Disk drive with socket and plug interconnection to spindle motor

Abstract

A disk drive assembly includes a disk pack with an axially retractable spindle assembly, along with a rotary actuator, mounted within a unitary deck and precision aligned by bores through spaced apart upper and lower support walls of the deck. Bushings, mounted to opposite ends of a spindle shaft through bearings, are aligned with the bores by inserting the retracted spindle assembly into the deck, with a spring biasing the spindle assembly into the retracted position. Fasteners through the opposed support walls draw the bushing sleeves axially outward against the spring force to preload the bearings as the shaft is aligned and secured, without employing a jig or any other alignment tooling. Upwardly converging flutes in the hub, in combination with openings through annular spacers that separate adjacent disks in the disk pack, provide a purging and cooling air flow, while interacting pairs of annular flanges and annular grooves, in the hub and bushings, control radial passage of air from the center of the spindle assembly into the region of the disks. The spindle assembly includes an annular printed circuit fixed with respect to the deck. An electrical socket is electrically and mechanically coupled to the spindle, and disposed near a slot in the upper support wall. An electrical pin connector extends through the slot and is removably plugged into the socket to conduct the electrical current to the spindle assembly from outside of the deck, for rotating the disks.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.