Patent Application
20090279816
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an fluid dynamic pressure bearing device and, more specifically, to a fluid dynamic pressure bearing device that makes use of an ionic liquid as its lubricant.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic disk devices such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and the like are being greatly increased in capacity and reduced in size year by year. A spindle motor used therein is required to rotate at a high speed. For that reason, the spindle motor needs to have a lifespan long enough to endure the high speed rotation, quietness and superior rotational vibration accuracy. In view of this, a fluid dynamic pressure bearing in which one of a shaft member and a sleeve member rotates relative to the other with a gas or a liquid filled between them has been developed as a bearing structure for the spindle motor. In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing, the shaft member and the sleeve member are fitted so as to make rotation relative to each other. A radial bearing portion for supporting the radial load of the shaft member or the sleeve member and a thrust bearing portion for supporting the axial load of the shaft member or the sleeve member are formed in the shaft member and the sleeve member. In each of the radial and thrust bearing portions, the bearing surface of the sleeve member opposes the bearing surface of the shaft member with a minute gap left therebetween. Dynamic pressure generating grooves are formed on at least one of the bearing surfaces. In case of a liquid dynamic pressure bearing, the minute gap is filled with, e.g., a lubricant.
In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing, one of the shaft member and the sleeve member makes high speed rotation relative to the other in a non-contact state. Thus the rotating member is electrically charged as the lubricant flows within the bearing gap. In case the fluid dynamic pressure bearing is used in a disk drive apparatus, a disk is electrically charged by the friction with an air during its rotation. This causes static electricity to be accumulated in the rotating member. Conventionally, in an effort to drain the static electricity to a fixed member, a conductivity imparting agent such as conductive polymer, carbon black or the like is added to a lubricant mainly composed of ester oil, silicon oil, α-olefin oil or so forth.
Recently, attention is paid to the use, as a lubricant for a fluid dynamic pressure bearing, of an ionic liquid having an extremely low vapor pressure and higher conductivity than that of the conventionally available lubricant mainly composed of ester oil (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication Nos. 2006-105207 and 2004-183868). If the ionic liquid is used as the lubricant, it becomes possible to drain the static electricity generated in the rotating member without having to add any conductivity imparting agent.
Since the ionic liquid is highly corrosive, however, it is often the case that it corrodes and rusts the stainless steel or other metal which has heretofore been used as a base material of the shaft member and the sleeve member of the fluid dynamic pressure bearing. The rusts thus generated may possibly shorten the lifespan of the fluid dynamic pressure bearing.
In view of the problems described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid dynamic pressure bearing device that can prevent a shaft member and a sleeve member from being corroded by an ionic liquid even when the ionic liquid is used as a lubricant and can avoid accumulation of static electricity in the shaft member or the sleeve member.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a spindle motor stably rotatable for a long period of time with no accumulation of static electricity in a rotating unit and a disk drive apparatus provided with the spindle motor.
Based on the premise that an ionic liquid is used as a lubricant, the present inventors have selected and evaluated a number of highly anti-corrosive materials and have found that an aluminum body is free from corrosion even if it is not subjected to any surface treatment. However, use of the aluminum body as a base material of the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device poses problems in terms of wear resistance and seizure resistance. Taking this into account, an attempt was made to enhance wear resistance and strength by subjecting the aluminum body to anodization and forming an oxidized film on the surface thereof. However, formation of the oxidized film on the surface of the aluminum body reduces conductivity, which makes it impossible to drain the static electricity generated in a rotor unit. As a solution to this problem, aluminum exposure portions were provided on the surfaces of a stationary unit and a rotating unit, other than the dynamic pressure generating grooves, which make contact with an ionic liquid, so that electric charges can flow from the rotating unit to the stationary unit through the ionic liquid.
A fluid dynamic pressure bearing device in accordance with the present invention includes a stationary unit made of aluminum, a rotating unit made of aluminum and rotatably held by the stationary unit, a lubricant filled in a minute gap between the stationary unit and the rotating unit, and dynamic pressure generating grooves formed on a surface of at least one of the stationary unit and the rotating unit. The lubricant is an ionic liquid. Each of the stationary unit and the rotating unit includes a surface making contact with the lubricant and an oxidized film formed on at least the surface making contact with the lubricant. At least one of the stationary unit and the rotating unit includes a first aluminum exposure portion formed in a surface area thereof other than the dynamic pressure generating groove. The stationary unit and the rotating unit are kept substantially in the same electric potential through the ionic liquid.
The term “ionic liquid” used herein refers to organic acid salt having cations and anions and remaining in a melted and non-crystallized state over a broad temperature range of from −100° C. to 400° C.
With the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device of the present invention, aluminum with a film formed on its surface is used as the material of the stationary unit and the rotating unit. This makes it possible for the stationary unit and the rotating unit to have wear resistance and seizure resistance required in using them as bearing members, while exhibiting corrosion resistance against the ionic liquid. Furthermore, an ionic liquid having higher conductivity than that of the conventionally available lubricant mainly composed of ester oil is used as the lubricant, and aluminum exposure portions are provided on the surfaces of the stationary unit and the rotating unit which make contact with the ionic liquid. Therefore, the static electricity generated in the rotating unit flows to the stationary unit through the ionic liquid. This eliminates the need to take a static electricity preventing measure using the mechanical contact of an earth brush or the like.
In addition, if the ionic liquid has volume resistivity of 107 Ω·cm or less at 25° C., it becomes possible to rapidly drain the electric charges generated in the rotating unit to the stationary unit.
With the spindle motor and the disk drive apparatus of the present invention, they are provided with the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device mentioned above. This makes it possible to secure stable rotation for a long period of time with no accumulation of static electricity in the rotating unit.
Hereinafter, a fluid dynamic pressure bearing device, a spindle motor and a disk drive apparatus in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention shall not be limited to the preferred embodiments.
A shaft member (or a rotating unit) 11 includes a shaft portion 111 and a thrust plate portion 112 provided at the lower end of the shaft portion 111. The shaft portion 111 is inserted through the bore portion of the sleeve member 12 so that the thrust plate portion 112 of the shaft member 11 can be fitted in the groove portion 123 in a substantially concentric non-contact relationship with the latter. A thrust bush member 14 is fitted and secured to the fitting groove portion 124 of the sleeve member 12 in a substantially concentric non-contact relationship with the latter, thereby sealing the lower opening of the sleeve member 12.
A substantially annular seal member 15 is fitted around the shaft portion 111 and fixed to the upper opening of the sleeve member 12. The seal member 15 is mounted and fixed in the groove portion 122 so that the upper surface thereof can be flush with the upper end surface of the sleeve member 12. A lubricant (not shown) is filled in the minute gaps between the sleeve member 12, the thrust bush member 14 and the shaft member 11. The lubricant will be described later.
Two dynamic pressure generating groove arrays 121a and 121b are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the sleeve member 12 in an axially spaced-apart relationship with each other. The dynamic pressure generating groove arrays 121a and 121b and the lubricant which is filled in the minute gap between the sleeve member 12 and the shaft member 11 cooperate to form a pair of radial bearing portions that rotatably supports the shaft member 11 with respect to the sleeve member 12. Furthermore, a dynamic pressure generating groove array 121c is formed on the bottom surface of the groove portion 123 of the sleeve member 12 opposing the thrust plate portion 112 of the shaft member 11. In addition, a dynamic pressure generating groove array 141 is formed on the upper end surface of the thrust bush member 14 opposing the thrust plate portion 112 of the shaft member 11. The dynamic pressure generating groove arrays 121c and 141 and the lubricant filled in the minute gaps between the sleeve member 12, the thrust bush member 14 and the shaft member 11 cooperate to form thrust bearing portions that rotatably support the shaft member 11 with respect to the sleeve member 12 and the thrust bush member 14.
If the shaft member 11 rotates in the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device configured as above, the lubricant (not shown) held in the minute gaps between the sleeve member 12, thrust bush member 14 and the shaft member 11 is pressurized according to the groove patterns of the dynamic pressure generating groove arrays 121a, 121b, 121c and 141. Thus a number of partially high pressure portions are generated in the lubricant to support the radial load of the shaft member 11 in the radial bearing portions and to support the thrust load of the shaft member 11 in the thrust bearing portions.
In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device of the present preferred embodiment, it is important to use aluminum as the material of the shaft member 11 and the sleeve member 12 and form films on the surfaces thereof. Use of the aluminum makes it possible to prevent the shaft member 11 and the sleeve member 12 from being corroded by the ionic liquid as the lubricant. Formation of the film makes it possible to enhance wear resistance and relative seizure resistance of the shaft member 11 and the sleeve member 12. In other words, the seizure resistance to the sleeve member 12 is enhanced if the aluminum is used as the material of the shaft member 11, whereas the seizure resistance to the shaft member 11 is enhanced if the aluminum is used as the material of the sleeve member 12. Conventionally available methods can be used in forming the film on the aluminum surface. Among others, it is preferable to form an oxidized film by anodizing the aluminum. At this time, an aqueous solution of oxalic acid, sulfuric acid or chromic acid can be used as an electrolyte. Since the surface of the aluminum body is porous immediately after electrolysis, it is preferable to subject the aluminum to a pore sealing treatment such as a boiling water treatment, a hot vapor treatment or the like.
In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device of the present preferred embodiment, it is important to ensure that the oxidized film is not formed, and the base aluminum is exposed, in the portions of the shaft member 11 and the sleeve member 12 which make contact with the lubricant. This enables electric charges to move from the shaft member 11 to the sleeve member 12 through the lubricant, thereby preventing static electricity from being accumulated in the shaft member 11. The formation positions of the base aluminum exposure portions in the shaft member 11 and the sleeve member 12 are not particularly limited insofar as they are situated outside the dynamic pressure generating groove arrays but within the ionic liquid contact region.
The exposure portions can be provided by, e.g., a method of forming an oxidized film on the surface of each of the shaft member 11 and the sleeve member 12 and then partially cutting away the oxidized film to expose the base aluminum or a method of masking a target exposure portion in a film formation process to prevent an oxidized film from being formed in the masked target exposure portion.
In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device of the present preferred embodiment, it is also important to use an ionic liquid as the lubricant. In general, the ionic liquid has a low vapor pressure and seldom volatilizes, consequently performing a stable and superior bearing action for an extended period of time. The ionic liquid has low volume resistivity of about 107 Ω·cm which is far lower than the volume resistivity, 109 Ω·cm or more, of the conventional lubricant mainly composed of ester oil. This makes it easy for electric charges to move from the shaft member 11 to the sleeve member 12 through the ionic liquid. More preferably, the ionic liquid has volume resistivity of 1 Ω·cm or less at 25° C.
No particular limitation is imposed on the ionic liquid usable as the lubricant in the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device of the present preferred embodiment. Conventionally available ionic liquid can be used as the lubricant. One kind of ionic liquid or two or more kinds of ionic liquids may be used independently or in combination. Cations of the ionic liquid include, e.g., imidazolium, pyridinium, pyrazolium, piperidine, morpholine, piperazine, pyrrol, phosphonium and quaternary ammonium. Among them, it is preferable to use imidazolium. Preferably, imidazolium may be dialkyl imidazolium, alkyl-aryl imidazolium or diaryl imidazolium. Examples of dialkyl imidazolium include 1-methyl-3-propyl-imidazolium, 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium and 1-hexyl-3-methyl-imidazolium. Examples of alkyl-aryl imidazolium include 1-aryl-3-methyl-imidazolium. Examples of diaryl imidazolium include 1,3-diaryl imidazolium. Among the six examples of imidazolium, it is more preferable to use 1-methyl-3-propyl-imidazolium or 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium.
Anions of the ionic liquid include, e.g., bis-(fluorosulfonic acid)-imide, bis-(trifluoromethylsulfonic acid)-imide, dicyandiamide, thiocyanic acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and trifluoroacetic acid. Among them, it is particularly preferable to use bis-(fluorosulfonic acid)-imide.
If necessary, various kinds of additives well-known in the art, such as a viscosity index improver, a pour-point depressant, an antioxidant, a metal inert agent, an antirust agent and a corrosion inhibitor, may be blended with the ionic liquid.
Next, description will be made on a spindle motor that makes use of the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device of the present preferred embodiment.
Provided radially inwards of the base portion 21 is an annular projection portion 24 to which is fitted and secured the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device shown in
A flange portion 33 is provided in the lower portion of the outer circumference of the rotor hub 3. One or more hard disks HD are mounted above the flange portion 33. More specifically, the hard disks HD are circumferentially position-determined by an outer peripheral portion 34 of the rotor hub 3. The hard disks HD are mounted above the flange portion 33 and then screw-fixed to hole portions 35 through a clamp member (not shown). Thus the hard disks HD are held against movement relative to the rotor hub 3.
In the spindle motor of this structure, the hard disks HD are electrically charged by the frictional contact with an air as they rotates at a high speed. The electric charges thus generated flow from the hard disks HD to the rotor hub 3, the shaft member 11, the lubricant, the sleeve member 12 and then the bracket 2. This reliably prevents the electric charges from being accumulated in the hard disks HD.
In the present preferred embodiment, stainless steel or other material is used as the material of the bracket 2 and the rotor hub 3 so that the electric charges can flow from the sleeve member 12 to the bracket 2 or from the rotor hub 3 to the shaft member 11. Needless to say, it may be possible to form the bracket 2 and the rotor hub 3 with aluminum. In case the bracket 2 and the rotor hub 3 are made of aluminum, they have substantially the same thermal expansion coefficient as that of the shaft member 11 and the sleeve member 12. This helps avoid occurrence of distortion or the like.
Next, description will be made on the disk drive apparatus in accordance with the present preferred embodiment. The disk drive apparatus includes an information access unit that performs at least one of information recording and reading tasks with respect to a disk-shaped storage medium mounted to the rotating unit of a spindle motor. The disk drive apparatus employs the spindle motor set forth above.
While certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described hereinabove, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many different changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
For example, although the preferred embodiments described above is directed to the shaft-rotating motor in which the shaft member 11 is fixed to the rotor hub 3 with the sleeve member 12 fixed to the bracket (the stationary member), the present invention is not limited thereto but may equally apply to a shaft-fixed motor in which the shaft member 11 is fixed to the bracket 2 with the sleeve member 12 fixed to the rotor hub 3.
The film formed on the surface of the aluminum body is not limited to the anodized film but may be a nickel film or other plated films.
The scope of the present invention shall be defined by only the appended claims.
As described above, an aluminum body having a surface coated with an oxidized film is used as the material of the stationary unit and the rotating unit in the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device, the spindle motor using the same and the disk drive apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention. This makes it possible to obtain wear resistance and seizure resistance required in the bearing member while securing corrosion resistance against the ionic liquid. If the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device is used in, e.g., various kinds of motors as well as magnetic disk devices such as a hard disk drive (HDD) using a spindle motor and a high-capacity floppy disk drive (FDD), it becomes possible to increase the lifespan of the bearing thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-327788 | Dec 2006 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2007/073453 | 12/5/2007 | WO | 00 | 6/4/2009 |
