Digital Equipment Corporation

Tave J Fruge

Frank W Bernett

James C Mao

A disk drive spindle with a rotatable hub combines the advantages of a stationary shaft, a cartridge bearing assembly, and a motor mounted axially between the individual bearings of the cartridge bearing to rotate the hub with respect to the stationary shaft. The stator of the motor is mounted to the shaft so that it is disposed radially outwardly of the bearing assembly and at least partially axially between the individual bearings. The motor mount is cup shaped and has a central opening that axially receives and surrounds at least part of the bearing assembly, with the stator being secured to an outer surface of the cup. Alternately stated, one end of the bearing assembly is recessed within the mount.

Motorized spindle for disk drive

A disk drive for magnetic data storage media includes a spindle bearing arrangement having a rotatable portion surrounding and mounted by bearings on a stationary portion. A spindle hub having a cylindrical outer surface and a concentric interior cavity is rigidly attached to the rotatable portion of the spindle bearing arrangement. The cylindrical outer surface of the spindle hub provides a mounting surface for a stack of storage disks. A brushless direct current motor is mounted within the hub cavity. The rotor of the motor includes a sleeve rigidly attached to the floor of the spindle hub cavity and providing a return flux path for the motor. The spindle hub and the sleeve have distinct coefficients of thermal expansion and a radial spacing between the sleeve and the spindle hub allows for unconstrained thermal expansion of the sleeve and the spindle hub. The hub cavity floor incorporates a concentric annulus for accurate centering of the sleeve within the cavity.

Disk drive spindle hub assembly

A baffle assembly comprises a series of parallel baffle plates positioned adjacent to and coplanar with the respective disks mounted on a spindle of a disk drive. The baffle plates help maintain parallel air flow across each disk edge thereby reducing turbulence at the disk edge. This reduces the vertical vibratory motion of the positioning arm holding the transducer head slider suspension assembly which in turn reduces the horizontal or cross-track motion of the head.

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Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Tave J Fruge