© A removable hard disc memory cartridge (10), for use with a drive mechanism including a spindle (20) located within a drive housing.

The drive housing interior is provided with stationary position registration members (23, 23') which cooperates with mating side edge portions of the cartridge (33A, 33B, 33C, 34, 35, 36) to provide positive positioning when the cartridge is inserted into the drive housing. A disk lock (46, 52) carried by the cartridge maintains the internally mounted cartridge disk (14) in a secured locked position when the cartridge is not in use, the lock mechanism cooperating with release posts (21, 22) carried by the drive housing to free the disc (14) for rotation just prior to engagement by the drive spindle (20). The disk has a self centering hub including a spindle referencing member having an aperture for receiving the free end of the spindle, the referencing member including angularly spaced arcuate segments (71, 72) closely matched to the radius of curvature of the drive spindle and providing a lateral abutment for the outer surface of the spindle, the referencing member further including a spindle biasing spring (75) laterally spaced from the arcuate segments (71, 72) and engageable with the outer surface of the spindle (20) for urging the spindle into surface contact with the arcuate segments. The housing includes an end wall with an air exit port (82) laterally displaced from the transducer access port (81) which provides a circumferentially oriented flow exit path for air entering the volume enclosed by the cartridge via the access port when the disc (14) is rotated.

© A removable hard disc memory cartridge (10), for use with a drive mechanism including a spindle (20) located within a drive housing.

The trive housing interior is provided with stationary position registration members (23, 23') which cooperates with mating side edge portions of the cartridge (33A, 33B, 33C, 34, 35, 36) to provide positive positioning when the cartridge is inserted into the drive housing. A disk lock (46, 52) carried by the cartridge maintains the internally mounted cartridge disk (14) in a secured locked position when the cartridge is not in use, the lock mechanism cooperating with release posts (21, 22) carried by the drive housing to free the disc (14) for rotation just prior to engagement by the drive spindle (20). The disk has a self centering hub including a spindle referencing member having an aperture for receiving the free end of the spindle, the referencing member including angularly spaced arcuate segments (71, 72) closely matched to the radius of curvature of the drive spindle and providing a lateral abutment for the outer surface of the spindle, the referencing member further including a spindle biasing spring (75) laterally spaced from the arcuate segments (71, 72) and engageable with the outer surface of the spindle (20) for urging the spindle into surface contact with the arcuate segments. The housing includes an end wall with an air exit port (82) laterally displaced from the transducer access port (81) which provides a circumferentially oriented flow exit path for air entering the volume enclosed by the cartridge via the access port when the disc (14) is rotated.

A removable hard disc memory cartridge (10), for use with a drive mechanism including a spindel (20) located within a drive housing.

The drive housing interior is provided with stationary position registration members (23, 23') which cooperates with mating side edge portions of the cartridge (33A, 33B, 33C, 34, 35, 36) to provide positive positioning when the cartridge is inserted into the drive housing. A disc lock (46, 52) carried by the cartridge maintains the internally mounted cartridge disk (14) in a secured locked position when the cartridge is not in use, the lock mechanism cooperating with release posts (21, 22) carried by the drive housing to free the disc (14) for rotation just prior to engagement by the drive spindle (20). The disc has a self centering hub including a spindle referencing member having an aperture for receiving the free end of the spindle, the referencing member including angularly spaced arcuate segments (71, 72) closely matched to the radius of curvature of the drive spindle and providing a lateral abutment for the outer surface of the spindle, the referencing member further including a spindle biasing spring (75) laterally spaced from the arcuate segments (71, 72) and engageable with the outer surface of the spindle (20) for urging the spindle into surface contact with the arcuate segments. The housing includes an end wall with an air exit port (82) laterally displaced from the transducer access port (81) which provides a circumferentially oriented flow exit path for air entering the volume enclosed by the cartridge via the access port when the disc (14) is rotated.

O A recirculating air system for a disk drive assembly wherein air moves radially over the disk (14) surfaces, over the transducer carriage at an increased velocity, passes the actuator mechanism (30) and through a filter before recirculation is induced by the hub assembly on which the disks are mounted and which functions also as an impeller. The hub-disk assembly also forms an integral part of the drive motor rotor assembly. Also, a breather filter and breather opening (42) communicate with the recirculating air path at the low pressure location of the recirculating path to assure that air entering the system passes through the breather filter.

Relative humidity within a machine enclosure (11) is controlled by means of a desiccant and a circulatory breather flow through the enclosure walls. The desiccant absorbs moisture during power off periods to keep the relative humidity down. During power on periods the enclosure temperature rises which drives off the absorbed moisture from the desiccant. Operation of the machine also creates a pressure differential between two breather orifices (36, 37) in the enclosure walls so that there is a circulatory exchange of air between the enclosure and atmosphere. If the desiccant has absorbed a significant amount of moisture during power off periods, the moisture concentration within the enclosure will exceed that outside and there will be a net expulsion of moisture to partially recharge the desiccant.

Air is circulated through flexible disk stack 12 mounted on shaft 16 by centrifugal action which draws air into the centre of the stack via filter 28, controller 26 and plenum chamber 24. Controller 26 provides primary and secondary air flow paths in parallel into chamber 24, the primary and secondary paths being open and closed respectively at start of a disk access operation. To access, transducer head 20 is positioned to cause a partial split between two selected adjacent disks, and the primary path is closed, which develops a high vacuum in chamber 24 and causes the partial split to become a full access opening. The secondary path includes a valve automatically responsive to pressure in the chamber 24 to supply, after short delay, a throttled flow of gas into the chamber 24, to reduce the vacuum to a level at which the full access opening is stable.

An improvement on the information record/­reproducing apparatus, utilizing a tunnel current generated in a flat information recording medium by a needle-shaped probe electrode (36) positioned close to the recording medium (38). In order to prevent deterioration of the probe and the recording medium by the atmosphere, these components are hermetically sealed in a container (44),(214),(415), with or without the driving mechanism. The sealed structure is made detachable from the main apparatus (215), thus facilitating manufacture, replacement and maintenance.

An improvement on the information record/­reproducing apparatus, utilizing a tunnel current generated in a flat information recording medium by a needle-shaped probe electrode (36) positioned close to the recording medium (38). In order to prevent deterioration of the probe and the recording medium by the atmosphere, these components are hermetically sealed in a container (44),(214),(415), with or without the driving mechanism. The sealed structure is made detachable from the main apparatus (215), thus facilitating manufacture, replacement and maintenance.

An air flow system in a sealed data recording disk file directs selected portions of the air flow from the periphery of the stack of rotating disks to specific heat generating components in the disk file. A converging duct (82) is attached to the disk file housing (12) and has its inlet (86) located in close proximity to the periphery of the rotating disks. The outlet (89) of the converging duct is located adjacent to the coil (56) of the voice coil motor (VCM) actuator and oriented such that the flow exiting the outlet is perpendicular to the linear path (58) of the VCM. The outlet of the duct has an area smaller than that of the inlet so that there is an increase in velocity of the exiting air, which increases the cooling rate of the VCM. The shield directs a second portion of the air flow from the periphery of the disks across the electronic read/ write modules (80) located on the arms (54) which support the read/ write heads (50).

A disk file of the kind employing a vented hub assembly and slotted spacers between disks to provide a passage for circulatory airflow employs filter assembly extending circumferentially around the axial region of the hub assembly. The primary path for airflow is from a high pressure region at the periphery of the disks, through the filter assem­bly into the vented hub assembly and out again via the slotted spacers. A parallel leakage path between the filter itself and the hub assembly is limited by making the separation between a substantially planar surface of the filter assembly and the adjacent disk uniform and very small. Airflow rates through the filter are consequently enhanced