Bearing apparatus

• US 20020070617A1
• Filed: 10/01/2001
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sankyo Seiki Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sankyo Seiki Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanebako, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 6,498,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/90.5
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 17/107 with at least one surface for radial load and at least one surface for axial load
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2370/12 Hard disk drives or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 39/06 using magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/085 radially supporting the rotary shaft at only one end of the rotor H02K7/086, H02K7/09 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/09 with magnetic bearings

Abstract

A bearing apparatus includes a rotator body, a non-rotation body rotatably supporting the rotator body, and a lubrication fluid provided between the rotator body and the non-rotation body in which the rotator body is supported in a thrust direction by a thrust dynamic pressure bearing formed between the rotator body and the non-rotation body. The bearing apparatus includes an active magnetic bearing formed by a driving coil disposed on one of the rotator body and the non-rotation body and a magnet disposed on the other thereof, and a gap sensor that detects an axial direction gap between the rotator body and the non-rotation body. The thrust dynamic pressure bearing and the active magnetic bearing are combined such that the static rigidity of the bearing apparatus is born by the active magnetic bearing and the dynamic rigidity is born by the dynamic pressure bearing.

Claims

1. A bearing apparatus comprising:

a thrust dynamic pressure bearing and an active magnetic bearing provided in combination wherein the active magnetic bearing bears a static rigidity and the thrust dynamic pressure bearing bears a dynamic rigidity.

2. A bearing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thrust dynamic pressure bearing is formed from at least parts of a rotator body and a non-rotation body rotatably supporting the rotator body, and a lubrication fluid provided between the rotator body and the non-rotation body wherein the rotator body is supported in a thrust direction by a thrust dynamic pressure generated between the rotator body and the non-rotation body.

3. A bearing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the active magnetic bearing is formed from a driving coil disposed on one of the rotator body and the non-rotation body and a magnet disposed on the other of the rotator body and the non-rotation body.

4. A bearing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a gap sensor that detects a gap in an axial direction between the rotator body and the non-rotation body, wherein the gap in the axial direction is controlled by controlling current applied to the driving coil based on an output of the gap sensor.

5. A bearing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a passive magnetic bearing wherein the passive magnetic bearing bears static external disturbances and the active magnetic bearing controls only vibration components.

6. A bearing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the thrust dynamic pressure bearing is formed from at least parts of a rotator body and a non-rotation body rotatably supporting the rotator body, and a lubrication fluid provided between the rotator body and the non-rotation body wherein the rotator body is supported in a thrust direction by a thrust dynamic pressure generated between the rotator body and the non-rotation body.

7. A bearing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the active magnetic bearing is formed from a driving coil disposed on one of the rotator body and the non-rotation body and a magnet disposed on the other of the rotator body and the non-rotation body.

8. A bearing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a gap sensor that detects a gap in an axial direction between the rotator body and the non-rotation body, wherein the gap in the axial direction is controlled by controlling current applied to the driving coil based on an output of the gap sensor.

9. A bearing apparatus including a rotator body and a non-rotation body rotatably supporting the rotator body, and a lubrication fluid present between the rotator body and the non-rotation body in which the rotator body is supported in a thrust direction by a thrust dynamic pressure bearing formed between the rotator body and the non-rotation body, the bearing apparatus comprising:

an active magnetic bearing formed by a driving coil disposed on one of the rotator body and the non-rotation body and a magnet disposed on the other of the rotator body and the non-rotation body; and

a gap sensor that detects a gap in an axial direction between the rotator body and the non-rotation body, wherein the gap in the axial direction is controlled by controlling current applied to the driving coil based on an output of the gap sensor.

10. A bearing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the active magnetic bearing includes a coil-side yolk that retains the driving coil and a magnet-side yolk that retains the magnet disposed opposite in a radial direction to the driving coil.

11. A bearing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each of the coil-side yolk and the magnet-side yolk has an opposing surface section to narrow a separation in the radial direction, and a passive magnetic bearing is formed by the opposing surface sections.

12. A bearing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the active magnetic bearing operates when the rotator body is at a specified rotation speed or lower.

13. A bearing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a radial bearing that generates a radial dynamic pressure between the rotator body and the non-rotation body.

14. A bearing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the active magnetic bearing provides a static rigidity for the bearing and the thrust dynamic bearing provides a dynamic rigidity for the bearing.

16. A bearing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the active magnetic bearing is formed from a driving coil and a magnetic material that are disposed opposite to one another in the axial direction.

17. A bearing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the non-rotation body includes a bearing member, the rotator body includes a rotor housing rotatably supported with respect to the non-rotation body, the active magnetic bearing includes a driving coil embedded in a top surface of the bearing member traversing the axial direction and a magnetic material disposed on a surface of the rotor housing that is opposed to the surface of the bearing member wherein a gap between the driving coil and the magnetic material is controllably changed based on an output of the gap sensor.

18. A bearing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a radial dynamic pressure bearing that generates the radial dynamic pressure between the rotator body and the non-rotation body.

19. A bearing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the active magnetic bearing is disposed adjacent to one end of the bearing member and the thrust dynamic pressure bearing is disposed adjacent the other end of the bearing member.

20. A bearing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the active magnetic bearing provides a static rigidity, and the thrust dynamic pressure bearing provides a dynamic rigidity.

15. A bearing apparatus including a rotator body and a non-rotation body rotatably supporting the rotator body, and a lubrication fluid present between the rotator body and the non-rotation body in which the rotator body is supported in a thrust direction by a thrust dynamic pressure generated between the rotator body and the rotating body, the bearing apparatus comprising:

an active magnetic bearing formed by a driving coil disposed on one of the rotator body and the non-rotation body and a magnetic material disposed on the other of the rotator body and the non-rotation body; and

a gap sensor that detects an axial direction gap between the rotator body and the non-rotation body, wherein the axial direction gap is controlled by controlling current applied to the driving coil based on an output of the gap sensor.