Dynamic groove bearing comprising a porous lubricant reservoir

Abstract

The invention relates to a dynamic groove bearing (,) comprising an internal bearing part (,) and an external bearing part (,) which are rotatable relatively to each other about an axis of rotation (,), a bearing surface (,) of one of the bearing parts comprising two grooves for co-operation with a bearing surface (,) of the other bearing part. The groove bearing further comprises a reservoir made from a porous material for a lubricant which is present between the bearing surfaces. According to the invention, the reservoir is mounted between the two groove patterns, viewed in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation. In this manner, a uniform supply of the lubricant from the reservoir to the two groove patterns is obtained, while also the number of parts of the groove bearing is limited. In a preferred embodiment, the reservoir comprises a ring-shaped body (,) which is made from the porous material and mounted in the external bearing part. The ring-shaped body may be confined between two bearing bushes (,) of the external bearing part on which the two groove patterns are present. The ring-shaped body may further comprise at least one air-vent duct (,). The dynamic groove bearing according to the invention can be used in an electric motor (,) for driving a rotatable support (,) for an information carrier (,) in a scanning device (,), such as an optical disc player.