Gear motor with improved compactness

Abstract

The invention relates to an actuator for positioning a pivoting member, comprising a housing (100) provided with a base (105) closed by a cover (106) and housing a single electric motor (110), the shaft (124) of the rotor (113) of the electric motor carrying a pinion (141) driving the output shaft (127) by means of a multi-stage reduction gear train (120), the housing (100) having attachment means on the sides (101, 102) thereof, characterized in that the attachment means (141, 142) of the housing (100) are connected to the base (105) of the housing (100) by means of the multi-stage reduction gear train (120). The attachment means comprise guide means (400, 450) extending in parallel on either side of the housing (100) and being engageable with complementary means (370, 380) of the support (340) by elastic deformation of the guide means (400, 450) of the housing (100) or of the complementary means (370, 380) of the support (340), the guide means (400, 450) being connected to the base (105) of the housing by transverse links (402, 452); -the side edges (11, 12; 14) of the guide device (400, 450); 13, 14) defining a virtual envelope (161); -the centre of gravity (156) of the actuator (1) is located inside the virtual envelope (161) or at a distance of less than 10% of the length (L) of the actuator (1) from this virtual envelope.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of gear motors and more specifically to gear motors intended for automotive applications that require high robustness and a design that limits maintenance and space requirements. Such gear motors generally include an electromagnetic part with a permanent magnet rotor and a wound stator controlled by an electronic circuit. A gear train transmits the motion of the rotor to an output shaft.

[0002] Such actuators are specifically designed for positioning moving parts, especially for vehicles, such as flaps or fins for distributing or directing air flow in heating, ventilation and air conditioning circuits. Such circuits can be found in vehicle air conditioning systems, such as air conditioning units, ducts leading to the passenger compartment, or directly on passenger compartment ventilation grilles, but they can also be used in any airflow management environment, such as in grille guards to regulate airflow in the engine compartment. One of the challenges is to reduce the overall size while maintaining sufficient motor torque. Prior art

[0003] In the prior art, it is known that patent US2019337387 discloses a stepper instrument panel pointer motorization device, which includes: a motor body that applies a rotational driving force to a rotating body; a motor housing that accommodates the motor body; and a motor substrate that holds the motor housing. The motor substrate includes: a mounting surface, on which the motor body is mounted via the motor housing; a locking surface located on the side opposite to the mounting surface; and a locking hole that runs through the mounting surface and the locking surface. The motor housing includes a locking arm and a locking hook. The locking arm is inserted into the locking hole in an elastically deformed state, wherein the locking arm extends diagonally relative to the mounting surface and the locking surface. The locking hook forms a contact surface that extends diagonally relative to the mounting surface and the locking surface and is locked to the motor substrate when the contact surface is in contact with a locking wedge section formed by the locking hole and the locking surface in the motor substrate.

[0004] Patent JP2012220442 is also known, which discloses an instrument panel pointer motorization device having a locking claw that is inserted into a mounting hole formed in a mounting plate so that locking occurs at an edge on the rear face of the mounting plate by the elastic force of the locking claw. The rear side of the locking claw in the direction of insertion into the mounting hole is a tapered locking portion, wherein the size of the protrusion gradually increases forward in the insertion direction. The locking component is formed by a plurality of steps that can engage with the edge of the mounting plate. The mounting plate is locked to the locking claw in a state where the corners constituting the step portions are in contact with the rear surface of the mounting plate, wherein the edge portion of the mounting hole engages with any step portion.

[0005] Patent EP1880172 discloses an actuator solution for a measurement indicator of a vehicle dashboard or instrument panel, the actuator solution comprising a housing, a first measuring device that converts a first electrical measurement signal into a first mechanical signal, a device for sending the first mechanical signal to a first shaft responsible for sending the first measurement indication, a second measuring device that converts a second electrical measurement signal into a second mechanical signal, and a device for sending the second mechanical signal to a second shaft responsible for sending the second measurement indication, the first shaft is hollow and is coaxially arranged around the second central shaft, characterized in that the hollow shaft is supported and guided by a first bearing, the first bearing comprising an outer cylindrical surface of a guide sleeve arranged on a guide bridge rigidly mounted to the housing, the guide sleeve being inserted into the hollow shaft at one end of the shaft. The guide sleeve comprises an axial through hole for the central shaft to freely pass through the guide sleeve, the aperture of the axial through hole being greater than the outer diameter of the central shaft at this point. The second bearing formed by the inner surface of the tubular extension of the housing extends from the outer surface of the actuator towards the free end of the hollow shaft. The device comprises two independent actuators driving concentric output shafts. The motors and reduction chain are symmetrical so that for a person skilled in the art the centre of gravity is clearly not located at the centre of one of the motors but rather adjacent to the output shaft and within the virtual envelope formed by the clamps.

[0006] Also known is patent JP2001317970, which discloses an instrument panel pointer motorization device comprising a rotor for driving an output shaft, a stator, a winding attached to the stator, and a housing element housing the rotor, the stator and the winding. The output shaft has one end protruding from the upper surface of the housing element for attaching the pointer, and the other end is located on the same plane as the lower surface of the housing element or protrudes from the lower surface.

[0007] The motorized dashboard pointer disclosed in the aforementioned document is designed to move the driven pointer to a precise position with a high degree of dynamics and without the need for applying high torques. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the inertial effects and to choose plastic gears. For reasons of cost and weight (two key values ​​in the automotive field), the actuator housing is also made of plastic. Among the windings, ferromagnetic stator and rotor magnets, only the electric motor has a high proportion of heavy metal parts.

[0008] Patent US2017016647 is also known, which discloses an air conditioning device, which is provided with an air conditioning housing and a mounting component, the air conditioning housing has an air passage, the air conditioning wind flows through the air passage, the air conditioning housing is molded by means of a mold, and the mounting assembly is attached to the outer surface of the air conditioning housing. The mounting component is provided with a plate-shaped protruding piece protruding from the housing body of the mounting component, and the protruding piece has a positioning hole passing through it. The air conditioning housing is provided with: a retaining piece and a positioning pin, the retaining piece protrudes from the outer surface and engages with the protruding piece, the positioning pin protrudes from the outer surface, and the positioning pin is inserted into the positioning hole. The retaining piece is provided with an ear-shaped component and an engaging component, the ear-shaped component protrudes from the outer surface and the ear-shaped component can be elastically deformed, and the engaging component extends in a curved manner from the distal end portion of the ear-shaped component and engages with the protruding piece in a section closer to the distal end than the positioning hole.

[0009] Patent WO2011023500 is also known, which discloses a receiving device for receiving and fixing a motor (specifically a stepper motor), the receiving device comprising a housing and at least three receiving elements engaged with the motor housing to fix the motor in a defined position, the receiving elements being arranged on a substrate and each comprising a locking pin and a latching element arranged adjacent to the locking pin.

[0010] Patent WO2019068784 is also known, which discloses a gear motor in the form of a housing, comprising an electric motor having a stator assembly and a rotor driving a reduction gear train, the reduction gear train having a plurality of intermediate stages and an output stage, each intermediate stage being formed by a shaft coupled to a gear and a toothed pinion, and the output stage being formed by a shaft coupled to a wheel and a coupling member, the shaft of the rotor, the intermediate stage and the output wheel being parallel, the gear motor also comprising a printed circuit positioned transversely above the stator. The output stage wheel is positioned above a portion of the stator, the shaft of the intermediate stage being located in a housing region on the opposite side of the region comprising the shaft of the rotor and the shaft of the output wheel relative to a transverse vertical plane.

[0011] Disadvantages of existing technology

[0012] Prior art solutions are not entirely satisfactory, since mounting the actuator on its support requires delicate manipulations in a generally cramped environment with little space accessible by tools, and involves the use of screws or rivets, the cost of which is not negligible. Some prior art solutions provide clamping with angular displacement after positioning, which requires free space around the actuator when mounting it. Other prior art solutions are too cumbersome to directly drive the member to be moved located in a confined space and must be connected to it by means of a rod, a connecting rod, a lever or any other mechanical element to transmit the force to the remote element.

[0013] Furthermore, the assembly of the actuator on the support requires critical positioning and attachment by screws or rivets, which may result in misalignment of the motor shaft with respect to the shaft to be driven and in any case requires considerable skill and time.

[0014] Finally, these actuators are subject to vibrations from the rotor and from the outside, which, over time, can lead to premature aging and breakage or loosening of the attachment system due to the asymmetric forces experienced by the equipment driven by the actuator.

[0015] It is therefore necessary to provide an actuator which is particularly compact, easy to assemble on its support and which is optimized with regard to its vibration behavior.

[0016] The solution provided by the present invention

[0017] In order to remedy these drawbacks, the invention proposes a solution involving an actuator for positioning a pivoting member, the actuator comprising a housing provided with a base closed by a cover and enclosing an electric motor, the rotor shaft of which carries a pinion which drives an output shaft via a multi-stage motion-reducing gear train, the housing having attachment means on its sides, characterized in that the attachment means comprise two guide means extending in parallel on both sides of the housing and capable of engaging with complementary means of a support by elastic deformation of the guide means of the housing or of complementary means of a support, the guide means being connected to the base of the housing by a transverse link;

[0018] - said side edges of said guiding means define a virtual envelope,

[0019] The centre of gravity of the actuator is located inside said virtual envelope or at a distance from the virtual envelope that is less than 10% of the length of the actuator.

[0020] The actuator includes a single electric motor.

[0021] Specifically, in a lateral view, the virtual envelope is mostly occupied by the electric motor.

[0022] In an even more constrained version, in lateral view, at least 80% of the surface area of ​​the virtual envelope is occupied by the electric motor.

[0023] Alternatively, the center of gravity of the actuator is located inside the virtual envelope.

[0024] In a variant, the guide means of the housing are elastically deformable blades.

[0025] In another variant, the complementary means of support are two parallel anchors spanned by a hole, and the blades have lateral shoulders suitable for fitting respectively into said holes.

[0026] Alternatively, the side of the housing has at least one side extension through which the aperture passes in a direction along an axis parallel to the output axis of the actuator and a flat wedging surface perpendicular to the output axis and capable of abutting against a complementary surface of the support.

[0027] The invention also relates to an electromechanical system formed by an apparatus having a support for receiving an actuator for positioning a pivoting member and an actuator as described above, the complementary means of the support being two parallel anchors having means complementary to the engagement means provided on the blades of the actuator so as to snap-fit ​​the housing onto the support.

[0028] In particular, the support also has at least one central finger positioned to engage in the aperture of the lateral extension, the finger having a shoulder acting as an abutment for the extension when the actuator is snap-fitted onto the support.

[0029] The present invention also relates to an actuator for positioning a pivoting member, the actuator comprising a housing provided with a base closed by a cover and enclosing an electric motor, the shaft of the rotor of the electric motor carrying a pinion which drives an output shaft via a multi-stage reduction gear system, characterized in that the internal volume of the housing has a length and a width, the length being measured as the maximum dimension of the housing corresponding to the cross-section of the electric motor plus the cross-section of the driving wheel of the output shaft, and the width being measured in the transverse direction corresponding to the width of the stator of the electric motor; and the gears of the electric motor and the gear reducer are distributed in three planes in the axial direction, the intermediate gears being located in the envelope of the length and the width and on two planes different from the plane of the output wheel, so that in the transverse plane of the actuator, the surface area of ​​the reducer is less than or equal to the surface area of ​​the motor.

[0030] Specifically, the motor has a yoke having three winding teeth extending radially, which are arranged continuously in a first angular sector and non-winding teeth are arranged in a complementary angular sector, the angle formed between two consecutive winding teeth is 60°, the axis of the first winding tooth forms an angle of 20°±5° relative to the longitudinal side of the shell, and the yoke has a straight periphery at the first tooth to form a surface complementary to the adjacent surface of the shell.

[0031] In one variant, the reduction gear train includes a first shaft guiding a first upper gear, the first upper gear meshing with a pinion mounted on the shaft of the rotor of the motor and a linkage pinion, the linkage pinion being positioned at an intermediate height and meshing with a second gear linked to a third pinion, the third pinion being positioned at a lower height and guided by the second shaft, the third pinion being meshing with a gear driving the output shaft.

[0032] Specifically, the rotation axes of the rotor, the first intermediate gear and the output wheel are parallel and located in the vicinity of a median plane extending in the longitudinal direction of the actuator, and the vicinity of the median plane is limited to a distance not exceeding 5% of the width of the actuator.

[0033] Alternatively, the rear face has a connector which engages in the space between the second winding tooth and the third winding tooth.

[0034] In particular, the actuator has an electronic board including winding control means, the electronic board extending above the electric motor, the connector having parallel conductive pins overmoulded by a retaining part having two cylindrical tenons orthogonal to the pins and insertable into holes in the electronic board, so that the connector can be held in place until it is fixed by welding.

[0035] Detailed Description of Non-Limiting Embodiments

[0036] The invention will be described in more detail with reference to non-limiting example embodiments specifying the foregoing advantages and considerations. The more particular description of the invention briefly described above refers to the accompanying drawings, which show non-limiting examples of such actuators:

[0037] 1.[ Figure 1 ] shows a front view of an actuator according to the present invention,

[0038] 2.[ Figure 2 ] shows a three-dimensional rear view of an actuator according to the present invention,

[0039] 3.[ Figure 3 ] shows a front perspective view of an actuator according to the invention with the cover and electronics removed,

[0040] 4.[ Figure 4 ] shows a front view of an actuator according to the invention with the cover and electronics removed,

[0041] 5.[ Figure 5 ] shows a front view of an actuator according to the invention with the cover, electronics and gearbox removed,

[0042] 6.[ Figure 6] shows a front perspective view of an actuator according to the invention with the cover removed;

[0043] 7.[ Figure 7 ] shows a front perspective view of an actuator according to the present invention,

[0044] 8.[ Figure 8 ] shows a cross-sectional view of an actuator according to the invention in a transverse plane P1,

[0045] 9.[ Fig. 9 ] shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an actuator according to the present invention,

[0046] 10.[ Fig.10 ]and

[0047] 11.[ Fig.11 ] shows a first example of mounting of an actuator according to the invention on its support,

[0048] 12.[ Fig.12 ]and

[0049] 13.[ Fig.13 ] shows a second example of mounting of an actuator according to the invention on its support,

[0050] 14.[ Fig.14 ] shows a second example embodiment of an actuator according to the invention, in which no clip is used to hold the actuator in place,

[0051] 15.[ Fig.15 ]and

[0052] 16.[ Fig.16 ] shows an example of how an actuator stator is retained in its housing before and after the retaining tabs are bolted.

[0053] Basic principle of the invention

[0054] As can be seen from the figures, the actuator for positioning a pivoting member described with reference to the accompanying drawings comprises a housing (100) fitted with a base (105) closed by a cover (106).

[0055] The housing (100) encloses a single electric motor (110) comprising a stator (111) made of ferromagnetic laminations forming teeth surrounded by windings (112), and a rotor (113) whose shaft (124) carries a pinion (141) which drives an output shaft (127) or output axis (127) via a multi-stage spur gear train constituting a reducer (120).

[0056] The reducer (120) transmits the torque from the rotor (113) to the output wheel (123) fixed to the output shaft (127) via two intermediate gears (121, 122), and the whole is distributed at three levels in the axial direction. This configuration enables the gear reducer (120) to be arranged so that its surface area (163) in the transverse plane of the actuator is equal to the surface area (162) of the motor (110).

[0057] Specifically, the rotor (113) and the output wheel (123) are located in the same axial plane and arranged so that the output wheel (123) which is very large in the axial direction and in the radial direction is as close as possible to the stator structure. The intermediate gears (121, 122) can then be arranged in other axial planes in order to remain within the cross-sectional dimensions of the motor (110) or the output wheel (123).

[0058] The result is a very compact solution whose mass is distributed so that the center of gravity (156) is close to the center of the actuator, which gives the actuator a particularly interesting vibration behavior.

[0059] In the so-called smart version, the housing (100) also contains an electronic circuit (130) including electronic components for controlling the motor (100). The electronic circuit (130) is equipped with a connector (135) for supplying power to the actuator and for receiving instructions from the vehicle ECU. The spring (245) can then provide an electrical connection between the stator yoke (111) and a conductor track arranged at the bottom of the electronic circuit (130). The electronic circuit (130) is located in the same axial plane as one of the intermediate stages of the reducer. The result is an extremely compact gear motor with a maximum internal volume.

[0060] Alternatively, when the actuator has no intelligence, the electrical link connects the winding (112) directly to a connector (135) which receives electrical signals from the vehicle ECU.

[0061] Detailed description of a particular embodiment

[0062] Figures 1 to 9 A specific embodiment of a compact actuator (1) according to the invention is shown. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 7 are perspective views of the actuator (1) in different orientations, showing its external features. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The actuator is shown with the cover and electronics removed, providing a clearer view of the electromechanical conversion chain. [ Figure 5 ]Similar to[ Figure 4], where the reducer is removed to better understand the integration of the motor into the housing. [ Figure 6 ] shows the actuator with the cover open and the electronics connected to the motor. [ Figure 8 ] shows the actuator (1) along [ Figure 6 ] is a cross section of the plane (P1) shown in FIG. Fig. 9 ] shows a longitudinal section along a plane (155) passing through the axes (124, 125) of the rotor (113) and the first gear (121) in sequence.

[0063] The actuator (1) consists of a housing (100) having openings on two main faces for the coupling device to pass through.

[0064] In the example described, the coupling means is a single cylindrical output member having a central passage (128) open at both ends.

[0065] For some applications, the coupling may be open on one side only.

[0066] The mechanical interface between the component to be controlled (e.g. a gate) and the electric actuator is generally realized by a convex shaft on the gate side, which is assembled into the middle channel (128) of the female output shaft (127) of the actuator (1). The mechanical interface must be able to transmit the torque generated by the actuator. In order to be compatible with a large number of drive systems, the actuator can have different output interfaces on each side of the actuator.

[0067] The motor and gear train of the actuator according to the invention are sized to handle a dynamic torque of approximately 25 N.cm in nominal operation. The output interface is an output member that is open on each side of the hollow shaft actuator when the concave cavity passes through the entire axial length of the actuator (1).

[0068] In this non-limiting example, at least the end piece of the intermediate channel (128) has an octagonal region in the shape of an eight-pointed star formed by two squares. This region may have other known configurations for transmitting rotational torque, such as a polygonal, elliptical or crenellated inner section.

[0069] In this way, different coupling shafts can be coupled without having to change the actuator, or two coupling shafts can be driven, for example two actuators located on both sides of the housing.

[0070] The housing has a connector (135) surrounding an electrical terminal (136) for receiving power and control information, and locating and attachment lugs, referred to in the remainder of this document as side extensions (300, 310, 320).

[0071] like Figures 3 to 6 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 More particularly shown, housing (100) incorporates an electric motor (110) that is electrically and mechanically connected to electronic circuitry (130).

[0072] The electric machine (100) has a structure as disclosed in the applicant's patent application FR2106266. The electric machine comprises a stator (111) formed by an assembly of stamped laminations with six teeth (114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119), three of which carry windings (112), and a rotor having N pairs of magnetized poles located in alternating directions (preferably radially or festooned). The windings are positioned around the three long teeth (114, 115, 116) to obtain the maximum torque of the electric machine in terms of ampere-turns. The central axes of the winding teeth respectively form a mechanical angle of 60° in pairs. Thus, one of the winding teeth (114) is oriented substantially perpendicular to one of the longitudinal sides (101) of the housing, the next winding tooth (115) is oriented at an angle of 60° relative to the first winding tooth (114) to extend in a substantially diagonal direction, and the third winding tooth (116) is oriented at an angle of about 60° relative to the previous winding tooth (115) to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transverse side wall (103) aligned with the attachment point (320). The teeth (117, 118, 119) are distributed in an angular sector (α) located between the third winding tooth (116) and the first winding tooth (114), as in Figure 4 As can be seen more specifically in . The teeth (117, 118, 119) that do not carry windings are used only to transmit the magnetic flux from the peripheral band of the yoke (170) to the rotor and can therefore be very short in order to keep the stator footprint as small as possible in the angular sector (α). Therefore, in the angular sector (α), the maximum range of the stator (111) measured from the axis of rotation (124) of the rotor is approximately equal to the diameter of the rotor (113). The rotor (113) typically has a diameter of 12 mm and has NdFeB permanent magnets (typically with a remanence of 0.75 T). The motor (110) thus occupies a small space in the housing, so that the reducer (120) can be accommodated in a small housing, wherein the first intermediate gear (121) of the gear train opens into the winding-free angular sector, as close as possible to the rotor (113).

[0073] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Fig. 9As shown in FIG. 1 , a series of parallel axis intermediate gears (121, 122) forming a reduction train (120) transmits the motion of the rotor (113) of the motor (110) to the output wheel (123). The gear reducer (120) includes a series of gears (121, 122, 123), and the output wheel (123) is also considered as such. The transmission ratio is generally between 1:100 and 1:200, and is specifically 1:145 in the embodiment shown.

[0074] The parallel axis gear train consists of three reduction stages resulting from the engagement of gears (121, 122, 123) distributed longitudinally along the axis of the actuator (1) in a cavity of the housing (100) of equal or nearly equal size to the size of the motor (110). For reasons of compactness, it is advantageous to limit the number of gears (121, 122, 123) to be arranged in a plane in a spur gear reducer. In fact, the greater the number of gears (121, 122, 123), the greater the size of the gearwheels must be in order to provide an equal reduction ratio from one stage to the next while supporting an increase in the torque to be transmitted. An exponential increase in the occupied area is observed with the number of integrated gears. This leads to a significant increase in the longitudinal or transverse dimensions of the actuator. An alternative that has proven effective and is implemented within the scope of the invention is to limit the number of reduction stages and to choose a larger motor structure so as not to excessively weaken the torque. When the motor occupies an area (162) ([ Figure 5 ]) has a very similar footprint to the gear reducer (163)([ Figure 4 The best compromise is seen when the surface is cross-hatched in ]. The motor footprint is the solid surface that follows the contour of the motor or gear reducer in a plane orthogonal to the direction of the rotor and gear reducer shafts (124, 125, 126).

[0075] Specifically, the output wheel (123) of the reducer (120) is located in the same axial plane (150) as the stator stack of the motor (110). The two elements are arranged as close as possible in the transverse direction of the actuator and are contained in a rectangular envelope (160) of large length L and width l in this plane. The envelope (160) generally corresponds to the dimensions of the housing. The two intermediate gears (121, 122) of the gear reducer (120) are arranged in this envelope and in the axial plane (151, 152), with reference to the bottom of the housing (100) having a greater height than the axial plane (150).

[0076] An attractive footprint is obtained when the rotor (113), the first gear (121) and the output wheel (123) have axes (125, 127) aligned along a straight line (155) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing (100). This arrangement also has advantages in terms of the vibration behavior of the actuator (1). In fact, in combination with a properly oriented stator structure, the straight line (155) on which the rotating axes (124, 125, 127) are distributed passes close to the center of gravity (156) of the actuator, making the rotating elements arranged on this axis less sensitive to vibration coupling. This is particularly beneficial for the rotor (113) and the first gear (121), which have high rotation speeds and low inertia and are very sensitive to vibration excitations, because they can easily produce impacts between the teeth, which impacts are the source of new, uncontrolled vibrations. This is also beneficial for the output wheel (123), which is subject to strong torque variations and therefore high amplitude vibrations, but which is also directly subject to vibrations from the component to be driven. The positioning of this output wheel is therefore crucial to ensure optimal decoupling from the other mechanical components of the actuator.

[0077] In a slightly more rigorous conception, it is provided that the output wheel (123), the first gear (121) and the rotor (113) are arranged in a particular manner so that their respective rotation axes (127, 125, 124) are substantially coplanar and lie in a plane (153) called the median plane. The median plane (153) extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing (100). "Substantially coplanar" means that the distance between each of the axes (124, 125, 127) and the median plane (153) does not exceed 5% of the width of the housing (100) in a direction orthogonal to the median plane (153).

[0078] like[ Fig. 9 ], the output wheel (123) is made of a single piece of molded plastic. The single piece includes a ring gear (129) having cylindrical axial projections (148, 149) on both sides, forming the output shaft (127). One of the cylindrical projections (148, 149) and the other cylindrical projection engage with a guide area (108) in the cover (106) of the housing (100) and a guide area (109) in the base (105) respectively, so as to form a sliding bearing. The cylindrical projections (148, 149) are traversed by an intermediate channel (128), so that the actuator (1) can be connected to the component to be driven.

[0079] The intermediate gears (121, 122) are also preferably made of plastic and include a fixed pinion and a gear which may be molded as a single piece or made separately and then assembled.

[0080] The intermediate gears (121, 122) and the rotor of the reducer (120), except for the output wheel (123), are guided by a metal shaft (124, 125, 126) which is flush mounted at one end in the base (105) of the housing (1) and at the other end in the cover (106) of the housing (100).

[0081] Advantageously, the metal shaft (125) of the first intermediate gear (121) passes through a housing (171) located in the yoke (170) of the stator (111) and its lower face (172) rests on the upper face of the stator (111), which then acts as an axial stop to prevent the intermediate gear (121) from travelling in this direction. This configuration also enables the first intermediate reduction gear (121) to be positioned as close as possible to the rotor (113). Since the housing (171) is located in an angular sector (α) of the stator (111) that does not have windings, the thickness of the yoke (170) can be modified to create the housing (171) without damaging the passage of the magnetic flux around the periphery of the housing and without affecting the overall dimensions of the stator (111).

[0082] Install the housing on the support

[0083] The housing (100) can be attached to its support (340) in various ways. It has three flat side extensions (300, 310, 320) pierced by apertures (301, 311, 321) oriented parallel to the output shaft (127). Preferably, one of the three side extensions (310) is located in a corner (103) of the housing that accommodates the winding teeth (116) of the stator (116), at which point the stator yoke (170) has a straight periphery (173) orthogonal to the winding teeth (111). Since the winding teeth (116) are oriented in a direction substantially diagonal to the housing (100), the corner (103) of the housing can be chamfered to match the profile of the stator yoke (170). This allows the side extension (310) for attaching the housing (100) to protrude from the inclined surface so as to minimize the effect of the side extension (310) on the overall size of the actuator (1).

[0084] The second side extension (320) is arranged opposite to the first side extension (310) in the diagonal direction of the housing (100); the opposite part of the housing that accommodates the output wheel (123) has an annular profile (104) that matches the profile of the reducer (120). The corner that accommodates the second side extension (320) is therefore free, so that the side extension (320) can be integrated with minimal impact on the overall size of the actuator (1). The positioning of this second side extension (320) is also selected to improve the vibration behavior of the actuator (1), because it is arranged so that the straight line passing through the center of the aperture (311) of the first side extension (310) and the aperture (321) of the second side extension (320) also passes close to the center of gravity (156) of the actuator. This ensures an optimal balance in the transmission of forces and improves the vibration tolerance by limiting the overhang.

[0085] In order to be matingly attached to the side extensions (300, 310, 320), the support member (340) may include an axial protrusion (341, 342, 343) provided with a shoulder (344, 345, 346), the end (347, 348, 349) of which can be engaged in the aperture (301, 311, 321) of the side extension (300, 310, 320) until the shoulder (344, 345) abuts the lower plane of the side extension (300, 310, 320). The ends (347, 348, 349) of the axial protrusions (341, 342, 343) may also be provided with holes for fixing the actuator (1) to the support (340) by screwing or riveting so that the screw head or rivet abuts against the upper plane (302, 312, 322) of the side extension (300, 310, 320).

[0086] The housing (100) also has guide means (400, 450) in the form of two deformable blades extending in parallel on both sides of the housing (100). They are spaced a few millimeters from the corresponding longitudinal sides of the housing (100), the distance corresponding to the width measured in the transverse plane of the shoulder (401, 451) plus a gap of up to 10% of this width. The width of this gap is determined so that the shoulder (401, 451) can be avoided in a direction parallel to the output shaft (127) by bending the blades during engagement on the support. This gap is also minimized to reduce the lateral dimensions of the actuator.

[0087] The side edges of the deformable blades (400, 450) define a virtual envelope (161) delimited by planes P1 and P2, within which the center of gravity (156) of the actuator (1) is located.

[0088] Furthermore, in a transverse view, that is to say in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotor, at least 80% of the surface area of ​​the virtual envelope (161) is filled by the electric motor (110) and in particular by metal parts of said electric motor, said electric motor also comprising a stator yoke, windings and a rotor. In order to minimize the lateral dimensions of the actuator (1), the stator yoke (170) has a flat portion (174) in the winding-free angular sector (α). The flat portion (174) is oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing (1) and creates a local recess (107) into which one of the deformable blades (450) extends. This mass concentration around the attachment point results in an improved vibration behavior of the actuator according to the invention.

[0089] The support (340) has a body with two complementary recesses (370, 380) for engaging shoulders (401, 451) to achieve a "toggle clamp" type attachment.

[0090] Alternatively, the support may have two shoulders that fit into apertures provided on the deformable blades (400, 450).The deformable blades (400, 450) are each connected to the housing by a transverse link (402, 452).

[0091] Locking the actuator (1) in place by means of deformable blades (400, 450) forming part of the actuator is a preferred configuration for a person skilled in the art, but in no way limits the invention. These resilient elements are in fact more fragile than the rigid body of the support (340), so that in the event of breakage, only the easily removable actuator needs to be replaced. This eliminates the need to replace the support (340), which may include multiple actuators (1) and much more complex attachment means. On the contrary, depending on the mounting support of the actuator (1), it is envisaged that the resilient elements and the fragile elements will be integrated into the support rather than the actuator (1).

[0092] Position the actuator on its support

[0093] exist[ Fig.10 ]and Fig.11In the variant shown, the actuator is positioned on its support by means of two lateral extensions (300, 320), the aperture (301) of the first lateral extension (300) housing an axial projection (341) in the form of a central finger (341) of the support (340). The actuator can then pivot around this central finger (341) so as to angularly match the aperture (321) of the second lateral extension (320) with the axial projection (343) of the support (340), making it possible to eliminate the rotational freedom by axial engagement. The aperture (321) has an elliptical shape so as to be more tolerant of manufacturing tolerances. The support (340) is provided with two parallel anchors through which apertures (371, 381) pass, constituting complementary means (370, 380) for engagement with elastically deformable blades (400, 450) of the housing (100). When the actuator is placed on its support (340) as described above, the deformable blades (400, 450) engage in the anchors of the support (340). Locking in place is achieved by additional axial engagement, allowing the lateral extensions (401, 451) to be inserted into the apertures (371, 381). This insertion is performed by releasing the elastic energy stored in the deformable blades (400, 450) once the upper surface of the lateral extensions (401, 451) is below the upper surface of the apertures (371, 381) of the support (340). The actuator (1) in place and locked can then be connected to the component to be driven by axially fitting the shaft of the component to be driven into the intermediate channel (128) of the output shaft (127), the connection having to tolerate slight misalignments inherent in manufacturing tolerances. Then, the centering finger (342) and the axial protrusion (343) inserted into the aperture (311) of the second extension (310) fully support the force generated by the torque.

[0094] In another variation, Fig.12 and Fig.13As shown, the aperture (301) of the side extension (300) engages with the axial protrusion (341) to ensure that the electromechanical system is correctly positioned relative to its support (340). Positioning the electromechanical system on its support (340) includes a first step and a second step, the first step of engaging the shaft of the component to be driven with the intermediate channel (128) of the output shaft (127); the second step includes rotating the electromechanical system around the shaft (200) of the component to be driven so that the central finger (341) of the support is angularly corresponding to the aperture (301) of the second side extension (300); then, the electromechanical system can be axially engaged so as to introduce the finger into the aperture (301) until the shoulder (344) of the central finger (341) of the support (340) abuts against the vertical wedging surface. The axial end position is then locked by means of screws or rivets inserted into holes in the axial projections (341, 343) and resting on the upper planes (312, 322) of the lateral extensions (300, 310, 320). The torque generated at the output wheel by the reaction force of the assembly to be driven is taken up by the central finger (341).

[0095] In other alternative embodiments, the actuator may have only one or the other attachment means, that is, only side extensions (300, 310, 320) pierced by apertures (301, 311, 321), such as [ Fig.14 ], or with only deformable blades (400, 450). In the second case, the overall size of the actuator (1) can be further reduced by partially or completely eliminating the side extensions (300, 310, 320). The centering and torque absorption functions supported by these side extensions (300, 310, 320) can, for example, be transferred to the rigid base of the deformable blades (400, 450).

[0096] Compact Connectors

[0097] exist[ Figure 6] In the variant shown, the actuator (1) is equipped with an electronic circuit (130) integrating the drive components of the winding (112). The electronic circuit (130) is directly connected to the winding by means of a crimping connector (131) and extends in a plane above the motor (110). The electronic circuit (130) is provided with a hole (132) to allow the guide shaft (124) of the rotor (113) to pass through the cover (106) of the housing. This requires pushing the electronic circuit (130) onto the stator (111) when the stator (111) and the rotor (113) are already assembled in the housing (100), or assembling the electronic circuit (130) on the stator (111) before inserting it into the housing (100) containing the rotor (113). This solution provides a large surface area on the electronic circuit (130) for positioning the electronic components and facilitates the positioning of a probe for measuring the position of the rotor (113). Alternatively, the rotor (113) may be inserted into the base (105) of the housing (100) after the electronic circuit (130); however, this would require a greater degree of opening of the electronic circuit (130), but this may be helpful in facilitating assembly when the arrangement of the components on the electronic board is not a problem.

[0098] The electronic circuit (130) is provided with a connector to receive its power supply and control signals or instructions for mobilizing the components to be driven by the actuator (1) via a connector (135). The connector consists of conductive pins (136, 137, 138, 139) connected by plastic overmolding to produce a retaining member (140). According to the narrow width of the housing, the conductive pins are conveniently located in a corner (133) of the housing adjacent to the side extension of the electrical winding.

[0099] This arrangement allows the conductive pins (136, 137, 138, 139) to be integrated as much as possible inside the housing (100) so as not to increase the overall size of the actuator (1). The retaining part (140) of the guide pins (136, 137, 138, 139) is provided with two cylindrical tenons extending in the direction of the guide axis (124) of the rotor (113). In some cases with an interference fit, these tenons are inserted into holes in the circuit board to ensure that the connector (135) is positioned and held in place until a reflow soldering operation is performed to secure its final attachment and electrical connection to the circuit board.

[0100] exist[ Figure 6 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the conductive pins (136, 137, 138, 139) extend parallel to the circuit board (130) and are soldered to its surface. Alternatively, the ends of the conductive pins (136, 137, 138, 139) can be bent 90° and inserted into conductive holes on the circuit board (130) to ensure electrical connection by soldering.

[0101] Attaching the cover to the housing

[0102] As in [ Figure 7 ], the cover (106) has deformable lugs (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) with rectangular cutouts, which are complementary to shoulders (211, 212, 213) provided on the housing (100) to achieve "toggle-type" clamping. The cover (106) and the housing (100) are assembled by joining the cover (106) to the housing (100) in a direction perpendicular to its transverse plane. The lugs (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) are unfolded by elastic deformation to allow them to pass over the corresponding shoulders (211, 212, 213) until the edges of the cutouts abut the corresponding shoulders (211, 212, 213).

[0103] Other assembly schemes, such as laser welding, may also be used.

[0104] Insert the stator into the housing

[0105] Fig.15 and Fig.16 More specifically, it is shown how the stator is positioned and retained in the housing (100). To this end, the stator (111) is provided with a hole (364) that engages with a protrusion (363) of the base (105) of the housing (100) and a notch (366) that engages with an axial protrusion (365) of the base (105) of the housing (100). The protrusion (363) of the base (105) is inserted into the hole (364) and is sized to create a precisely positioned pivot point. The axial protrusion (365) is also inserted into the notch (366) in a manner that ensures that the stator (111) can be precisely positioned relative to the base (105) in the transverse plane of the housing (100). The shaft (124) for guiding the rotor (113) is also provided by the base (105) of the housing (100), so that the positioning of the rotor (113) relative to the stator (111) is as robust as possible with respect to manufacturing deviations due to a minimal dimensional chain. This base (105) also receives the various shafts (125, 126, 127) of the reducer in order to minimize positioning errors of the various components of the differential motion, which gives the actuator an inherent robustness against variations in vibration behavior associated with manufacturing deviations.

[0106] like[ Fig.16], the upper end of the projection (363) can be flared outwards to ensure axial support of the stator. This is particularly useful during the process of assembling the printed circuit (130) to the stator (111), which is accompanied by compression of the grounding spring and provides significant forces between the base (105) and the circuit (130) attached to the stator (111) through the electrical terminals of the windings by reaction forces. These forces are then temporarily absorbed by the flaring until the cover (106) of the housing (100) is closed, the cover having an axial projection bearing on the upper side of the stator (111).

Claims

1. An actuator for positioning a pivoting member, the actuator comprising a housing (100) provided with a base (105) closed by a cover (106) and housing an electric motor (110), the shaft (124) of the rotor (113) of the electric motor carrying a pinion (141) which drives an output shaft (127) by means of a multi-stage reduction gear train (120), the housing (100) having attachment means on its sides (101, 102), It is characterized in that The attachment means comprises two guide means (400, 450) extending in parallel on both sides of the housing (100) and capable of engaging with the complementary means (370, 380) of the support (340) by elastic deformation of the guide means (400, 450) of the housing (100) or of the complementary means (370, 380) of the support (340), the guide means (400, 450) being connected to the base (105) of the housing by means of transverse links (402, 452); - the side edges (11, 12; 13, 14) of the guide means (400, 450) define a virtual envelope (161), - the center of gravity (156) of the actuator (1) is located inside the virtual envelope (161) or at a distance from the virtual envelope that is less than 10% of the length (L) of the actuator (1), - The actuator (1) comprises a single electric motor (110).

2. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 1, characterized in that: In a transverse view, the virtual envelope (161) is mostly occupied by the electric motor (110).

3. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 1, characterized in that: In a transverse view, at least 80% of the surface area of ​​the virtual envelope (161) is occupied by the electric motor (110).

4. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center of gravity (156) of the actuator (1) is located inside the virtual envelope (161).

5. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide device (400, 450) of the housing (100) is an elastically deformable blade.

6. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 5, characterized in that: The complementary means (370, 380) of the support (340) are two parallel anchors traversed by apertures (371, 381), and the blades have lateral shoulders (401, 451) capable of fitting into the apertures (371, 381), respectively.

7. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side surfaces (101, 102) of the housing (100) have at least one side extension (300, 310, 320) through which a hole (301, 311, 321) passes in a direction along an axis parallel to an output axis (127) of the actuator (1), and a flat wedging surface perpendicular to the output axis and capable of abutting against a complementary surface (344, 345, 346) of the support (340).

8. An electromechanical system formed by an arrangement having a support (340) for receiving an actuator (1) for positioning a pivoting member and an actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that The complementary means (370, 380) of the support (340) are two parallel anchors having means complementary to the engagement means provided on the blades of the actuator to snap-fit ​​the housing (100) onto the support (340).

9. The electromechanical system according to claim 8, characterized in that The support (340) also has at least one central finger (342) positioned to engage in the aperture (301) of the side extension (300), the finger having a shoulder (345) which serves as an abutment for the extension when the actuator (1) is snap-fitted onto the support (340).

10. An actuator for positioning a pivoting member, the actuator comprising a housing (100) having a base (105) closed by a cover (106) and enclosing an electric motor (110), the shaft (124) of the rotor (113) of the electric motor carrying a pinion (141) driving an output shaft (127) via a multi-stage reduction gear train (120), It is characterized in that The inner volume of the housing (100) has a length (L) and a width (l), wherein the length (L) is measured as the maximum dimension of the housing (100) and corresponds to the cross section of the motor (110) plus the cross section of the drive wheel (123) of the output shaft (127), and the width (l) corresponds to the width of the stator (111) of the motor (110) in the transverse direction; and the motor (110) and the gears (121, The intermediate gears (121, 122) are distributed along three planes (150, 151, 152) in the axial direction, and the intermediate gears (121, 122) are located in an envelope of length (L) and width (l) and on two planes (151, 152) different from the plane (150) of the output wheel (123), so that in the transverse plane of the actuator (1), the surface area (163) of the reducer (120) is less than or equal to the surface area (162) of the motor (110).

11. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 11, characterized in that: The motor (110) has a yoke (170) extending radially from three winding teeth (114, 115, 116), which are arranged continuously in a first angular sector and non-winding teeth (117, 118, 119) are arranged in a complementary angular sector (α), the angle formed between two consecutive winding teeth (114, 115; 115, 116) is 60°, the axis (175) of the first winding tooth (116) forms an angle of 20°±5° relative to the longitudinal side (101) of the housing (100), and the yoke (170) has a straight periphery (173) at the first tooth (116) to form a surface complementary to an adjacent surface of the housing.

12. An actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 1 or 11, characterized in that: The reduction gear train (120) comprises a first shaft (125) guiding a gear of a first upper gear (121), the first upper gear (121) meshing with the pinion (141) mounted on the shaft (124) of the rotor of the motor and a linkage pinion (142), the linkage pinion (142) being positioned at an intermediate height and meshing with the gear (122) of the second gear linked to a third pinion (143), the third pinion (143) being positioned at a lower height and guided by a second shaft (126), the third pinion (143) being meshing with a transmission ring gear (129) driving the output shaft (127).

13. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 12, characterized in that: The rotation axes (124, 125, 127) of the rotor (113), the first intermediate gear (121) and the output wheel (123) are parallel and located in the vicinity of a median plane (153), which extends in the longitudinal direction of the actuator, and the vicinity of the median plane (153) is limited to a distance not exceeding 5% of the width (1) of the actuator (1).

14. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 11, characterized in that: The rear face has a connector (135) engaged in the space between the first winding tooth (114) and the second winding tooth (115).

15. The actuator for positioning a pivot member according to claim 14, characterized in that: The actuator has an electronic board (130) including control means for the winding (112), the electronic board (130) extending above the electric motor (110), the connector (135) having parallel conductive pins (136, 137, 138, 139) overmoulded by a retaining member having two cylindrical tenons orthogonal to the pins and insertable into holes in the electronic board (130), so that the connector (135) can be held in place until it is fixed by welding.

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