Actuator locking system of disk unit

Claim 1

An apparatus for storing data comprising: a housing; a disk mounted to said housing having a data recording region and a landing region; a spindle motor for rotating the disk within said housing, said rotating disk producing air flow within said housing; an actuator having a notch therein, said actuator pivotably mounted to said housing; a head attached to said actuator; a latch pivotably mounted within said housing, said latch having a first end and second end, said latch further comprising: a vane attached to one of said first and second ends; a locking member attached to the other of said first and second ends, said locking member engaging said notch to lock the actuator in a position so that the head is positioned over the landing region of the disk; and biasing means attached to said latch, said biasing means producing a moment on the latch acting in a direction to keep the locking member of the latch engaged with the notch of the actuator; and means for controlling the spindle motor to spin at a high-speed and to spin at an operating speed, where the spinning disk produces an air flow within the housing at said high speed which impinges on the vane and produces a moment on the latch greater than the moment on the latch from the biasing means and which disengages the locking member from the notch of the actuator.

Claim 2

An apparatus for storing data comprising: a housing; a disk mounted to said housing having a data recording region and a landing region; a spindle motor for rotating the disk within said housing, said rotating disk producing air flow within said housing; an actuator having a notch therein, said actuator pivotably mounted to said housing; a head attached to said actuator; a latch pivotably mounted within said housing, said latch having a first end and second end, said latch further comprising: a vane attached to one of said first and second ends; a locking member attached to the other of said first and second ends, said locking member engaging said notch to lock the actuator in a position so that the head is positioned over the landing region of the disk; and biasing means attached to said latch, said biasing means producing a moment on the latch acting in a direction to keep the locking member of the latch engaged with the notch of the actuator; and means for controlling the spindle motor to spin at a high-speed and to spin at an operating speed, where the spinning disk produces an air flow within the housing at said high speed which impinges on the vane and produces a moment on the latch greater than the moment on the latch from the biasing means and which disengages the locking member from the notch of the actuator.

Claim 10

An apparatus for unlocking an actuator arm having a notch therein from a position over the landing portion of a disk upon initial start up of a disk drive unit, said apparatus comprising: a latch having a first end and a second end further comprising: a locking member which fits within the notch of the actuator arm, said locking member on one of said first or second ends of said latch; biasing means attached to said latch which produces a force which acts to maintain the locking member within the notch on the disk drive; and a vane attached to the other of said first or second ends of said latch, said vane producing a force which acts to remove the locking member from the notch on the actuator in response to air flow within the disk drive impinging on said vane; and means for controlling the air flow within the disk drive unit so that the force produced by the vane on the latch is greater than the force of the biasing means on the latch, said means for controlling the airflow producing a first rate of airflow which acts on the vane to disengage the locking member from the notch and a second rate of airflow which acts on the vane to keep the locking member disengaged from said notch.

Claim 11

An apparatus for unlocking an actuator arm having a notch therein from a position over the landing portion of a disk upon initial start up of a disk drive unit, said apparatus comprising: a latch having a first end and a second end further comprising: a locking member which fits within the notch of the actuator arm, said locking member on one of said first or second ends of said latch; biasing means attached to said latch which produces a force which acts to maintain the locking member within the notch on the disk drive; and a vane attached to the other of said first or second ends of said latch, said vane producing a force which acts to remove the locking member from the notch on the actuator in response to air flow within the disk drive impinging on said vane; and means for controlling the air flow within the disk drive unit so that the force produced by the vane on the latch is greater than the force of the biasing means on the latch, said means for controlling the airflow producing a first rate of airflow which acts on the vane to disengage the locking member from the notch and a second rate of airflow which acts on the vane to keep the locking member disengaged from said notch.

Claim 12

A method for disengaging a pivotably mounted latch from a rotary actuator in a disk drive, said latch having a vane on one end and a locking member on the other end which fits within a notch in the rotary actuator, said vane producing a moment in the presence of air flow within the disk drive about an axis on which the pivotably mounted latch rotates in a direction which tends to disengage said locking member, the latch also having a spring attached thereto which produces a moment in a direction which tends to engage said locking member, said method for disengaging said latch comprising the steps of: rotating the disk within a disk drive at a first rate so that the air flow within the disk drive impinging on the vane produces a moment on the latch that disengages the locking member from the notch on the actuator; and rotating the disk within a disk drive at a second rate so that the air flow impinging on the vane produces a larger moment on the latch than the moment produced by the spring attached to the latch; to assure that the locking member remains disengaged from the notch on the actuator.

Claim 13

A method for disengaging a pivotably mounted latch from a rotary actuator in a disk drive, said latch having a vane on one end and a locking member on the other end which fits within a notch in the rotary actuator, said vane producing a moment in the presence of air flow within the disk drive about an axis on which the pivotably mounted latch rotates in a direction which tends to disengage said locking member, the latch also having a spring attached thereto which produces a moment in a direction which tends to engage said locking member, said method for disengaging said latch comprising the steps of: rotating the disk within a disk drive at a first rate so that the air flow within the disk drive impinging on the vane produces a moment on the latch that disengages the locking member from the notch on the actuator; and rotating the disk within a disk drive at a second rate so that the air flow impinging on the vane produces a larger moment on the latch than the moment produced by the spring attached to the latch; to assure that the locking member remains disengaged from the notch on the actuator.