Alternator for automobile having washer between housing and outer race of bearing

• US 8,602,656 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Mashino, Mikio, Hamada, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannon, Thomas R
• Application Number:
  US13/174,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20120045158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 384/517, 384/518, 384/563, 267161-165
• US Class Current: 384/517
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 25/083 with resilient means acting axially on a race ring to preload the bearing

Abstract

An alternator has front and rear bearings, supported by front and rear frames, to rotatably support a shaft of a rotor extending along axial direction. A washer is located between the rear frame and the rear bearing to apply pressing force to the rear bearing slightly movable along axial direction. The washer has a ring-shaped base portion concentrically located with the rear bearing, slanting portions extending from the base portion toward outside of radial direction such that two adjacent slanting portions arranged as each pair along circumferential direction are inclined to different sides of axial direction, and flattened portions extending from respective slanting portions toward outside and being parallel to the base portion. Flattened portions shifted to front side are in contact with the rear bearing, and flattened portions shifted to rear side are in contact with the rear frame.

Claims

1. An alternator, comprising:

a front bearing with an outer race;

a rear bearing with an outer race;

a housing holding the front and rear bearings;

a stator located in the housing;

a rotor with a shaft located in a space formed on an inside of the stator such that the shaft extending along an axial direction is rotatably supported by the front bearing and the rear bearing; and

a washer that applies a pressing force to both the housing located on a first axial side of the washer in the axial direction and the outer race of a force receiving bearing, denoting the front or rear bearing, located on a second axial side of the washer opposite to the first axial side,

wherein the washer comprises;

a ring-shaped base portion concentrically located with the force receiving bearing; and

at least three spring portions extending from an outer circumferential end of the base portion toward an outside of the base portion along a circumferential direction of the base portion such that at least one of the spring portions or the base portion is in contact with the outer race of the force receiving bearing so as to apply the pressing force to the outer race while at least another one of the spring portions or the base portion not in contact with the outer race is in contact with the housing so as to apply the pressing force to the housing, and

each spring portion of the washer comprises;

a slanting portion, extending from the base portion along a radial direction of the base portion while being inclined to the axial direction, and

a flattened portion extending from the slanting portion along the radial direction while being substantially in parallel to the base portion,

such that;

two slanting portions adjacent to each other in each pair along the circumferential direction are, respectively, inclined to the first and second axial sides of the axial direction, and

the flattened portions extending from the slanting portions inclined to the first axial side are in contact with the housing, and the flattened portions extending from the slanting portions inclined to the second axial side are in contact with the outer race of the force receiving bearing.

2. An alternator comprising:

a front bearing with an outer race;

a rear bearing with an outer race;

a housing holding the front and rear bearings;

a stator located in the housing;

a rotor with a shaft located in a space formed on an inside of the stator such that the shaft extending along an axial direction is rotatably supported by the front bearing and the rear bearing; and

a washer that applies a pressing force to both the housing located on a first axial side of the washer in the axial direction and the outer race of a force receiving bearing, denoting the front or rear bearing, located on a second axial side of the washer opposite to the first axial side,

wherein the washer comprises;

a ring-shaped base portion concentrically located with the force receiving bearing; and

at least three spring portions extending from an outer circumferential end of the base portion toward an outside of the base portion along a circumferential direction of the base portion such that at least one of the spring portions or the base portion is in contact with the outer race of the force receiving bearing so as to apply the pressing force to the outer race while at least another one of the spring portions or the base portion not in contact with the outer race is in contact with the housing so as to apply the pressing force to the housing, and

each spring portion of the washer comprises;

a connection portion extending from the outer circumferential end of the base portion along a radial direction of the base portion,

a first slanting portion extending from an outermost side of the connection portion toward a first circumferential side of the circumferential direction while being inclined to the first axial side of the axial direction,

a second slanting portion extending from the outermost side of the connection portion toward a second circumferential side opposite to the first circumferential side while being inclined to the second axial side of the axial direction,

a first tip portion extending from the first slanting portion toward the first circumferential side so as to be substantially in parallel to the base portion, and

a second tip portion extending from the second slanting portion toward the second circumferential side so as to be substantially in parallel to the base portion,

such that;

two slanting portions adjacent to each other in each pair along the circumferential direction are, respectively, inclined to the first and second axial sides of the axial direction, and

the first tip portions of the washer are in contact with the housing, while the second tip portions of the washer are in contact with the outer race of the force receiving bearing.