End shield with cylindrical bearing mount

• US 4,645,361 A
• Filed: 12/06/1985
• Issued: 02/24/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fasco Industries, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Fasco Industries, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Lakin, Bryan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Footland, Lenard A.
• Application Number:
  US06/805,813
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 384/517, 384/537, 384/441, 384/903, 384/208, 308/DIG. 3, 308/DIG. 11
• US Class Current: 384/441
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/1732 radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor H02K5/1737 takes precedence

Abstract

An end shield for an electric motor or the like includes a generally disk shaped planar portion having a cylindrical bearing socket therein for mounting a cylindrical bearing. The socket has a cylindrical side wall and an end wall, and is formed from ears and tabs from the material of the disk such that the ears are bent out of the plane of the disk to extend at right angles to the planar portion. The ears define the cylindrical side wall of the socket. The tabs extend generally radially inwardly and define the end wall of the socket. A cylindrical bearing within the socket is retained radially and in axial alignment by the cylindrical side wall of the socket, and is restrained in an axial direction by the end wall of the socket. A spring may be mounted within the socket to resiliently preload the bearings of the motor in the axial direction.

Claims

1. An end shield for an electric motor or the like comprising a generally planar portion having a cylindrical bearing socket therein for mounting a cylindrical bearing within the socket, the socket having a cylindrical side wall and an end wall, the socket formed from ears and tabs from the material of the end shield, the ears being bent out of the plane of the planar portion to extend at right angles thereto and defining the cylindrical side wall of the socket, the tabs extending generally radially inwardly and defining the end wall of the socket, the ears having means to retain a cylindrical bearing within the socket, and the tabs having means to retain a cylindrical bearing within the socket in an axial direction.

2. The end shield of claim 1 wherein said tabs are outwardly offset from the planar portion of the end shield.

3. The end shield of claim 1 wherein the inside surfaces of the ears are curved to generally conform to the cylindrical side of the bearing.

4. The end shield of claim 1 wherein there are at least two such ears.

5. The end shield of claim 1 wherein there are at least two such tabs.

6. The end shield of claim 1 wherein the tabs and ears alternate, each being equally spaced circumferentially.

7. The end shield of claim 1 wherein each tab and each ear is tapered, being wider at its base than at its free end.

8. The end shield of claim 1 wherein the free ends of the tabs are spaced from the center of the socket to define a central opening in the end wall.

9. An end shield for an electric motor or the like comprising a generally disk shaped planar portion having a cylindrical bearing socket therein for mounting a cylindrical bearing within the socket, the socket having a cylindrical side wall and an end wall, the socket formed from ears and tabs from the material of the end shield, the ears being bent out of the plane of the planar portion to extend at right angles thereto, the inside surfaces of the ears being curved to generally conform to the cylindrical side of the bearing to define the cylindrical side wall of the socket, the tabs extending generally radially inwardly and being outwardly offset from the planar portion to define the end wall of the socket, there being alternate tabs and ears with the tabs equally spaced circumferentially and the ears equally spaced circumferentially, the ears having means to retain a cylindrical bearing within the socket radially and in axial alignment, and the tabs having means to retain a cylindrical bearing within the socket in an axial direction.

10. In an electric motor or the like, the combination of:

a rotor mounted on a shaft, cylindrical bearings at the ends of the rotor shaft for mounting the shaft, end shields having generally planar portions with cylindrical bearing sockets therein for mounting the cylindrical bearings within the sockets, each socket having a cylindrical side wall and an end wall, each socket formed from ears and tabs from the material of the end shield, the ears being bent out of the plane of the planar portion to extend at right angles to the planar portion and defining the cylindrical side wall of the socket, the tabs extending generally radially inwardly and defining the end wall of the socket, the ears having means to retain each bearing radially and in axial alignment with the socket in which it is mounted, and the tabs having means to retain each bearing in an axial direction in the socket in which it is mounted, the sockets and hence the bearings being in axial alignment.

11. In the electric motor or the like of claim 10 further comprising spring means in at least one socket to resiliently preload the bearings in the axial direction, the sockets being sized to allow axial movement of the bearings therein within the restraints of the end walls.

12. In the electric motor or the like of claim 11 wherein the spring means is located between the bearing and the end wall of the socket in which it is mounted.

13. In the electric motor or the like of claim 12 further comprising a washer in at least one socket between the bearing and the end wall of the socket in which it is mounted.

14. In the electric motor or the like of claim 13 wherein the spring means is between the hearing and the washer.

15. In the electric motor or the like of claim 12 further comprising a closed cap in at least one socket between the bearing and the end wall of the socket in which it is mounted.

16. In the electric motor or the like of claim 15 wherein the spring means is between the bearing and the cap.

17. In the electric motor or the like of claim 10 wherein said tabs are outwardly offset from the planar portions of the end shields.

18. In the electric motor or the like of claim 10 wherein the inside surfaces of the ears are curved to generally conform to the cylindrical sides of the bearings.