JP7779681B2 - Disk device and its cover - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a disk drive such as a magnetic disk drive and its cover.

Hard disk drives, which are disk devices, are built into personal computers, servers, etc., and use a head to read and write information from a rotating recording medium called a disk. These hard disk drives are used in high-noise environments, and external noise can cause the metal housing to resonate, potentially adversely affecting the operation of the internal head.

One way to combat this noise is to attach a weight to the housing cover, as in Patent Document 1, which changes the housing's natural frequency and suppresses resonance.

However, this technology requires changing the housing's natural vibration frequency in response to external noise, which is a time-consuming process. This problem is not limited to hard disk drives, but is widespread in disk drives.

JP 2011-258285 A

The problem we were trying to solve was the time and effort required to suppress the impact of external noise.

The present invention provides a disk device comprising: a housing base that accommodates a recording medium for a disk device; a first cover attached to the base and closing a space in the housing that accommodates the recording medium; a second cover attached to the base on the outside of the first cover; and a sealing gasket interposed between the base and one or both of the first cover and the second cover, wherein one or both of the first cover and the second cover are resin parts that are partially made of resin when viewed in a plane, and the remaining part is a metal part made of metal, and the gasket is interposed between the base and the metal part of one or both of the first cover and the second cover, which have the resin part and the metal part .

The present invention also provides a cover that can be attached to the base of a housing that contains a recording medium for a disk device, with or without a sealing gasket in between , and that, in a plan view, comprises a frame portion made of metal and a main body portion made of resin that is held within the frame portion, and the frame portion has an outer periphery that abuts against the base, with or without the gasket in between.

According to the present invention, the resin portion of the cover can dampen external vibrations, making it easy to suppress the effects of external noise.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a disk device (first embodiment). FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the first cover of the disk device of FIG. 1 (Embodiment 1). FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing the second cover of the disk device of FIG. 1 (Embodiment 1). 4A and 4B show a modified example of the first cover, and are a plan view and a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV, respectively (Embodiment 1). 5A and 5B show another modified example of the first cover, and are a bottom view and a cross-sectional view taken along line VV, respectively (Embodiment 1). 6A and 6B show yet another modified example of the first cover, and are a bottom view and a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI, respectively (Example 1). FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a housing of a disk device (Embodiment 2). FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a housing of a disk device (third embodiment). FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a housing of a disk device (Embodiment 4).

The goal of easily suppressing the effects of external noise is achieved by making at least a portion of the cover of the housing that contains the recording medium a resin part.

A disk device (1) using such a cover comprises a base (17), a first cover (19), a second cover (21), and a gasket (25). The base (17) houses a recording medium (9). The first cover (19) is attached to the base (17) and closes a space (23) in the housing (3) that houses the recording medium (9). The second cover (21) is attached to the base (17) outside the first cover (19). The gasket (25) is interposed between the base (17) and one or both of the first cover (19) and the second cover (21). At least a portion of the first cover (19) and one or both of the second cover (21) is a resin part made of resin when viewed in a plan view.

The resin portion may be configured to extend over the entire thickness of one or both of the first cover (19) and the second cover (21).

The first cover (19) and the second cover (21) may both be configured so that at least a portion of them is made of resin when viewed from above.

The first cover (19) may be entirely made of resin when viewed from above.

The second cover (21) may include a metal frame (29) and a resin body (31) held within the frame (29), with the frame (29) welded to the base (17).

A second space (27) may be defined between the first cover (19) and the second cover (21), and the main body (31) of the second cover (21) may be located within a range facing the second space (27).

The first cover (19) and the second cover (21) may both have a metal frame (29, 39) and a resin body (31, 41) held within the frame (29, 39). In this case, a gasket (25) may be provided between the frame (29) of the first cover (19) and the base (17), and the frame (39) of the second cover (21) may be welded to the base (17).

The disk device (1) may be provided with a coating (33) that covers the resin parts (19, 31, 37, 41, 43).

The resin of the resin parts (19, 31, 37, 41, 43) may be carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

[Disk device structure]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a disk device.

The disk device 1 of this embodiment is a hard disk drive serving as a magnetic disk device, and houses a disk assembly 5 together with a head gimbal assembly 7 and other components within a housing 3.

Note that the disk device 1 is not limited to a magnetic disk device, but may also be another type of disk device, such as an optical disk device.

The disk assembly 5 is configured so that multiple disks 9, which are recording media, are stacked and rotatably supported by a spindle motor 6. The disks 9 are stacked in the thickness direction of the disk device 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "thickness direction").

The head gimbal assembly 7 has multiple head suspensions 11 stacked in the thickness direction and supported by a carriage 13, allowing them to rotate around the rotation axis of the carriage 13. A head unit 15 is supported at the tip of each head suspension 11. Each head unit 15 faces the disk 9 as it rotates, reading and writing information.

The housing 3 consists of a base 17, a first cover 19, a second cover 21, and a gasket 25.

The base 17 is configured in a box shape that is open on one side in the thickness direction. In this embodiment, the base 17 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above, but any suitable shape can be used. Note that "plan view" refers to the state when viewed from the thickness direction, and does not distinguish between the top and bottom surfaces. For this reason, the term "plan view" refers to both views from the top and bottom surfaces.

The base 17 can be made of metal such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, titanium, or titanium alloy. A first cover 19 and a second cover 21 are attached to the base 17, sealing the housing 3.

Figure 2 is a bottom view showing the first cover 19. Note that in Figure 2, the gasket 25 is hatched for clarity. The same applies to Figures 5 and 6.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the first cover 19 closes the first space 23, which is the space in the housing 3 that houses the disc 9 and other components. This closure is achieved by a gasket 25 provided between the base 17 and the first cover 19. A gas with less resistance than air, such as helium, may be sealed inside the first space 23. In this case, it is preferable that the gasket 25 have low gas permeability and moisture permeability.

This first cover 19 is composed of a resin portion, at least a portion of which is made of resin when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the entire first cover 19 is composed of a resin portion. This improves the workability and freedom of shape of the first cover 19, while also reducing its weight. "The entire area" here refers to the entire area of the base material of the first cover 19 when viewed from above, and the entire area in the thickness direction. Therefore, the "entire area" does not include the plating 26, oxide film, and other coatings, etc., described below, of the first cover 19. Note that in this embodiment, the thickness direction of the first cover 19 coincides with the thickness direction.

The resin that makes up the resin portion is carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which has excellent vibration damping properties. However, the resin may be any resin with vibration damping properties, such as various fiber reinforced resins or polycarbonate. The damping properties here should be at least higher than those of the metal that makes up the base 17.

In this embodiment, the first cover 19 is a rectangular plate-shaped member corresponding to the base 17, but it may have any suitable shape that can close the first space 23 of the housing 3. Furthermore, the entire first cover 19 is covered with plating 26 as a coating.

This plating 26 prevents contamination of the first cover 19, such as the adhesion of foreign matter and the generation of dust. The plating 26 may be any suitable plating that can prevent contamination, such as nickel plating. The plating 26 may also be omitted.

The outer periphery 19a of the first cover 19 abuts against the step 17a of the base 17 in the thickness direction. The step 17a of the base 17 protrudes inward from the base 17 in a plan view and forms the side wall of the first space 23. A gasket 25 is interposed between this step 17a and the outer periphery 19a of the first cover 19. Therefore, the first cover 19 is attached to the base 17 with the sealing gasket 25 interposed.

The gasket 25 may be any suitable type that can be interposed between the base 17 and the first cover 19 to seal the housing 3, and may be a liquid gasket, molded gasket, or other suitable type. In the case of a liquid gasket, it is applied to the first cover 19 in advance and allowed to harden. In the case of a molded gasket, it may be attached to the first cover 19 or base 17 in advance, or it may simply be placed between the first cover 19 and base 17 without being attached during assembly.

The first cover 19 is fixed by engaging its outer periphery 19a with the engagement groove 17b of the base 17. The engagement groove 17b is formed circumferentially and engages with the outer periphery 19a of the first cover 19 around its entire circumference. The outer periphery 19a of the first cover 19 can be engaged with the engagement groove 17b by press-fitting or the like.

Instead of the engagement groove 17b, the first cover 19 may be secured by an engagement claw or the like provided on the base 17. Alternatively, the first cover 19 may be secured to the base 17 by any suitable fastening means, such as a fastener such as a bolt or adhesive.

Figure 3 is a bottom view showing the second cover 21.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the second cover 21 is disposed on the outer side of the first cover 19 in the thickness direction. In this embodiment, the second cover 21 closes the second space 27, which is a second space defined between the second cover 21 and the first cover 19. The second space 27 functions as an expansion chamber that damps external vibrations through expansion.

This second cover 21 is composed of a resin portion, at least a portion of which is made of resin when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the second cover 21 is composed of a frame portion 29 and a main body portion 31, which is a resin portion held within the frame portion 29.

The frame portion 29 is a frame-shaped member made of metal that forms the outer periphery of the second cover 21. This frame portion 29 has a frame shape that matches the base 17, and in this embodiment has a rectangular frame shape. The frame portion 29 is supported in the thickness direction by the opening edge portion 17c of the base 17.

In this state, the frame portion 29 is welded to the opening edge portion 17c of the base 17. Therefore, the second cover 21 is fixed to the base 17 by the weld portion 30, making it possible to close the second space portion 27. With this configuration, the second cover 21 is attached to the base 17 without a gasket. A gasket may be interposed between the second cover 21 and the base 17. In this case, it is also possible to omit the gasket 25 between the first cover 19 and the base 17. In other words, a gasket may be interposed between one or both of the first cover 19 and the second cover 21 and the base 17.

The width between the inner and outer periphery of the frame portion 29 should be as narrow as possible, but preferably within a range that does not affect the main body portion 31 due to the heat from welding. The frame portion 29 may be made of any material that can be welded, such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, titanium, or titanium alloy, but it is particularly preferable to use the same material as the base 17.

The inner periphery of this frame portion 29 is provided with a retaining hole 29a that holds the main body portion 31. The retaining hole 29a is a rectangular hole, but this can be modified as appropriate depending on the shape of the main body portion 31.

The main body 31 is a plate-shaped body that fills the retaining hole 29a, and is entirely made of resin. As with the first cover 19, the "entire area" here refers to the entire area of the base material of the main body 31 in a plan view and the entire area in the thickness direction. Therefore, the "entire area" does not include the plating 33, oxide film, or other coatings of the main body 31, which will be described later. The thickness direction coincides with the plate thickness direction of the main body 31 of the second cover 21.

The main body 31 is provided within the area facing the second space 27. The surface of the main body 31 in the thickness direction is flush with the surface of the frame 29. However, the main body 31 may be formed thicker in the thickness direction than the frame 29 and configured to extend into the second space 27. Conversely, the main body 31 may be formed thinner in the thickness direction than the frame 29.

The position, size, and area of the resin body 31 can be set as desired. The entire surface of the body 31 is covered with plating 33 as a coating to prevent contamination.

The resin that makes up the resin part is carbon fiber reinforced plastic, just like the first cover 19, but any resin that has vibration damping properties will do. The damping properties here should also be at least higher than those of the metal that makes up the base 17.

This main body portion 31 is formed by adhering a pre-cured material into the retaining hole 29a, or by using the frame portion 29 as a mold and allowing it to cure inside the retaining hole 29a.

[Operation of the disk device]
In the disk device 1 of this embodiment, when vibrations are input from the outside, they are damped by the main body parts 31 of the first cover 19 and the second cover 21, which are resin parts.

In other words, vibrations input to the second cover 21 are damped in the main body 31, which is a resin part, and the damped vibrations are input from the main body 31 of the second cover 21 to the second space 27.

At this time, the main body 31 of the second cover 21 is located within a range facing the second space 27, so vibrations can be reliably input to the second space 27. Furthermore, the main body 31 of the second cover 21 is provided over the entire thickness, so vibrations can be reliably input to the second space 27.

Vibrations input into the second space 27 are expanded and damped. These damped vibrations are then input into the first cover 19. The first cover 19, which is entirely made of resin, reliably receives the input vibrations and damps them.

Vibrations are sufficiently damped from the second cover 21 and are not input to the first space 23, or even if vibrations that cannot be fully damped from the second cover 21 are input to the first space 23, the vibrations are further expanded and damped in the first space 23.

In this way, in this embodiment, external vibrations can be dampened by the resin portions of the first cover 19 and second cover 21, making it easy to suppress the effects of external noise.

In addition, in this embodiment, the second cover 21, second space 27, first cover 19, and first space 23 can dampen external vibrations, reliably suppressing the effects of external noise.

It is also possible to provide a resin portion on only one of the first cover 19 and the second cover 21. Even in this case, external vibrations can be damped by the resin portion of one of the first cover 19 and the second cover 21, the second space 27, and the first space 23.

Figures 4 to 6 each show modified examples of the first cover 19, with Figures 4(A), 5(A), and 6(A) being plan views and Figures 4(B), 5(B), and 6(B) being cross-sectional views.

In the modified example shown in Figure 4, the first cover 19 is constructed by providing a resin portion 37 on a metal base member 35. In the modified example shown in Figure 4, the resin portion 37 is provided only around the periphery of the disc 9 in a plan view. The resin portion 37 is attached by adhesive or the like within the recess 19b of the first cover 19.

For this reason, the resin portion 37 is formed only on a portion of the first cover 19 in a plan view and in the thickness direction. Note that the recess 19b is provided on the surface of the first cover 19 facing the second space 27, but it may also be provided on the surface facing the first space 23.

In the modified example shown in Figure 5, the first cover 19 is also constructed by providing a resin portion 37 on a metal base member 35. The resin portion 37 is attached in a laminated state to the surface of the first cover 19 facing the first space portion 23 by adhesive or the like. As a result, the resin portion 37 is formed only on a portion of the first cover 19 in the plan view and thickness direction.

The outer periphery of the base member 35, which protrudes from the resin portion 37 in plan view, is received in the step portion 17a of the base 17 of the housing 3, with the resin portion 37 facing the first space portion 23. A gasket 25 is attached to the outer periphery of the base member 35.

As a result, the gasket 25 is interposed between the outer periphery of the metal base member 35 and the metal step portion 17a. Therefore, in this modified example, a load can be applied to the gasket 25 in a stable manner.

The shape of the first cover 19 in Figure 5 can also be applied to the second cover 21.

The modified example in Figure 6 is composed of a frame portion 39 and a main body portion 41, similar to the second cover 21. In this case, both the first cover 19 and the second cover 21 are composed of frame portions 39, 29 and main body portions 41, 31.

The frame portion 39 is received on the step portion 17a of the base 17 of the housing 3, with the main body portion 41 facing the first space portion 23. A gasket 25 is attached to the frame portion 39. Therefore, the gasket 25 is disposed between the step portion 17a of the metal base 17 and the frame portion 39 of the metal first cover 19, allowing a load to be applied to the gasket 25 stably.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of a housing of a disk drive according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Note that in the second embodiment, components corresponding to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the second space 27 is omitted, and the second cover 21 is arranged adjacent to the first cover 19 so that they are in contact with each other in the thickness direction. The rest of the structure is the same as in Example 1.

In Example 2, the first cover 19, second cover 21, and first space 23 can damp external vibrations in the same way as in Example 1. Furthermore, this example allows for a simplified structure.

The first cover 19 may have the modified configuration shown in Figures 4 to 6. The second cover 21 may also have the configuration of the first cover 19 shown in Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of a housing of a disk drive according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Note that in the third embodiment, components corresponding to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

In this embodiment, a side wall portion 42 is provided on the second cover 21. The rest is the same as in Example 1.

The side wall portion 42 is formed integrally with the frame portion 29 and is fitted over the side wall 18 of the base 17 from the outside. The side wall portion 42 is joined to the side wall 18 of the base 17 by welds 30.

The second cover 21 may also adopt the structure of the first cover 19 shown in Figure 5, with a side wall 42 further provided on the base member.

In this embodiment, external vibrations can be damped in the same way as in embodiment 1.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of a housing of a disk drive according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Note that in the fourth embodiment, components corresponding to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

In this embodiment, a single cover 43 is provided. The cover 43 closes the space 45 inside the housing 3. The rest is the same as in Example 1.

The cover 43 has the same configuration as the first cover 19 in Example 1. In this case, the cover 43 can be fixed to the base 17 of the housing 3 by adhesive or the like. The cover 43 may also have the same configuration as the first cover 19 in Figures 4 to 6. In this case, the cover 43 can be fixed to the base 17 by welding.

The space 45 has the same configuration as the first space 23 in Example 1.

In this embodiment, as in embodiment 1, external vibrations can be damped by the cover 43 and the space 45.

1 Disk device 3 Housing 9 Disk (recording medium)
19 First cover 21 Second cover 23 First space 25 Gasket 26, 33 Plating 29, 39 Frame 31, 41 Main body 37 Resin part 43 Cover 45 Space

Claims (14)

a housing base for accommodating a recording medium in the disk device;
a first cover attached to the base and closing a space in the housing that accommodates the recording medium;
a second cover attached to the base outside the first cover;
a sealing gasket interposed between the base and one or both of the first cover and the second cover,
one or both of the first cover and the second cover are a resin portion having a part made of resin in a plan view, and a metal portion other than the resin portion being made of metal,
the gasket is interposed between the base and the metal portion of one or both of the first cover and the second cover, each having the resin portion and the metal portion;
Disk device. 2. The disk device of claim 1,
The resin portion extends over the entire area in the thickness direction of one or both of the first cover and the second cover,
Disk device. the second cover is provided outside the first cover in a thickness direction and spaced apart from the first cover, and closes a second space defined between the base and the outside of the first cover;
3. The disk device according to claim 1 or 2 . a housing base for accommodating a recording medium in the disk device;
a first cover attached to the base and closing a space in the housing that accommodates the recording medium;
a second cover attached to the base outside the first cover;
a sealing gasket interposed between the base and one or both of the first cover and the second cover,
a disk device in which one or both of the first cover and the second cover are resin parts at least partly made of resin in a plan view;
At least a portion of each of the first cover and the second cover is the resin portion in a plan view.
Disk device. a housing base for accommodating a recording medium in the disk device;
a first cover attached to the base and closing a space in the housing that accommodates the recording medium;
a second cover attached to the base outside the first cover;
a sealing gasket interposed between the base and one or both of the first cover and the second cover,
a disk device in which one or both of the first cover and the second cover are resin parts at least partly made of resin in a plan view;
the second cover includes a frame portion made of metal and a main body portion that is the resin portion held within the frame portion, and the frame portion is welded to the base of the housing;
Disk device. a housing base for accommodating a recording medium in the disk device;
a first cover attached to the base and closing a space in the housing that accommodates the recording medium;
a second cover attached to the base outside the first cover;
a sealing gasket interposed between the base and one or both of the first cover and the second cover,
a disk device in which one or both of the first cover and the second cover are resin parts at least partly made of resin in a plan view;
each of the first cover and the second cover includes a frame portion made of metal and a main body portion that is the resin portion held within the frame portion;
the gasket is interposed between the frame portion of the first cover and the base, and the frame portion of the second cover is welded to the base;
Disk device. a second space is defined between the first cover and the second cover,
The main body of the second cover is provided within a range facing the second space.
7. The disk device according to claim 6 . a housing base for accommodating a recording medium in the disk device;
a first cover attached to the base and closing a space in the housing that accommodates the recording medium;
a second cover attached to the base outside the first cover;
a sealing gasket interposed between the base and one or both of the first cover and the second cover,
a disk device in which one or both of the first cover and the second cover are resin parts at least partly made of resin in a plan view;
A coating that covers the resin part is provided.
Disk device. The resin is a carbon fiber reinforced plastic.
The disk device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 . A cover that is attached to the base of a housing that accommodates a recording medium in a disk device, with or without a sealing gasket,
In plan view, the device comprises a frame portion made of metal and a main body portion made of resin and held within the frame portion,
the frame portion has an outer periphery that abuts against the base with or without the gasket interposed therebetween;
cover. The cover of claim 10,
The main body portion extends over the entire area in the plate thickness direction.
cover. The cover of claim 10 or 11,
The body is covered with a coating.
cover. The cover according to any one of claims 10 to 12 ,
The gasket is attached to the frame.
cover. The cover according to any one of claims 10 to 13 ,
The resin is a carbon fiber reinforced plastic.
cover.