Dynamic pressure bearing

Abstract: A dynamic pressure bearing (4) equipped with a moving side bearing member (4b) and a fixed side bearing member (4a) and rotatably bearing a rotor (1) by generating a fluid dynamic pressure between the moving side bearing member and the fixed side bearing member is disclosed. The dynamic pressure bearing includes exciting means (6) for applying a high-frequency vibration to the fixed side bearing member (4a) at the time at least of start-up or shutdown of the rotor. By this, both bearing members (4a,4b) are kept almost free from contact with each other and a frictional resistance at start-up and/or shutdown is minimized.

Description: The present invention relates to a dynamic pressure bearing. A bearing such as ball bearing or the like operating on a greased lubrication base has been used prevalently hitherto as a bearing for rotary equipments. However, it is considered preferable that a dynamic pressure pneumatic bearing be used instead of the ball bearing to improve rotation precision and lifetime according to the rotary equipments operating at high speed and also at high precision. However, in a conventional dynamic pneumatic bearing, or thrust bearing above all, since a frictional resistance between bearing members is so big at the time of start-up, it requires a large starting torque, thus entailing the problem that an excessive motor performance is required, a lifetime of the bearing is limited due to the wear at the time of start-up and so forth. PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN, vol. 12, no. 342 (E-658) [3189] Sept. 14, 1988 disclose a brushless motor adapted to permit quick and sure starting, even for a heavy load condition. The vibration of a piezo-electric body is amplified and synthesized by utilizing the resonance characteristics of a vibrating body to generate a circumferential travelling wave, coaxial with a fixed center shaft, on a surface (driving surface) contacted with a thrust bearing piece of the vibrating body. Thereby the rotation of the thrust bearing piece is driven into the same direction as the stationary rotating direction of the rotating body. In the condition of the initial of period of starting in which no other rotating driving force is exerted to the rotating body, the rotating body contacted with said bearing piece through a thrust sliding surface, is driven to rotate integrally with the thrust bearing piece by the static friction of the thrust sliding surface based on a thrust load including the attracting force of a rotor magnet to a stator yoke, therefore, a predetermined rotating speed may be achieved in a short period of time. Further, US-A-3,471,205 discloses squeeze film bearings including a straint producing member preferably formed of a piezo-ceramic material. In accordance with the present invention a dynamic pressure bearing as set forth in claim 1 is provided. Preferred embodiments of the invention are referred to in the dependent claims. Thus, the present invention provides a dynamic pressure bearing capable of minimizing the fric-tional resistance between the bearing members at the time when it starts and stops, thereby ensuring a smooth start-up and shutdown of the dynamic pressure bearing. To solve the aforementioned problems, in a dynamic pressure bearing equipped with both a moving side bearing member and a fixed side bearing member, and rotatably bearing a roto of a motor, by generating a fluid dynamic pressure between the moving side bearing member and the fixed side bearing member, the dynamic pressure bearing includes exciting means for applying a high-frequency vibration to the fixed side bearing member at the time at least of start-up and shutdown of the rotor, and during shutdown of the rotor an electric power generated by an inertia rotation upon stop of the motor is used as a power source of the exciting means. The exciting frequency of the exciting means is preferably made to coincide with the higher mode of resonance frequency of the fixed side bearing member of the dynamic pressure bearing. Further, the exciting means is preferably made by laminating a piezoelectric element on the fixed side bearing member, and applying a high-frequency voltage to the piezo-electric element for excitation. When is dynamic pressure bearing is constructed as described above, and a high-frequency vibration is applied to the fixed side bearing member through the exciting means, since a plurality of vibration areas of loop and node are produced on the fixed side bearing member, the fixed side bearing member and the moving side bearing member come in contact instantaneously with each other only at the loop portion. Further a fluid membrane may be produced between the fixed and moving side members by a so-called squeeze effect. Therefore bearing members are kept almost free from contact with each other and a frictional resistance is minimized. The above mentioned as well as other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative examples. Fig. 1 shows a vertical section of an embodiment where a dynamic pressure bearing of the present invention is applied to a spindle motor; Figs. 2(a), (b) are drawings showing a vibrational behavior of the stator side bearing plate, wherein Fig. 2(a) is a plan view of the bearing plate and Fig. 2(b) is a side sectional view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a side sectional view showing a piezoelectric element stacked bearing plate which is used as an exciting means in the dynamic pressure bearing of the present invention. One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 represents a spindle motor using a dynamic pressure bearing according to the present invention. As illustrated, the spindle motor is equipped with a rotor 1 and a stator 2, the rotor 1 being supported on the stator 2 rotatably through a radial bearing 3 and a thrust bearing 4. The radial bearing 3 is a dynamic pressure herringbone bearing, and the thrust bearing 4 is a dynamic pressure spiral-grooved bearing. The spindle motor is a so-called outer rotor type spindle motor wherein the rotor 1 is rotated on the radial bearing 3 and the thrust bearing 4 upon actuation of a motor 5. A piezoelectric element 6 functioning as an actuator for a high-frequency exciting device is mounted on a lower portion of the stator 2. By applying an AC voltage generated in a high-frequency oscillation circuit (not indicated) to the piezoelectric element 6, a high-frequency vibration is applied to the stator 2 of the spindle motor. The high-frequency excitation is effected by interlocking with an operation of the motor 5 by its drive circuit (not indicated) and is effected only at the time of start-up and shutdown of the motor 5. By exciting the stator 2, a stator side bearing plate 4a of the thrust bearing 4 (dynamic pressure spiral-grooved bearing) is excited. The excitation is carried out at a resonance frequency of the stator side bearing plate 4a. Figs. 2(a), (b) show a vibration behavior of the stator side bearing plate 4a. A vibration having a plurality of loops L and nodes N is obtainable, as illustrated, from exciting the stator side bearing plate 4a. In this case the stator side bearing plate 4a and the rotor side bearing plate 4b of the thrust bearing 4 come in contact only at a loop portion of the vibration, and, the rotor side bearing plate 4b and, thus the rotor 1 almost comes to a stop at a position where the vibration amplitude is maximized, as shown in Fig. 2(b), due to an inertia acting on the rotor 1. Since the vibration frequency is high normally from several kHz to several ten kHz, a contact of the stator side bearing plate 4a with the rotor side bearing plate 4b is instantaneous, and further a formation of an air membrane according to a so-called squeeze effect can be expected. Accordingly, the stator side bearing plate 4a and the rotor side bearing plate 4b are kept almost free from contact with each other, and thus a frictional resistance is minimized. Therefore, by providing high-frequency exciting means, the spindle motor can be actuated at an extremely small torque and a wear between the stator side bearing plate 4a and the rotor side bearing plate 4b at the time of actuation is minimized as well. Further, by effecting a high-frequency excitation at the time of shutdown, a wear is also minimized. By using an electric power generated by the motor 5 due to an inertia rotation of the rotor 1 as a power source for the high-frequency oscillation circuit for applying a high-frequency voltage to the piezoelectric element 6 at the time of shutdown, the high-frequency oscillation circuit may be constructed as a simple circuit which functions as a damping device at the same time. Although Fig. 1 exemplifies the case where the piezoelectric element 6 is mounted on a bottom of the stator 2, that is, outside of the spindle motor, the invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, Fig. 3 shows that by stacking a bearing plate 10 and a piezoelectric element 11, an excitation of the bearing plate 10 becomes more dependable, and an enhancement of the above-mentioned effect by excitation can further be expected. Further, although the invention is applied to a spiral-grooved thrust bearing in the above-described embodiment, it may also be applied, to other dynamic pressure bearings different in type therefrom. In addition, the present invention involves the application of a high-frequency vibration to the dynamic pressure bearing by way of exciting means to decrease the starting torque of the dynamic pressure bearing. Therefore, a bearing rigidity could be improved by applying a large preload to the dynamic pressure bearing, for example, by means of a magnetic force. Further, in the above-described embodiment, although the high-frequency excitation is effected at the time of both start-up and shutdown of the motor, the wear of the dynamic pressure bearing is substantially be decreased by applying the high-frequency excitation at either the start-up or shutdown of the rotor. As described above, according to the present invention, the following advantageous effects will be obtainable as: (1) By applying a high-frequency vibration to the dynamic pressure bearing by the exciting means, the fixed side bearing member and the moving side bearing member are kept almost free from contact with each other and, therefore, a frictional resistance at the time of start-up and/or shutdown of a rotor will be minimized. (2) When the dynamic pressure bearing is used as a motor bearing, by using an electric power generated by the inertia rotation of a rotor upon stop of the motor as a power source for the exciting means, a high-frequency oscillation circuit for the exciting means could be constructed as a simple circuit which functions as a damping device at the same time. (3) By applying a large preload to the dynamic pressure bearing, for example, by means of a magnetic force, a bearing rigidity may be improved.

Claims: A dynamic pressure bearing equipped with a moving side bearing member (4b) and a fixed side bearing member (4a) and rotatably bearing a rotor (1) of a motor (5) by generating a fluid dynamic pressure between the moving side bearing member (46) and the fixed side bearing member (4a), said dynamic pressure bearing comprising exciting means (6,11) for applying a high-frequency vibration to said fixed side bearing member (4a) at the time at least of start-up or shutdown of said rotor, characterised in that an electric power generated by an inertia rotation of said rotor (1) upon stop of the motor (5) is used as a power source of said exciting means (6,11). The dynamic pressure bearing as defined in claim 1, wherein said moving side bearing member (4b) is supported on a stator and said exciting means (6) is provided on said stator (2). The dynamic pressure bearing as defined in claim 1, wherein said exciting means (6) is stacked on said fixed side bearing member (4a). The dynamic pressure bearing as defined in claim 2 or 3, wherein an exciting frequency of said exciting means (6) coincides with a higher mode of resonance frequency of said fixed side bearing member (4a). The dynamic pressure bearing as defined in claim 4, wherein said vibration frequency is within several kHz to several ten kHz. The dynamic pressure bearing as defined in claim 2 or 3, wherein the said exciting means (6) comprises a piezoelectric element (6), and a high-frequency voltage is applied thereto for excitation. The dynamic pressure bearing as defined in claim 2 or 3, wherein the said dynamic pressure bearing is the thrust bearing (4) of a motor. The dynamic pressure bearing as defined in claim 7, wherein the said motor is a spindle motor. The dynamic pressure bearing as defined in claim 8, wherein the said spindle motor is an outer rotor type spindle motor wherein said rotor (1) is supported on a radial bearing (3) and said thrust bearing (4). The dynamic pressure bearing as defined in claim 7, wherein the thrust bearing (4) is a spiral grooved bearing.

Inventors: AIYOSHIZAWA SHUNICHI, HINATA TATSUO, KANEMITSU YOICHI, KATAOKA TADASHI, MARUTA YOSHIYUKI, MIMURA SHUNSUKE, SUZUKI MAMORU, TOSHIMITSU MANABU, AIYOSHIZAWA, SHUNICHI, HINATA, TATSUO, KANEMITSU, YOICHI, KATAOKA, TADASHI, MARUTA, YOSHIYUKI, MIMURA, SHUNSUKE, SUZUKI, MAMORU, TOSHIMITSU, MANABU
Applicants: EBARA CORP, EBARA CORPORATION
Application year: 1991
Main classification: F16C32
IPC codes: F16C17, F16C32, H02K7