Low profile motor

• US 20030048084A1
• Filed: 10/01/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motion Holdings, LLC (Gentherm Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Comair Rotron Incorporated (Gentherm Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brown, Fred A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,841,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/254
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/0633 Details of the magnetic circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/064 Details of the rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/068 Mechanical details of the pump control unit pump control details F04D27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/33 Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics H02K11/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/40 Structural association with grounding devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 2211/03 Machines characterised by circuit boards, e.g. pcb
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 29/08 using magnetic effect devices, e.g. Hall-plates, magneto-resistors H02K29/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/225 Terminal boxes or connection arrangements specially adapted for submersible motors H02K5/132
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20172 Fan mounting or fan specifications
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20209 Thermal management, e.g. fan control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 310/06 Printed-circuit motors and components

Abstract

A flat pack blower utilizes surface mounting techniques for mounting the blower electronics on a thin laminated circuit board to reduce the blower profile. To that end, the blower includes a stator, and a rotor rotatably coupled to the stator. The stator includes a coil, a pole coupled with the coil, and a laminated circuit board having blower control circuitry and pads for electrically connecting the blower control circuitry to the coil. Use of surface mounting techniques on the laminated circuit board thus eliminates the discrete electronic components and the wires connecting such components.

Claims

1. An air moving apparatus comprising:

a stator;

a rotor assembly coupled to the stator;

circuitry to control the rotation of the rotor; and

a housing forming an interior having a bottom face, the circuitry being directly secured to the bottom face within the interior of the housing.

2. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein the circuitry comprises circuit elements mounted to a circuit board, the circuit board being directly secured to the bottom face of the housing.

3. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 2 wherein the bottom face has a bottom face area and the circuit board has a board area, the board area being substantially equal to the bottom face area.

4. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 2 wherein the rotor assembly has a bottom surface facing the circuit board, the circuit board having an opposing region that faces the bottom surface of the rotor assembly, the opposing region being free of circuit elements.

5. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 4 wherein the opposing region is toroidally shaped.

6. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 4 wherein the circuit elements are connected by traces in the circuit board, at least one of the traces being within the opposing region.

7. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein the rotor assembly includes a rotor and a secured impeller.

8. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein the housing forms an air inlet for drawing air into the interior, and an air outlet for directing air from the interior.

9. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein the circuitry includes a laminated circuit board having surface mounted circuit elements, the laminated circuit board being directly secured to the bottom face of the housing.

10. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein the bottom face includes at least one edge, the circuitry being distributed about the at least one edge of the bottom face.

11. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein the housing includes a front face, the air moving apparatus having a planform when the front face is absent, the planform having a boundary formed by the housing, the planform also having an interior region formed by the rotor assembly, the portion of the planform between the interior region and the boundary having the circuitry.

12. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein the bottom face is substantially parallel to the rotor assembly.

13. An air moving apparatus comprising:

a stator;

a rotor assembly coupled to the stator;

a housing forming an interior having a bottom face; and

means for mounting circuitry to the bottom face of the housing, the circuitry controlling rotation of the rotor.

14. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 13 wherein the mounting means includes a circuit board having the circuitry mounted thereon.

15. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 14 wherein the bottom face has a bottom face area and the circuit board has a board area, the board area being substantially equal to the bottom face area.

16. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 13 wherein the mounting means includes a laminated circuit board, the circuitry having surface mounted circuit elements.

17. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 13 wherein the mounting means is free of circuit elements between the bottom face and the rotor assembly.

18. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 13 wherein the mounting means includes circuit traces between the bottom face and the rotor assembly.

19. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 13 wherein the rotor assembly includes an impeller.

20. An air moving apparatus comprising:

a stator;

a rotor assembly coupled to the stator;

circuitry to control rotation of the rotor; and

a housing having an interior to contain the circuitry, the circuitry including laminated circuit elements mounted on a laminated circuit board.

21. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 20 wherein the rotor assembly has a bottom surface facing the laminated circuit board, the laminated circuit board having an opposing region that faces the bottom surface of the rotor assembly, the opposing region being free of circuit elements.

22. The air moving apparatus as defined by claim 21 wherein the circuit elements are connected by traces in the laminated circuit board, at least one of the traces being within the opposing region.