Granted Patent B1

US 8,964,328 · App. 13/968,344 · Granted Feb 24, 2015

Abstract

Claims (43)

1. A disk drive comprising:

a disk drive base,

a disk drive top cover;

a head actuator pivotably attached to the disk drive base, the disk drive base and the disk drive top cover together forming a disk drive enclosure that encloses the head actuator;

at least one read head attached to the head actuator;

a disk drive printed circuit board (PCB) attached to the disk drive base outside the disk drive enclosure; and

a first motion sensor adhered to an external surface of the disk drive base;

wherein the first motion sensor is disposed between the disk drive PCB and the disk drive base, and wherein the first motion sensor is electrically connected to the disk drive PCB by a plurality of resilient conductive prongs that are preloaded between the disk drive PCB and the first motion sensor.

2. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the first motion sensor includes a plurality of conductive terminals, and wherein the disk drive PCB includes the plurality of resilient conductive prongs that are preloaded against respective ones of the plurality conductive terminals to establish electrical connections with the first motion sensor.

3. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the disk drive PCB includes a plurality of conductive terminals, and wherein the first motion sensor includes the plurality of resilient conductive prongs that are preloaded against respective ones of the plurality conductive terminals to establish electrical connections with the disk drive PCB.

4. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the disk drive is a 3.5″ form factor disk drive, and the head actuator is pivotably attached to the disk drive base at an actuator attachment location, and wherein the first motion sensor is attached to the disk drive base no more than 25 mm from the actuator attachment location.

5. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the disk drive is a 2.5″ form factor disk drive, and the head actuator is pivotably attached to the disk drive base at an actuator attachment location, and wherein the first motion sensor is attached to the disk drive base no more than 20 mm from the actuator attachment location.

6. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the first motion sensor comprises at least one piezoelectric accelerometer.

7. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the disk drive PCB is attached to the disk drive base by a plurality of screw fasteners, and wherein the first motion sensor is attached to the disk drive base no more than 10 mm from at least one of the plurality of screw fasteners.

8. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the first motion sensor includes a mechanical shock sensor.

9. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the first motion sensor includes a vibration sensor.

10. The disk drive of claim 1 , further comprising a second motion sensor adhered to an external surface of the disk drive base outside the disk drive enclosure, the second motion sensor being disposed between the disk drive PCB and the disk drive base.

11. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of resilient conductive prongs includes a gold coating.

12. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the disk drive PCB includes at least one ceramic capacitor.

13. A disk drive comprising:

a disk drive base,

a disk drive top cover;

a head actuator pivotably attached to the disk drive base, the disk drive base and the disk drive to cover together forming a disk drive enclosure that encloses the head actuator;

at least one read head attached to the head actuator;

a disk drive printed circuit board (PCB) attached to the disk drive base outside the disk drive enclosure; and

a first motion sensor attached to the disk drive base outside the disk drive enclosure;

wherein the first motion sensor is disposed between the disk drive PCB and the disk drive base, and wherein the first motion sensor is electrically connected to the disk drive PCB by a plurality of resilient conductive prongs that are preloaded between the disk drive PCB and the first motion sensor;

wherein the first motion sensor includes a plurality of conductive terminals, wherein the disk drive PCB includes the plurality of resilient conductive prongs that are preloaded against respective ones of the plurality conductive terminals to establish electrical connections with the first motion sensor; and

wherein the first motion sensor includes a first motion sensor flexible printed circuit, the plurality of conductive terminals being disposed on the first motion sensor flexible printed circuit.

14. The disk drive of claim 13 wherein the first motion sensor is attached to the disk drive base by an adhesive that bonds the first motion sensor flexible printed circuit to the disk drive base.

15. The disk drive of claim 13 further including a spindle rotatably attached to the disk drive base, and a disk mounted on the spindle, the disk being enclosed within the disk drive enclosure, the disk drive further including a spindle flexible printed circuit adhered to the disk drive base outside of the disk drive enclosure, wherein the first motion sensor flexible printed circuit extends from the spindle flexible printed circuit.

16. A method to assemble a disk drive, the method comprising:

providing a head actuator that includes a read head;

attaching the head actuator to a disk drive base at an actuator attachment location;

attaching a disk drive cover to the disk drive base to form a disk drive enclosure that encloses the head actuator;

adhering a first motion sensor to the disk drive base outside the disk drive enclosure;

attaching a disk drive printed circuit board (PCB) to the disk drive base outside the disk drive enclosure so as to overlie the first motion sensor, after the first motion sensor is adhered to the disk drive base;

wherein the first motion sensor is disposed between the disk drive PCB and the disk drive base, and wherein attaching the disk drive PCB to the disk drive base electrically connects the first motion sensor to the disk drive PCB by preloading a plurality of resilient conductive prongs between the first motion sensor and the disk drive PCB.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first motion sensor is adhered to the disk drive base no more than 25 mm from the actuator attachment location.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising adhering a second motion sensor to the disk drive base outside the disk drive enclosure, before attaching the disk drive PCB to the disk drive base, the disk drive PCB overlying the second motion sensor after the disk drive PCB is attached to the disk drive base.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein at least one of the plurality of resilient conductive prongs includes a gold coating.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein first motion sensor includes a first motion sensor flexible printed circuit and wherein adhering a first motion sensor to the disk drive base comprises adhering the first motion sensor flexible printed circuit to the disk drive base.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein attaching a disk drive PCB to the disk drive base comprises fastening the disk drive PCB to the disk drive base by a plurality of screw fasteners, at least one of the plurality of screw fasteners being no more than 10 mm from the first motion sensor.

Assignments (8)