Contacting point damping method between flex circuit and pivot housing
View Patent ↗The present invention for a disk drive is a damping feature applied to the contact area between the flexible circuit and the pivot housing, reducing the resonance energy transferred from the flexible circuit to the pivot housing. This invention reduces the direct energy transfer from the flexible circuit to the pivot house by applying a damping feature as embodied by damping material on the flexible circuit or pivot housing at the point at which they make contact or by adding a damper to the flexible circuit re-routing tip area between the pivot housing and the flexible circuit. The damping feature absorbs the resonance energy from the flexible circuit to the damping feature material and reduces the energy transferred from the flexible circuit to the pivot housing.
1. A disc drive comprising:
a disc;
a data head operably located relative to die disc;
a pivot housing configured for positioning the head relative to the disc;
a controller; and
a flex circuit assembly, carrying electrical signals between the head and the controller wherein the flex circuit comprises:
a flexible cable extending along an arc from the pivot housing towards the controller; and
a damper disposed outside the arc of the flexible cable and between the pivot housing and the flexible cable.
2. The disc drive of claim 1 , wherein the damper comprises a damping material having a greater damping ratio than that of the pivot housing and the flexible circuit.
3. The disc drive of claim 2 , wherein the damping material comprises elastic polymer film.
4. The disc drive of claim 3 , wherein the damper is disposed on a re-routing tip where the re-routing tip contacts the flexible circuit.
5. The disc drive of claim 3 , wherein the damper is disposed on the flexible circuit where the flexible circuit contacts a re-routing tip.
6. The disc drive of claim 1 , wherein a re-routing tip comprises a damping material.
7. A support assembly for supporting a head carrying slider relative to a disc in a disc drive, the support assembly comprising:
a pivot housing;
a flexible circuit extending in an arc from the pivot housing towards the controller; and
a damper disposed outside the arc between the pivot housing and the flexible circuit of the flexible cable end.
8. The support assembly of claim 7 , wherein the damper comprises a damping material having a greater damping ratio than those of the pivot housing and the flexible circuit.
9. The support assembly of claim 8 , wherein the damping material comprises an elastic polymer film.
10. The support assembly of claim 9 , wherein the damper is disposed on a re-routing tip where the re-routing tip contacts the flexible circuit.
11. The support assembly of claim 9 , wherein the damper is disposed on the flexible circuit where the flexible circuit contacts a re-routing tip.
12. The support assembly of claim 7 , wherein a re-routing tip comprises damping material.
13. A disc drive, comprising:
a pivot housing including a re-routing tip;
a flexible circuit extending in an arc along the re-routing tip from the pivot housing towards the controller; and
means for damping energy passed by direct contact between the pivot housing and the flexible circuit, the means disposed outside the arc between the pivot housing and the flexible circuit.