Minebea Company, Limited

Minebea Mitsumi Inc.

Tobias Kirchmeier

Andreas Kull

Olaf Winterhalter

Joerg Hoffmann

Rudolf Neumann

Thilo Rehm

Martin Hafen

Thomas Fuss

Jorg Hoffmann

Michael Bruckhoff

Oliver Vogt

The invention relates to a fluid-dynamic bearing system, in particular for the rotary support of a spindle motor, the bearing system comprising: a first conical bearing and a second conical bearing counteracting the first conical bearing, a fixed shaft along which the two conical bearings are arranged, a sleeve, a first and a second conical bearing component, which together with the sleeve form the first and second conical bearings, bearing structures applied to the sleeve and/or the conical bearing components, a bearing gap filled with a bearing fluid extending between the sleeve and the shaft and between the sleeve and the conical bearing components and sealed at each of its ends by a conical capillary seal, and a hub which rotates together with the sleeve about a rotation axis. The invention is characterized in that a pump seal is arranged between the first conical bearing and the adjacent capillary seal.

Fluid-dynamic bearing system

A fluid-dynamic bearing system comprising a stationary bearing component () and a bearing component () rotatable about a rotation axis, wherein, during operation of the bearing, the stationary and rotary components are separated from each other by a bearing gap () filled with a bearing fluid, wherein at least one fluid-dynamic radial bearing () and at least one fluid-dynamic thrust bearing () or, alternatively, at least one conical fluid-dynamic bearing are arranged along the bearing gap (), and wherein the bearing gap () comprises first and second open ends sealed by a first sealing gap () and a second sealing gap (). The second sealing gap () exclusively extends normal to the rotation axis ().

The invention relates to the spindle motor for driving a hard disk drive, comprising: a stationary motor component (), a rotary motor component () rotatably mounted relative to the stationary motor component using a fluid dynamic bearing system, a bearing gap () disposed between the stationary motor component and the rotary motor component and filled with a bearing fluid, having at least one open end, at least one sealing gap () for sealing the open end, at least one cover cap () for covering the sealing gap, which is secured to the rotatable motor component, a disk clamp () for attachment of at least one magnetic storage disk () on the rotatable motor member and an electromagnetic drive system () to drive the rotatable motor member. The disk clamp () is centered on a peripheral surface of the cover cap ().

Spindle motor with disk clamp centered on cover cap

The invention relates to a spindle motor having a hydrodynamic bearing system, particularly to drive platters in a hard disk drive, the platters being disposed on a rotor, and the bearing system being formed by a bearing sleeve arranged on a baseplate and a shaft rotatably supported in an opening in the bearing sleeve and at least one thrust plate connected to the shaft. A liquid lubricant is filled into a bearing gap formed between the shaft, the thrust plate and the bearing sleeve. The invention is characterized in that the thrust plate rests directly against the rotor and is accommodated in an annular recess in the bearing sleeve facing the rotor.

Spindle motor having a hydrodynamic bearing system

Growing community of inventors

St. Georgen, Germany

Tobias Kirchmeier