Spindle motor

• US 5,831,355 A
• Filed: 10/04/1996
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nidec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nidec Corporation
• Inventors: Oku, Yoshito
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULLINS, BURTON S
• Application Number:
  US08/725,977
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 310/71, 310/67 R, 310/42, 360/99.04, 360/99.07, 360/99.08, 360/98.07, 29/596
• US Class Current: 310/12.31
• 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 1/187 to inner stators
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/0006 Disassembling, repairing or modifying dynamo-electric machines repairing of cooling fluid boxes H02K15/0093
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/02 of stator or rotor bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 21/22 with magnets rotating around the armatures, e.g. flywheel magnetos
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/1677 radially supporting the rotor around a fixed spindle; radially supporting the rotor directly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 Dynamoelectric machine

Abstract

A spindle motor comprises a stationary member having a cylindrical mounting hole therein, a tubular member fitted into the mounting hole of the stationary member, a bearing means mounted to the inner side of the tubular member, a rotor supported by the bearing means for rotation in relation to the tubular member, a stator fitted onto the outer side of the tubular member, and a rotor magnet mounted to the rotor to be located radially and outwardly of the stator. The procedure of assembling the spindle motor includes mounting the rotor magnet to the rotor, joining the rotor by the bearing means to the tubular member for rotation, fitting the stator onto the tubular member, and fitting the tubular member into the mounting hole of the stationary member.

Claims

1. An improved method for manufacturing a spindle motor comprising;

a rotational shaft;

a cylindrical sleeve surrounding the shaft and having an annular flange formed on a top portion of an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical sleeve;

a cup-shaped rotor hub fixed on one end of the rotational shaft and having a plurality of access holes formed on portions axially opposing the cylindrical sleeve so as to expose parts of a top portion of the cylindrical sleeve;

a bearing means interposed between the rotational shaft and the cylindrical sleeve so as to rotate relationally with each other;

a stator having a plurality of coils wound around a core and secured on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical sleeve; and

a base member having a circular mounting hole formed coaxially with the rotational shaft at a central portion and having a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the cylindrical sleeve, the base member further including a plurality of coil lead passing holes formed in the vicinity of the circular mounting hole and communicating respectively with the circular mounting hole;

said improved manufacturing method comprising the steps of fixing the rotor hub on one end of the rotational shaft, fitting the rotational shaft into the inner opening of the cylindrical sleeve, fitting the stator to the cylindrical sleeve and securing the stator thereon at a position where the stator is in contact axially with the lower surface of the annular flange, fixedly fitting a lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve into the circular mounting hole by pushing the top portion of the sleeve downwardly through the access holes and moving the leads of the coils into the coil lead passing holes from the mounting hole.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of lead bushes are fitted respectively into corresponding coil lead passing holes of the base member, and a flexible printed circuit board is secured onto the lower side of the base member, the coil leads which are led through the coil lead passing holes are electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a pair of ball bearings is interposed between the rotational shaft and the cylindrical sleeve for rotatably supporting the rotational shaft.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a disk-like thrust plate is fixed on one end of the rotational shaft and a disk-like thrust bush is fixed in the inner side of the cylindrical sleeve so as to axially oppose the thrust plate, at least one of the opposing surfaces of the rotational shaft and cylindrical sleeve, and at least one of the opposing surfaces of the thrust plate and the thrust bush are respectively formed with a plurality of grooves and lubricating fluid is filled in gaps formed therebetween so as to generate hydrodynamic pressure during rotation for supporting the rotational shaft.