High pressure boundary seal
US6149159A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 21, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16C2370/12
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A high pressure boundary seal adjacent at least one of the bearings of the spindle motor. The motor itself includes a shaft, typically a fixed shaft and a rotor supported by bearings and rotating outside the shaft. The high-pressure boundary seal comprises a ring which surrounds the shaft across a small gap and is supported from and rotates with the rotor or hub. In a first embodiment, a herringbone pattern is defined on the inner surface of the ring or the outer surface of the shaft. The upper and lower sections of the herringbone pattern are substantially equal so that a zone of high pressure is established at about the center of the pattern. This high pressure boundary zone prevents the flow of any contaminants from the interior of the motor or the bearing between the shaft and the sealing ring out into the interior section of the disc drive housing where they could potentially contaminate the disc.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.