Cleaning apparatus for heads of data storage disks

摘要

A cleaning apparatus for cleaning a read/write head of a data storage disk. The cleaning apparatus comprises a mounting base mounted adjacent to the disk. The base includes a V-shaped lever mechanism for rotating a cleaning pad. The V-shaped lever mechanism is activated by an actuator arm for positioning the read/write head as the arm moves the read/write head across a cleaning surface of the pad. A loading ramp is used to vertically position the head relative to the cleaning pad. The V-shaped lever mechanism can be used with either a rotary or linear actuator. The cleaning pad can have a brush with bristles, or a foamed backed cloth. The cleaning pad is particularly suited for read/write heads having a grooved air-bearing surface likely to collect dust.