Disk drive spindle motor with embedded ionizing source for static charge dissipation
AssigneeWestern Digital Corporation
InventorPeter E. Brooks
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A spindle motor for a disk drive includes a shaft, a stator, a hub, an upper bearing, a lower bearing, means for defining a gap and an ionization source. The stator is concentrically positioned about the shaft. The upper and lower bearings rotatably maintain the hub relative to the shaft and each include a plurality of balls, each ball made from a high resistivity material. The ionization source ionizes air in the gap for allowing static electric charge to dissipate through a conductive path provided by the ionized air in the gap.
Claims23
A disk drive comprising:
- a base;
- a spindle motor coupled to the base;
- a magnetic head coupled to the base;
- a disk positioned on the spindle motor, the disk having a recording surface that is subject to a buildup of static electric charge;
- and
- the spindle motor including:
- a shaft defining a longitudinal axis,
- a stator concentrically positioned about the shaft,
- a hub surrounding the shaft,
- an upper bearing,
- a lower bearing spaced-apart from the upper bearing along the longitudinal axis,
- the upper and lower bearings positioned between the shaft and the hub, each bearing having a plurality of balls, each ball made from a high resistivity material,
- means for defining a gap,
- an ionization source for ionizing air in the gap for allowing the static electric charge to dissipate from the recording surface through a conductive path provided by the ionized air in the gap.
A spindle motor for a disk drive including a disk, the disk having a recording surface that is subject to a buildup of static electric charge, the spindle motor comprising:
- a shaft defining a longitudinal axis;
- a stator concentrically positioned about the shaft;
- a hub surrounding the shaft;
- an upper bearing;
- a lower bearing spaced-apart from the upper bearing along the longitudinal axis;
- the upper and lower bearings positioned between the shaft and the hub, each bearing having a plurality of balls, each ball made from a high resistivity material;
- means for defining a gap;
- and
- an ionization source for ionizing air in the gap for allowing the static electric charge to dissipate from the recording surface through a conductive path provided by the ionized air in the gap.
A spindle motor for a disk drive including a disk, the disk having a recording surface that is subject to a buildup of static electric charge, the spindle motor comprising:
- a shaft defining a longitudinal axis;
- a stator concentrically positioned about the shaft;
- a hub surrounding the shaft;
- bearing means for rotating the hub, the bearing means positioned between the shaft and the hub;
- means for defining a gap;
- and
- an ionization source for ionizing air in the gap for allowing the static electric charge to dissipate from the recording surface through a conductive path provided by the ionized air in the gap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.