Disk drive with an air flow passage within enclosure to reduce flutter
View Patent ↗Turbulence of an airflow returning to a magnetic disk along the base sidewall of a HDD is reduced to thereby reduce flutter of an actuator or a magnetic disk caused by the airflow, thus improving read/write performance. An HDD according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a base, a top cover fixed to the base, a motor for rotating a magnetic disk, an actuator for moving a head which gets access to the magnetic disk, a ramp slope portion on which an extreme end is ridden up, a ramp support portion for supporting the ramp slope portion, and a stage for holding the ramp support portion. A flow passage is formed which runs toward the magnetic disk through an area near the ramp support portion on the side of the top cover. An inclined portion running toward the bottom of the base is formed on the end of the flow passage on the side of the magnetic disk.
1. A disk drive comprising:
an enclosure having a base and a top cover fixed to said base;
a motor arranged internally of said base to rotate a recording disk;
an actuator holding a head getting access to said recording disk, said actuator being turned to thereby move the head;
a ramp slope portion which is located beside said recording disk, and on which an extreme end of said actuator is ridden up in order to move said head outside said recording disk;
a ramp support portion configured to support said ramp slope portion; and
a stage provided in said enclosure and configured to attach said ramp support portion thereto;
wherein a flow passage configured to receive air circulating around the rotating recording disk, is defined between said ramp slope portion and said enclosure, and an inclined surface running toward a base bottom of said base is formed on an end of the flow passage on a side of said recording disk, and
wherein said stage is formed integral with said enclosure.
2. The disk drive according to claim 1 , wherein said inclined portion is a slope whose height from said base bottom reduces continuously.
3. The disk drive according to claim 2 , wherein:
a plurality of recording disks are fixed to said motor; and
an extreme end of said slope is positioned at a height between a surface of a recording disk closest to said top cover out of the plurality of recording disks coupled to said motor and a surface of a recording disk closest to said base bottom out of the plurality of recording disks.
4. The disk drive according to claim 3 , wherein the extreme end of said slope is positioned at the height which substantially corresponds to the surface, of the recording disk coupled to said motor, on the side of the top cover.
5. The disk drive according to claim 2 , wherein said slope is formed on an end of the stage on the side of said recording disk.
6. The disk drive according to claim 1 , wherein a flow passage provided for an airflow returning to the recording disk is formed between said stage and said base bottom.
7. A disk drive comprising:
an enclosure having a base and a top cover fixed to said base;
a motor arranged internally of said base to rotate a recording disk;
an actuator holding a head getting access to said recording disk, said actuator being turned to thereby move the head;
a ramp which is located beside said recording disk, and on which an extreme end of said actuator is ridden up in order to move said head outside said recording disk; and
a stage provided in said enclosure and configured to attach said ramp thereto;
wherein a flow passage configured to receive air circulating around the rotating recording disk, is defined between the ramp and the stage in an area near said stage on a side of a base bottom of side base, the flow passage including an inclined portion extending toward the bottom; and
wherein said stage is formed integral with said enclosure.
8. The disk drive according to claim 7 , wherein said ramp comprises a ramp slope portion on which an extreme end of said actuator is ridden up, and a ramp support portion supporting said ramp slope portion and attached to said stage.
9. The disk drive according to claim 8 , wherein a flow passage through which air flows toward said recording disk through an area near said ramp support portion and said stage on a side of said top cover is formed between said ramp slope portion and a base sidewall of said base, and a slope whose height from said base bottom reduces continuously in a direction toward said recording disk is formed on an end of said flow passage on a side of said recording disk.
10. The disk drive according to claim 9 , wherein:
a plurality of recording disks are fixed to said motor; and
an extreme end of said slope is positioned at a height between a surface of a recording disk closest to said top cover out of the recording disks fixed to said motor and a surface of a recording disk closest to said base bottom out of the recording disks.
11. The disk drive according to claim 10 , wherein the extreme end of said slope is positioned at the height which substantially corresponds to the surface, of the recording disk coupled to said motor, on the side of the top cover.
12. The disk drive according to claim 9 , wherein said slope is formed on an end of the stage on the side of the recording disk.
13. The disk drive according to claim 9 , wherein the slope is convex.
14. The disk drive according to claim 9 , wherein the slope is convex.
15. The disk drive according to claim 9 , wherein the slope comprises a plurality of steps.
16. The disk drive according to claim 7 , wherein a flow passage provided for an airflow returning to the recording disk is formed between said stage and said base bottom.
17. The disk drive according to claim 16 , wherein the flow passage between said stage and said base bottom is formed between said base bottom and a slope on an end of said stage on the side of said recording disk.
18. The disk drive according to claim 17 , wherein the slope has a height which increases continuously from said base bottom in a direction toward said recording disk.