US RE37,058 E1Granted

Disk storage device having contamination seals

AssigneePapst Licensing GmbH & Co. KG

InventorsDieter Elsasser, Johann von der Heide, Heinrich Cap

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A disk memory drive includes a brushless drive outer rotor motor having an internal space and a stator with windings. The outer rotor coaxially encircles the stator and a substantially cylindrical air gap is defined between the stator and the rotor. The rotor includes permanent magnets and a hub fixedly connected with the magnet. A disk mounting section is provided on the hub for accommodating at least one storage disk positioned in a clear space, the mounting section being adapted to extend through a central aperture of the storage disk. The windings and the magnets interacting with the windings are disposed for at least half of the axial longitudinal dimension thereof within a space surrounded by the disk mounting section of the hub. Bearings rotatably mount the rotor and the hub.

Claims39

Dependent claims

A disk memory drive comprising:

a brushless drive motor having an internal space defined therein and a stator including winding means defining magnetically active parts of the drive motor and having a given axial extension, the motor having an outer rotor with an inner circumference, an outer circumference and an open end coaxially encircling the stator and a substantially cylindrical air gap defined between the stator and the rotor, the rotor including a separate non ferromagnetic hub and a soft iron ring element interiorly of said hub and radially located means forming a permanent magnet interiorly of said ring having a predetermined axial extension fixedly connected therewith for magnetic interaction with said winding means;
a disk mounting section provided on the outside of said hub for accommodating at least one storage disk for location in a clean chamber surrounding said rotor when the drive motor is mounted for operation, the disk mounting section on the hub along its axial length being adapted to extend through a central aperture of the storage disk, the winding means and the magnet means interacting therewith being disposed for at least half of the axial extension thereof within a space surrounded by the disk mounting section of the hub;
and first and second axially separated bearing means having inner and outer races on a shaft rotatably mounting the rotor and the hub on the shaft, the motor also including rotating means interacting with stationary means for determining the rotational position of the rotor, the internal space of said motor, which includes the internal portions thereof with the bearing means, being sealed off against the clean chamber when the drive motor is mounted for operation, a disk-shaped ring member being located with precision at the open end of the rotor between the inner circumference of the rotor and the outer race of one of the axially separated bearing means, and means stationary containing leads establishing electrical connection between the internal space and the outside of the motor.

A disk storage device comprising, in combination:

a clean chamber enclosed within a partition;
at least one rigid magnetic storage disk positioned in said clean chamber for rotation about an axis, said at least one disk having a central opening;
at least one read/write head positioned to access the surface of said at least one disk;
and
a brushless D.C. drive motor positioned in said clean chamber, said motor including:
a stator provided with a winding;
a rotor mounted for rotation about said axis with respect to said stator, said rotor having a cylindrical surface upon which a cylindrical magnetically conducting member is mounted, said rotor also having a magnet affixed to a surface of said magnetically conducting member wherein a generally cylindrical airgap is defined between adjacent surfaces of said magnet and said stator, said rotor further including a hub member having a cylindrical portion fitting within the central opening of said at least one disk, whereby said at least one disk is mounted on and rotated by said hub member;
a stationary shaft supporting first and second bearings for rotatably supporting said rotor;
a first seal located axially adjacent said first bearing on the side thereof away from said second bearing, a portion of said first seal being adjacent to a surface of said shaft upon which said first and second bearings are supported;
and
a second seal formed by a portion of said rotor and a stationary part of said device, wherein said first and second seals generally seal from said clean chamber a space defined between said first and second seals, and wherein said first and second bearings are disposed within said space.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/819,099Filed 4 Mar 1997 · reissue
Priority: DE 31353857 Sep 1981
Granted: 20 Feb 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification0 codes

Family

Application06/244,971Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 18 Mar 1981
Application06/326,559Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 2 Dec 1981
Application06/412,093Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Aug 1982
Application06/733,231Parent of this continuation · filed 10 May 1985
Application06/767,671Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 21 Aug 1985
Application07/032,954Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 31 Mar 1987
Application07/038,049Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 14 Apr 1987
Application07/201,736Parent of this continuation · filed 2 Jun 1988
Application07/402,917Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Sep 1989
Application07/653,100Reissue · filed 8 Feb 1991
US 5,173,814 AReissue · filed 22 Dec 1992
Application08/360,226Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Dec 1994
Application07/653,100Parent of this continuation
US 5,001,581 AParent of this continuation
Re. 35792Parent of this continuation
Application07/201,736Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,843,500 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,658,312 AParent of this continuation-in-part
Application06/767,671Parent of this continuation
Application06/412,093Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,519,010 AParent of this continuation-in-part
Re. 34412Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application07/032,954Parent of this continuation
Application06/733,231Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,779,165 ARelated patent
US 4,894,738 ARelated patent
US RE37,058 E1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.