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US 2003/0147570 A1Published application
Low cost fluid dynamic bearing motor
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsAlexander Gredinberg, Jerry Joseph Weingord
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsAlexander Gredinberg, Jerry Joseph Weingord
Estimating the term…
A method of assembling a motor comprising assembling the shaft and thrust plate to be used in the fluid dynamic bearing assembly, and at least partially inserting the combined shaft and thrust plate into a sleeve which is adapted to support a hub which in turn may support one or more disks for rotation in a disc drive or similar environment. A counterplate cup of a generally U shaped or cup shaped design including a base which is substantially parallel to a top surface of the thrust plate, and sides of a diameter which is slightly greater than the diameter of the thrust plate and which are parallel to the thrust plate is provided, filled with oil, and having its open end facing the thrust plate. Next the shaft and hub are pressed with the counterplate cup, the counterplate cup being pressed down over the end of the thrust plate so that the upraised sides of the cup fit easily over the ends of the thrust plate and can be pressed fit tightly over the upraised outer surface of the sleeve, tightly fitting the inside of the counterplate cup over the outside surface of the sleeve. During this press fit, the oil is pushed out of the region between the thrust plate upper surface and the counterplate cup bottom surface, and as the upraised sides of the cup fit over the outside of the sleeve, the oil fills the section between the lower surface of the thrust plate and the upper surface of the sleeve as well as the gap between the shaft and the surrounding sleeve.
A hydrodynamic bearing system comprising a shaft, a thrust plate supported on an end of the shaft and having first and second axially directed surfaces, a sleeve surrounding the shaft and having an inner surface defining a gap with an outer surface of the shaft, a journal bearing being defined in the gap by grooves on one of the surfaces and fluid in the gap, the hydrodynamic bearing system further comprising a first thrust bearing defined in a gap between at least one of the axially directed surfaces of the thrust plate and a cooperating surface facing one of the thrust plate surfaces across a gap, and a counterplate cup having a base defining one surface of a second bearing thrust and defining a gap therewith, and having upraised sides tightly fitted over a outer surface of the sleeve.
A method of assembly a fluid dynamic bearing comprising the steps of:
A spindle motor for use in a disc drive comprising a shaft supporting a sleeve and hub for relative rotation, the hub supporting one or more discs for rotation about the shaft, and hydrodynamic bearing means for supporting the hub for rotation about the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.