Importance

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Abstract

A bearing design for a rotatable assembly includes two freely rotating balls mounted on the axis of rotation of the assembly and axially separated, one near each axial end of the assembly. Each ball is confined by a moving concave bearing surface of the rotatable assembly and a corresponding fixed concave bearing surface of a mounting attached to a frame, housing, or similar non-rotating structure. One of the fixed mountings is preferably attached to a compressible spring to provide a controlled axial pre-load to the assembly. The balls are substantially enclosed and lubricant provided in the enclosed cavity. In the preferred embodiment, the rotatable assembly is a rotary actuator assembly of a disk drive. Compared to conventional ball bearing designs, the present design reduces the number of parts and volume of space occupied by the bearings, reduces hysteresis, and improves shock resistance.

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First Claim