Protective carrier for magnetic head assembly

A protective carrier for a magnetic head magnetic head assembly includes a housing having buffering members attached to the housing. When the carrier is engaged with the magnetic head magnetic head assembly, the buffering members are rotated into the spacings between the magnetic heads so as to prevent direct physical contact of the magnetic heads. When the carrier is disengaged from the magnetic head magnetic head assembly, the buffering members are rotated out of the spacings between the magnetic heads. The carrier prevents collision of the magnetic heads during handling and transportation and consequently reduces production loss.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to microelectronic product packaging, and in 
particular to packaging of magnetic head assemblies for preventing contact 
damage during shipping and handling. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Magnetic recording media in the form of tapes or disks have widely been 
used for data storage. Magnetic heads are commonly employed to perform the 
tasks of interacting with these recording media. 
FIG. 1 shows a typical arrangement of a magnetic head assembly 40 
interacting with a stack of magnetic disks 66. The assembly 40 includes a 
magnetic transducer 50 disposed on a slider 52 which in turn is attached 
to a load beam 54 through a flexure 56. The slider 52, the flexure 56, and 
the load beam 54 are collectively called a gimbal assembly 58 which is 
joined to an actuator arm 60A of an arm assembly 62 rotatable about an arm 
axis 64. The stack of disks 66 includes a plurality of spaced apart disks 
66 rotatable about a common spindle 68. The actuator arm assembly 62 
includes head arms 60A-60C which extend to the disks 66A and 66B. 
During normal operation, the disks 66A and 66B spin at high speed in the 
direction 70 about the spindle 68. The aerodynamics of the moving air 
between the slider 52 and the disk surface 72 provide sufficient buoyancy 
to suspend the slider 52 above the disk surface 72 of the disk 66A. At the 
same time, the spring forces of the load beam 54 and the resilient flexure 
56 urge the slider 52 toward the disk surface 72. An equilibrium point is 
reached whereby the slider 52 flies over the disk surface 72 at a 
substantially fixed distance, which is called the flying height of the 
magnetic head 50. Data can be written onto or read from the disk surface 
72 without the magnetic head 50 contacting the disk surfaces 72. 
Switching from the normal operating mode to the idle mode, the stack of 
disks 66 decelerates in angular velocity. At the same time, the arm 
assembly 62 slowly sweeps toward the spindle 68 in the direction 73 as 
shown in FIG. 1. The decrease in angular velocity of the disks 66 
consequently reduces the air buoyancy between the slider 52 and the disk 
surface 72. Eventually the slider 52 carrying the magnetic head 50 slowly 
decends onto data track 75 near the spindle 68. The reverse action occurs 
when the head 50 takes off from the idle mode and enters into the normal 
operating mode. 
Inside the hard drive housing (not shown), the magnetic head 50 is 
controllably positioned both during the operating mode and the idle mode. 
That is, the movement of the magnetic head 50 is designed to encounter no 
direct impact force which can cause subsequent damages. However, prior to 
the installation of the head assembly 40 to the stack of disks 66, the 
magnetic heads 50 are normally exposed with no physical protection, much 
less any controlled head movement for safeguarding the magnetic head 50. 
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the relationship of the magnetic heads 
50 in a multi-head assembly 40 without the magnetic disks 66A-66B. It 
should be noted that FIG. 2 merely illustrates the physical relationship 
between the various components associated with the magnetic heads 50. The 
sliders 52 are attached to the flexures 56 which are made of flexible 
material. It is apparent that collisions of the sliders 52 with each 
others are highly possible and may consequently cause damages to the heads 
50. During transportation, the head assembly 40 is placed in a 
conventional carrier (not shown) in which the sliders 52 carrying the 
heads 50 are prone to collide with each other. Likewise, the assembly 40 
is subject to similar treatment passing through an assembly line. As a 
consequence, portions of the sliders 52 may crack or chip away which will 
result in reduced production yield. 
Protection of magnetic heads and sliders has been an ongoing problem. U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,482,164, Karns, entitled "E-Block Shipping Comb", issued Jan. 
9, 1996, describes a design which includes a flexure comb attached to a 
frame. During usage, the plurality of flexures are placed into the comb 
having the flexures interleaving with the comb spikes. The placement of 
the flexures in between the comb spikes is a time consuming process as 
each flexure has to be carefully positioned between the spikes. Moreover, 
the manual insertion of the flexures in between the comb spikes may well 
deform the flexures. In addition, vibrational movement of the sliders can 
also possibly bend the delicate flexures. 
Magnetic heads are now built with smaller sizes and with more delicate and 
flexible flexures. As a consequence, sliders are more likely to collide 
with each other and cause greater damage. Furthermore, the delicate 
flexures are extremely vulnerable to deformation if improperly handled. A 
deformed flexure, even if slight, would be prone to mechanically resonate 
at a lower frequency during usage and is detrimental to the performance of 
the magnetic head. To minimize losses in production shipping, there has 
been an increasing need to provide reliable packaging to magnetic heads. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention to provide a protective carrier for a 
magnetic head assembly to minimize losses in production and shipping. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a protective carrier for a 
magnetic head assembly with ease of fabrication and low manufacturing 
cost. 
In accordance with this invention, a protective carrier includes a housing 
having buffering members attached to the housing. During shipping for 
example, the carrier is engaged with the magnetic head assembly. During 
engagement, the buffering members are rotated into the spacings between 
the magnetic heads so as to prevent direct physical contact of the 
magnetic heads. To retrieve the magnetic head assembly from the carrier, 
the carrier is disengaged from the head assembly by rotating the buffering 
members out of the spacings between the magnetic heads. The carrier of the 
invention prevents collisions of the magnetic heads during handling and 
transportation and consequently reduces losses in production and shipping.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 3 illustrates a magnetic head assembly carrier 82, made in accordance 
with the invention. The carrier 82 is shown engaged with a magnetic head 
assembly 84 which includes a front portion 86, a midportion 88, and an end 
portion 90. The front portion 86 comprises a plurality of load beams 
92A-92D, which in turn carry respective flexures and magnetic heads as 
shown in FIG. 3 and in FIG. 6 for example. The load beams 92A-92D are 
attached to the distal ends of a plurality of actuator arms 98A-98C as 
illustrated in FIG. 3. The actuator arms 98A-98C are also attached at 
their proximal ends to the end portion 90 of the assembly 84, which end 
portion 90 includes a pivotal portion 100 and a counter weight portion 
102. The pivotal portion 100 has a ball bearing cavity 104 which 
encompasses a ball bearing (not shown) when the head assembly 84 is 
installed in a disk drive (not shown). The counter weight portion 102 is 
attached to the pivotal portion 100. During normal operation, the counter 
weight portion 102 stabilizes the pivotal movement of the assembly 84. The 
counter weight portion 102 also includes a voice coil 106 which controls 
the pivotal movement of the assembly 84 when the assembly 84 is installed 
in a disk drive and is in operation. 
The carrier 82 of the invention is shown engaged with the assembly 84 in 
FIG. 3. FIG. 4 shows the carrier 82 disengaged from the assembly 84. The 
carrier 82 includes a sidewall 112, which has a midsection 112A, a 
proximal end section 112B and a distal end section 112C. Protruding from 
the midsection 112A of the sidewall 112 are a plurality of segregating 
members 114A and 114B. Attached to the segregating members 114A and 114B 
are a plurality of buffering members 116A and 116B, respectively. A thumb 
grip 110 at the proximal end 112B of the sidewall 112 is affixed to an 
anchoring pin 108. 
Extending from distal end 112C of the sidewall 112 is a sheath member 117 
which partially covers the buffering members 116A and 116B. The sheath 
member 117 is installed for the physical protection of the magnetic heads 
when the head assembly 84 is engaged with the carrier 82. A lever 118 is 
connected to the distal end 112C of the sidewall 112 for facilitating the 
pivotal movement of the carrier 82. A window 119 is opened halfway between 
the midsection 112A and the distal end section 112C of the sidewall 112 to 
facilitate inspection of the magnetic heads when the head assembly 84 is 
engaged with the carrier 82. 
FIG. 5 shows the segregating members 114A and 114B, and the buffering 
members 116A and 116B in further detail with the sheath member 117 
partially broken away. Each of the segregating members 114A and 114B is 
somewhat tapered in shape having one end larger in dimension attached to 
the sidewall 112, and another end smaller in dimension extending away from 
the sidewall 112. It is preferred that the smaller ends of the segregating 
members 114A and 114B include rounded tips 120A and 120B for ease of 
wedging into the separations between the load beams. Each of the buffering 
members 116A and 116B is also generally tapered in shape having one end 
larger in dimension attached to the respective segregating members 114A 
and 114B, and another end smaller in dimension extending away from the 
segregating members 114A and 114B. 
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the front portion 86 of the magnetic 
head assembly 84 disengaged from the carrier 82. The load beams 12A and 
12B and the flexures 94A and 94B, with their respective spring forces, 
press the respective sliders 96A and 96B against one another. Likewise, 
the load beams 12C and 12D and the flexures 94C and 94D, push the 
respective sliders 96C and 96D against each other. Problems arise when the 
assembly 84 is subject to irregular movements, such as during 
transportation or on an assembly line. For example, the sliders 96A and 
96B can momentarily separate from each other and bounce back thereafter 
and collide with each other. That is, collisions between the sliders 
96A-96D, are highly possible. The collisions between the sliders 96A-96D 
may crack or chip away portions of the sliders 96A-96D. The distortion of 
the sliders 96A-96D resulting from collisions, albeit slightly, may render 
the sliders 96A-96D unable to function properly relative to the disk 
surfaces during normal operation. Most detrimental are the damages 
inflicted on the delicate read and write transducers attached to the 
sliders 96A-96D. As a consequence, production yield can be seriously 
undermined. 
FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the front portion 86 of the magnetic 
head assembly 84 showing the assembly 84 as being engaged with the carrier 
82 of the invention. As shown, the segregating members 114A and 114B are 
disposed between the respective load beams 12A-12B and 12C-12D. In 
essence, the rounded tips 120A and 120B are wedged between the respective 
load beams 12A-12B and 12C-12D, counteracting any spring forces exerted by 
the load beams 12A-12D. The load beams 12A and 12B flex against the 
buffering member 116A. In a similar manner, load beams 12C and 12D press 
against the buffering member 116B. With this arrangement, the wedging of 
the rounded tips 120A and 120B of the respective segregating members 114A 
and 114B against the load beams 12A and 12B substantially dampen any 
vibrational swings caused by the load beams 12A-12D. Any collision caused 
by vibration is small, in amplitude and magnitude. Furthermore, the 
positions of the buffering members 116A and 116B are such that the sliders 
96A-96D will strike the buffering members 116A and 116B which are made of 
soft material, should collision occur. In this embodiment, the buffering 
members are made of the same material as the entire carrier 82 which is 
plastic. Accordingly, the possibility of damaging the sliders 96A-96D is 
significantly reduced. 
The tapered shape of the buffering members 116A and 116B also offers 
another protective mechanism to the carrier 82. Reference is now directed 
to FIG. 8 which is an enlarged view of the area surrounding the slider 
96A. The slider 96A, similar to other sliders such as the sliders 96B-96D, 
has a leading edge 122 and a trailing edge 124. The read and write 
transducers 126 and 128 are deposited on the slider 96A at the trailing 
edge 124. Should collision between the slider 96A and the buffering member 
116A occur, it would be the leading edge 122 of the slider 96A that 
impacts the buffering member 116A, because of the tapered shape of the 
member 116A. The collision would be mild in nature due to the softness of 
the buffering member 116A and the dampened swing of the associated load 
beam 12A. The possibility of the trailing edge 124 of the slider 96A 
striking the buffering member 116A is slim because the buffering member 
116A tapers away from the trailing edge 124. As a consequence, the read 
and write transducers 124 and 128 are securely protected. 
FIGS. 9-11 show a sequence of the process of mounting the carrier 82 of the 
invention to the magnetic head assembly 84. The carrier 82 is shown in an 
engagement mode and a disengagement mode respectively in FIGS. 10 and 11. 
FIG. 9 shows the carrier 82 prior to engaging with the magnetic head 
assembly 84. Before engagement, the anchoring pin 108 is aligned with 
apertures 130 formed in the load beams 98A-98C. By using the thumb grip 
110, the anchoring pin 108 is pushed into the apertures 130 in a downward 
direction 131. 
After the pin 108 is anchored into the aperture 130, to lock the carrier 82 
into the engagement mode, the carrier 82 is rotated in the direction 132 
toward the front portion 86 of the head assembly 84 via the lever 118 as 
shown in FIG. 10. The rounded tips 120A and 120B attached to the 
segregating members 114A and 114B are consequently inserted into the 
spacings between the load beams 98A-98C. The segregating members 114A and 
114B slightly spread the load beams 98A-98C apart in a manner as shown in 
the elevational view in FIG. 7. At the same time, the buffering members 
116A and 116D are disposed between the sliders 96A-96D. The carrier 82 is 
in the engagement mode with the magnetic head assembly 84 as shown in FIG. 
11. 
To disengage the carrier 82 from the magnetic head assembly 84, the reverse 
of the above-described process shown in FIGS. 9-11 applies. The carrier 82 
of the invention can be fabricated as one integral unit by the 
conventional process of plastic injection molding, for example. 
Finally, other variations are possible within the scope of the invention. 
The carrier 82 of the invention is described as an integral unit and is 
formed of plastic. Various members, such as the segregating members 114A 
and 114B or the buffering members 116A and 116B can be separated from the 
carrier body and be attached to the carrier via various means of 
attachment. The material used for the carrier 82 is not restricted to 
plastic and may be from other materials, such as polystyrene, teflon or a 
metal such as copper. Described herein is a carrier 82 with two 
segregating members 114A and 114B, and two buffering members 116A and 
116B. The number of segregating and buffering members may vary. For 
example, a carrier of one segregating member and one buffering member can 
be used with a magnetic head assembly with two magnetic heads. Likewise, a 
carrier with more than two segregating members and more than two buffering 
members can be used with a magnetic head assembly having multiple magnetic 
heads. These and other changes in form and detail may be made therein 
without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.