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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9842620-B2
Application number	US-201715628886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2017
Priority date	Mar 13, 2015
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spindle motor for use in a disk drive apparatus, the spindle motor comprising:
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; wherein
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;
the bearing mechanism includes:
a shaft arranged to extend along the central axis;
a bottom portion arranged to extend radially outward from a lower portion of the shaft;
a wall portion arranged to extend axially upward from an outer edge of the bottom portion; and
a sleeve portion defining a portion of the rotating portion, and arranged opposite to the shaft with a dynamic pressure bearing portion defined therebetween; and the wall portion is fixed in the through hole.

2. The spindle motor according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing member is made of only the metal layer, which is defined by a metallic material.

3. The spindle motor according to claim 1 , wherein
the sealing member includes the metal layer, a resin layer, and
an adhesive layer; and
the sealing member is fixed to the base portion through the adhesive layer.

4. The spindle motor according to claim 1 , wherein
the first lower surface is a lower surface of the base portion arranged to extend radially; and
the sealing member includes an upper surface axially fixed to the first lower surface.

5. The spindle motor according to claim 4 , wherein
an adhesive layer is arranged between the upper surface of the sealing member and the first lower surface.

6. The spindle motor according to claim 1 , wherein
the first lower surface includes a recessed portion recessed axially upward and arranged to have a radial width greater than a diameter of the through hole; and
a lower end opening of the through hole and the sealing member are arranged in the recessed portion.

7. The spindle motor according to claim 1 , wherein
the sealing member includes a tubular portion being tubular and arranged to extend axially upward from an upper surface of the sealing member;
the first lower surface includes a recessed portion recessed axially upward and arranged to have a radial width greater than a diameter of the through hole;
a lower end opening of the through hole and the sealing member are arranged in the recessed portion; and
the recessed portion includes a groove portion arranged to have at least a portion of the tubular portion accommodated therein.

8. The spindle motor according to claim 6 , wherein
the recessed portion includes a second lower surface arranged to face downward and extend radially from a lower end opening of the through hole, and arranged at a level higher than that of the first lower surface; and
the second lower surface is arranged to be substantially parallel to a lower surface of the base portion.

9. The spindle motor according to claim 8 , wherein
an upper surface of the sealing member is axially fixed to the second lower surface; and
a lower surface of the sealing member is arranged at a level higher than that of the first lower surface.

10. The spindle motor according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one sealing region is arranged above or below the fixing region or both above and below the fixing region.

11. The spindle motor according to claim 1 , wherein one of the at least one sealing region is arranged below the fixing region and above the sealing member.

12. The spindle motor according to claim 10 , wherein at the seal gap, one of an outer circumferential surface of the bearing mechanism and a wall surface of the through hole includes a tapered surface angled with respect to the central axis.

13. A disk drive apparatus comprising:
the spindle motor of claim 1 ;
an access portion arranged to perform at least one of reading and writing of information from or to a disk supported by the spindle motor; and
a housing arranged to accommodate at least a portion of the spindle motor and the access portion.

Assignees

• Nidec Corp

Inventors

• Takahashi Katsuya
• Shiraishi Masahiro

Classifications

• H02K5/15

  Mounting arrangements for bearing-shields or end plates · CPC title

• H02K5/10

  with arrangements for protection from ingress, e.g. water or fingers · CPC title

• H02K5/1677

  radially supporting the rotor around a fixed spindle; radially supporting the rotor directly · CPC title

• G11B19/2009 Primary

  Turntables, hubs and motors for disk drives; Mounting of motors in the drive (means for clamping of disk to turntable G11B17/022 and subgroups) · CPC title

• F16C2370/12

  Hard disk drives or the like · CPC title