Electric motor-and-gear assembly for vehicle accessories

• US 6,515,399 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Herp, Juergen, Schneider, Christian, Lauf, Detlef, Hurst, Richard, Maurer, Erik, Fischer, Ernst, Wiegert, Andreas, Bock, Bernd, Karcher, Hansjoerg
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Nestor
• Assistant Examiner(s): GONZALEZ, JULIO CESAR
• Application Number:
  US09/622,029
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 310/99, 310/239, 310/242, 310/244, 310/245, 310/246, 310/247
• US Class Current: 310/239
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/25 Devices for sensing temperature, or actuated thereby
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/145 Fixedly supported brushes or brush holders, e.g. leaf or leaf-mounted brushes
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/225 Terminal boxes or connection arrangements specially adapted for submersible motors H02K5/132
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1166 comprising worm and worm-wheel structural association with bearings specially adapted for worm gear drives H02K7/081

Abstract

An electric motor-and-gear assembly for driving vehicle aggregates such as windshield and rear window wipers, power-window units and the like, having a transmission housing that can be closed by a housing cover. A motor housing that contains a commutator motor whose commutator protrudes into the transmission housing and cooperates with a brush holder fixed in the transmission housing. For the sake of a more reasonably priced manufacture and a time-saving, more rapid assembly of the brush holder, the commutator brushes are embodied as hammer brushes with spring leaf actuators prestressed toward the commutator. The spring leaf actuator are respectively fixed with their one actuator end in a U-shaped plastic carrying part of the brush holder, which is inserted into the transmission housing radial to the commutator, through the housing opening and is positioned in the transmission housing in a positively engaging manner by means of the housing cover.

Claims

1. An electric motor-and-gear assembly for driving vehicle aggregates comprising a transmission housing (10) including a housing opening (12) that is closed by a housing cover (13) when assembled for operation, a motor housing (11) attached to the transmission housing (10), a commutator motor (14) contained in the motor housing (11), said commutator motor includes an elongated rotor shaft (17), which rotor shaft has an axis and supports a commutator (22), wherein the elongated rotor shaft protrudes into the transmission housing (10), a brush holder (23) fixed within the transmission housing (10), which brush holder (23) supports at least two commutator brushes (24) that rest against the commutator (22) with a spring force, the brush holder (23) having a U-shaped carrying part (25), and the commutator brushes (24) each includes a spring leaf actuator (26) prestressed toward the commutator (22), each spring leaf actuator (26) including a first actuator end (43) and a second actuator end (44), wherein each first actuator end (43) is fixed to the carrying part (25), and each second actuator end (44) supports a sliding body (27) that rests against the commutator (22), each sliding body (27) being fixed to the second actuator end (44) and guided against the commutator (22) only by said second actuator end (44), wherein the brush holder (23) is inserted into the transmission housing (10) through the housing opening (12) radially to the commutator (22), and the transmission housing (10) having positioning faces (37, 38) oriented at right angles to each other, and said positioning faces also being oriented such as to face in directions which are radial to the axis of the elongated rotor shaft, whereby the carrying part (25) of the brush holder (23) is positioned properly in radial directions at right angles to each other in relation to the commutator (22) by means of the carrying part (25) engaging the positioning faces (37, 38).

2. The motor according to claim 1, wherein the carrying part (25) is fixed in the transmission housing (10) by means of the housing cover (13) that is placed onto the housing opening (12) upon assembly.

3. The motor according to claim 2, in which at least one elastomer element (39) is disposed between one side of the carrying part (25) oriented toward the housing cover (13) and an inside of the housing cover (13).

4. The motor according to claim 3, in which the at least one elastomer element is part of a seal (40) that is made of a flexible material and is injection molded onto the housing cover (13).

5. The motor according to claim 1, in which in order to fix the spring leaf actuators (26) to the carrying part (25), the carrying part (25) has slots (31) that feeds into one end, into which the actuator ends (43, 44) of the spring leaf actuators (26) are slid in a clamping fashion.

6. The motor according to claim 5, wherein the slots (31) in the carrying part (25) are aligned so that after their ends are slid into the respectively associated slot (31), the spring leaf actuators (26) are precisely positioned in relation to the commutator (22).

7. The motor according to claim 1, wherein the spring leaf actuators (26) are embodied as insert pieces that are molded-in at the ends during the production of the carrying part (25), which is embodied as an injection-molded plastic part.

8. The motor according to claim 1, wherein the actuator ends of the spring leaf actuators (26) are angled and are fastened to an inside of the carrying part (25) pointing toward a U-opening by a securing means.

9. The motor according to claim 8, in which the spring leaf actuators (26) are of one piece with one another and after attachment to the carrying part (25), are separated from one another, at prepared dividing points.

10. The motor according to claim 1, in which clips (28) are embodied on the spring leaf actuators (26) in order to fix sliding bodies (27) in a positively and frictionally engaging manner.

11. The motor according to claim 1, in which assembly aides (33) are embodied at free ends of the spring leaf actuators (26), and are of one piece with each spring leaf actuator (26) to make it easier to slide the spring leaf actuators (26) onto the commutator (22).

12. The motor according to claim 1, in which pigtails (29) for the sliding bodies (27) are fixed in clamping forks (30) embodied on the carrying part (25) and are of one piece with the carrying part.

13. The motor according to claim 1, in which a thermal circuit breaker (36) is clipped into the carrying part (25) and that the thermal circuit breaker (36) is affixed to a ground plate (361).