Bearing assembly

• US 7,834,501 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2004
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Inventors: Crossley, Peter Lee, Childe, Matthew John
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Dang D
• Application Number:
  US10/572,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20070230839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,251 Days
• Field of Search: 310/90, 310/51, 384/495, 384/536, 384/611
• US Class Current: 310/90
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2314/00 Personal or domestic articles, e.g. household appliances such as washing machines, dryers
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2360/44 Centrifugal pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 27/066 Ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/077 between housing and outer race ring
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/1732 radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor H02K5/1737 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/14 Structural association with mechanical loads, e.g. with hand-held machine tools or fans with fan or impeller for cooling the machine H02K9/06

Abstract

A bearing assembly particularly suitable for the rotor arrangement of an electrical motor or generator includes a bearing located in a housing. The bearing has an inner race, an outer race, and a plurality of ball bearings between the inner and outer races. A portion of the housing is made up of a deformable flexible wall which permits the housing to conform to the shape of the outer race member, rather than forcing the outer race to conform to the shape of the housing, as was experienced hitherto.

Claims

1. A bearing assembly comprising:

a bearing having an inner race and an outer race;

a housing for the bearing, wherein a portion of the housing comprises a deformable metallic wall, the deformable metallic wall being configured to deform such that it substantially conforms to a contour of the outer race; and

a resilient structure provided on the housing for soft mounting the bearing assembly to a stator.

2. A bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformable wall has a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm.

3. A bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformable wall has a thickness of 0.1 mm to 2 mm.

4. A bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the deformable wall is integral with the rest of the housing.

5. A bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the deformable wall is in direct contact with the outer race of the bearing.

6. A bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the housing further comprises an arrangement for supplying lubrication to the bearing.

7. A bearing assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the arrangement for supplying lubrication comprises a reservoir of fluid.

8. A bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the housing is thermally conductive.

9. A bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the deformable wall is manufactured from zinc alloy material.

10. A rotor assembly for a motor comprising a rotor on a shaft having a bearing assembly at each end portion of the rotor assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, the bearings being arranged to rotatably support the rotor and shaft.

11. A rotor assembly as claimed in claim 10, further comprising an impeller mounted in fixed relationship on the shaft.

12. A rotor assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the impeller is located between the bearing assemblies such that, in use, fluid pumped by the impeller is drawn over at least one of the bearing assemblies.

13. A rotor assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the resilient structure comprises an o-ring substantially concentric with the shaft.

14. A rotor assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the resilient structure comprises a pair of o-rings substantially concentric with the shaft and arranged at respective end portions of the housing.

15. An electrical machine comprising a rotor assembly as claimed in claim 13.

16. An electrical machine as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a stator in which the rotor assembly is located, the resilient structures being interposed between the bearing housings and the stator.

17. An electrical machine as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a detector detecting the rotational position of the rotor with respect to the stator.

18. An electrical machine as claimed in claim 17, further comprising electrical windings on the stator and a controller arranged to energize the windings in dependence on signals from the position detector.

19. An electrical machine as claimed in claim 18 in the form of a high-speed motor.

20. A cleaning appliance incorporating an electrical machine as claimed in claim 18.

21. A cleaning appliance incorporating a rotor assembly as claimed in claim 13.

22. A cleaning appliance incorporating a bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3.

23. The bearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the resilient structure comprises an o-ring.