Granted Patent B2

US 8,094,410 · App. 11/516,499 · Granted Jan 10, 2012

Abstract

Claims (38)

1. A spindle motor for rotatably driving at least one recording disc, said spindle motor comprising:

a base plate;

a stator disposed on said base plate, said stator having an outer circumference side;

a rotor hub configured to have the recording disc attached thereto;

an annular yoke disposed on said rotor hub;

an annular rotor magnet disposed on said yoke and located adjacent said outer circumference side of said stator so as to be opposite said stator in the radial direction; and

a hydrodynamic bearing disposed on said base plate, and configured to rotatably support said rotor hub relative to said base plate;

said rotor hub including

a disc support cylindrical portion configured to support said recording disc in the radial direction, and having an end surface,

an annular disc mount portion disposed around an outer circumference of said end of said disc support cylindrical portion, said annular disc mount portion protruding from the outer circumference of said end of said disc support cylindrical portion in the radial direction, said annular disc mount portion having

an annular disc receiving face arranged so as to enable the recording disc to be mounted thereon by contacting the recording disc in the axial direction,

a side axially opposite said annular disc receiving face, and

an annular non-contact surface arranged so as to face the recording disc via a gap in the axial direction in a position that is outside said disc support cylindrical portion in the radial direction and inside said annular disc receiving face in the radial direction, the annular non-contact surface including a corner flat portion, a step portion between said corner flat portion and said annular disc receiving face, and a corner portion between an outer circumference face of said disc support cylindrical portion and said corner flat portion, and

an annular projection formed on said annular disc mount portion on said side axially opposite said annular disc receiving face and having an outer circumference face to which said yoke is fixed,

wherein the outer diameter of the annular projection is smaller than the outer diameter of said step portion.

2. The spindle motor according to claim 1 , wherein the outer diameter of said annular projection is larger than the outer diameter of said disc support cylindrical portion.

3. A spindle motor for rotatably driving at least one recording disc, said spindle motor comprising:

a base plate;

a stator disposed on said base plate, said stator having an outer circumference side;

a rotor hub configured to have the recording disc attached thereto;

an annular yoke disposed on said rotor hub;

an annular rotor magnet disposed on said yoke and located adjacent said outer circumference side of said stator so as to be opposite said stator in the radial direction; and

a hydrodynamic bearing disposed on said base plate, and configured to rotatably support said rotor hub relative to said base plate;

wherein said rotor hub includes

a disc support cylindrical portion configured to support the recording disc in the radial direction, and having an end surface,

an annular disc mount portion disposed around an outer circumference of said end of said disc support cylindrical portion, said annular disc mount portion protruding from the outer circumference of said end of said disc support cylindrical portion in the radial direction, said annular disc mount portion having an annular disc receiving face arranged so as to enable the recording disc to be mounted thereon by contacting the recording disc in the axial direction, and having a side axially opposite said annular disc receiving face, and

an annular projection disposed on said annular disc mount portion on said side axially opposite said annular disc receiving face in the radial direction, and having an outer circumference to which said yoke is fixed,

wherein said yoke includes a tubular yoke main body extending in the axial direction and having an inner circumference to which said rotor magnet is fixed, and an annular fixing part extending from an end of a main body of said yoke radially inward and fixed to the outer circumference of said annular projection, said annular fixing part of said yoke having an axial thickness that is smaller than the axial dimension of the annular projection, and

wherein a gap is defined between said annular fixing part of said yoke and said rotor magnet in the axial direction such that said annular fixing part of said yoke does not contact said rotor magnet in the axial direction.

4. A recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

said spindle motor set forth in claim 1 ;

said recording disc attached to the rotor hub for recording information thereon;

an information access means for writing or reading information into or from certain positions in the recording disc.

5. A recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

said spindle motor set forth in claim 3 ;

said recording disc attached to the rotor hub for recording information thereon;

an information access means for writing or reading information into or from certain positions in the recording disc.

6. The spindle motor according the claim 3 , wherein said rotor magnet is in contact with said annular projection in said axial direction.

Assignments (7)