Dynamic negative pressure type floating head system

Claim 1

A floating head system for holding a magnetic head on a magnetic surface of a magnetic recording medium by means of a supporting spring in a non-contact state, comprising a supporting spring secured at one end to a fitting and free at the other end; a magnetic head secured to the free end of the spring and located opposite a magnetic surface recording of a medium to be recorded; first means formed by an inclined sliding surface of the magnetic head defining a wedge-shaped gap increasing in the direction of movement of said magnetic surface to be recorded for linearly decreasing its inclination and the relative distance between the sliding surface of the magnetic head and the magnetic surface by varying equilibrium between a negative force of an air flow and a positive force of the supporting spring making larger air pressure than the spring force during approach of the head to the magnetic medium while the relative speed between the sliding surface of the magnetic head and the magnetic surface increases from the resting state almost to a first critical speed; second means for balancing the force caused by the air flow and the force caused by the supporting spring by destroying the equilibrium between the force of the air flow and the force of the supporting spring when said relative speed reaches said first critical speed, by rapidly increasing the force caused by the air flow, thereby rapidly reaching a normal distance between the sliding surface and the magnetic surface; third means for linearly decreasing said relative distance to reach close distance to the magnetic surface by gradually changing the equilibrium between the force of the air flow and the force of the supporting spring when said relative speed is decreased to a second critical speed smaller than the first critical speed afyer said relative distance reaches the normal distance; and fourth means for retracting said sliding surface to the resting state by destroying the equilibrium between the force of the air flow and the force caused by the air flow at the second critical speed just before said relative distance becomes zero, whereby the approaching stroke to a floating position and the separating stroke from a floating state exhibit a hysteresis characteristic, automatically preventing contact between said sliding surface and the magentic surface thereby protecting both surfaces.