Magnetic disc device

Abstract: A magnetic disc device comprising: a plurality of magnetic disc media (4) arranged one above the other on the base (1); a plurality of magnetic heads (5) electrically connected to a read/write means through a lead wire (5a,34); a plurality of springy means (8,9) each supporting a respective magnetic head (5); and, a plurality of rigid head arms (6e) supporting the springy means (8,9) and located between the adjacent magnetic disc media (4). The rigid head arms (6e) have means (10) to hold the lead wire at least partly formed by a U-shaped groove (10,36,37) into which the lead wire (5a,34) is fitted and held.

Description: The present invention relates to a magnetic disc device used as a memory for, for example, a mini-computer or a micro-computer. Conventionally, a Winchester type magnetic disc device using hard discs 3.5 inch (89 mm) in diameter has been used as a memory means for, for example, a mini-computer or a micro-computer. Such a magnetic disc device should, if possible, have a high memory density without any enlargement of its size, to ensure that it is compatible with other conventional devices. A conventional magnetic device typically comprises a record medium on which information data is recorded and a magnetic head for reading the information from that medium. The magnetic head is disposed in such a manner that it faces the recording area of the record medium, to transmit information data between the record medium and a read/write device. When a magnetic disc is used as the magnetic medium, the head is attached to a head arm which carries the head and positions it at a desired track in the recording area of the magnetic disc. Therefore, to achieve an accurate positioning of the head at a high speed, it is necessary to reduce the weight of the head construction, including the head arm, to minimise its inertia. The height dimension of a magnetic disc device is commercially standardised and a full-height magnetic disc device is marketed. Also, a half-height magnetic disc device has been developed with half the memory capacity to realise a small capacity and size magnetic disc device which is compatible with the full-height magnetic disc device, and advantageous from the standpoint of space saving since the height is a half of that of the full-height magnetic disc device. On the other hand, when the capacity of the magnetic disc device is to be increased using an ordinary interface circuit, it is desirable to double the number of the discs it contains, from the standpoint of easy installation of a new magnetic disc device having an increased capacity in place of an old device, since it is easy to exchange an old device with a new one and/or simultaneously use a new device with an old one through an ordinary interface circuit. Therefore, a two-disc magnetic disc device was developed as an improvement on a one-disc magnetic disc device. Subsequently, a magnetic disc device comprising four discs has been developed as an improvement on the two-disc device. According to this invention a magnetic disc device comprising a plurality of magnetic disc media; a plurality of magnetic heads electrically connected to a read/write means through a lead wire; a plurality of springy means each supporting a respective magnetic head; and, a plurality of rigid head arms supporting the springy means and located between the adjacent magnetic disc media; is characterized in that at least one of the rigid head arms has a lead wire holding means at least partly formed by a U-shaped groove into which the lead wire is fitted and held. The present invention makes it possible to house four discs in a half-height magnetic disc device. This could not be realised by the prior art device, since four discs could not be stacked in the shortened half-height device housing when the device had the prior art structure. Particular embodiments of a magnetic disc device in accordance with this invention will now be described and contrasted with the prior art with reference to the accompanying drawings; in which:- Figure 1 is a plan view of a magnetic disc device according to the present invention, with the cover removed; Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the magnetic disc device according to the present invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a head arm drive means of the magnetic disc device according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a disassembled view of a head support structure of the magnetic disc device according to the present invention; Figure 5 is a disassembled view of the magnetic disc device according to the present invention; Figure 6 is a view showing a head arm of the magnetic disc device according to the present invention; Figure 7 is an explanatory view of the head arm of the magnetic disc device according to the present invention; Figures 8(a) and 8(b) are explanatory views of another example of the head arm, wherein Figure 8(a) is a plan view and Figure 8(b) is a sectional view along the line A-A' of Figure 8(a); Figures 9(a), 9(b) and 9(c) are explanatory views of still another example of head arm of the present invention, wherein Figure 9(a) is a plan view, Figure 9(b) is a sectional view along the line B-B' of Figure 9(a), and Figure 9(c) is a sectional view along the line C-C' of Figure 9(a); and, Figures 10(a) and 10(b) are views showing a magnetic head of the present invention, wherein figure 10(a) is a plan view and Figure 10(b) is a front view; Figure 11 is an explanatory view of a magnetic head arm according to the prior art; Figures 12(a) and 12(b) are explanatory views of a magnetic head according to the prior art, wherein Figure 12(a) is a plan view and Figure 12(b) is a front view; and, A conventional magnetic head of a prior art magnetic disc device is illustrated in Figure 12. A magnetic head 5 comprises coil lead wires 5a which are drawn upward in the direction opposite to a slider surface 5b. With this structure, the lead wires 5a may sometimes come into contact with a disc surface disposed above the magnetic head or another magnetic head disposed above and opposing this magnetic head 5 which will cause a short circuit or an instability of the head when in operation separated from the disk surface and floating thereon. A prior art magnetic head structure is illustrated in Figure 11. A head 33 is supported at an end of a gimbal 32 which is secured to a head arm 31. Information data is transmitted between the head and a read/write device through a lead wire 34. A springy clip 35 made of plastic is attached to the head arm 31 to hold the lead wire 34 between the head arm 31 and the clip 35 along the head arm side edge. With the above-mentioned magnetic head structure of the prior art, the head arm 31 becomes heavy, since the clip 35 is used for holding the lead wire 34, thus opposing the requirement for reducing the weight of the head arm structure. Also, the gap between the discs must be wide enough to dispose the clips 35 therein, which prevents a reduction of the height of the magnetic device. Figure 5 is a disassembled perspective view of a magnetic disc device according to the present invention. The magnetic disc device comprises: a housing formed by a base 1 and a cover 2; four magnetic discs 4 secured to a spindle 3; eight magnetic heads 5 for magnetic read/write operations at the upper and lower surfaces of each magnetic disc 4; and a head actuator 6 for swinging the magnetic heads 5 in the direction of the arrow AA' on the magnetic disc surface. The head actuator 6 comprises a drive motor 6a, a capstan 6b, a steel belt 6c, a sector 6d, head arms 6e, and a pivot 6f. Below the base 1 are disposed a spindle drive motor (not shown), a printed circuit board for driving the spindle drive motor (not shown), and a main printed circuit board 7 mounting a read/write circuit for reading data from and writing data on the magnetic disc. The magnetic head 5 is attached to the head arm 6e through a gimbal spring and a load spring 8. The magnetic disc device illustrated in Fig. 1 is seen from the upper side thereof, with the cover removed, and Fig. 2 shows a vertical section thereof. This magnetic disc device is of a half-height type having a commercially standardized outer shape dimension. That is, the disc diameter is 96 mm, the longitudinal length a = 146 ± 0.5 mm, the lateral length b = 101.6 ± 0.5 mm, and the height c = 41.3 ± 0.3 mm. A bottom plate 30 (Fig. 2) for covering the main printed circuit board 7 is disposed below the base 1 and secured thereto together with the main printed circuit board 7 by screws. The height c is the dimension between the lowest surface of the bottom plate 30 and the top surface of the cover 2. The gap d between the adjacent magnetic discs 4 is 4.5 mm, and the thickness t of each magnetic disc 4 is 1.27 mm. Five head arms 6e are arranged to conduct a seeking motion on both surfaces of the four magnetic discs 4, as shown in Fig. 2. The thickness of the two uppermost and lowermost head arms is 2.0 mm, and the thickness of the three intermediate head arms is 2.8 mm. The tip of each head arm 6e is thinned to 1.154 mm to attach the load spring 8. The gap between the lower surface of the lowermost magnetic disc 4 and the upper surface of the base 1 is 3.5 mm. Also, the gap w between the lower surface of the lowermost head arm 6e at the pivot portion and the upper surface of the base 1 is 0.5 mm. The magnetic discs 4 rotate in the direction of the arrow R (Fig. 1). A baffle plate 41 is disposed corresponding to each of the four magnetic discs 4 facing the upper surface thereof, and a filter 42 is incorporated with the baffle plates 41 to capture dust particles on the disc surface. The magnetic head 5 is connected to a flexible printed circuit broad 43 (shown by a dash-dot line) bonded behind the head arm 6e through a lead wire 5a'. A head IC (preamplifier) 44 is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board 43 behind the head arm 6e. The flexible printed circuit board 43 is connected to a connector 45 disposed at a corner of the base 1. The flexible printed circuit board 43 is loose and can be folded back and forth within the rear end of the head arm 6e to allow free movement without impeding the swing motion of the head arm 6e. The connector 45 is connected to the main printed circuit board 7 (Fig. 5) disposed under the base 1. The head arm 6e has a counter weight portion 46 mounted at the side opposite to the magnetic head attaching end thereof with respect to the pivot 6f. With the provision of the counter weight portion 46, it is possible to balance the weight of the head arm 6e with respect to the pivot 6f, thus achieving a smooth and stable swing motion of the head arm irrespective of the attitude of the device. The swing actuator structure of the head arm 6e is illustrated in detail in Fig. 3. The head arm 6e is rotatable about the pivot 6f, as shown by the arrow Q, and a mushroom-shaped sector 6d is secured to the head arm 6e. A capstan 6b is disposed facing and adjacent to the head of the sector 6d. The capstan 6b is rotatable about a shaft 48, as shown by the arrow P, a tension spring 47 is attached to the stem of the sector 6d, and an end of a steel belt 6c is bonded to the tension spring 47. Another steel belt 6c' is secured to the opposite side of the sector 6d. Both steel belts are wound around the capstan 6b and secured thereto at the back thereof by a screw. Both steel belts may be formed as one integral strip. With this structure, the capstan 6b is rotated as shown by the arrow P to swing the sector 6d through the steel belts 6c, 6c', thus rotating the head arm 6e as shown by the arrow Q about the pivot 6f. Numeral 10 designates a groove for holding the lead cable 5a', as described later in detail. The structure for supporting the magnetic head 5 is illustrated in detail in Fig. 4. The load spring 8 is made from a leaf spring. A gimbal 9 also made from a leaf spring is bonded to an end of the load spring 8 by spot welding. A support piece 9a is formed by cutting the inner area of the gimbal 9. The support piece 9a is bonded to an upper recess surface 50 of the magnetic head 5. The magnetic head 5 has a core 5d on which a coil (not shown) is wound and the coil lead 5a is taken out therefrom, as described in detail later. The coil lead 5a is covered by a protecting outer tube to form a lead cable 5a' from the end portion of the load spring 8. The root portion 8a of the load spring 8 is secured to the end of the head arm 6e (Fig. 5). A magnetic head coil structure according to the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 10(a) and 10(b), wherein Fig. 10(c) is a plan view and Fig. 10(b) is a front view. In the drawings, the magnetic head 5 is formed as a slider having a slider surface 5b and a core 5d on which a coil 5e is wound. Reference 5a designates a coil lead, reference 5c designates an opening for forming a gap, and references 5f and 9 designate a gap and a gimbal, respectively. The gimbal 9 is bonded to the magnetic head 5 at the hatched portion thereof. As can be seen from the drawings, the lead wire 5a of the coil 5e of the magnetic head 5 is taken from the lateral side of the opening 5c. That is, the coil lead 5a is taken from the intermediate portion of its core 5d along the height thereof instead of the top of the core 5d as in the prior art structure of Fig. 13. The height H₁ of this embodiment can be shortened and the distance between the magnetic discs can be reduced without allowing the lead to come into contact with the disc surface, since the lead wire 5a is taken from the lateral side of the opening 5c in parallel with the slider surface 5b. The lead wire 5a is disposed along the head arm through the load spring and connected to an amplifier attached behind the head arm. The lead wire cable 5a' is fitted and held in a groove 10 formed in a surface of the head arm 6e, to reliably hold the cable and avoid contact between the cable and the disc surface. In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to reduce the distance between the magnetic discs with a simple structure without allowing the lead wire to come into contact with the magnetic disc surface, thus realizing a compact arrangement of the magnetic discs which is practically very useful. A coil lead wire cable arrangement according to the present invention is described hereinafter with reference to Figs. 7 to 9. Figure 7 is an explanatory view of the principle of the arrangement of the present invention. In Fig. 7, numeral 36 designates a cable holding means comprising a groove formed along the cable pass. The cable 34 is fitted into this groove. The cable 34 is fitted and held in the groove of the holding means 36 formed in the head arm 31. Therefore, it is unnecessary to use a special instrument for holding the cable like a clip to hold the cable, thus reducing the weight of the magnetic head structure. An example of the cable holding arrangement according to the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 8(a) and 8(b), wherein the same parts as shown in Fig. 7 are designated by the same numerals. Figure 8(a) is a plan view of the arrangement and Fig. 8(b) is a sectional view along the line AA'. of Fig. 8(a). A groove 37 is formed as a cable holding means along the cable pass on the head arm. Figure 8(b) shows a cross section of the groove 37, which comprises a rectangular recess for receiving the cable 34. The cable 34 is held in this groove 37 by press fitting the cable into the groove. An adhesive agent may be used to firmly hold the cable 34 within the groove 37. Another example of the cable holding arrangement according to the present invention is illustrated in Fig. 9(a), 9(b) and 9(c). A step is formed along the cable pass on the head arm 31, as shown in Fig. 9(b) which shows a cross section along the line BB' of the head arm 31 of Fig. 9(a). A plurality of holder projections 38 are disposed along the step of the cable pass to partly form a groove-like portion, as shown in Fig. 9(c) which is a cross section along the line CC' of the head arm 31 of Fig. 9(a). The cable 34 is held in this groove-like portion. As mentioned above, the magnetic head structure according to the present invention comprises a groove as a lead wire holding means formed along the cable pass on the head arm, which makes it unnecessary to use a special cable holding instrument means, thus enabling a reduction of the weight of the magnetic head.

Claims: A magnetic disc device comprising: a plurality of magnetic disc media (4); a plurality of magnetic heads (5) electrically connected to a read/write means through a lead wire (5a,34); a plurality of springy means (8,9) each supporting a respective magnetic head (5); and, a plurality of rigid head arms (6e) supporting the springy means (5,9) and located between the adjacent magnetic disc media (4); characterized in that at least one of the rigid head arms (6e) has a lead wire holding means at least partly formed by a U-shaped groove (10,36,37) into which the lead wire (5a,34) is fitted and held. A magnetic disc device according to Claim 1, wherein each magnetic head (5) comprises a slider having a slider surface (5b) and a core (5d) extending away from the slider surface (5b) and having a coil (5e) wound on it, a lead wire (5a) from the coil (5e) being taken out from an intermediate position between the ends of the core (5d). A magnetic disc device according to claim 1 or 2, including rotational drive means (6b,6c) which swing the rigid head arms (6e) and which comprise a sector (6d) secured to the head arm (6e); a capstan (6b) adjacent the sector (6d); and a steel belt (6c, 6d) wound around the capstan (6b) and secured to the sector (6d) to transmit rotational motion from the capstan (6b) to the sector (6d). A magnetic disc device according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the springy means each comprise a load spring (8) secured to an end of each head arm (6e); gimbal means (9) secured to an end of the load spring (8); and a head supporting piece (9a) formed by cutting an inner area of the gimbal means (9), the supporting piece (9a) being bonded to a recess (30) on an upper side of the magnetic head (5). A magnetic disc device according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein each head arm has a counter weight portion (46) provided at a side opposite to the magnetic head (5) attaching end of it with respect to the pivot (6f).

Inventors: MIHARA TAKAHISA, SAITO SIGEO, SAMMA SHOJI, MIHARA, TAKAHISA, SAITO, SIGEO, SAMMA, SHOJI
Applicants: FUJITSU LTD, FUJITSU LIMITED
Application year: 1991
Main classification: G11B5
IPC codes: G11B33, G11B25, G11B5