Method of manufacturing a disk drive spindle motor

• US 5,822,846 A
• Filed: 09/04/1997
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukutani, Hideshi, Matsuo, Akihide, Moritan, Norishige
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Carl E.
• Application Number:
  US08/923,475
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 29/603.03, 29/598, 360/98.08, 360/99.08, 310/90, 384/114, 384/115, 384/120
• US Class Current: 29/598
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 17/02 for radial load only
• 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 33/102 with grease as lubricant
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/107 Grooves for generating pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/02 in the case of sliding-contact bearings
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/2009 Turntables, hubs and motors for disk drives; Mounting of motors in the drive means for clamping of disk to turntable G11B17/022 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/1675 radially supporting the rotary shaft at only one end of the rotor H02K5/1677 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49012 Rotor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49025 Making disc drive

Abstract

In a spindle motor for a driving a memory disk, a is closed space formed by a sleeve metal, an end portion of a shaft and a thrust plate. The closed space is connected to outside open space by a connection path, thereby effectively discharging undesirable air in an assembling stage.

Claims

1. A method of assembling a spindle motor for driving a memory disk, the spindle motor comprising a rotor for carrying and driving at least one memory disk;

at least one radial type dynamic pressure fluid bearing including a shaft having a first end and a second end, a sleeve having an upper end and a lower end, the sleeve rotatably fitting on the shaft and a first predetermined amount of lubricant between the shaft and the sleeve, either of an outer face of the shaft or an inner face of the sleeve having at least one herringbone-pattern groove for producing dynamic pressure; and

a thrust bearing including a thrust plate disposed at the lower end of the sleeve for abutting the first end of the shaft and a second predetermined amount of lubricant confined in a closed space which is formed by the sleeve, the first end of the shaft and the thrust plate, and a gap for storing lubricant at the upper end of the sleeve, the method comprising the steps of;

placing the thrust plate at the lower end of the sleeve,

putting lubricant into a space on the upper end of the sleeve,

inserting the shaft in the sleeve, and then

vacuuming the closed space, thereby sucking the lubricant into the closed space and related space in the bearing, replaced air within the bearing space after the shaft is inserted into the sleeve and the bearing space being placed under a condition of negative pressure.

2. The method of assembling the spindle motor in accordance with claim 1, wherein a predetermined quantity of the lubricant, which is stored in the gap, is injected into the bearing space by raising circumferential temperature thereby decreasing viscosity of the lubricant after insertion of the shaft.