Spindle motor and storage disk drive apparatus
AssigneeNidec Corporation
InventorJunya Mizukami
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spindle motor includes a rotor unit and a stator unit arranged to rotatably support the rotor unit about a central axis through a fluid dynamic pressure generated in a lubricant held within a bearing gap between the rotor unit and the stator unit. The bearing gap has an annular opening coaxial or substantially coaxial with the central axis, the lubricant defining a capillary seal near the opening within the bearing gap. An oil buffer continuously expanding outwards from the opening of the bearing gap is provided between the rotor unit and the stator unit, the oil buffer being used in temporarily storing the lubricant when the lubricant is filled into the bearing gap, and an oleophobic treatment is performed on a surface of the rotor unit and a surface of the stator unit outside the oil buffer.
Claims14
A spindle motor comprising:
- a rotor unit;
- and
- a stator unit arranged to rotatably support the rotor unit about a central axis through a fluid dynamic pressure generated in a lubricant held within a bearing gap between the rotor unit and the stator unit;
- wherein
- the bearing gap has an annular opening substantially coaxial with the central axis;
- the lubricant is arranged to define a capillary seal near the annular opening within the bearing gap;
- an oil buffer is provided between the rotor unit and the stator unit, the oil buffer is arranged to continuously expand in an outward direction from the annular opening of the bearing gap and to temporarily store the lubricant when the lubricant is filled into the bearing gap;
- an oleophobic material is arranged on a surface of the rotor unit and a surface of the stator unit adjacent the oil buffer;
- and
- at least one recess is provided on at least one of the surface of the rotor unit and the surface of the stator unit adjacent the oil buffer at a position closer to the bearing gap than the oleophobic material, the at least one recess being defined by a radially recessed surface which extends in a direction parallel or substantially parallel to the central axis.
A spindle motor comprising:
- a rotor unit;
- and
- a stator unit arranged to rotatably support the rotor unit about a central axis through a fluid dynamic pressure generated in a lubricant held within a bearing gap between the rotor unit and the stator unit;
- wherein
- the bearing gap has an annular opening substantially coaxial with the central axis;
- the lubricant is arranged to define a capillary seal near the annular opening within the bearing gap;
- at least one recess arranged outside the bearing gap and so as to continuously expand in an outward direction from the annular opening;
- an oleophobic material is arranged on a surface of the rotor unit and a surface of the stator unit adjacent the bearing gap and the recess;
- and
- the at least one recess is provided on at least one of the surface of the rotor unit and the surface of the stator unit adjacent the bearing gap at a position closer to the bearing gap than the oleophobic material, the at least one recess being defined by a radially recessed surface which extends in a direction parallel or substantially parallel to the central axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.