Nidec Corporation

Akinobu Sumiji

Kunio Sakurada

Akihiro Kimura

Takehito Tamaoka

Kazushi Miura

Mitsuhiro Takemoto

Akihiro Yudate

Sho Nakamura

Shigeki Horiki

Hiroshi Morishita

Akio Tatsumi

Hirotaka Tamekuni

Daisuke Fukuoka

Akihisa Moriguchi

Katsuki Yamaguchi

Yoshitsugu Hideshima

A blower includes an impeller that is rotatable about a central axis extending in a vertical direction, a motor that rotates the impeller, and a base portion on which the motor is mounted. The impeller includes a cup portion that covers the motor, and blades extending radially outward from the cup portion and arranged in a circumferential direction. A gap is provided between the cup portion and the base portion such that the gap becomes narrower in an outward direction with increasing distance from an interior of the cup portion.

Blower

A bearing apparatus includes a cylindrical sleeve, a shaft rotatably inserted in the sleeve, lubricating oil arranged in a gap defined between an inner circumferential surface of the sleeve and an outer circumferential surface of the shaft, a seal member arranged at an axially upper end portion of the sleeve projecting from the sleeve, and an annular member fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the axially upper end portion of the shaft to rotate together with the shaft. The annular member includes a projecting portion projecting axially downward. The seal member and an axially lower end portion of the projecting portion overlap each other when viewed in at least one of the axial direction or a radial direction.

Bearing apparatus, motor, and fan motor

A spindle motor includes an upper bearing portion and a lower bearing portion each of which is inclined with respect to a central axis. The upper bearing portion includes an upper dynamic pressure generating groove defined in at least one of an upper outer circumferential surface of a shaft portion and an upper inner circumferential surface of a sleeve. The lower bearing portion includes a lower dynamic pressure generating groove defined in at least one of a lower outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion and a lower inner circumferential surface of the sleeve. The radial distance between a lower end portion of the upper dynamic pressure generating groove and the central axis is shorter than the radial distance between an upper end portion of the lower dynamic pressure generating groove and the central axis.

Spindle motor and disk drive apparatus

A bearing mechanism includes a shaft portion, a sleeve portion, a lower opposing portion, a lower outer annular portion, and an upper opposing portion. The sleeve portion includes a sleeve body and a lower thrust plate. A radial dynamic pressure bearing portion is defined in a radial gap. A lower thrust dynamic pressure bearing portion is defined in a lower thrust gap. A lower seal portion is defined in a lower seal gap located between the sleeve portion and the lower outer annular portion. An upper seal portion is defined in an upper seal gap continuous with an upper thrust gap. The sleeve portion includes a first communicating channel in communication with the upper seal gap, and a second communicating channel located between the sleeve body and the lower thrust plate. A lower mouth portion of the first communicating channel axially overlaps the lower thrust dynamic pressure bearing portion.

Bearing mechanism, motor, and disk drive apparatus

A bearing mechanism includes a shaft portion, a sleeve portion, and an opposing portion including a surface arranged opposite to an end surface of the sleeve portion on one of upper and lower sides with a thrust gap defined therebetween. The thrust gap includes a thrust dynamic pressure bearing portion defined therein. The sleeve portion includes a sleeve body and a thrust plate fixed to an end portion of the sleeve body on the one of the upper and lower sides. The sleeve body includes an annular surface arranged opposite to the thrust plate, and an annular body projecting portion arranged to project in an axial direction inside of the annular surface. An outer circumferential surface of the body projecting portion and an inner circumferential surface of the thrust plate are arranged to be in direct or indirect contact with each other.

A bearing mechanism includes a shaft portion, a sleeve portion, a lower opposing portion, a lower outer ring-shaped portion, and an upper opposing portion. A lower seal portion serving as a pumping seal portion is provided in a lower seal gap between the sleeve portion and the lower outer ring-shaped portion. An upper seal portion is provided in an upper seal gap joined to an upper thrust gap. The lower portion of the sleeve portion includes a large-diameter portion and a small-diameter portion positioned below the large-diameter portion. The sleeve portion includes a communication path joined to the upper seal gap. The communication path includes an opening portion opened in a border between the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion. The outer peripheral portion of the lower opposing portion includes an outer periphery protrusion portion radially opposed to the small-diameter portion and axially opposed to the large-diameter portion.

Bearing mechanism, motor and disk drive apparatus

A method of manufacturing a bearing mechanism of a motor includes steps a)-e). In step a), a bearing assembly is assembled. In step b), an upper seal gap between an upper thrust portion and an upper hub annular portion is arranged to face downward to increase the width of a gap between an outer tubular portion and a flange portion, or a lower seal gap between the outer tubular portion and a lower hub annular portion is arranged to face downward to increase the width of a gap between the upper thrust portion and the flange portion. In step c), pressure in all gaps is reduced. In step d), lubricating oil is injected into the upper or lower seal gap which faces upward, and a predetermined time or longer is allowed to pass. In step e), pressure is returned to atmospheric pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Akinobu Sumiji