Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Disk record
Patent
1997-09-11
2000-09-05
Korzuch, William R.
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Disk record
310 90, 384461, G11B 1708, F16C 1900, H02K 516
Patent
active
061152137
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to information equipment such as a magnetic disk drive and so on, and more particularly to a compact magnetic disk drive of a thin thickness and a structure of a bearing assembly which is to be used therein.
BACKGROUND ART
Information equipment includes apparatus for recording and reading information, one of which is a magnetic disk drive.
A typical structure of conventional magnetic disk drive will be described with reference to FIG. 20 which is a sectional view thereof. A spindle motor for rotating a magnetic disk 1302, on which magnetic information is to be recorded and stored, comprises bearings 1303 and 1305 disposed in the center thereof in axially stacked relation to each other, a member 1308 formed integrally with a shaft which rotates in combination with inner rings of the bearings, a magnet 1307 attached to the member 1308, and a coil 1306 disposed on a base 1309. The magnetic disk 1302 is fixed to the member 1308 by means of a fixing member 1310.
An actuator for positioning a slider on which mounted is a magnetic head which moves on a surface of the magnetic disk 1302 so as to record and/or reproduce magnetic information, comprises a shaft 1313 press-fitted in a base 1301, two bearings 1312 and 1314 fitted on the shaft in series, a carriage 1315 oscillating about the shaft, a magnet 1316 for applying a magnetic field to the carriage, and a load arm 1311 supporting the slider having the magnetic head mounted thereon and attached to the carriage.
There is provided a cover 1317 which encloses the spindle motor, the actuator and so on while being kept in airtight relation to the base on which the spindle motor and the actuator are fixed. A control circuit for controlling the magnetic disk drive is provided on a substrate 1318 disposed below the base, and a connector 1319 used for the power supply from external circuit and for input/output of information is connected to the substrate 1318.
In such conventional magnetic disk drive, the spindle motor and the actuator each use two bearings arranged on the shaft in series, and therefore there is a limit in making the magnetic disk drive thinner.
As for the structure for making the magnetic disk drive thinner, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 3-169250 discloses one in which two bearings are arranged coaxially in one plane in such a manner that a second bearing is disposed between an outer peripheral surface of a hub and an inner peripheral surface of a housing, these outer and inner peripheral surfaces facing to each other.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Recent demands for saving space and lighter weight for computer, attributed to downsizing of computer, are causing a tendency to make peripheral equipment ever smaller as well. As for the magnetic disk drive, the demands for thinner thickness and smaller size are increasing naturally. It is considered, as one of methods of realizing these demands, to make the bearing structure of the magnetic disk drive ever thinner.
The bearing structure needs to be made of such kind of bearing that is generally available, because the use of special bearing may raise the cost.
A thinner magnetic disk drive comes to be necessary when the magnetic disk drive is considered as a mass storage system in place of IC card. There are PCMCIA Standards for the IC card, e.g. PCMCIA TYPE 1 being 3 mm thick, TYPE 2 being 5 mm thick and TYPE 3 being 10.5 mm thick. In order to follow these standards, it is a problem to make the magnetic disk drive thinner, particularly to make the bearing structure thinner.
As for the bearing of the magnetic disk drive, plain or roller type bearing is used.
However, the plain type bearing involves various problems. Namely, it has low bearing rigidity, it exhibits high resistance at the time of rotating, it is hard to fabricate when designed to be made smaller and thinner, it is liable to be affected by temperature, it requires large torque when starting rotation, and its cost is high.
Meanwhile, the roller type bearing can solve the problems of the
REFERENCES:
patent: 4866324 (1989-09-01), Yuzawa et al.
patent: 5394283 (1995-02-01), Hans et al.
patent: 5412522 (1995-05-01), Lockhart et al.
Ikeda Hiroshi
Sega Masahiko
Yoshida Shinobu
Hitachi , Ltd.
Korzuch William R.
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