Patent ID: 7336447

Claim:
A disk device comprising: a base; a disk-shaped recording medium; a drive unit which is arranged on the base and supports and rotates the recording medium; a head which processes information for the recording medium; a head actuator which is arranged on the base, supports the head for movement with respect to the recording medium, and is movable between a retreated position in which the head actuator is situated on the outer peripheral side of the recording medium and an information processing position over the recording medium; a voice coil motor which moves the head actuator between the retreated position and the information processing position; and an inertia latch mechanism which latches and holds the head actuator in the retreated position when the head actuator moved to the retreated position is subjected to an external force, the inertia latch mechanism including a latch arm rotatable around a first pivot, which extends substantially perpendicular to the base, between a latch position in which the latch arm engages the head actuator to latch it in the retreated position and a release position in which the latch arm disengages from the head actuator and unlatches thereby, and an inertia arm which is rockably supported around a second pivot extending substantially perpendicular to the base and rotates the latch arm from the release position to the latch position by rotating around the second pivot when subjected to an external force, the voice coil motor including a lower yoke provided on the base, a top yoke facing the lower yoke across a gap, a voice coil attached to the head actuator and situated between the lower yoke and the top yoke, and a permanent magnet provided on at least one of the yokes and opposed to the voice coil, the inertia latch mechanism having an arm retaining portion which extends from the top yoke, overlaps the second pivot and that part of the inertia arm which is situated near the second pivot and restrains the inertia arm from slipping off the second pivot, the arm retaining portion being stepped to be one level higher than the top yoke in a direction away from the base and extending in parallel to the top yoke.