Abstract: A method of manufacturing a disk drive device including: assembling a subassembly by fixing at least a bearing unit, a drive unit and a hub to a base member in a first clean room; cleaning the subassembly in a second clean room; and sealing the subassembly by a sealing member. The first clean room and the second clean room are communicated with each other by a communicating opening for transferring the subassembly, and an atmospheric pressure in the second clean room is equal to or higher than that in the first clean room.

Abstract: A fluid bearing device (50B, 50AB) is composed of a shaft (1, 51); a sleeve (9, 59) into which the shaft (1, 51) is inserted; and lubrication fluid (20) intervening in a gap between the shaft (1, 51) and the sleeve (9, 59), the fluid bearing device (50B, 50AB) supporting the shaft (1, 51) so as to be relatively rotatable freely with respect to the sleeve (9, 59), wherein an end portion of the sleeve (9, 59) is provided with a taper ring (4, 54) in annular shape, wherein at least either one of an inner circumferential surface (4a, 54a) of the taper ring (4, 54) and an outer circumferential surface (1a, 91b) of the shaft (1, 51) facing towards the inner circumferential surface (4a, 54a) of the taper ring (4, 54) is formed into a tapered surface (4a, 54a), which inclines in a direction as a gap between the inner circumferential surface (4a, 54a) of the taper ring (4, 54) and the outer circumferential surface (1a, 91b) of the shaft (1, 51) widens in accordance with leaving from the sleeve (9, 59) and forms a tape

Abstract: The disk drive device includes a base plate, a hub on which a recording disk is mounted, a shaft bearing unit that is arranged on the base plate and that rotatably supports the hub, and a spindle drive unit that drives the hub to rotate. The spindle driving unit includes a stator core having a salient pole, a coil wound around the salient pole, and a magnet opposed to the salient pole. The hub formed of a magnetic material includes an outer cylindrical portion engaged with an inner circumference of the recording disk. A shaft is inserted into a sleeve, and the sleeve, which is of an approximate cylindrical shape, is inserted into a housing as part of the shaft bearing unit. The shaft is fixed to the rotational center of the hub, rotating along the axis together with the hub.

Abstract: The disk drive device includes a base member, a hub, a bearing unit which is arranged on the base member and which rotatably supports the hub, and a spindle drive unit which drives the hub to rotate. The spindle drive unit includes a stator core having a salient pole, a coil wound around the salient pole and a magnet opposed to the salient pole. The hub formed of magnetic material includes an outer cylinder portion engaged with an inner circumference of a recording disk and an inner cylinder portion to which an outer circumference of the magnet is fixed. The diameter of the inner cylinder portion is larger than the diameter of the outer cylinder portion.

Abstract: A disk drive device includes a rotating body, a fluid dynamic bearing unit that rotatably supports the rotating body, and a drive unit. The fluid dynamic bearing unit has: a lubricant holding portion in which lubricant is held; a first thrust dynamic pressure groove with which a first thrust dynamic pressure generating portion for generating the dynamic pressure in the pump-in direction, which is oriented toward the inside of the lubricant holding portion, is structured; and a second thrust dynamic pressure groove with which a second thrust dynamic pressure generating portion for generating at least the dynamic pressure in the pump-out direction, is structured.

Abstract: In a disk drive device according to an embodiment, radial dynamic pressure corresponding portions are structured such that the diameters thereof expand toward the axial outside of the sleeve, and that the shaft is in surface-contact with each of the radial dynamic pressure corresponding portions when the rotational drive of the disk drive device is stopped. Further, a herringborn-shaped radial dynamic pressure groove is formed in each of the radial dynamic pressure corresponding portions. The radial dynamic pressure groove in each radial dynamic pressure corresponding portion is formed such that the axial outside length from the turned-back portion of the herringborn-shape is longer than the axial inside length therefrom.

Abstract: A bearing unit for a disk drive device is formed by a sleeve concave portion and a shaft concave portion, and is provided with a capillary seal portion in which the gap between the sleeve concave portion and the shaft concave portion is increased in diameter toward the hub side of the sleeve. Assuming that: the outer circumferential diameter at the tilt starting end on the base member side of the shaft concave portion is D0; the inner circumferential diameter at the tilt starting end on the hub side of the sleeve concave portion is D1; the facing outer circumferential diameter of the shaft concave portion, which faces, in the radial direction, the inner circumference at the tilt starting end of the sleeve concave portion, is D2; and the diameter of the most concave inner circumference of the sleeve concave portion is D3, D2 is larger than D0, D3 is larger than D1, and the difference between D3 and D0 is larger than that between D0 and D2.

Abstract: A base plate containing aluminum as a main component and an electrically conductive counter plate are bonded together through the medium of an electrically conductive adhesive. Even when an oxide film is formed on the surface of the base plate, electrical continuity between the base plate and the counter plate, which are connected together through the medium of the electrically conductive adhesive, is improved by a process of applying a resistance lowering voltage, which reduces the resistance component due to the oxide film by causing a dielectric breakdown.

Abstract: In a disk drive device, a recording disk is mounted on a rotor. A base has a bearing hole, the center of which is along the rotational axis of the rotor. A bearing unit rotatably supports the rotor with respect to the base, the bearing unit being glued to the bearing hole. A ring-shaped first groove, the center of which is along the rotational axis, is arranged on a side surface of the bearing hole. A ring-shaped second groove, the center of which is along the rotational axis, is arranged on an outer surface of the housing, the outer surface contacting the side surface of the bearing hole. The position of the second groove with respect to its direction along the rotational axis is different from the position of the first groove with respect to its direction along the rotational axis. The base and the bearing unit are electrically connected by a conductive resin applied along an edge portion of the bearing hole, the edge portion being on a lower surface of the base.

Abstract: A disk drive device includes a bearing unit and a drive unit. The bearing unit includes: a shaft; a sleeve configured to allow relative rotation, with the shaft as the axis; a flange projected in the radial direction of the shaft and configured to rotate integrally with the shaft; a flange housing space portion provided continuously from the sleeve and configured to rotatably house the flange; a counter plate structured with both a first surface, which faces the end surface in the axial direction of the flange and seals the flange housing space portion, and a second surface that is opposite to the first surface. The projected dimension of the flange is designed to be larger than the wall thickness of the flange surrounding wall portion in the radial direction of the flange, the flange surrounding wall portion defining the flange housing space portion.

Abstract: A first sleeve rotatably extends around a shaft. First and second flanges are fixed to the shaft. A second sleeve extending around the first sleeve is fixed thereto. A first annular member fixed to the second sleeve surrounds the first flange. A second annular member fixed to the second flange surrounds a portion of the second sleeve. A first capillary seal includes a clearance between the first flange and the first annular member. A second capillary seal includes a clearance between the second annular member and the second sleeve. Lubricant is provided in the clearances in the first and second capillary seals. The second annular member and the second sleeve are designed so that the lubricant in the clearance in the second capillary seal can be viewed from a point in a radial position which is outward of the second sleeve as seen in an axial direction.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a disk drive device, a cleaning process and an assembly process are performed in succession in a clean room having a predetermined cleanness level. The cleaning process includes an alkali cleaning process, a first purified water cleaning process, a second purified water cleaning process, a spray cleaning process, a draining process and a drying process. In the first purified water cleaning process, purified water ultrasonic wave cleaning is sequentially performed on the base member of the disk drive device to be cleaned by using ultrasonic waves of frequencies of 40 kHz, 68 kHz and 132 kHz in purified water filled in a first purified water cleaning tank. The cleaned base member and other components having a predetermined cleanness level are assembled in the assembly process continuous from the cleaning process.

Abstract: The present invention provides a disk drive device that can easily be reduced in size with a simple structure by reducing foreign matters floating in a lubricant to reduce inconvenience caused by the floating foreign matters. The disk drive device includes a fixed body section, a rotating body section, a bearing unit and a drive unit.

Abstract: In an apparatus for manufacturing a fluid dynamic bearing, a housing portion defines a first work area. A vacuum pump discharges air in the first work area. A lubricant discharge device is arranged in the first work area, and discharges a lubricant into an inlet of a reservoir for storing the lubricant of the fluid dynamic bearing. At least one aperture is provided in the housing portion. A first door closes the aperture and a second door closes the aperture. Between the first door and the second door, when both have closed the aperture, a second work area is formed where the fluid dynamic bearing is placed.

Abstract: A fluid dynamic bearing includes a shaft to which a resin flange is fixed by insert molding. The process where the flange is fixed to the shaft by insert molding includes a flange forming process in which the flange, fixed to the shaft, is formed by injecting the resin into a filled portion in the lower mold through an upper mold, while cooling at least part of the shaft, arranged in a shaft arrangement portion in a lower mold, with cooling water circulating through a cooling pipe.

Abstract: A disk drive device includes: a hub on which a recording disk is to be mounted; a base configured to rotatably support the hub via a bearing; a core that is fixed to the base and includes a circular portion and S salient poles (where S is a natural number greater than or equal to 3) extending from the circular portion in the diameter direction; a three-phase coil that is formed by being wound around each of the S salient poles; and a magnet that is fixed to the hub and faces the S salient poles in the diameter direction, and that is provided with P driving magnetic poles in the circumferential direction (where P is a natural number greater than or equal to 2).

Abstract: A disk drive device is provided with a base, a hub on which a recording disk is to be mounted, a bearing unit arranged on the base and configured to rotatably support the hub, and a spindle drive unit configured to rotatably drive the hub. A circumferential ring wall portion is arranged on the outer circumference of the base and formed of a plastic.

Abstract: A disk drive device includes a base member, a hub member, a shaft, a flange, a sleeve, a thrust dynamic pressure generation portion including thrust dynamic pressure grooves such that thrust dynamic pressure is generated in a thrust space, a radial dynamic pressure generation portion including radial dynamic pressure grooves such that radial dynamic pressure is generated in a radial space, a lubricant filled in the thrust space in the thrust dynamic pressure generation portion and the radial space in the radial dynamic pressure generation portion, a capillary seal portion for holding the lubricant in the thrust space and the radial space, and a circulation pathway by which the thrust dynamic pressure generation portion and the radial dynamic pressure generation portion communicate with each other in order to circulate the lubricant.

Abstract: In the brushless motor, a magnetic recording disk is to be mounted on a hub. A base plate rotatably supports the hub on the upper surface. A laminated core is fixed on the upper surface of the base plate and has a ring portion and a plurality of teeth that extend radially from the ring portion. Coils are wound around the plurality of teeth. A cylindrical magnet is fixed to the hub and is magnetized for driving with a plurality of poles along the circumferential direction and is arranged to radially face the plurality of teeth of the laminated core. A wire of one end of one of the coils is drawn out to the bottom surface of the base plate through a hole arranged on the base plate. The wire is connected to a driving line for supplying a current to the coils at a position other than the position of the hole on the base plate. The hole of the base plate is plugged with a resin.

Abstract: In the brushless motor, a hub has a cylindrical separating wall in between a yoke and two magnetic recording disks. The yoke is affixed to the inner surface of the separating wall of the hub using both a press-fit and adhesion. A first convex portion and a second convex portion are formed on the inner surface of the separating wall, and the yoke is pressed against these convex portions in the case where the yoke is press-fit. The first convex portion and the second convex portion are formed in a ring shape around the rotational axis of the motor. The diameter of the first convex portion is less than the diameter of the second convex portion.