US 6,633,448 B1 · Disk data storage device having improved tolerance for stressful environments

Abstract

A disk and spindle motor assembly of a rotating disk drive is constrained from freely rotating when not in use to reduce fretting of the spindle assembly bearings in the presence of vibration. Preferably, a small electric current is driven through at least one of the spindle motor drive coils to hold the spindle assembly in a fixed angular position while the disk drive is not in use. The spindle motor is preferably a brushless DC motor comprising a multi-phase electrically driven stator and a permanent magnet rotor. Drive transistors normally drive the different phases under control of a processor. To constrain the drive, at least one of the drive transistors for a phase is activated. The rotor is preferably rotated periodically to a different angular position by driving a different phase of the stator. The rotor is alternatively constrained by mechanical means. The exemplary environment is an on-board motor vehicle application.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A rotating magnetic disk drive data storage device, comprising:

a disk drive base;
a rotatably mounted disk and spindle assembly, said disk and spindle assembly comprising at least one rigid disk for recording magnetically encoded data on at least one surface of said at least one rigid disk, said at least one disk being permanently mounted on said disk and spindle assembly;
a spindle motor rotating said at least one rotatably mounted disk and spindle assembly;
a movable actuator supporting at least one transducer head, said actuator positioning said at least one transducer head to access said magnetically encoded data on said at least one surface of said at least one rotatably mounted disk;
and
a disk constraining mechanism operable to constrain said disk and spindle assembly from rotating at least some of the time when said disk drive data storage device is not operational;
wherein said disk constraining mechanism comprises control electronics providing drive current to at least one of pole of said spindle motor to hold said disk and spindle assembly in place.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Disk data storage device having improved tolerance for stressful environments

Life of this patent

Disk data storage device having improved tolerance for stressful environments

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17