Disk drive motor having a rotor with at least three bendable balancing tabs
View Patent ↗A motor for use in a disk drive is disclosed. The motor includes a stator and a rotor. The rotor is rotably coupled to the stator and has an axis of rotation. The rotor includes a disk mounting hub. A plurality of bendable balancing tabs is attached to the rotor. The plurality of bendable balancing tabs includes at least three bendable balancing tabs disposed about the axis of rotation.
1. A motor for use in a disk drive, the motor comprising:
a stator;
a rotor being rotably coupled to the stator and having an axis of rotation, the rotor including a disk mounting hub; and
a plurality of bendable balancing tabs attached to the rotor and disposed about the axis of rotation, the plurality of bendable balancing tabs including at least three bendable balancing tabs,
wherein the disk mounting hub includes an inner cavity and the plurality of bendable balancing tabs are disposed within the inner cavity.
2. The motor of claim 1 wherein the disk mounting hub includes a plurality of holes, the holes being positioned over each of the bendable balancing tabs in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation.
3. The motor of claim 1 wherein the stator includes at least one hole that is sequentially in approximate radial alignment with each of the bendable balancing tabs as the rotor is rotated, there being no intervening structure between said one hole and said each of the bendable balancing tabs when in approximate radial alignment, so that said each of the bendable balancing tabs is accessible via said one hole when in approximate radial alignment.
4. The motor of claim 1 wherein the plurality of bendable balancing tabs includes at least six but not more than 12 bendable balancing tabs.
5. The motor of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of bendable balancing tabs is connected to a common tab ring, the common tab ring being attached to a surface of the inner cavity and the common tab ring being disposed closer to the axis of rotation than any of the bendable balancing tabs.
6. The motor of claim 5 wherein the plurality of bendable balancing tabs and the common tab ring are a single part having material continuity rather than being an assembly of sub-parts.
7. The motor of claim 1 wherein the plurality of bendable balancing tabs and the disk mounting hub are a single part having material continuity rather than being an assembly of sub-parts.
8. The motor of claim 1 wherein the plurality of bendable balancing tabs comprises zinc.
9. The motor of claim 1 wherein the plurality of bendable balancing tabs comprises stainless steel.
10. The motor of claim 1 wherein each bendable balancing tab can be individually bent as much as 60 degrees from a plane normal to the axis of rotation.
11. A motor for use in a disk drive, the motor comprising:
a stator;
a rotor being rotably coupled to the stator and having an axis of rotation, the rotor including a disk mounting hub; and
a plurality of bendable balancing tabs attached to the rotor and disposed about the axis of rotation, the plurality of bendable balancing tabs including at least three bendable balancing tabs,
wherein each bendable balancing tab includes a balancing mass region and at least one plastic deformation region located closer to the axis of rotation than the balancing mass region, the at least one plastic deformation region having lower bending stiffness than the balancing mass region, and
wherein a thickness of the balancing mass region exceeds that of the at least one plastic deformation region.
12. The motor of claim 11 wherein a bending stiffness of the at least one plastic deformation region is less than one tenth that of the balancing mass region.
13. The motor of claim 11 wherein a thickness of the balancing mass region is at least twice that of the at least one plastic deformation region.
14. A motor for use in a disk drive, the motor comprising:
a stator;
a rotor being rotably coupled to the stator and having an axis of rotation, the rotor including a disk mounting hub; and
a plurality of bendable balancing tabs attached to the rotor and disposed about the axis of rotation, the plurality of bendable balancing tabs including at least three bendable balancing tabs,
wherein the rotor further comprises at least one magnet and a ferromagnetic metal backing piece that is adjacent to and magnetically coupled to the at least one magnet, and the plurality of bendable balancing tabs and the ferromagnetic metal backing piece are a single part having material continuity rather than being an assembly of sub-parts.
15. A motor for use in a disk drive, the motor comprising:
a stator;
a rotor being rotably coupled to the stator and having an axis of rotation, the rotor including a disk mounting hub; and
a plurality of bendable balancing tabs attached to the rotor and disposed about the axis of rotation, the plurality of bendable balancing tabs including at least three bendable balancing tabs; and
further comprising a disk clamp that is attached to a top portion of the disk mounting hub, and a top balancing structure that is disposed on the disk clamp, wherein any plane that is normal to the axis of rotation and that passes through any of the plurality of bendable balancing tabs does not also pass through the top balancing structure.
16. A motor for use in a disk drive, the motor comprising:
a stator;
a rotor being rotably coupled to the stator and having an axis of rotation, the rotor including a disk mounting hub; and
a plurality of bendable balancing tabs attached to the rotor and disposed about the axis of rotation, the plurality of bendable balancing tabs including at least three bendable balancing tabs; and
further comprising a disk clamp that is attached to a top portion of the disk mounting hub, and a top balancing structure that is disposed on the top portion of the disk mounting hub, wherein any plane that is normal to the axis of rotation and that passes through any of the plurality of bendable balancing tabs does not also pass through the top balancing structure.