Low-profile disk drive motor with deflecting-pad bearings

A bearing for supporting a rotating member with respect to a stationary member, the bearing being mounted to one of the stationary member and the rotating member for supporting the other member, the other member having a support surface, the bearing comprising a plurality of spring loaded bearing pads, each pad having a smooth pad surface and a spring like support structure for supporting the bearing pads, the support structure comprising:

• a plurality of rigid stub beams, each stub beam supporting a bearing pad;
• at least one membrane supporting the rigid stub beams, the membrane being spaced from the bearing pads by the stub beams and flexible toward and away from the bearing pads;
• and a plurality of rigid membrane support beams supporting the membrane for deflection toward and away from the bearing pads;
• the support structure being arranged such that each pad is supported by a stub beam which is supported on a portion of a flexible membrane which extends between two spaced membrane support beams such that the bearing pads are spring loaded and wherein at least one of the pad surface and support surface being formed of a porous material loaded with lubricant.

A deflecting pad support member for supporting a rotating member with respect to a stationary member, the deflecting pad support member being mounted to one of the stationary member and the rotating member for rotation relative to the other member, the other member having a support surface, the deflecting pad support member comprising:

• a plurality of substantially rigid pads and a support structure for supporting the pads, each pad having opposed side edges, a leading edge, a trailing edge and a pad surface extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge and between the opposed side edges, the pad surface being adapted to contact the support surface of the member which rotates relative to it, the support structure comprising:
• a substantially rigid primary support portion supporting the pads at a location which is spaced from the opposed side edges of the pad so that the pad can move to accommodate misalignment, a second support portion supporting the primary support portion, the second support portion being flexible in the radial direction and a substantially rigid tertiary support portion supporting the secondary support portion for movement in the radial direction, the support structure being arranged so as to bias the pads directly toward the surface it contacts, and a contour formed on at least one of the pad surfaces and the support surface, the contour being shaped such that, upon rotation of the rotating member, air located between the pads and the surface is pressurized such that the pads are biased against the bias of the support structure, away from the support surface and are separated by a film of pressurized fluid.