the suspension  12 . With this structure, the cable patterns can be easily formed on the suspension  12 .  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the slider  10  attached to the suspension  12 . The read/write element  16  is formed in the rear end face “B” of the slider  10 . The cable patterns  22  are respectively connected to the terminals  18  of the slider  10  by gold balls  20 .  
         [0034]    In the magnetic head of the present embodiment, a slider mounting section  12   a  is formed in the front end section of the suspension  12 , and a planar shape of the slider mounting section  12   a  is formed into a rectangular shape corresponding to a planar shape of the slider  10 . Namely, width of the slider mounting section  12   a  is almost equal to that of the slider  10 . When the slider  10  is mounted onto and connected to the slider mounting section  12   a , the slider  10  is positioned so as not to project a front end of the slider mounting section  12   a  from the front end face “C” of the slider  10 . Namely, the front end of the slider  10  is forwardly projected from the front end of the slider mounting section  12   a.    
         [0035]    The suspension  12  has proper elasticity. The elasticity balances with a lifting force, which floats the slider  10  and which is generated by the air stream “AS” caused by rotation of a magnetic disk. In the present embodiment, a trapezoid through-hole is formed in a rear end section of the slider mounting section  12   a , and the slider mounting section  12   a  is connected to a main section of the suspension  12  by a pair of thin arm sections  26   a  and  26   b . The elasticity of the suspension  12 , which works to the slider  10 , can be adjusted by adjusting width and length of the arm sections  26   a  and  26   b . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the arm sections  26   a  and  26   b  act as an adjusting section, which adjusts the elasticity applied to the slider  10 .  
         [0036]    The magnetic head of another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3. The structural elements explained in the foregoing embodiment are assigned the same symbols and explanation will be omitted. L-shaped arms  28   a  and  28   b  are respectively extended from front ends of the arm sections  26   a  and  26   b , which are provided in the front end section of the suspension  12 . The slider mounting section  12   a  is held by the L-shaped arms  28   a  and  28   b . The L-shaped arms  28   a  and  28   b  act as the gimbal section  120  of the suspension  108  (see FIGS. 7 and 8) of the conventional magnetic head. A shape of the adjusting section, which adjusts the elasticity applied to the slider  10 , may be designed on the basis of the elasticity. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the cable patterns on the suspension  12  are connected to the terminals  18  of the slider  10  via the arm sections  26   a  and  26   b  and the L-shaped arms  28   a  and  28   b.    
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 4 shows the magnetic head of the present invention, which is assembled in a magnetic disk drive unit. The magnetic head is floating from a surface of the magnetic disk  102  rotating. The magnetic head is floated by the air stream “AS” caused by the rotation of the magnetic disk  102  as well as the conventional magnetic head (see FIG. 8). But the air stream “AS” works to the disk-side face  111  of the slider  10  from the front side of the slider  10 . The air stream “AS” comes from the opposite side of the rear end face “B” including the read/write element  16 . With this structure, the slider  10  can be floated from the surface of the magnetic disk  102  while recording or writing data as well as the conventional magnetic head.  
         [0038]    Note that, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the float patterns  11  of the embodiment and the float patterns  112  of the conventional magnetic may be same.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 5A is an explanation view showing a rotational direction of the magnetic disk  102  of the conventional magnetic disk drive unit and a direction of the air stream “AS”; FIG. 5B is an explanation view showing a rotational direction of the magnetic disk  102  and a direction of the air stream “AS” of the embodiments.  
         [0040]    In the conventional disk drive unit shown in FIG. 5A, the arm  104  is swung between an inner edge of the magnetic disk  102  and an outer edge thereof. By rotating the magnetic disk  102  in the direction “D1”, the air stream “AS” flows from the rear end section of the suspension  108  to the front end section thereof.  
         [0041]    On the other hand, in the disk drive unit including the magnetic head of the present embodiment, the magnetic disk  102  is rotated in the direction “D2”, so that the air stream “AS” flows from the front end section of the suspension  12  to the rear end section thereof as shown in FIG. 5B. Namely, the magnetic disk  102  of the present embodiment is rotated in the opposite direction so as to flow the air stream “AS” in the opposite direction with respect to the suspension. Since the end face “B” of the slider  10 , which includes the read/write element  16 , is headed to the rear end section of the suspension  12 , the magnetic disk  102  is rotated in the direction “D2”, which is the opposite direction with respect to the rotational direction “D1” of the conventional disk drive unit. Note that, the structure of the disk drive unit of the present embodiment may be equal to that of the conventional disk drive unit but the magnetic head and the rotational direction of the magnetic disk.  
         [0042]    In the case of providing a loading/unloading mechanism to the front end section of the suspension of the magnetic head, the loading/unloading mechanism may be extended from the end of the slider mounting section  12   a  of the suspension  12 . Therefore, the loading/unloading mechanism can be formed easily.  
         [0043]    As shown in FIG. 1, only the slider mounting section  12   a , on which the slider  10  is mounted, is provided to the front end section of the suspension  12 , and the front end of the suspension  12  is not forwardly projected or extended from the front end of the slider  10 . With this structure, the inertia working to the magnetic head can be effectively reduced.  
         [0044]    Further, in comparison with the conventional magnetic head, the inertia working to the magnetic head, which includes the loading/unloading mechanism, can be reduced.  
         [0045]    The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by he foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.