Actuator with an actuator housing

Abstract

The actuator has an actuator housing containing a stator and a rotor, and an actuator cover. To facilitate simple and cost-effective mounting, the stator is provided with at least two fixing elements that project to different lengths beyond the stator towards the base of the actuator housing. The stator has two receptacles for the projecting ends of the fixing elements. One receptacle, associated with the more projecting fixing element, has the same cross-section as the engaging end of that fixing element. The other receptacle is elongated.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an actuator with an actuator housing according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such actuators are used, for example, in the automotive sector, for controlling acoustic flaps, valves, flaps, cylinder deactivation valves, and the like. The assembly of such actuators is complex and therefore expensive. The stator must be aligned within the actuator housing according to its contours. The stator must then be secured in the actuator housing by screwing it in place.

[0003] The invention is based on the objective of designing the generic actuator in such a way that simple and cost-effective assembly is possible.

[0004] This problem is solved according to the invention in the generic actuator by the characterizing features of claim 1.

[0005] The stator is equipped with at least two fixing elements. These are positioned on the stator so that they project different distances towards the housing base. When the stator is inserted into the actuator housing during assembly, the fixing element that projects further forward first engages in its corresponding receptacle in the housing base. This pre-positions the stator within the actuator housing. The fixing element is correctly positioned in the receptacle because the receptacle has the same cross-section as the engaging end of the fixing element. As the stator is further inserted into the actuator housing, the end of the fixing element that projects less forward then engages in the other receptacle, which has an elongated slot. This allows for the compensation of any tolerances regarding the position of the receptacle in the actuator housing and the fixing elements within the stator.A simple plug-in process allows the stator to be precisely positioned and aligned within the actuator housing. The actuator design according to the invention thus enables fully automated stator assembly. Furthermore, high accuracy of the gear center distances is achieved through their mounting on the fixing elements.

[0006] The recess for the fixing elements is advantageously provided in a projection on the housing base. These projections ensure precise positioning of the fixing elements and thus of the stator.

[0007] If the projections are formed integrally with the actuator housing, the actuator housing can be manufactured simply, for example by an injection molding process, if the actuator housing preferably consists of a suitable plastic.

[0008] The fixing parts are advantageously designed to support the gears of an actuator's gear drive. In this case, the fixing parts also simultaneously form the axles for the gears.

[0009] The gear drive with the gears is advantageously located on the side of the stator facing away from the housing base. This allows the stator to first be inserted into the actuator housing's receptacles using the fixing elements, and then the gears to be mounted on the protruding parts of the fixing elements.

[0010] Preferably, the fixing parts are formed by needle rollers, which ensure a secure rotational bearing of the gears on the fixing parts.

[0011] In a further embodiment according to the invention, the actuator housing can be closed by an actuator cover, which can be positioned relative to the actuator housing in the circumferential direction of the actuator cover by means of at least one positioning element projecting from it towards the actuator housing. The positioning element allows the actuator cover to be aligned easily yet precisely relative to the actuator housing during assembly.

[0012] To facilitate the mounting of the actuator cover on the actuator housing, the part of the positioning element that protrudes beyond the edge of the actuator cover is advantageously provided with an insertion chamfer. This chamfer guides the actuator cover into the correct position when it is placed on the actuator housing.

[0013] In an advantageous embodiment, the positioning element is designed to rest against the inside of the outer wall of the actuator housing when the actuator cover is installed. By positioning the element against the inside, the actuator cover can be precisely aligned with the actuator housing in the circumferential direction.

[0014] Preferably, the actuator cover is provided with a circumferential rim, via which it can be firmly connected to the actuator housing.

[0015] The positioning element is preferably arranged on the inside edge of the actuator cover. This means that the positioning element is not visible from the outside when mounted.

[0016] A secure and tight connection between the actuator housing and the actuator cover is advantageously achieved when the edge of the actuator cover rests with its end face on the end face of the side wall of the actuator housing. The overlapping edges can be firmly and tightly joined together, for example, by welding.

[0017] Manufacturing the actuator is advantageously simple and cost-effective if the positioning element is formed integrally with the actuator cover. The actuator cover is advantageously made of an injection-moldable plastic, allowing it to be manufactured easily in a single injection molding process.

[0018] Advantageously, the actuator cover has a receptacle on its inner side facing the actuator housing for one end of the rotor's fixing element. Using this fixing element, the rotor, which slides on the fixing element, can be easily aligned and positioned relative to the stator and the actuator housing.

[0019] The other end of the rotor's fixing element is advantageously received in a recess in the base of the actuator housing. In this way, the rotor's fixing element is secured and held at both ends. Both recesses on the actuator cover and the actuator housing are designed to ensure that the two ends of the rotor's fixing element are securely supported and held. Advantageously, the recesses in the actuator cover and the actuator housing base have the same circular cross-section as the ends of the fixing element projecting into the recesses.

[0020] The fixing element of the rotor is preferably a needle roller. It is designed such that both ends project axially beyond the rotor, allowing the ends of the fixing element to be securely received in the two receptacles.

[0021] The rotor-side fixing part enables simple yet reliable lateral alignment between the actuator cover and the actuator housing.

[0022] The subject matter of the application is not only defined by the subject matter of the individual patent claims, but also by all information and features disclosed in the drawings and the description. These are claimed as essential to the invention, even if they are not explicitly stated in the claims, insofar as they are novel, individually or in combination, compared to the prior art.

[0023] Further features of the invention will become apparent from the further claims, the description and the drawings.

[0024] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to two embodiments illustrated in the drawings. These show Fig. 1 in schematic representation an axial section through an actuator housing of an actuator according to the invention, into which a stator and a rotor are inserted, Fig. 2 in perspective view a part of the actuator housing according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3 in schematic representation and in axial section the actuator housing of the actuator according to the invention, in which a stator and a rotor are housed and on which an actuator cover is placed. Fig. 4 in perspective and enlarged view a part of an actuator cover placed on the actuator housing according to Fig. 3, Fig. Figure 5 shows a perspective view of part of a second embodiment of an actuator cover. Fig. 6 a section of the actuator cover according to Fig. 5.

[0025] The Fig. 1 and Fig. Figure 2 shows an actuator housing 1 of an actuator, which can be used, for example, to actuate exhaust flaps in vehicles, acoustic flaps, sound flaps, valves and the like.

[0026] The actuator housing 1 has a base 2, from the inside of which bearing eyes 3 to 5 protrude. They are advantageously formed integrally with the base 2 and have bearing receptacles 6 to 8 for fixing parts 9 to 11.

[0027] The fixing parts 9 to 11 are advantageously needle rollers, which are inserted with one end into the bearing receptacles 6 to 8.

[0028] The fixing elements 9 and 11 are mounted in the actuator housing 1 such that they project upwards beyond a stator 17 to different degrees. The different projections of the fixing elements 9 and 11 facilitate easy mounting of the stator 17.

[0029] The fixing part 10 is intended for a rotor 24 and is independent of the two fixing parts 9, 11 for the stator 17.

[0030] The fixing parts 9 and 11, which are inserted into the bearing eyes 3, 5 or their bearing receptacles 6 and 8, serve as an assembly aid for the stator 17.

[0031] Domes 12 are provided to support the stator 17 ( Fig. 2), which project from the base 2 and are arranged in such a way that the stator 17 is reliably supported. The domes 12 are advantageously formed integrally with the base 2.

[0032] Secure fixation is achieved by ensuring that the inner cross-section of the bearing receptacles 7 and 8 corresponds to the outer cross-section of the fixing parts 10 and 11, so that they are reliably held in the bearing eyes 4 and 5.

[0033] The bearing receptacle 6 is advantageously elongated, thereby achieving rotary fixation of the stator 17 via the fixing element 9. A side wall 15 adjoins the base 2, surrounding the stator 17 and the rotor 24, and an actuator cover 26 can be attached to it.

[0034] The entire actuator housing 1, including the base 2, the bearing eyes 3 to 5, and the domes 12, is advantageously formed in one piece. The actuator housing 1 can be advantageously manufactured from an injection-moldable plastic, thus enabling cost-effective production.

[0035] The stator 17 has a stator core 18, which is ring-shaped in a known manner and is formed by stacked and firmly connected sheet metal laminations. The laminations can be connected, for example, by packing studs, but also by adhesive bonding, welding, or a combination of these different fastening methods.

[0036] The stator package 18 is wound in the known manner. Fig. 1. Winding 23 can be seen.

[0037] The fixing elements 9 and 11 are integral parts of the stator 17 and serve to align the stator both axially and circumferentially with the actuator housing. The fixing elements 9 and 11 are held on the stator 17 and project axially beyond its upper and lower surfaces. Advantageously, the fixing elements 9 and 11 are pressed into the stator core 18. The fixing elements 9 and 11 are held rotationally fixed in the stator 17 across the height of the stator core 18 and in all spatial directions. This eliminates the need to fix the fixing elements 9 and 11 in the actuator cover 26, thus simplifying and reducing the cost of the actuator's design and manufacture. Furthermore, the elimination of the counter bearing on the actuator cover 26 simplifies its design.

[0038] The fixing part 10, on which the rotor 24 sits, passes through the annular space of the stator stack 18 and is located in the actuator housing 1 and, if necessary, in an actuator cover 26 ( Fig. 3) of the actuator housing 1. The rotor 24 is in Fig. 1 is shown only schematically and is surrounded by the stator stack 18 in a known manner, forming an annular gap 13. The rotor 24 has permanent magnets 14 arranged distributed around its circumference.

[0039] The fixing parts 9 and 11 are each axially rigidly connected to the stator 17. The fixing part 10 forms a bearing for the rotor 24.

[0040] As from Fig. As can be seen from 1, the fixing parts 10 and 11 protrude further towards the ground 2 than the fixing part 9.

[0041] During assembly, the stator 17 is first inserted into the actuator housing 1. The fixing part 11 is first placed into the circular bearing receptacle 8 of the bearing eye 5. Subsequently, the fixing part 9 is placed into the bearing receptacle 6 of the bearing eye 3. The bearing receptacle 6 is designed as an elongated hole, the transverse axis 16 of which ( Fig. 2) preferably lies in an axial plane of the bearing receptacle 6. By engaging the fixing element 9 in the elongated bearing receptacle 6, the stator 17 is aligned circumferentially within the actuator housing 1. Furthermore, tolerances regarding the positioning of the fixing elements 9, 11 can be accommodated by the elongated bearing receptacle 6.

[0042] If the fixing part 10 forms the rotor axis of the rotor 24, the fixing part 10 is inserted into the circular bearing receptacle 7 of the bearing eye 4. In a preferred embodiment, the fixing part 10 forms the sliding bearing for the rotor 24.

[0043] The fixing elements 9, 11 and the bearing eyes 3, 5 are designed such that, during the installation of the stator 17, the fixing element 11 first enters the bearing receptacle 8, while the fixing element 9 is still located outside the bearing receptacle 6 of the bearing eye 3. The fixing element 11 thus pre-positions the stator 17 within the receiving space of the actuator housing 1. Due to the elongated design of the bearing receptacle 6 of the bearing eye 3, it is ensured that even with tolerance deviations between the actuator housing 1 and the stator 17, the stator can be reliably mounted in the actuator housing 1 using the two fixing elements 9, 11.

[0044] The actuator cover 26 is attached to the actuator housing 1 and is designed so that the in Fig. 1. The upper end of the fixing part 10 is held in the actuator cover 26 in a suitable manner. The fixing part 10 aligns the rotor 24 rotationally with the actuator housing 1 ( Fig. 3).

[0045] On the areas of the fixing parts 9 and 11 that project beyond the stator assembly 18, gears 27 of a gear transmission 28 are rotatably mounted. This is an example of a multi-stage gear transmission whose drive gear 29 is rotatably mounted on the fixing part 10 and simultaneously forms the axial bearing for the rotor 24. The fixing part 10 serves as the axis of rotation for the drive gear 29 and the rotor 24.

[0046] The actuator cover 26 has the same outline as the side wall 15 of the actuator housing 1 and features an angled, circumferential rim 30, which rests on a circumferential, outwardly directed flange 33 on a circumferential, outwardly angled rim 34 of the side wall 15. Advantageously, the flange 33 and the rim 34 have the same width, so that no disruptive step is formed at the transition from the flange 33 to the rim 34.

[0047] The actuator cover 26 can be attached to the actuator housing 1 in any suitable way, e.g. by welding or gluing.

[0048] The gears 27 assigned to the fixing parts 9, 11 have a blind hole 35 ( Fig. 3), into which the upper ends of the fixing parts 9, 11 engage. Such a design of the gears 27 enables their manufacture without sprue loss using a hot runner system.

[0049] A cylindrical bearing eye 37 protrudes from the underside 36 of the actuator cover 26, which receives the end of the fixing part 10.

[0050] The stator 17 and the rotor 24 are inserted into the actuator housing 1 as described. The actuator cover 26 is then mounted. The engagement of the fixing element 10 with the bearing eye 37 positions the actuator cover 26 relative to the actuator housing 1.

[0051] The actuator cover 26 is aligned circumferentially by an alignment unit 38 ( Fig. 2 and Fig. 4) It has two parallel guide rails 39, which are provided on the inside of the side wall 15 of the actuator housing 1 and extend in the mounting direction of the actuator cover 26. The cover 26 is provided on its underside 36 with two projecting alignment strips 40, which run parallel to each other and project beyond the flange 33 of the actuator cover 26.

[0052] The alignment strips 40 are advantageously designed to be elastically resilient and are arranged such that their outer surfaces 41, facing away from each other, bear against the inner surfaces 42 of the guide strips 39, facing each other. Due to their advantageous resilient design, the alignment strips 40 bear against the guide strips 39 under force, thereby achieving good alignment of the actuator cover 26 with respect to the actuator housing 1.

[0053] To facilitate the insertion process of the actuator cover 26, the inner sides 42 of the guide rails 39 and the outer sides 41 of the alignment rails 40 are provided with insertion chamfers 43, 44.

[0054] The guide rails 39 and the alignment rails 40 advantageously have a rectangular cross-section and are advantageously formed integrally with the actuator housing 1 or the actuator cover 26.

[0055] The Fig. 5 and Fig. Figure 6 shows another embodiment of an alignment unit. It has domes 45 that are spaced apart from each other and arranged at an angle, for example 90°, to each other and project beyond the circumferential edge 30 of the actuator cover 26.

[0056] The domes 45 project from the underside 36 of the actuator cover 26 and are approximately cuboid in shape. Advantageously, the domes 45 are provided with an insertion ramp 46, which is located at the transition from the end face 47 to the front face 48 and extends across the width of the domes 45. The insertion ramps 46 are spaced from the edge 30 of the actuator cover 26.

[0057] As from Fig. As can be seen from Figure 5, the front faces 48 of the domes 45 lie against the inside of the outer wall 15 of the actuator housing 1 in the installation position.

[0058] The domes 45, projecting vertically from the underside of the actuator cover 36, position the actuator cover 26 relative to the actuator housing 1 in the circumferential direction.

[0059] Since the domes 45 protrude beyond the edge 30 of the actuator cover 26, during assembly of the actuator cover 26 the domes 45 first come into contact with the inside of the outer wall 15 of the actuator housing 1, thus aligning the actuator cover 26 with the actuator housing 1. This ensures that during the subsequent assembly process, the upper end of the fixing part 10 reliably engages in the bearing eye 37. The insertion ramps 46 facilitate the precise placement of the actuator cover 26 onto the actuator housing 1.

[0060] The actuator cover 26, like the actuator housing 1, is advantageously formed in one piece, in particular from injection-moldable plastic.

[0061] The stator 17 is advantageously provided with an overmolding to at least significantly reduce tolerances of the laminated core 18. This enables axial clamping between the actuator housing 1 and the actuator cover 26.

Claims

[1] Actuator comprising an actuator housing (1) containing a stator (17) and a rotor (24), and an actuator cover (26), characterized by , that the stator (17) is provided with at least two fixing parts (9, 11) which project to different distances beyond the stator (17) towards the base (2) of the actuator housing (1), which has two receptacles (6, 8) for the projecting ends of the fixing parts (9, 11), one of which receptacles (8) which is associated with the further projecting fixing part (11) has the same cross-section as the engaging end of this fixing part (11), and that the other receptacle (6) has an elongated hole shape. [2] Actuator according to claim 1, characterized by , that the receptacle (6, 8) is provided in a projection (3, 5) of the base (2) of the actuator housing (1). [3] Actuator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the projection (3, 5,) is formed integrally with the actuator housing (1). [4] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by , that the fixing parts (9, 11) carry gears (27) of a gear transmission (28). [5] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by , that the gears (27) are arranged on the side of the stator (17) facing away from the bottom (2) of the actuator housing (1). [6] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by , that the fixing parts (9, 11) are needle rollers. [7] Actuator, in particular according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by , that the actuator cover (26) can be positioned relative to the actuator housing (1) in the circumferential direction of the actuator cover (26) by means of at least one positioning element (40, 45) projecting over it in the direction of the actuator housing (1). [8] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by, that the part of the positioning element (40, 45) projecting beyond the edge (30) of the actuator cover (26) has an insertion ramp (43, 46). [9] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by , that the positioning element (40) is formed by two alignment strips spaced apart from each other. [10] Actuator according to claim 9, characterized by , that the positioning elements (40) are designed to be elastically resilient. [11] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by , that at least one guide element (39, 15) is assigned to the positioning element (40, 45) on the actuator housing (1). [12] Actuator according to claim 11, characterized by , that the guide element (39) is formed by two guide strips running parallel to each other, which are provided on the inside of a side wall (15) of the actuator housing (1). [13] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by, that the actuator cover (26) has two positioning elements (45) located at an angle to each other. [14] Actuator according to claim 13, characterized by , that the positioning elements (45) which are angular to each other are located on the inside of a side wall (15) of the actuator housing (1). [15] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized by , that the positioning element (40, 45) is formed integrally with the actuator cover (26). [16] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized by , that the actuator cover (26) has on its underside (36) a receptacle (37) for one end of a fixing part (10) of the rotor (24). [17] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized by , that the other end of the fixing part (10) of the rotor (24) is received in a receptacle (7) of the base (2) of the actuator housing (4). [18] Actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized by, that the fixing part (10) of the rotor (24) is a needle roller.

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