# Patent

## Title
Magnetic head separator connected to a ramp

## Abstract

A magnetic hard disk drive apparatus includes a first slider with a magnetic head for recording to the disk, the first slider supported by a first suspension arm, and a second slider having a magnetic head, the second slider supported by a second suspension arm. The apparatus further includes a ramp configured to guide and hold the first and second suspension arms in place when parked, and a separator configured to be suspended beyond leading edges of the first and second sliders, such that the first and second sliders are suspended between the separator and the ramp.

## Background
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/952,611 filed on Mar. 13, 2014, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.


BACKGROUND
A hard disk drive includes a rotatable storage disk, with magnetic reader heads and writer heads that can be placed in park when the device is not actively reading or writing. A head assembly of reader and writer heads is positioned on a slider, which is a base substrate structure for the head assembly. A ramp is a structure designed to guide and seat a suspension arm for the head assembly when parking. An armature holding the head assembly rotates to an end position toward the ramp, allowing a tip assembly to engage with the ramp, with the head assembly kept at a clearance gap from the ramp. While in park, an opposing slider and head assembly, used for reading and writing on the opposite side of the storage disk, resides below the first slider and head assembly. In order to protect the opposing sliders from clashing with each other upon a shock event (e.g., if the device is dropped or bumped during assembly or after assembly), a separator fin extends outward from the ramp into the space between the parked sliders. Should the opposing sliders clash together, there may be chipping or damage to either of the sliders or magnetic head assemblies.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various aspects of the present invention will now be presented in the detailed description by way of example, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an exemplary hard disk drive;
FIGS. 2A and 2B show a top perspective view and a side view, respectively, of an exemplary embodiment for a ramp assembly with a separator structure protecting a pair of sliders parked on the ramp;
FIG. 3 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment for a ramp assembly with a separator having a minimal arm for coupling to the ramp;
FIG. 4 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment for a ramp assembly with a separator having a fin support for coupling to the ramp; and
FIG. 5 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment for a ramp assembly with a separator having a support with a constant thickness.
FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiment for a separator configured separate from the ramp assembly.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various exemplary embodiments and is not intended to represent the only embodiments that may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the embodiments. Acronyms and other descriptive terminology may be used merely for convenience and clarity and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments.
The various exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Rather, the dimensions of the various features may be expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus.
Various embodiments will be described herein with reference to drawings that are schematic illustrations of idealized configurations. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, for example, are to be expected. Thus, the various embodiments presented throughout this disclosure should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of elements illustrated and described herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. By way of example, an element illustrated or described as having rounded or curved features at its edges may instead have straight edges. Thus, the elements illustrated in the drawings are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of an element and are not intended to limit the scope of the described embodiments.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiment” of an apparatus or method does not require that all embodiments include the described components, structure, features, functionality, processes, advantages, benefits, or modes of operation.
As used herein, the term “about” followed by a numeric value means within engineering tolerance of the provided value.
In the following detailed description, various aspects of the present invention will be presented in the context of a ramp assembly used to park a magnetic head assembly when idle in a hard disk drive (HDD).
An aspect of an apparatus includes a ramp configured to guide and hold a magnetic head assembly in place when parked; and a separator coupled to the ramp, the separator being suspended between a top suspension load beam and a bottom suspension load beam to prevent a top magnetic head assembly from contacting a bottom magnetic head assembly during a shock event when the magnetic head assembly is parked on the ramp.
FIG. 1 shows a hard disk drive 111 including a disk drive base 114, at least one rotatable storage disk 113 (such as a magnetic disk, magneto-optical disk, or optical disk), and a spindle motor 116 attached to the base 115 for rotating the disk 113. The spindle motor 116 typically includes a rotating hub on which one or more disks 113 may be mounted and clamped, a magnet attached to the hub, and a stator. At least one suspension arm 106 supports at least one head gimbal assembly (HGA) 112 that holds a slider with a magnetic head assembly of writer and reader heads. The gimbal of the HGA 112 is a bracket structure with thin metallic elements that are prone to deformation damage upon contact. A ramp assembly 100 is affixed to the base 115, and provides a surface for a lift tab at the tip of the suspension arm 108 to rest when the HGA 112 is parked (i.e., when the writing and reading heads are idle). During a recording operation of the disk drive 111, the suspension arm 108 rotates at the pivot 117, disengaging from the ramp assembly 100, and moves the position of the HGA 112 to a desired information track on the rotating disk 113. An actuator arm of the suspension arm is controlled by piezoelectric (PZT) actuator elements for secondary fine tuned movement of the head assembly for controlling the position for writing to a particular data track on the disk 113. The PZT actuator elements are susceptible to damage upon a shock event. A typical hard disk drive 111 uses double sided disks 113 to allow read/write operation on both sides of the disk 113. As such, a second, opposing HGA 112 supported by a second suspension arm 108 (both are not visible in FIG. 1) may be arranged on the underside of the disk 113. The ramp assembly 100 may be configured with a lower surface that accepts a lift tab at the tip of the second suspension arm 108 when the second HGA 112 is parked.
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate exemplary embodiments of a ramp assembly 200. FIG. 2A shows a top perspective view of an exemplary ramp assembly 100 with the suspension arm 106 parked on the ramp 102. FIG. 2B shows a side view of the same assembly 200 with suspension arm 106 parked on the ramp 102. The top slider 114A is affixed to the HGA 112, which is underneath and supported by a gimbal of HGA 112 and supported by suspension 106. A separator 108 is shown at the outer edge of the ramp assembly 100. As shown in FIG. 2A, the separator 108 may be configured with a shape length that conforms to the adjacent ramp 102 for providing protection between the opposing sliders and gimbals of HGA 112 along the length of the ramp 102 as the suspension 106 approaches and departs the ramp 102 (i.e., loading and unloading the magnetic head). During loading, the lift tabs 110A, 110B make first contact with the ramp 102, at which point the separator 108 has been straddled by the top and bottom sliders 114A, 114B. The length of the separator 108 may be approximately equivalent to the length of the ramp 102, with a minimum length corresponding to the boundary of the suspended sliders, such that when the lift tabs 110A, 110B are in contact with the ramp 102 (i.e., while the suspension arm is loading onto the ramp or unloading from the ramp, or fully engaged in the parked position), the sliders 114A, 114B and gimbals of HGA 112 are protected by the separator 108. The length of the separator 108 may have a maximum length that relates to the boundary of the storage disk 113, such that the tip of separator 108 extends toward the storage disk 113 without contacting the edge of the storage disk 113 with a clearance gap for safe measure. PZT elements 131, which may also be protected by the separator 108, by suspending the separator 108 beyond the radial positions of the PZT elements 131.
FIG. 2B shows a side view of the same ramp assembly 100 as shown in FIG. 2A with the suspension 106A parked on the ramp 102. In this view as shown in FIG. 2B, both the top suspension arm 106A and bottom suspension arm 106B are visible, which support a top slider 114A and bottom slider 114B, respectively. Also shown is the parked lift tab 110 of the top suspension arm 106A, which rests on the surface of ramp 102. The separator 108 is arranged between the top suspension arm 106A and the bottom the top suspension arm 106B, adjacent to the leading edges of the sliders 114A, 114B. The leading edges of the sliders 114A, 114B are oriented on the suspension arm 106A, 106B to act as an inlet for an air bearing surface created by the rotation of the hard disk. This placement of the separator 108 prevents the two opposing sliders 114A, 114B from contacting each other during a shock event while in the parked position. As such, the gimbals of HGA 112 are also protected from potential damage by the separator 108. In this exemplary embodiment, the separator 108 is configured with a pin-like structure, but other shapes may be formed to serve an equivalent function. The position and side-to-side width of the separator 108 may be such that there is no interference with the sliders 114A, 114B when parking on ramp 102. The separator 108 may be configured to be supported by the ramp assembly 100 at a position extending out perpendicular and away from the ramp 102 that corresponds with the leading edge boundary of the suspended sliders 114A and 114B. The separator 108 may also be configured with a maximum thickness that provides clearance for the suspension arms 106A, 106B to pass above and below the separator 108 when being parked without contacting separator 108. The separator 108 may be configured with minimum thickness that prevents the sliders 114A, 114B from contacting each other when the suspension arms 106A, 106B flex during a shock event. As shown in FIG. 2B, the separator 108 provides a second point of contact in conjunction with the lift tab 110 at the ramp 102, allowing the sliders 114A, 114B to be safely bridged by the suspension arms 106A, 106B should there be any flexion of the suspension arms 106A, 106B caused by vibration or a shock event
FIG. 3 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment for a ramp assembly 200 with a separator 202, in which the separator 202 may be supported without a fin structure, having instead a minimal separator support arm 204 to suspend the separator 202 from the body of the ramp assembly 200. In this exemplary embodiment, the separator 202 is shown configured with a pin-like structure, but other shapes may be formed to serve an equivalent function. The separator 202 may be configured with a shape length that conforms to the adjacent ramp 102 for providing protection between the opposing sliders 114A, 114B along the length of the ramp 102 as the suspension arms 106A, 106B approach and depart the ramp 102. The length of the separator 202 may be approximately equivalent to the length of the ramp 102, with a minimum length corresponding to the boundary of the suspended sliders 114A, 114B when parked. The position and side-to-side width of the separator 202 may be such that there is no interference with the sliders 114A, 114B when parking on ramp 102. The separator 202 may be configured to be supported by the ramp assembly 200 at a position extending out perpendicular and away from the ramp 102 that corresponds with the leading edge boundary of the suspended sliders 114A and 114B. The separator 202 may also be configured with a maximum thickness that provides clearance for the suspension arms 106A, 106B to pass above and below the separator 108 when being parked without contacting separator 202. The separator 202 may be configured with minimum thickness that prevents the sliders 114A, 114B from contacting each other when the suspension arms 106A, 106B flex during a shock event. The separator 202 may be configured with a maximum length such that the tip of separator 202 extends toward the edge of the storage disk 113, but does not touch the storage disk 113 with a clearance gap for safe measure.
FIG. 4 shows another alternative embodiment for the ramp assembly 300 with a separator 302, using a fin 304 to couple the separator 302 to the body of ramp assembly 300. The fine 304 may be configured with a window 306 such that no structure is present between the opposing sliders 114A, 114B when parked, providing maximum clearance between the sliders 114A, 114B. In this exemplary embodiment, the separator 302 is shown configured with a pin-like structure, but other shapes may be formed to serve an equivalent function. The separator 302 may be configured with a shape length that conforms to the adjacent ramp 102 for providing protection between the opposing sliders 114A, 114B along the length of the ramp 102 as the suspension arms 106A, 106B approach and depart the ramp 102. The length of the separator 302 may be approximately equivalent to the length of the ramp 102, with a minimum length corresponding to the boundary of the suspended sliders 114A, 114B when parked. The position and side-to-side width of the separator 302 may be such that there is no interference with the sliders 114A, 114B when parking on ramp 102. The separator 302 may be configured to be supported by the ramp assembly 300 at a position extending out perpendicular and away from the ramp 102 that corresponds with the leading edge boundary of the suspended sliders 114A and 114B. The separator 302 may also be configured with a maximum thickness that provides clearance for the suspension arms 106A, 106B to pass above and below the separator 302 when being parked without contacting separator 302. The separator 302 may be configured with minimum thickness that prevents the sliders 114A, 114B from contacting each other when the suspension arms 106A, 106B flex during a shock event. The separator 302 may be configured with a maximum length such that the tip of separator 302 extends toward the edge of the storage disk 113, but does not touch the storage disk 113 with a clearance gap for safe measure.
FIG. 5 shows another exemplary embodiment for a ramp assembly 400 with a separator 402 supported by a fin 404 with cutout 405. The cutout feature provides additional clearance between the top slider 114A and the bottom slider 114B when parked. In this exemplary embodiment, the separator 402 is shown configured with a constant thickness conforming to the fin 404, but other shapes may be formed to serve an equivalent function. The separator 402 may be configured with a shape length that conforms to the adjacent ramp 102 for providing protection between the opposing sliders 114A, 114B along the length of the ramp 102 as the suspension arms 106A, 106B approach and depart the ramp 102. The length of the separator 402 may be approximately equivalent to the length of the ramp 102, with a minimum length corresponding to the boundary of the suspended sliders 114A, 114B when parked. The position and side-to-side width of the separator 402 may be such that there is no interference with the sliders 114A, 114B when parking on ramp 102. The separator 402 may be configured to be supported by the ramp assembly 400 at a position extending out perpendicular and away from the ramp 102 that corresponds with the leading edge boundary of the suspended sliders 114A and 114B. The separator 402 may also be configured with a maximum thickness that provides clearance for the suspension arms 106A, 106B to pass above and below the separator 402 when being parked without contacting separator 402. The separator 402 may be configured with minimum thickness that prevents the sliders 114A. 114B from contacting each other when the suspension arms 106A, 106B flex during a shock event. The separator 402 may be configured with a maximum length such that the tip of separator 402 extends toward the edge of the storage disk 113, but does not touch the storage disk 113 with a clearance gap for safe measure.
FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of a separator 608 having a separator support arm 604 with fastening means 601 separate to the ramp assembly 600. In this embodiment, the separator support arm 604 may include a fastening slot for fastening to the base 115 of hard disk drive 111. The separator 608 is shown in FIG. 6 with a pin-like structure, but may be configured as in any of the previous configurations described above with respect to FIG. 2A-FIG. 5. The separator 608 may be configured with a maximum length such that the tip of separator 608 extends toward the edge of the storage disk 113, but does not touch the storage disk 113 with a clearance gap for safe measure.
The various aspects of this disclosure are provided to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications to exemplary embodiments presented throughout this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the concepts disclosed herein may be extended to other devices. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects of this disclosure, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. All structural and functional equivalents to the various components of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”

## Claims

1. A magnetic hard disk drive apparatus having a first suspension arm, a first slider having a magnetic head for recording to a first side of a disk, the first slider supported by the first suspension arm, a second suspension arm, and a second slider having a magnetic head for recording to a second side of the disk opposite of the first side, the second slider supported by the second suspension arm, the apparatus comprising:
a ramp configured to guide and hold lift tabs of the first and second suspension arms in place when parked;
a separator configured to be suspended between the first suspension arm and the second suspension arm in a position away from the ramp and beyond leading edges of the first and second sliders, such that leading edges of the first and second sliders are positioned between the separator and the ramp when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp; and
a connector configured to connect the separator to the ramp,
wherein a thickness of the separator is greater than a thickness of the connector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator is further configured to support the first suspension arm and the second suspension arm when a shock event imposes a force upon the first suspension arm toward the separator or a force upon the second suspension arm toward the separator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator is further configured to have a maximum thickness that provides clearance to the first suspension arm and to the second suspension arm such that the separator is prevented from contacting the first suspension arm and the second suspension arm when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator is further configured to have a minimum thickness to prevent the first and second sliders from contacting each other in response to flexion of the first and second suspension arms when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second sliders are attached to the first and second suspension arms by a first gimbal and a second gimbal, wherein the separator is further configured to have a minimum thickness to prevent deformation damage of the first and second gimbals when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second suspension arms comprises piezoelectric (PZT) actuators, wherein the separator is further configured to be positioned beyond the radial position of the PZT actuators on the first and second suspension arms when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator is coupled to the ramp.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a base, wherein the separator is coupled to the base and further configured to be separate from the ramp.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connector includes a fin that connects the separator to the ramp, wherein the separator is further configured to have a minimum thickness to prevent the first slider and the second slider from contacting the fin in response to flexion of the first and second suspension arms when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the fin comprises a window arranged such that no structure is present between the first slider and the second slider when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the fin comprises a cutout arranged to provide additional clearance between the fin and the first slider and between the fin and the second slider when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connector includes a support arm that connects the separator to the ramp and arranged such that no structure is present between the first slider and the second slider when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

13. A magnetic hard disk drive, comprising:
a rotatable hard storage disk;
a first slider comprising a magnetic head, the first slider supported by a first suspension arm;
a second slider comprising a magnetic head, the second slider supported by a second suspension arm; and
a ramp assembly comprising:
a ramp configured to guide and hold lift tabs of the first and second suspension arms in place when parked;
a separator configured to be suspended between the first suspension arm and the second suspension arm in a position away from the ramp and beyond leading edges of the first and second sliders, such that leading edges of the first and second sliders are positioned between the separator and the ramp when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp; and
a connector configured to connect the separator to the ramp,
wherein a thickness of the separator is greater than a thickness of the connector.

14. The magnetic hard disk drive of claim 13, wherein the connector includes a fin that connects the separator to the ramp, wherein the separator is further configured to have a minimum thickness to prevent the first slider and the second slider from contacting the fin in response to flexion of the first and second suspension arms when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

15. The magnetic hard disk drive of claim 14, wherein the fin comprises a window arranged such that no structure is present between the first slider and the second slider when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

16. The magnetic hard disk drive of claim 14, wherein the fin comprises a cutout arranged to provide additional clearance between the fin and the first slider and between the fin and the second slider when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

17. The magnetic hard disk drive of claim 13, wherein the connector includes a support arm that connects the separator to the ramp and arranged such that no structure is present between the first slider and the second slider when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

18. A magnetic hard disk drive apparatus having a first suspension arm, a first slider having a magnetic head for recording to a disk, the first slider supported by the first suspension arm, a second suspension arm, and a second slider having a magnetic head, the second slider supported by the second suspension arm, the apparatus comprising:
a ramp configured to guide and hold lift tabs of the first and second suspension arms in place when parked;
a separator configured to be suspended beyond leading edges of the first and second sliders, such that the first and second sliders are positioned between the separator and the ramp when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp; and
a fin that connects the separator to the ramp, wherein the separator is further configured to have a minimum thickness to prevent the first slider and the second slider from contacting the fin in response to flexion of the first and second suspension arms when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp;
wherein the fin comprises a window arranged such that no structure is present between the first slider and the second slider when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

19. A magnetic hard disk drive apparatus having a first suspension arm, a first slider having a magnetic head for recording to a disk, the first slider supported by the first suspension arm, a second suspension arm, and a second slider having a magnetic head, the second slider supported by the second suspension arm, the apparatus comprising:
a ramp configured to guide and hold lift tabs of the first and second suspension arms in place when parked;
a separator configured to be suspended beyond leading edges of the first and second sliders, such that the first and second sliders are positioned between the separator and the ramp when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp; and
a support arm that connects the separator to the ramp and arranged such that no structure is present between the first slider and the second slider when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp.

20. A ramp assembly for a hard disk drive comprising a first slider that comprises a magnetic head, the first slider supported by a first suspension arm, a second slider comprising a magnetic head, the second slider supported by a second suspension arm, the ramp assembly comprising:
a ramp configured to guide and hold lift tabs of the first and second suspension arms in place when parked;
a separator configured to be suspended between the first suspension arm and the second suspension arm in a position away from the ramp and beyond leading edges of the first and second sliders, such that leading edges of the first and second sliders are positioned between the separator and the ramp when the lift tabs are in contact with the ramp; and
a connector configured to connect the separator to the ramp,
wherein a thickness of the separator is greater than a thickness of the connector.