Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090133244 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SPINDLE MOTOR, AND SPINDLE MOTOR - A sleeve and a hub are fixed to each other, and then the sleeve and the hub are gripped and rotated around a central axis, during which cutting is performed over the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve and a flange surface of the hub. Thus, the flange surface can be finished accurately such that the flange surface is normal to the central axis and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve. | 05-28-2009 |
20100195250 | FLUID DYNAMIC PRESSURE BEARING DEVICE, SPINDLE MOTOR AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A bearing mechanism includes a shaft, a sleeve portion, a thrust portion, and a cover portion. Lubricating oil is arranged in a communicating channel in the sleeve portion, a thrust gap between the sleeve portion and the thrust portion, and a tapered gap between an outside surface of the thrust portion and the cover portion. A lower end opening of the communicating channel is defined in an outer circumferential portion of a lower surface of the sleeve portion radially outward of the thrust gap. A radially outermost portion of the thrust portion is arranged either tangent to a wall surface of the communicating channel or closer to a central axis than the wall surface. The tapered gap is arranged closer to the central axis than a radially outermost point of the wall surface. The outer circumferential portion and the cover portion define a guide gap therebetween. | 08-05-2010 |
20100202080 | MOTOR AND RECORDING DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A rotor unit includes a substantially circular plate shaped cover portion, a rotor hub including a lower cylinder portion, and a magnetic field generating member attached on the lower cylinder portion. An annular salient portion is provided on the lower surface of the cover portion | 08-12-2010 |
20100296190 | FLUID DYNAMIC BEARING APPARATUS, SPINDLE MOTOR, AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A fluid dynamic bearing apparatus includes a first minute gap, a second minute gap, a third minute gap, a fourth minute gap, and a fifth minute gap. A flow of a lubricating oil from the fifth minute gap to the fourth minute gap is caused by a plurality of dynamic pressure generating grooves arranged within the fluid dynamic bearing apparatus. This flow causes air bubbles mixed in the lubricating oil within the fifth minute gap to flow toward the third minute gap and be discharged to an outside through the third minute gap. In addition, a flow of the lubricating oil into the third minute gap caused by a centrifugal force accompanying rotation is inhibited. | 11-25-2010 |
20110019303 | FLUID DYNAMIC BEARING APPARATUS, SPINDLE MOTOR, AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - In a spindle motor, a capillary seal portion having a radial dimension that decreases in an axially downward direction, and a labyrinth seal portion arranged above the capillary seal portion are defined between an outer circumferential surface of a rotating member and an inner circumferential surface of a tubular portion. The capillary seal portion includes a liquid surface of a lubricating oil positioned therewithin. The radial dimension of the labyrinth seal portion is smaller than the radial dimension of an upper end portion of the capillary seal portion, so that the labyrinth seal portion contributes to reducing evaporation of the lubricating oil. | 01-27-2011 |
20110216442 | SPINDLE MOTOR AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE SPINDLE MOTOR - A spindle motor includes a rotary unit, a bearing mechanism, a stator, a base member, and a connector connected to a leader line extending from the stator through a communication hole of the base member. The connector includes a pedestal and a metal pin. The leader line is connected to a first pin terminal of the metal pin on a hole-positioning lower surface of a hole-defining portion of the pedestal. An upper surface of the metal pin is separated from the pedestal at a specified separation position between the first pin terminal and a second pin terminal. A connection position of the first pin terminal and the leader line on the hole-positioning lower surface is covered with an adhesive agent. The periphery of a gap between the metal pin and the pedestal over an extent from the first pin terminal to the separation position is sealed by the adhesive agent. | 09-08-2011 |
20110299193 | FLUID DYNAMIC PRESSURE BEARING DEVICE, SPINDLE MOTOR AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A fluid dynamic bearing mechanism includes a stationary shaft, a sleeve portion arranged to rotate with respect to the shaft, and a thrust portion including an upper end surface arranged oppose to a lower end surface of the sleeve portion. An inside surface of the thrust portion includes an inside surface contact portion arranged in contact with an outside surface of the shaft, and an inside surface lower non-contact portion spaced away from the outside surface of the shaft, and arranged to extend downward from a lower end of the inside surface contact portion. An outside surface of the thrust portion includes an outside surface inclined portion arranged in contact with an interface of a lubricating oil. The lower end of the inside surface contact portion is arranged at a level axially higher than that of a lower end of the outside surface inclined portion. | 12-08-2011 |
20120063030 | FLUID DYNAMIC BEARING APPARATUS, SPINDLE MOTOR, AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - In a fluid dynamic bearing apparatus, an oil buffer is defined between a thrust gap and a pumping gap. The oil buffer has an axial dimension greater than that of the thrust gap, and/or has a radial dimension greater than that of the pumping gap. An air bubble generated in the thrust gap due to cavitation, for example, when a fluid dynamic bearing apparatus experiences a vibration can be dissolved in lubricating oil provided within the oil buffer. This prevents leakage of the lubricating oil due to the air bubble residing in the fluid dynamic bearing apparatus. | 03-15-2012 |
20120250488 | ROTOR HUB, MOTOR, AND DISK DRIVING DEVICE - A rotor hub includes a shaft connecting portion arranged to be connected to a shaft serving as a central axis, a disk loading portion centered about the central axis and arranged to support a disk shaped storage medium mounted thereon, a yoke arranged below the disk loading portion and supporting a field magnet at one of an inner side surface thereof and an outer side surface thereof, and a flexible portion connecting the disk loading portion to the yoke and being flexible with respect to a force applied thereto from the yoke. | 10-04-2012 |
20130083427 | MOTOR AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A motor includes a shaft component, an upper plate portion, a lower plate portion, and a sleeve portion. The shaft component includes an inner shaft portion and an outer shaft portion. The upper plate portion defines a single monolithic member with one of the inner shaft portion and the outer shaft portion. The lower plate portion defines a single monolithic member with the other of the inner shaft portion and the outer shaft portion. The sleeve portion is disposed between the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion. A radial gap is defined between the sleeve portion and the outer shaft portion. A fixing range in which the outer shaft portion and the inner shaft portion radially overlap is arranged. At least a portion in an axial direction of the fixing range radially overlaps with an existing range in the axial direction of the radial gap. | 04-04-2013 |
20130242429 | MOTOR AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A motor includes a shaft component including an inner shaft portion and an outer shaft portion. A radial gap is defined between a sleeve portion and the outer shaft portion. A radial dynamic pressure generating groove array is arranged on at least one surface of an inner circumferential surface of the sleeve portion and an outer circumferential surface of the outer shaft portion, which define the radial gap. The radial dynamic pressure generating groove array includes an upper and lower radial dynamic pressure generating groove array. The inner shaft portion is fixed to the outer shaft portion in an interference fit. An axial range of a fixing region of the inner shaft portion and the outer shaft portion which is in the interference fit is included in a range between the upper and lower radial dynamic pressure generating groove array. | 09-19-2013 |
20130243356 | FLUID DYNAMIC BEARING APPARATUS, SPINDLE MOTOR, AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A fluid dynamic bearing apparatus includes a first minute gap, a second minute gap, a third minute gap, a fourth minute gap, and a fifth minute gap. A flow of a lubricating oil from the fifth minute gap to the fourth minute gap is caused by a plurality of dynamic pressure generating grooves arranged within the fluid dynamic bearing apparatus. This flow causes air bubbles mixed in the lubricating oil within the fifth minute gap to flow toward the third minute gap and be discharged to an outside through the third minute gap. The fluid dynamic bearing apparatus further includes a plurality of dynamic pressure generating grooves and an all around groove. | 09-19-2013 |
20140078879 | BEARING APPARATUS, SPINDLE MOTOR, AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A bearing apparatus includes a stationary shaft, an upper annular portion, a lower annular portion, and a sleeve. An outer circumferential surface of the upper annular portion includes a cylindrical surface and an inclined surface arranged above the cylindrical surface. The cylindrical surface has an axial length smaller than that of the inclined surface of the upper annular portion. One of an upper surface of the sleeve and a lower surface of the upper annular portion includes a pumping groove array defined therein. An upper surface of a lubricating oil is defined in an upper capillary seal portion, while a lower surface of the lubricating oil is defined in a lower capillary seal portion. The upper capillary seal portion has an opening angle larger than that of the lower capillary seal portion. | 03-20-2014 |
20140192439 | MOTOR AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A motor includes a shaft component, an upper plate portion, a lower plate portion, and a sleeve portion. The shaft component includes an inner shaft portion and an outer shaft portion. The sleeve portion is disposed between the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion. A radial gap is defined between the sleeve portion and the outer shaft portion. A fixing range in which the outer shaft portion and the inner shaft portion radially overlap is provided. At least a portion in an axial direction of the fixing range radially overlaps with an existing range in the axial direction of the radial gap. | 07-10-2014 |
20140286600 | APPARATUS INCLUDING CAPILLARY AND LABYRINTH SEALS - Provided herein is an apparatus including a stationary portion having a thrust cup; a rotating portion having a sleeve configured to be rotatable with respect to the stationary portion; a first axially extending space defined by the thrust cup and the sleeve, wherein the first axially extending space includes a second portion positioned above a first portion of the first axially extending space; a capillary seal in the first portion of the first axially extending space; and a labyrinth seal, in the second portion of the first axially extending space. | 09-25-2014 |
20140334034 | MOTOR AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A motor includes a rotating portion and a stationary portion. The stationary portion includes a shaft component which includes an inner shaft portion and an outer shaft portion, an upper plate portion, and a lower plate portion. The upper plate portion is disposed in one side of the shaft component and extends radially outward from the one side of the shaft component. The lower plate portion is disposed on the other side of the shaft component and extends radially outward from the other side of the shaft component. The rotating portion includes a sleeve portion. The inner shaft portion and the outer shaft portion are fixed by an adhesive. An adhesive retaining portion is provided between an outer peripheral portion of the inner shaft portion and an inner peripheral portion of the outer shaft portion. | 11-13-2014 |
20140334035 | MOTOR AND DISK DRIVE APPARATUS - A motor includes a rotating portion including a sleeve portion and a stationary portion. The stationary portion includes a shaft component which includes an inner shaft portion and an outer shaft portion. A radial dynamic pressure generating groove array is provided on at least one surface of an inner circumferential surface of the sleeve portion and an outer circumferential surface of the outer shaft portion, which define the radial gap. The radial dynamic pressure generating groove array includes an upper radial dynamic pressure generating groove array and a lower radial dynamic pressure generating groove array. A range of a fixing region in an axial direction between the inner shaft portion and the outer shaft portion in an interference fit state is included in a range between the upper radial dynamic pressure generating groove array and the lower radial dynamic pressure generating groove array. | 11-13-2014 |