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US 6,672,766 B2Granted
Easy-fill, easy-press conical bearing
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsRobert A. Nottingham, Jeffry A. LeBlanc, Troy M. Herndon
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsRobert A. Nottingham, Jeffry A. LeBlanc, Troy M. Herndon
Estimating the term…
The cone which is pressed onto or otherwise affixed to the shaft to cooperate with the sleeve to form a conical hydrodynamic bearing is modified to provide a flat surface at the axially outer end of the cone most distant from the conical surface which is used to form the conical bearing in cooperation with the bearing seat of the sleeve and the intervening fluid. The sleeve surface facing the second angled surface of the bearing cone is modified to diverge more sharply away from the second surface of the cone, or to simply be spaced further away. In this way, a larger reservoir is formed, diminishing the possibility of oil evaporation and oil loss. Finally, a relatively flat shield is supported from the sleeve overlying the flat upper surface of the cone. The divergence of the upper bearing cone surface from the surrounding sleeve also allows for filling the bearing before the shield is installed. This solves the problem of trying to fill the bearing through a small hole either directly in the protective shield or between the protective shield and the outer diameter of the shaft. Not having the hole in the shield also lowers the likelihood of evaporation or splash loss of oil from the conical bearing.
A conical hydrodynamic bearing comprising a shaft and a sleeve mounted for rotation around said shaft, the sleeve being supported for rotation relative to the shaft at least in part by the conical bearing comprising a cone fixed to the shaft and having a first angular surface co-operating with a bearing seat surface of the sleeve across a gap filled with a fluid, at least one of the angular bearing surfaces having a plurality of grooves thereon, the bearing cone comprising a secondary angled surface extending from an end of the conical bearing surface toward an axial end of the cone, and ending in surface substantially normal to the axis of the shaft, whereby the cone may be easily pressed in place and located on the shaft.
A spindle motor for use in a disc drive comprising a shaft and a sleeve supported for relative rotation, the sleeve supporting a hub and one or more discs thereon, the sleeve being supported by a conical bearing comprising a cone fixed to the shaft and having a first angular surface co-operating with a bearing seat surface of the sleeve across a gap filled with a fluid, at least one of the angular bearing surfaces having a plurality of grooves thereon, the bearing cone comprising a secondary angled surface extending from an end of the conical bearing surface toward an axial end of the cone, and ending in surface substantially normal to the axis of the shaft, whereby the cone may be easily pressed in place and located on the shaft.
A spindle motor for use in a disc drive comprising a shaft and a sleeve supported for relative rotation, the sleeve supporting a hub and one or more discs thereon, the sleeve being supported by the conical bearing comprising a cone fixed to the shaft and having a first angular surface co-operating with a bearing seat surface of the sleeve across a gap filled with a fluid, at least one of the angular bearing surfaces having a plurality of grooves thereon, the bearing cone comprising a secondary angled surface extending from an end of the conical bearing surface toward an axial end of the cone, and means included in said cone adjacent said secondary angled surface whereby the cone may be readily located on the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.