Spindle motor with hybrid air/oil hydrodynamic bearing
First Claim
1. A spindle motor comprising:
- a shaft having an outer circumferential surface;
a stationary sleeve concentrically positioned about the shaft;
a hub assembly including a hub mounted on the shaft, the hub being rotatable relative to the stationary sleeve, the hub being adapted for mounting a storage disc, and the hub assembly including a hub sleeve connected to the hub;
a thrust plate fixedly connected to the shaft, the thrust plate projecting radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft;
a liquid hydrodynamic bearing formed adjacent the thrust plate for transferring loads in an axial direction relative to the shaft; and
an aerodynamic bearing formed between the stationary sleeve and the hub sleeve for transferring loads in a radial direction relative to the shaft.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a spindle motor including a shaft having an outer circumferential surface. The spindle motor also includes a thrust plate fixedly connected to the shaft. The thrust plate projects radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft and includes top and bottom surfaces. The spindle motor also includes a hub assembly mounted on the shaft. The hub assembly is adapted for mounting a storage disk. The spindle motor further includes a liquid hydrodynamic bearing and an aerodynamic bearing. The liquid hydrodynamic bearing is formed along the top and bottom surfaces of the thrust plate and is adapted for transferring loads in an axial direction relative to the shaft. The aerodynamic bearing is formed along a portion of the hub assembly and is adapted for transferring loads in a radial direction relative to the shaft.
47 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A spindle motor comprising:
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a shaft having an outer circumferential surface; a stationary sleeve concentrically positioned about the shaft; a hub assembly including a hub mounted on the shaft, the hub being rotatable relative to the stationary sleeve, the hub being adapted for mounting a storage disc, and the hub assembly including a hub sleeve connected to the hub; a thrust plate fixedly connected to the shaft, the thrust plate projecting radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft; a liquid hydrodynamic bearing formed adjacent the thrust plate for transferring loads in an axial direction relative to the shaft; and an aerodynamic bearing formed between the stationary sleeve and the hub sleeve for transferring loads in a radial direction relative to the shaft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A spindle motor comprising:
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a shaft having an outer circumferential surface; a thrust plate fixedly connected to the shaft that projects radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft, the thrust plate having top and bottom surfaces; a hub assembly mounted on the shaft, the hub assembly being adapted for mounting a storage disc; a liquid hydrodynamic bearing formed along the top and bottom surfaces of the thrust plate for transferring loads in an axial direction relative to the shaft; and an aerodynamic bearing formed along a portion of the hub assembly for transferring loads in a radial direction relative to the shaft. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A data storage device comprising:
a spindle motor including; a shaft having an outer circumferential surface; a thrust plate fixedly connected to the shaft that projects radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft, the thrust plate having top and bottom surfaces; a hub assembly mounted on the shaft, the rotor structure being adapted for mounting a storage disc; a liquid hydrodynamic bearing formed along the top and bottom surfaces of the thrust plate for transferring loads in an axial direction relative to the shaft; and an aerodynamic bearing formed along a portion of the hub assembly for transferring loads in a radial direction relative to the shaft; and a data storage medium coupled to the rotor structure; a transducer for reading from and writing to the data storage medium; and an actuator assembly for moving the transducer relative to the data storage medium.
Specification