Nidec Corporation

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Katsuya Takahashi

Masahiro Shiraishi

Kazuhiro Sato

Hironori Ando

Takehito Tamaoka

Shingo Suginobu

Kazushi Miura

Yuya Saito

Takumi Shimomura

Yoichi Sekii

Takashi Yamamoto

Junya Mizukami

Kazuhiko Fukushima

Masayoshi Saichi

Hiroyuki Abe

Takayuki Oe

Jonathan M Garbarino

Mitsuhiro Takemoto

Naoki Sabashi

Mitsuo Kodama

Shigeki Horiki

Yoshinobu Arao

Masahiro Imahori

Takuo Miyake

Yuki Tajima

Robert N Lion

A fluid dynamic bearing device includes a shaft disposed along a center axis, a sleeve cylindrically extending around the shaft, a thruster that closes a lower end of the sleeve, dynamic pressure grooves in the shaft or the sleeve, and a lubricating oil present therebetween. The shaft includes a shaft main body and a shaft flange extending radially outward from a lower end of the shaft main body. An inner peripheral surface of the sleeve includes a first inner peripheral surface that faces an outer peripheral surface of the shaft main body in the radial direction and a second inner peripheral surface that faces an outer peripheral surface of the shaft flange in the radial direction. The sleeve includes a sleeve inner lower surface and a circulation hole.

Fluid dynamic bearing device, motor, and disk drive device

A protrusion includes a leading end to which a yoke is fixed and a connector that connects an axially lower end of a flange and the leading end. A minimum width of the connector in a direction intersecting a direction in which the protrusion protrudes is smaller than a maximum width of the leading end in a radial direction. A radial position at a radially inner end of the leading end is located radially outward with respect to a side surface in a radially inward direction of a magnet.

Motor

A fluid bearing apparatus includes a stationary member and a rotating member. A bearing surface of the stationary member and a bearing surface of the rotating member are arranged opposite to each other with a minute gap therebetween. The minute gap has a fluid arranged therein. At least one of the bearing surfaces includes a first dynamic pressure groove array. The first dynamic pressure groove array includes a plurality of first dynamic pressure grooves arranged unevenly at irregular intervals in a circumferential direction.

Fluid bearing apparatus, motor, and disk drive apparatus

A motor that rotates an annular member includes a stationary portion including a stator, and a rotating portion arranged to be rotatable about a central axis extending in a vertical direction. The rotating portion includes a hub extending in an annular shape around the central axis; a magnet including a pole surface arranged radially opposite to the stator; and a yoke to which the magnet is fixed. The yoke includes a yoke increased thickness portion arranged radially outside of the magnet; and a yoke decreased thickness portion with a radial thickness smaller than that of the yoke increased thickness portion, and arranged axially above the yoke increased thickness portion. The yoke decreased thickness portion is fixed to the hub annular portion through press fitting.

Motor including a yoke with an increased thickness portion and a decreased thickness portion and disk drive apparatus including the motor

A stationary portion includes a stator unit including coils in an annular shape with a central axis as a center; a base portion below the stator unit; and a housing defining an interior space in which a rotating portion, a bearing portion, and the stator unit are accommodated. The base portion includes a through hole extending through the base portion in an axial direction to join an outside of the housing and the interior space to each other; a sheet covering an upper opening of the through hole to close the through hole; a filler covering a lower opening of the through hole; and a vent passage defined in at least one of the base portion and the sheet to join the through hole and the interior space to each other.

Motor including base portion and vent passage and disk drive apparatus provided with same

A motor includes a rotating portion including a rotor magnet, and arranged to rotate about a central axis extending in a vertical direction; a bearing mechanism arranged to support the rotating portion such that the rotating portion is rotatable about the central axis; a stator portion arranged opposite to the rotor magnet; a housing arranged to accommodate the rotating portion, the bearing mechanism, and the stator portion therein; and a sealing member. The housing includes a base portion substantially in a shape of a plate and arranged to extend radially below the rotating portion. The base portion includes a first lower surface arranged to face downward, and a through hole arranged to pass through the base portion in the vertical direction and arranged to have a portion of the bearing mechanism arranged therein. The sealing member is arranged to cover a lower side of the through hole, and includes at least a metal layer.

Spindle motor including sealing member and shaft portion, and disk drive apparatus provided with same

Spindle motor and disk drive apparatus

A case of a disk drive apparatus includes a housing in which a disk is accommodated, and a top cover arranged to close an opening of the housing. The top cover includes a top cover body and a flow control member. The top cover body is a plate-shaped member arranged to extend perpendicularly to a central axis. The flow control member is fixed to a lower surface of the top cover body. The flow control member includes a lower surface arranged axially opposite to at least a portion of an upper surface of the disk.

Top cover and disk drive apparatus

A spindle motor includes a recording disk and a clamper. A cylindrical portion includes a first screw portion positioned in an outer circumferential portion of the cylindrical portion. The clamper includes an annular raised portion configured to be fitted in a through hole of the recording disk. An inner circumferential portion of the clamper includes a second screw portion configured to be screwed to the first screw portion. At least a portion of the second screw portion is positioned in an inner circumferential portion of the annular raised portion. Each of the first screw portion and the second screw portion includes at least one of a screw groove and a screw thread. An axial position of at least a portion of the second screw portion overlaps with an axial position of the recording disk.

A spindle motor arranged to rotate a disk about a center axis extending in an up-down direction includes a rotary unit including a rotor magnet and a stationary unit including a stator opposed to the rotor magnet and a base plate. The base plate includes a flat plate-shaped member positioned around the center axis and made of a first kind of metallic material and a base body axially overlapping with the plate-shaped member and made of a second kind of metallic material. The first kind of metallic material is larger in Young's modulus than the second kind of metallic material. The base body includes a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical bearing attachment portion axially extending about the center axis and a bottom plate portion radially extending from a lower portion of the bearing attachment portion. The plate-shaped member is positioned below the bottom plate portion to contact the bottom plate portion.

Motor and disk drive apparatus

A motor includes a seal cap and a tubular portion. The seal cap includes a first seal cap lower surface which is an annular surface facing axially downward, and a second seal cap lower surface which is an annular surface facing axially downward and arranged radially outward of the first seal cap lower surface. The tubular portion includes a first tubular portion upper surface which is an annular surface arranged axially opposite to the first seal cap lower surface, and a second tubular portion upper surface which is an annular surface arranged radially outward of the first tubular portion upper surface and in contact with the second seal cap lower surface. The first tubular portion upper surface includes an oil-repellent film region covered with an oil-repellent film. A substantially annular radially extending gap is defined between the first tubular portion upper surface and the first seal cap lower surface.

Spindle motor and storage disk drive

A spindle motor includes a base portion, a rotor hub, a stator, and a circuit board. The base portion preferably includes a through hole and is arranged to spread out radially around a central axis. The rotor hub is arranged above the base portion to rotate about the central axis. The stator is arranged above the base portion, and includes coils each including at least one lead wire. The circuit board is arranged radially outward of the through hole, and arranged on a lower surface of the base portion. The base portion includes a communicating groove arranged to join the through hole and the circuit board to each other. The at least one lead wire of the coils is arranged to pass inside the through hole and the communicating groove to be electrically connected to the circuit board. The through hole is sealed with a sealant.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Katsuya Takahashi