阅读说明：本技术 流体动压轴承装置 (Fluid dynamic pressure bearing device ) 是由 原田和庆 小松原慎治 冈翔平 平出淳 于 2018-12-07 设计创作，主要内容包括：流体动压轴承装置(1)具备：轴构件(2)；轴承套筒(8),其在内周插入有轴构件(2)；有底筒状的壳体(7),其在内周保持轴承套筒(8),并在轴向一侧的端部具有开口部；以及密封构件(9),其设置于壳体(7)的开口部。密封构件(9)具有：圆盘部(9a),其配置于轴承套筒(8)的轴向一侧；以及凸部(圆筒部(9b)),其从圆盘部(9a)的外径端向轴向另一侧突出。将密封构件(9)的外周面(9c)固定于壳体(7)的内周面(7a1)。(A fluid dynamic bearing device (1) is provided with: a shaft member (2); a bearing sleeve (8) into the inner periphery of which a shaft member (2) is inserted; a bottomed cylindrical case (7) which holds a bearing sleeve (8) on the inner periphery and has an opening at one axial end; and a sealing member (9) provided at the opening of the housing (7). The seal member (9) has: a disk portion (9a) disposed on one axial side of the bearing sleeve (8); and a convex portion (cylindrical portion (9b)) that protrudes from the outer diameter end of the disk portion (9a) toward the other axial side. The outer peripheral surface (9c) of the sealing member (9) is fixed to the inner peripheral surface (7a1) of the housing (7).)

1. A fluid dynamic bearing device includes: a shaft member; a bearing sleeve into which the shaft member is inserted at an inner periphery thereof; a bottomed cylindrical housing that holds the bearing sleeve at an inner periphery thereof and has an opening at an end portion on one axial side; a sealing member provided at an opening of the housing; and a radial bearing portion that supports the shaft member so as to be relatively rotatable by an oil film generated in a radial bearing gap between an outer peripheral surface of the shaft member and an inner peripheral surface of the bearing sleeve,

the seal member has: a disk portion disposed on one axial side of the bearing sleeve; and a convex portion protruding from an outer diameter end of the disk portion toward the other side in the axial direction,

an outer peripheral surface of the sealing member is fixed to an inner peripheral surface of the housing.

2. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as claimed in claim 1,

an end surface of the disc portion of the seal member is brought into contact with an end surface of the bearing sleeve.

3. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as set forth in claim 1 or 2,

a first oil reservoir is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the housing and the outer peripheral surface of the bearing sleeve, and an oil surface is provided in the first oil reservoir.

4. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as set forth in claim 3,

the first oil reservoir has a wedge-shaped cross-sectional shape that gradually decreases in width in the radial direction toward the other axial side.

5. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as set forth in claim 3 or 4,

a recess is provided at an inner diameter end of an end surface of the disc portion of the seal member, and a second oil reservoir is formed by the recess, the end surface of the bearing sleeve, and an outer peripheral surface of the shaft member.

6. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 5,

the bearing sleeve is sandwiched from both axial sides by the disc portion of the seal member and the housing.

7. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as set forth in claim 6,

the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion of the sealing member is fitted with the inner peripheral surface of the housing with interference.

8. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as claimed in claim 7,

an inner peripheral surface of the convex portion of the seal member is fitted to an outer peripheral surface of the bearing sleeve with interference.

9. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as set forth in claim 7 or 8,

the linear expansion coefficient of the sealing member is larger than that of the housing.

10. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as claimed in claim 9,

the case and the sealing member are formed of a resin material in which reinforcing fibers are blended, and the blending ratio of the reinforcing fibers in the resin material of the case is larger than the blending ratio of the reinforcing fibers in the resin material of the sealing member.

11. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as claimed in claim 9,

the housing is formed of brass, and the sealing member is formed of a resin material.

12. The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device as set forth in any one of claims 7 to 11,

the housing has a large-diameter outer peripheral surface and a small-diameter outer peripheral surface, and the seal member is fitted to an axial region of the small-diameter outer peripheral surface with interference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fluid dynamic bearing device.

Background

In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device, the pressure of the oil film generated in the radial bearing gap between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the bearing sleeve is increased as the shaft rotates, and the shaft is supported in a non-contact manner by the pressure. Since the fluid dynamic bearing device has advantages such as high-speed rotation, high rotational accuracy, and low noise, motors mounted on various electrical devices including information devices include, for example, a spindle motor mounted in a disk drive device such as an HDD, a cooling fan motor mounted in a PC or the like, or a polygon scanner motor mounted in a laser beam printer.

For example, patent document 1 listed below discloses a fluid dynamic bearing device including a bottomed cylindrical housing, a bearing sleeve fixed to an inner periphery of the housing, a shaft member inserted into an inner periphery of the bearing sleeve, and a seal member (gasket) fixed to an opening of the housing. The opening of the case is covered with the sealing member, thereby preventing oil in the case from leaking to the outside.

Patent document 2 listed below discloses that a bearing sleeve is fixed to the inner periphery of a housing by sandwiching the bearing sleeve from both sides in the axial direction by a seal member (annular member) and the bottom of the housing. This can reduce the number of steps required for assembly, and prevent a reduction in the width accuracy of the radial bearing gap due to deformation of the bearing sleeve caused by press fitting, for example, as compared with a case where the bearing sleeve is fixed to the inner periphery of the housing by press fitting.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device, in order to increase the bearing rigidity and stably support the rotating shaft, it is desirable to secure the bearing span { the axial interval of the radial bearing portions (high-pressure generating portions) provided at two locations in the axial direction } by increasing the axial dimension of the bearing sleeve as much as possible. However, since the axial dimension of the motor into which the fluid dynamic bearing device is incorporated is limited, it is necessary to reduce the axial dimension of the seal member arranged in the axial direction with respect to the bearing sleeve as much as possible in order to ensure the axial dimension of the bearing sleeve to the maximum.

When the axial dimension of the seal member is reduced in this manner, the area of the fastening connection portion between the outer peripheral surface of the seal member and the inner peripheral surface of the housing is reduced, and therefore, the fixing strength of both is insufficient, and when a large impact load or vibration is applied to the fluid dynamic bearing device, there is a possibility that the fixing position of the seal member with respect to the housing is displaced. In particular, in the case of a structure in which the bearing sleeve is sandwiched and fixed from both axial sides by the seal member and the housing as in patent document 2 described above, when the seal member is displaced with respect to the housing, the fixed position of the bearing sleeve with respect to the housing is also displaced, and therefore there is a concern that the bearing performance is greatly reduced.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to ensure fixing strength between a seal member and a housing even when the axial dimension of the seal member is reduced.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a fluid dynamic bearing device including: a shaft member; a bearing sleeve into which the shaft member is inserted at an inner periphery thereof; a bottomed cylindrical housing that holds the bearing sleeve at an inner periphery thereof and has an opening at an end portion on one axial side; a sealing member provided at an opening of the housing; and a radial bearing portion that supports the shaft member so as to be relatively rotatable by an oil film generated in a radial bearing gap between an outer peripheral surface of the shaft member and an inner peripheral surface of the bearing sleeve, wherein the seal member includes: a disk portion disposed on one axial side of the bearing sleeve; and a convex portion that protrudes from an outer diameter end of the disk portion toward the other axial side and fixes an outer peripheral surface of the sealing member to an inner peripheral surface of the housing.

In this way, by providing the sealing member with a convex portion (for example, a cylindrical portion) protruding in the axial direction from the outer diameter end of the disk portion and forming the sealing member in a cross-sectional shape of L, even when the thickness (axial dimension) of the disk portion is reduced, the outer peripheral surface of the sealing member can be extended in the axial direction to increase the area thereof in accordance with the provision of the convex portion.

In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device described above, when the end surface of the disk portion of the seal member is brought into contact with the end surface of the bearing sleeve, the bearing sleeve can be prevented from coming off the housing by the seal member. In this case, by increasing the fixing strength between the seal member and the housing as described above, the positional displacement of the bearing sleeve with respect to the housing can be reliably prevented.

However, in the fluid dynamic bearing device described in patent document 2, when the oil expanded at high temperature reaches the radial gap between the seal member and the shaft member, the oil is highly likely to leak to the outside. In particular, if the axial dimension of the seal member is reduced as described above, oil that has reached the radial gap between the seal member and the shaft member is likely to leak to the outside.

In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device, it is preferable that a first oil reservoir be provided between the inner peripheral surface of the housing and the outer peripheral surface of the bearing sleeve. The first oil reservoir performs a buffer function of absorbing a volume change of oil, and thus the expanded oil hardly reaches a radial gap between the seal member and the shaft member, and thus a risk of oil leakage can be reduced. Further, since the first oil reservoir is provided on the outer periphery of the bearing sleeve and is separated from the radial gap between the seal member and the shaft member, the oil surface held by the first oil reservoir is less likely to reach the radial gap, and oil leakage can be reliably prevented.

The first oil reservoir may have a wedge-shaped cross-sectional shape in which the radial width gradually decreases toward one axial side (the closed side of the housing), for example. In this case, the oil retained in the first oil reservoir is introduced into the closed side of the housing by the capillary force, and therefore the oil from the first oil reservoir can be more reliably prevented from leaking.

In the fluid dynamic pressure bearing device described above, when the oil in the housing expands largely at a high temperature and overflows from the first oil reservoir to reach the radial gap between the seal member and the shaft member, the oil easily leaks to the outside. Therefore, if a recess is provided at the inner diameter end of the end face of the disk portion of the seal member, and the second oil reservoir is formed by the recess, the end face of the bearing sleeve, and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member, oil that overflows from the first oil reservoir and reaches the radial gap between the seal member and the shaft member can be retained in the second oil reservoir, and therefore oil leakage can be prevented.

In the above hydrodynamic bearing device, the bearing sleeve can be held in the axial direction with respect to the housing by sandwiching the bearing sleeve from both sides in the axial direction by the disk portion of the seal member and the housing. In this case, the convex portion of the sealing member may be press-fitted into a gap between the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the outer circumferential surface of the bearing sleeve, and the outer circumferential surface of the convex portion and the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the inner circumferential surface of the convex portion and the outer circumferential surface of the bearing sleeve may be fitted to each other with interference. As a result, the bearing sleeve is fastened from the outer periphery by the seal member and the housing, and therefore the bearing sleeve can be firmly held in the radial direction with respect to the housing, and the fastening force between the housing and the bearing sleeve is improved.

When the outer peripheral surface of the seal member and the inner peripheral surface of the housing are fitted with interference as described above, the linear expansion coefficient of the seal member is preferably set to be larger than the linear expansion coefficient of the housing. In this case, the sealing member is expanded in diameter compared to the case at the time of temperature rise, and therefore the fastening force between the sealing member and the case is not damaged even at high temperatures.

Specifically, for example, when the case and the sealing member are formed of a resin material in which reinforcing fibers are blended, the linear expansion coefficient of the sealing member can be made larger than the linear expansion coefficient of the case by making the blending ratio of the reinforcing fibers in the resin material of the case larger than the blending ratio of the reinforcing fibers in the resin material of the sealing member.

Alternatively, the housing may be made of brass and the sealing member may be made of a resin material, whereby the linear expansion coefficient of the sealing member can be made larger than the linear expansion coefficient of the housing.

As described above, when the sealing member is press-fitted into the inner periphery of the housing, the outer peripheral surface of the housing bulges due to the press-fitting effect, and this may cause trouble when the fluid dynamic bearing device is mounted on another member (for example, a motor bracket). Preferably, the housing is provided with a large-diameter outer peripheral surface and a small-diameter outer peripheral surface, and the seal member is fitted to the housing with interference in an axial region of the small-diameter outer peripheral surface. In this way, by forming the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the housing that bulges out due to the press-fitting of the seal member in a small diameter in advance, it is possible to avoid interference between this portion and another member.

Effects of the invention

As described above, in the present invention, even in the case where the axial dimension of the seal member is reduced, the fixing strength between the seal member and the housing can be secured, and the positional deviation between the seal member and the housing can be prevented.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a fan motor.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a fluid dynamic bearing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a bearing sleeve.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a fluid dynamic bearing device.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a fluid dynamic bearing device according to still another embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a fluid dynamic bearing device according to still another embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The fan motor shown in fig. 1 includes a fluid dynamic bearing device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, a motor base 6 to which a housing 7 of the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 is fixed, and a rotor 3 fixed to a shaft member 2 of the fluid dynamic bearing device 1. A stator coil 5 is attached to the motor base 6, and a rotor magnet 4 is attached to the rotor 3 so as to face the stator coil 5 with a gap in the radial direction. When the stator coil 5 is energized, the rotor 3 and the shaft member 2 are integrally rotated by an electromagnetic force generated between the stator coil 5 and the rotor magnet 4, and an airflow in the axial direction or the radial direction is generated by a blade (not shown) provided in the rotor.

As shown in fig. 2, the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 includes, as main constituent members, a shaft member 2, a bearing sleeve 8 into which the shaft member 2 is inserted at an inner periphery, a bottomed cylindrical housing 7 which holds the bearing sleeve 8 at the inner periphery and has an opening at one end in an axial direction, and a seal member 9 provided at the opening of the housing 7. The internal space of the housing 7 is filled with a predetermined amount of lubricating oil (shown by dotted lines in fig. 2). The fluid dynamic bearing device 1 of the present embodiment is mainly used in the posture shown in fig. 2, that is, in a state where the opening side of the housing 7 is positioned on the upper side in the axial direction. However, the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 is not limited to the above, and may be used, for example, in a state where the axial direction is horizontal and the opening side of the housing 7 is located on the lower side.

The shaft member 2 is formed of a metal material such as stainless steel. The outer peripheral surface 2a of the shaft member 2 is a smooth cylindrical surface having no irregularities, and has a constant inner and outer diameter over the entire axial region. The outer diameter of the shaft member 2 is smaller than the inner diameters of the bearing sleeve 8 and the seal member 9. A convex spherical surface 2b is provided at the lower end of the shaft member 2. A rotor 3 (see fig. 1) is fixed to an upper end of the shaft member 2.

The housing 7 has a cylindrical side portion 7a and a bottom portion 7b closing a lower end opening of the side portion 7 a. In the present embodiment, the side portion 7a and the bottom portion 7b of the case 7 are integrally formed of metal or resin. The inner peripheral surface of the side portion 7a is formed with a large-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a1 provided at the upper end, a small-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a2 provided below the large-diameter inner peripheral surface, and a flat surface 7a3 connecting these. The outer peripheral surface of the side portion 7a is a straight cylindrical surface. As a result, in the side portion 7a, the thickness (radial dimension) of the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a1 in the axial direction is smaller than the thickness of the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a2 in the axial direction. A bottom surface 7b1 provided on the axial center and a shoulder surface 7b2 provided on the outer periphery of the bottom surface 7b1 are formed on the upper end surface of the bottom portion 7 b. The shoulder surface 7b2 is disposed above the bottom surface 7b 1. In the present embodiment, a thrust plate 10 made of resin is disposed on the bottom surface 7b1 of the housing 7, and the upper surface of the thrust plate 10 functions as a thrust bearing surface that supports the convex spherical surface 2b at the lower end of the shaft member 2 in contact therewith. However, the thrust plate 10 need not necessarily be provided, and may be omitted. In this case, the bottom surface 7b1 of the housing 7 functions as a thrust bearing surface.

The bearing sleeve 8 is cylindrical, and is formed of, for example, a metal, particularly a sintered metal, specifically, a copper-iron-based sintered metal containing copper and iron as main components. The bearing sleeve 8 is impregnated with lubricating oil in its inner hollow. The material of the bearing sleeve 8 is not limited to the above, and for example, a metal melting material such as a copper alloy or an iron alloy, or a resin may be used.

A radial bearing surface is provided on the inner circumferential surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, radial bearing surfaces a1, a2 are provided at two axially separated locations on the inner circumferential surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8. Radial dynamic pressure generating portions are formed on the radial bearing surfaces a1 and a2, respectively. In the present embodiment, herringbone-shaped dynamic pressure grooves G1, G2 are formed as the radial dynamic pressure generating portions. In the illustrated example, the dynamic pressure grooves G1 and G2 are axially symmetrical. The region indicated by the mesh line indicates a mound portion that is raised toward the inner diameter side than the other regions. The form of the radial dynamic pressure generating portion is not limited to the above, and for example, a spiral dynamic pressure groove, a multi-arc bearing, or a stepped bearing may be used. The radial bearing surfaces a1, a2 of the bearing sleeve 8 may be smooth cylindrical surfaces, and radial dynamic pressure generating portions may be formed on the outer peripheral surface 2a of the opposing shaft member 2.

A plurality of axial grooves 8d1 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8. A plurality of radial grooves 8c1, 8b1 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the upper end surface 8c and the lower end surface 8b of the bearing sleeve 8. An annular groove 8c2 is formed in the upper end surface 8c of the bearing sleeve 8. The lower end surface 8b of the bearing sleeve 8 abuts a shoulder surface 7b2 provided on the bottom portion 7b of the housing 7.

As shown in fig. 4, the seal member 9 includes a disc portion 9a having an inner hole through which the shaft member 2 passes, and a convex portion protruding downward from an outer diameter end of the disc portion 9a, in the illustrated example, the convex portion is formed of an annular cylindrical portion 9b, the seal member 9 is fixed to the opening portion of the housing 7, and in the present embodiment, the fixing means for fixing the outer circumferential surface 9c of the seal member 9 to the housing 7 is not limited, and for example, pressing, bonding based on fitting the outer circumferential surface 9c of the seal member into the upper end of the side portion 7a of the housing 7, pressing bonding (both pressing and bonding), or ultrasonic waves or the like formed by using the same resin (the same resin as the base resin) can be used, and in this case, the seal member 9 has a cross-sectional shape L, and the cross-sectional shape L has the disc portion 9a and the cylindrical portion 9b, whereby even when the disc portion 9a is thinned, the outer circumferential surface of the disc portion 9b can be extended downward to enlarge the area of the seal member, and the strength of the seal member can be secured between the outer circumferential surface of the disc portion 9a and the housing 7a, and the seal member can be secured.

A radial gap S is formed between the inner peripheral surface 9a1 of the disc portion 9a of the seal member 9 and the outer peripheral surface 2a of the shaft member 2. The gap width of the radial gap S is set as small as possible to prevent oil leakage and to prevent the entry of foreign matter from the outside. For example, in the case of a hydrodynamic bearing device having a shaft diameter of about 2 to 4mm, the gap width of the radial gap S is set to about 0.3mm or less. The radial gap S has a gap width larger than a gap width of a radial bearing gap formed between the inner circumferential surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8 and the outer circumferential surface 2a of the shaft member 2.

The lower end surface 9a2 of the disc portion 9a of the seal member 9 abuts against the upper end surface 8c of the bearing sleeve 8. Thereby, the movement of the bearing sleeve 8 upward relative to the housing 7 is restricted. In the present embodiment, the bearing sleeve 8 is fixed to the inner periphery of the housing 7 by sandwiching the bearing sleeve 8 from both axial sides by the seal member 9 and the housing 7. Specifically, the bearing sleeve 8 is fixed to the housing 7 by fitting the outer peripheral surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8 into the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a2 of the housing 7 with a gap therebetween, and sandwiching the bearing sleeve 8 from both axial sides by the lower end surface 9a2 of the disk portion 9a of the seal member 9 and the shoulder surface 7b2 provided on the bottom portion 7b of the housing 7. This can reduce the number of steps for fixing the bearing sleeve 8 to the housing 7 by press fitting, and can avoid deformation of the bearing sleeve 8 due to press fitting. In the illustrated example, an axial gap is formed between the lower end of the cylindrical portion 9b of the seal member 9 and the flat surface 7a3 of the inner circumferential surface of the housing 7. This enables the lower end surface 9a2 of the disc portion 9a of the seal member 9 to reliably abut against the upper end surface 8c of the bearing sleeve 8.

The lubricating oil is interposed between at least the radial bearing gap between the outer peripheral surface 2a of the shaft member 2 and the radial bearing surfaces a1 and a2 of the inner peripheral surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8, and the sliding portion between the convex spherical surface 2b at the lower end of the shaft member 2 and the thrust plate 10, in the housing 7. In the present embodiment, the entire region of the gap between the inner peripheral surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8 and the outer peripheral surface 2a of the shaft member 2 and the entire region of the closed-side space D (see fig. 2) facing the convex spherical surface 2b of the shaft member 2 are filled with the lubricating oil. As the lubricating oil, a fluorine-based, ether-based, or silicon-based oil that does not deteriorate in a high-temperature environment and can obtain stable lubricity is preferably used.

The fluid dynamic pressure bearing device 1 is provided with a communication path that communicates the space D on the close side and the radial gap S between the shaft member 2 and the seal member 9 without passing through a radial bearing gap. In the present embodiment, the communication passages are formed between the lower end surface 8b of the bearing sleeve 8 and the shoulder surface 7b2 of the housing 7, between the outer peripheral surface 8d of the bearing sleeve and the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a2 of the housing 7, and between the upper end surface 8c of the bearing sleeve 8 and the lower end surface 9a2 of the disk portion 9a of the seal member 9, respectively. In the illustrated example, the communication path is constituted by the radial groove 8b1 of the lower end surface 8b of the bearing sleeve 8, the axial groove 8d1 of the outer peripheral surface 8d, and the radial groove 8c1 of the upper end surface 8 c.

The fluid dynamic bearing device 1 of the present embodiment has a so-called partial filling structure, which is a structure in which: the internal space of the housing 7, more specifically, the space inside the radial gap S adjacent to the outside air provided between the shaft member 2 and the seal member 9 is not completely filled with the lubricating oil, and has a void portion not filled with the lubricating oil. Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, an oil reservoir P1 (first oil reservoir) is formed between the large-diameter inner circumferential surface 7a1 of the housing 7 and the outer circumferential surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8, and an oil surface is formed in the oil reservoir P1 at normal temperature. In the illustrated example, an oil reservoir P1 is formed between the inner circumferential surface 9b1 of the cylindrical portion 9b of the seal member 9 and the outer circumferential surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8. On the other hand, the gap between the outer peripheral surface 2a of the shaft member 2 and the inner peripheral surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8 is filled with the lubricating oil over the entire area by the capillary force, and the oil level provided at the upper end of the lubricating oil reaches the gap between the upper chamfer 8e of the inner peripheral surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8 and the outer peripheral surface 2a of the shaft member 2. As described above, in the internal space of the housing 7, a part of the oil reservoir P1, a part of the axial groove 8d1 of the outer peripheral surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8, the radial groove 8c1 of the upper end surface 8c of the bearing sleeve 8, and a part of the space faced by the upper end chamfer 8e of the inner peripheral surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8 constitute a gap portion that is not filled with the lubricating oil.

As described above, by providing the oil level in the oil reservoir P1 formed inside the casing 7, the volume change of the lubricating oil in the casing 7 can be absorbed by the oil reservoir P1, and therefore the expanded lubricating oil is less likely to reach the radial gap S adjacent to the outside air, and oil leakage can be prevented. In particular, when the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 has the partial filling structure as described above, the position of the oil surface is likely to change, and therefore oil leakage is likely to occur. Even in this case, in the illustrated example, the oil reservoir P1 is provided on the outer periphery of the bearing sleeve 8 and is separated from the radial gap S adjacent to the outside air, so that the lubricating oil in the oil reservoir P1 is more difficult to reach the radial gap S, and oil leakage can be reliably prevented. The oil level provided on the outer peripheral side of the bearing sleeve 8 may be provided below the oil reservoir P1. For example, an oil level may be provided in a communication path formed by the axial groove 8d1 on the outer peripheral surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8 and the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a2 of the housing 7.

On the other hand, the lubricating oil in the space facing the upper end chamfer 8e of the inner peripheral surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8 is always introduced into the radial bearing gap side where the gap width is extremely small, and therefore the possibility of leakage of the lubricating oil to the outside is low. Therefore, as described above, by providing the oil reservoir P1 functioning as a buffer portion on the outer peripheral side of the bearing sleeve 8 and setting the amount of oil injected into the housing 7 and the volume of the oil reservoir P1 so that the oil level is held in the oil reservoir P1 in the temperature range in which the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 is used, it is possible to reliably prevent oil leakage to the outside.

Although not shown, an oil-repellent film may be formed on the upper end surface of the seal member 9 in a region of the outer circumferential surface 2a of the shaft member 2 that faces the inner circumferential surface 9a1 of the disc portion 9a of the seal member 9, in order to more effectively prevent oil leakage through the radial gap S.

The fluid dynamic bearing device 1 having the above-described structure is assembled in the following steps.

First, the bearing sleeve 8 is inserted into the inner periphery of the housing 7 in a state of being fitted with a gap, and the lower end surface 8b of the bearing sleeve 8 is brought into contact with the shoulder surface 7b2 of the bottom portion 7b of the housing 7. Next, the seal member 9 is inserted into the side portion 7a of the housing 7 from above, and the outer peripheral surface 9c of the seal member 9 is fixed to the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a1 of the housing 7 in a state in which the lower end surface 9a2 of the disk portion 9a of the seal member 9 is in contact with the upper end surface 8c of the bearing sleeve 8. Thereby, the bearing sleeve 8 is sandwiched from both axial sides by the seal member 9 and the shoulder surface 7b2 of the housing 7, and is fixed to the inner periphery of the housing 7.

A predetermined amount of lubricating oil is injected into the internal space of the housing 7 (for example, the inner periphery of the bearing sleeve 8). Then, the shaft member 2 is inserted into the seal member 9 and the inner periphery of the bearing sleeve 8 from above. At this time, by discharging the air inside the housing 7 to the outside through the communication passages (the radial grooves 8b1 of the lower end surface 8b, the axial grooves 8d1 of the outer peripheral surface 8d, and the radial grooves 8c1 of the upper end surface 8c of the bearing sleeve 8) and the radial gap S, the shaft member 2 can be smoothly inserted into the inner periphery of the bearing sleeve 8, and oil leakage associated with the insertion of the shaft member 2 can be prevented. Then, the convex spherical surface 2b at the lower end of the shaft member 2 is brought into contact with the end surface of the thrust plate 10, whereby the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 shown in fig. 2 is completed.

In the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 configured as described above, when the shaft member 2 rotates, radial bearing gaps are formed between the radial bearing surfaces a1, a2 of the inner circumferential surface 8a of the bearing sleeve 8 and the outer circumferential surface 2a of the shaft member 2 facing the radial bearing surfaces. As the shaft member 2 rotates, the pressure of the oil film formed in the gap between the radial bearings is increased by the dynamic pressure grooves G1 and G2, and radial bearing portions R1 and R2 are formed to support the shaft member 2 in a radial direction in a non-contact manner. At the same time, a thrust bearing portion T that supports the convex spherical surface 2b at the lower end of the shaft member 2 in contact therewith is formed on a thrust bearing surface (upper end surface of the thrust plate 10) provided on the bottom surface 7b1 of the housing 7.

In the above-described fluid dynamic bearing device 1, by reducing the axial dimension of the disk portion 9a of the seal member 9, the axial dimension of the entire fluid dynamic bearing device 1 can be reduced, or the axial dimension of the bearing sleeve 8 can be increased while maintaining the axial dimension of the entire fluid dynamic bearing device 1, thereby improving the bearing rigidity. At this time, since the seal member 9 has the cylindrical portion 9b extending downward from the disc portion 9a, even when the axial dimension of the disc portion 9a is reduced as described above, the area of the outer peripheral surface 9c of the seal member 9 is ensured, the fixing area between the outer peripheral surface 9c of the seal member 9 and the inner peripheral surface 7a1 of the housing 7 is ensured, and the fixing strength between both is ensured.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described, but the same points as those in the above-described embodiments will not be described repeatedly.

The embodiment shown in fig. 5 is different from the above-described embodiment in that an annular recess 9a3 is provided at the inner diameter end of the lower end surface 9a2 of the disc portion 9a of the seal member 9. A space formed by the concave portion 9a3, the upper end surface 8c of the bearing sleeve 8, and the outer peripheral surface 2a of the shaft member 2 functions as a second oil reservoir P2. The second oil reservoir P2 has a larger radial width and a larger volume than the radial gap S. At normal temperature, the oil surface is held in the first oil reservoir P1, but when the volume of the lubricating oil expands greatly at high temperature, the lubricating oil overflowing from the first oil reservoir P1 is held in the second oil reservoir P2 via the radial grooves 8c1 of the upper end surface 8c of the bearing sleeve 8 (see the broken line in fig. 5). By providing second oil reservoir P2 at a position closer to the atmosphere opening side than first oil reservoir P1, the lubricating oil overflowing first oil reservoir P1 is held by second oil reservoir P2, and oil leakage from radial gap S can be reliably prevented.

The embodiment shown in fig. 6 is different from the above-described embodiment in that the tapered surface 9b10 is provided on the inner peripheral surface 9b1 of the cylindrical portion 9b of the seal member 9. The first oil reservoir P1 formed between the tapered surface 9b10 and the outer peripheral surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8 has a wedge-shaped cross section whose radial dimension gradually decreases downward. Accordingly, since a downward introduction force acts on the oil held in oil reservoir P1, the oil from oil reservoir P1 can be more reliably prevented from leaking out. In this embodiment, as in the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the recess 9a3 is provided in the lower end surface 9a2 of the disc portion 9a of the seal member 9 to form the second oil reservoir P2, but the second oil reservoir P2 may be omitted.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 7, the convex portion (cylindrical portion 9b) of the seal member 9 is press-fitted into the gap between the large-diameter inner circumferential surface 7a1 of the housing 7 and the outer circumferential surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface 9c of the seal member 9 (the outer peripheral surface of the disk portion 9a and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 9b) and the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a1 of the housing 7 are fitted with interference, and the inner peripheral surface 9b1 of the cylindrical portion 9b of the seal member 9 and the outer peripheral surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8 are fitted with interference. In this case, the bearing sleeve 8 is held not only in the axial direction but also in the radial direction via the cylindrical portion 9b of the seal member 9 by being sandwiched from both axial sides by the lower end surface 9a2 of the disc portion 9a of the seal member 9 and the shoulder surface 7b2 of the housing 7, and therefore the fastening strength of the bearing sleeve 8 to the housing 7 is further improved.

In this embodiment, a space enclosed by the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 9b of the seal member 9, the outer peripheral surface 8d of the bearing sleeve 8, and the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a1 of the housing 7 functions as a first oil reservoir P1. At normal temperature, the oil surface is held in the first oil reservoir P1 (not shown), particularly, below the cylindrical portion 9b of the sealing member 9. In this case, the axial dimension (i.e., the volume) of the first oil reservoir P1 is determined by the axial dimension of the cylindrical portion 9b of the seal member 9. Therefore, the seal member 9 is designed so that (i) a necessary volume of the first oil reservoir P1 is ensured and (ii) a necessary fastening force (fixing area) between the seal member 9 and the housing 7 can be ensured. Further, if the flat surface 7a3 of the inner peripheral surface of the housing 7 is lowered downward and the large diameter inner peripheral surface 7a1 is extended downward, the volume of the first oil reservoir P1 can be increased, but in this case, the axial dimension of the thin portion formed by the large diameter inner peripheral surface 7a1 of the housing 7 is increased, and therefore the rigidity is lowered, and there is a possibility that the fixing force between the housing 7 and the seal member 9 is lowered. Therefore, the housing 7 is designed in consideration of (i) the volume of the first oil reservoir P1 and (ii) the fastening force between the seal member 9 and the housing 7 (the rigidity of the thin portion of the housing 7).

In this embodiment, the materials of the sealing member 9 and the case 7 are selected so that the linear expansion coefficient of the sealing member is larger than the linear expansion coefficient of the case. In this case, by expanding the outer peripheral surface 9c of the sealing member 9 to be larger in diameter than the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a1 of the housing 7 in a high-temperature environment, the fastening force (fastening margin) between the sealing member 9 and the housing 7 is not damaged by a temperature rise, and the fastening strength between the two can be secured.

For example, when the sealing member 9 is formed of a resin material, it is preferable to use a material having a large deflection temperature under load, which can be used in a high-temperature environment, as the matrix resin, for example, PPS, L CP, PBT, or the like, and by blending reinforcing fibers with the matrix resin, the linear expansion coefficient of the sealing member 9, particularly the linear expansion coefficient in the radial direction (the direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the resin during injection molding), is about 2 to 7 × 10-5/° c.

In addition, when the case 7 is formed of a resin material, PPS, L CP, PBT or the like can be used as the base resin as in the case of the sealing member 9, for example, when the case 7 is formed of a resin material having the same base resin as the sealing member 9, the coefficient of linear expansion of the sealing member 9 can be made larger than the coefficient of linear expansion of the case 7 by making the compounding ratio of the reinforcing fibers slightly larger than that of the sealing member 9, and in this case, when the case 7 and the sealing member 9 are joined by ultrasonic welding, the fastening strength of both is further improved.

As the matrix resin of the resin material of the case 7, a material having a linear expansion coefficient smaller than that of the matrix resin of the resin material of the sealing member 9 may be used. Alternatively, the case 7 may be formed of a metal material such as brass, and the sealing member 9 may be formed of a resin material having a higher linear expansion coefficient than the case 7.

The linear expansion coefficient of the bearing sleeve 8 is determined by the composition (the blending ratio of iron and copper), but is generally smaller than that of the seal member 9, for example, about 1.5 × 10-5/deg.C.

In this embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the housing 7 is provided with a large-diameter outer peripheral surface 7a4 and a small-diameter outer peripheral surface 7a 5. An outer peripheral surface 9c of the seal member 9 is fitted with interference in an axial region of the housing 7 where the small-diameter outer peripheral surface 7a5 is provided. In the present embodiment, the small-diameter outer peripheral surface 7a5 is provided in the axial region including the entire region of the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a 1. Accordingly, when the outer peripheral surface 9c of the seal member 9 is press-fitted into the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 7a1 of the housing 7, the diameter of the seal member can be prevented from becoming larger than the large-diameter outer peripheral surface 7a4 even if the small-diameter outer peripheral surface 7a5 of the housing 7 bulges, and therefore the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 can be mounted on the inner periphery of the bracket 6 (see fig. 1) without hindrance.

In the above embodiment, the case where the convex portion of the seal member 9 is provided in a ring shape (cylindrical shape) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of circumferentially spaced convex portions may be provided to protrude downward from the outer diameter end of the disk portion 9a of the seal member 9.

In the above embodiment, the thrust bearing portion T is constituted by a so-called pivot bearing, and the pivot bearing supports the shaft member 2 in the thrust direction by sliding the convex spherical surface 2b at the lower end of the shaft member 2 in contact with the thrust bearing surface (thrust plate 10). In this case, the flange portion may be provided at the lower end of the shaft member, and both end surfaces of the flange portion may be supported in both thrust directions by the dynamic pressure bearing.

In the above embodiment, the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 having the partially filled structure in which the gap portion not filled with the lubricating oil is provided in the internal space of the housing 7 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a fluid dynamic bearing device having a so-called completely filled structure (not shown) in which the internal space of the housing 7 is filled with the lubricating oil.

In the above embodiment, the case where the shaft member 2 is set to the rotating side and the housing 7 and the bearing sleeve 8 are set to the fixed side has been described, but conversely, the shaft member 2 may be set to the fixed side and the housing 7 and the bearing sleeve 8 may be set to the rotating side.

In the above embodiment, the fluid dynamic bearing device 1 is applied to the fan motor, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a spindle motor of a disk drive device such as an HDD, a polygon scanner motor of a laser beam printer, or the like.

Description of reference numerals:

1 fluid dynamic pressure bearing device

2-axis member

7 casing

8 bearing sleeve

9 sealing member

9a disc part

9b Cylinder part (convex part)

10 thrust plate

P1 oil reservoir (first oil reservoir)

P2 second oil trap

Radial bearing surfaces A1 and A2

G1, G2 dynamic pressure groove

R1, R2 radial bearing portion

T thrust bearing portion.