Mounting device for blower motor and vehicle blower

Abstract

Mounting device for a blower motor (22) of a heating or air conditioning system of a vehicle, with a holder (24) surrounding the blower motor (22), a housing (10) in which the holder (24) is attached, and a vibration decoupling device between holder (24) and housing (10), characterized by the fact that The vibration decoupling device has at least two damping rings (26, 28) attached to the circumference of the holder (24) and surrounding the holder (24), which are located on sides opposite axially with respect to the center of gravity of the motor and / or the center of gravity of the unit (20) associated with the blower motor (22) and decoupled from the housing (10), wherein the unit (20) comprises the blower motor (22) and the holder (24) as well as the fan wheel(s) (32).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a fastening device for a blower motor of a heating or air conditioning system of a vehicle, comprising a holder surrounding the blower motor, a housing in which the holder is fastened, and a vibration decoupling device between the holder and the housing.

[0002] Such a fastening device is known from DE 197 12 228 B4. The holder is a pot-shaped part surrounding the blower motor with several laterally protruding finger-like flanges. Damping elements are fastened in openings in the flanges, lining the openings axially and radially. Screws are then screwed through the damping elements into the housing, so that the holder is attached to the housing in a movable and vibration-decoupled manner. Furthermore, a sealing ring is arranged between the housing and the holder. This document emphasizes that the sealing ring is made of such a soft material that it merely fulfills a sealing function, i.e., not a supporting function.

[0003] DE 42 40 776 C1 also shows a fastening device for a blower motor which has different vibration decoupling devices, namely on the one hand an O-ring between the holder and the housing and on the other hand one or more buffer sleeves on an end wall of the holder, through which fastening screws extend and which extend axially between the housing and the holder and radially between the screw and the housing.

[0004] The vibration decoupling devices are intended to ensure effective decoupling between the fan motor and the housing of the heating or air conditioning system so that vibrations caused by the fan wheel or the motor cannot be transmitted to the housing and thus the entire heating or air conditioning system.

[0005] EP 1 453 181 B1 describes a support structure for a blower motor, to the axially opposite end faces of which a fan wheel is connected and in which the blower motor and the fan wheels are surrounded by a two-part, common housing.

[0006] US 3 143 284 A discloses a device for elastically fastening a motor-fan assembly in a housing.

[0007] US 6 505 807 B1 describes a blower motor which is accommodated in a housing pot, wherein an annular damping element is arranged between the housing pot and a fastening area of ​​a fastening flange of the housing pot.

[0008] FR 2 408 938 A1 concerns the mounting and suspension of electric motors in any type of mounting, for example in air conditioning housings for vehicles or in mountings in vehicle doors for controlling window lifts or for controlling seat adjustment or other devices.

[0009] DE 94 22 144 U1 describes a holder for an electric motor of a blower wheel of a heating or air conditioning system of a motor vehicle, with several support elements made of rubber-elastic material arranged distributed over the circumference of a pole ring of the electric motor, wherein the electric motor and the blower wheel are held oscillating about their common center of gravity by the support elements.

[0010] DE 103 07 696 A1 discloses a feed pump and an adjustable feed, throttle and shut-off element for fluids.

[0011] The object of the invention is to provide a fastening device which is very easy to assemble and cost-effective and which is characterized by good decoupling or damping properties.

[0012] This is achieved in a fastening device of the type mentioned above in that the vibration decoupling device comprises at least two damping rings attached to the circumference of the holder and surrounding the holder. These damping rings are located on axially opposite sides with respect to the motor center of gravity and / or the center of gravity of the unit associated with the blower motor and decoupled from the housing. This unit comprises the motor and the holder, as well as the fan wheel(s).

[0013] In the mounting device according to the invention, vibration decoupling is achieved via damping rings circumferentially surrounding the bracket. To prevent imbalance, the center of gravity of the motor or of the vibrating unit consisting of the motor, bracket, and fan wheel is used as the reference point. The rings are then positioned axially on both sides of this center of gravity.

[0014] Preferably, the damping rings are at the same distance from the center of gravity to achieve uniform support and damping.

[0015] The damping rings themselves are very simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easy and quick to mount or attach to the holder, and their geometry can be easily changed to achieve different damping.

[0016] It may also be possible to dispense with the preferred equal distance of the damping rings from the center of gravity if the damping rings have different hardnesses tailored to the different distances or geometries leading to different damping (the ring closer to the center of gravity is harder than the ring further away).

[0017] The damping rings are preferably held firmly in the axial direction in both the holder and the housing, so that their position is predetermined and they cannot shift during operation. They are held in place, in particular, by positive locking, e.g., by projections or recesses, so that no separate fastening parts are required.

[0018] According to the preferred embodiment, at least one damping ring is also held on the housing in a rotationally fixed manner in the circumferential direction. This allows for the circumferential alignment of the holder relative to the housing via at least one damping ring. This optionally eliminates the need for additional fastening means for securing the holder in the circumferential direction relative to the housing.

[0019] The securing in the circumferential direction is also preferably carried out via a projection and a corresponding recess into which the projection projects.

[0020] The damping rings can be manufactured as individual parts and thus decoupled from one another or connected to one another by at least one intermediate web, whereby a one-piece design of the damping rings and the intermediate web is preferably used here.

[0021] Simple and quick assembly is further supported by a design in which the bracket is connected to the housing exclusively via the damping rings. No screws, rivets, clamps, or similar fastening elements—i.e., separate fastening elements—are required. Instead, the damping ring, positioned and preferably clamped between the bracket and the housing, serves to support and position the bracket-fan motor unit. This unit also includes the fan wheel(s), as these are mounted on the motor itself.

[0022] According to the preferred embodiment, the damping rings are firmly coupled to the housing and / or holder in all directions.

[0023] If, in addition, the damping rings are attached to the holder and this holder is also attached to the housing without separate fastening means, the entire vehicle fan can be designed without complex screw or rivet connections, i.e. without separate fastening means designed as separate parts.

[0024] The damping rings can be attached to the holder using a multi-component injection molding process, for example. The holder and damping rings are separate components. First, the holder, made of a harder material, is manufactured, and then the damping ring is molded onto it.

[0025] The fan motor is secured in the surrounding holder by clamping it, by inserting the fan motor into the holder.

[0026] To simplify assembly of the fastening device, the housing is composed of at least two opposing shells that accommodate at least one of the damping rings, preferably all of the damping rings. The shells can be designed to clamp the damping rings radially between them and the holder.

[0027] The shells can only be attached to each other using snap-in connections.

[0028] In order to save further parts, it is intended to insert the holder directly into the fan housing, ie the previously mentioned housing is the fan housing itself and no intermediate brackets or intermediate housings are provided anymore.

[0029] The blower motor can drive two fan wheels arranged at its two axial ends; ie, the drive shaft projects axially on both sides.

[0030] The invention further relates to an assembly of a vehicle fan of a heating or air conditioning system with a fan motor and a motor fastening device according to the invention.

[0031] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, to which reference is made. In the drawings: - Fig. 1 a perspective view of the vehicle fan according to the invention, - Fig. 2 an exploded view of the vehicle fan according to Fig. 1, - Fig. 3 a horizontal section through the vehicle fan according to the invention, - Fig. 4 a longitudinal section through the vehicle fan along the line IV-IV in Fig. 3, - Fig. 5 a cross-sectional view through the vehicle fan along the line VV in Fig. 3, - Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the fastening device according to the invention, which is used in the vehicle fan according to the invention, together with the fan motor, - Fig. 7 the fastening device mounted on the fan motor according to Fig. 6 and - Fig. 8 the unit consisting of fastening device, blower motor and fan wheels including damping rings, decoupled from the housing by means of the fastening device.

[0032] In Fig. 1 shows a vehicle fan for a heating or air conditioning system, which has a housing 10 which consists of several individual parts which are Fig. 2 and will be described below. These numerous individual parts are secured together without any screw or rivet connection, solely by molded snap-in connections, so that the entire housing 10 can be assembled quickly. The individual snap-in connections are designated by the reference numeral 12.

[0033] The vehicle fan has two intake ducts 14 and two outlet ducts 16. This results in two parallel air flows, with the entire fan being designed essentially symmetrically to a vertical plane arranged between the parallel flows.

[0034] In Fig. 2 the housing parts are shown individually.

[0035] The housing 10 is composed of several shells made of plastic, in particular by injection molding. A lower part 18 forms the inside of the outlet channels 16 as well as a lower section for receiving a central, prefabricated unit 20, which is inserted into the Fig. 6 to 8 and comprises a blower motor 22 in the form of an electric motor, a cylindrical plastic holder 24, and two damping rings 26, 28 made of soft plastic material. The blower motor 22 has a drive shaft with two axial ends 30, onto each of which a fan wheel 32 is mounted (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 8), with the fan wheels 32 belonging to unit 20. Details of unit 20 will be presented in more detail later.

[0036] Back to Fig. 2. Here, it can be seen that the lower part 18 is opposite a bowl-shaped upper part 34, which surrounds the upper part of the unit 20. Two side parts 36 form sections of the inlet channel 14 and the outlet channel 16 and surround the fan wheels 32 on the outside. Two side covers 38 close off the inlet channels 14. Molded-on centering pins 40 align the parts with each other.

[0037] In the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 the flow path of the air through the fan is clearly visible.

[0038] In the following, the Fig. Unit 20, which is shown in great detail in Figures 5 to 8, is described in more detail.

[0039] The holder 24 is a cylindrical plastic body with two oppositely open axial ends, which completely accommodates the motor 22 except for the drive shaft ends. The motor 22 is inserted axially into the holder 24 from one side and firmly connected to the holder 24 via a radial press fit. The torque support between the motor 22 and the housing 10 is achieved via this press fit. Ribs 42 extending in the axial direction and having a triangular cross-section (see Fig. 6) form the contact surfaces of the holder 24 on the blower motor 22. Also provided on the holder 24 are two diametrically opposed locking hooks 44, which project inward and, with their radially inwardly angled ends 46, form an axial stop for the blower motor 22, thus axially aligning the holder 24 with the blower motor 22. The ends 46 then rest against the front face of the blower motor 22.

[0040] The fan motor 22 is connected to the housing 10 via a fastening device in such a way that the unit 20 is mounted in a vibration-decoupled or at least highly vibration-damped manner relative to or within the housing. The fastening device comprises the holder 24 and a vibration-decoupling device between the holder 24 and the housing 10. The vibration-decoupling device consists of several damping rings 26, 28, which, in the embodiment shown, are fastened to the circumference of the holder 24 and circumferentially surround the holder 24. The entire unit 20, which preferably also includes the fan wheels 32, has a center of gravity S. The damping rings 26, 28 are, as shown in the Fig. 5 and Fig. 8, are arranged on opposite axial sides relative to the center of gravity S, preferably evenly spaced from the center of gravity S. This should center the entire unit 20 and its bearings in the housing. Due to the low weight of the holder 24 and fan wheels 32, the center of gravity S of the motor 22 essentially coincides with that of the unit 20.

[0041] The damping rings 26, 28 are fixedly attached in the axial direction to the holder 24 and to the housing 10, in particular in a form-fitting manner. The attachment to the holder 24 is achieved by producing the holder 24 and the damping rings 26, 28 as a two-component injection-molded part with a hard component (holder 24) and a soft component (damping rings 26, 28). To simplify the injection mold, a connecting web 48 is provided between the damping rings 26, 28, via which plastic material can flow from one cavity in the injection mold into the other cavity to form the damping rings 26, 28. Fig. The illustration shown in Figure 6, which shows the reinforcement rings 26, 28 as separate parts, is therefore shown only for illustrative purposes and would not occur at all in a two-component injection molding process.

[0042] Alternatively, the damping rings 26, 28 can of course be Fig. 6 can be manufactured as separate individual parts, possibly without the connecting web 46, and then pushed onto the holder 24.

[0043] At least one damping ring, here the damping ring 26, has at least one, in this case two diametrically opposed, radially projecting projections 50. These projections 50 serve to secure the reinforcement ring 26 and thus the entire unit 20 in the housing 10 against rotation. The housing 10, more precisely the lower part 18 (see Fig. 2), has recesses 52 corresponding to the projections 50, into which the projections 50 are inserted from above when the unit 20 is inserted.

[0044] The damping ring 28 has two V-shaped notches 54 ( Fig. 6), which serve as cable routing for the power supply to the blower motor 22. L-shaped extensions 56 on the holder 26 also serve as cable routing.

[0045] The housing 10 has a circumferential receiving groove 58 in the upper and lower parts 34 and 18, respectively, which is completely filled by the respective damping ring 26, 28 (see Fig. 5). The damping rings 26, 28 are thus firmly mounted between the holder 24 and the housing 10 in all directions, without play, in particular by form-fitting or radial clamping.

[0046] No additional individual parts serving as fastening devices are provided for securing the blower motor 22 in the housing 10. All forces between these parts are transmitted solely via the damping rings 26, 28.

[0047] The damping rings 26, 28 largely decouple the entire unit 20 from the housing 10 in terms of vibration.

[0048] Of course, more than two damping rings 26, 28 can be provided or only one fan wheel 32. Furthermore, it would also be possible to design the damping rings 26, 28 as two semicircular rings that are placed on the holder 24 from above and below. A receiving groove 60, as shown in Fig. 6 is indicated, would position the damping rings 26, 28 axially.

Claims

[1] Fastening device for a blower motor (22) of a heating or air conditioning system of a vehicle, with a holder (24) surrounding the blower motor (22), a housing (10) in which the holder (24) is mounted, and a vibration decoupling device between the holder (24) and the housing (10), characterized by , that the vibration decoupling device has at least two damping rings (26, 28) fastened to the circumference of the holder (24) and surrounding the holder (24), which are located on axially opposite sides with respect to the motor center of gravity and / or the center of gravity of the unit (20) associated with the blower motor (22) and decoupled from the housing (10), wherein the unit (20) comprises the blower motor (22) and the holder (24) as well as the fan wheel(s) (32). [2] Fastening device according to claim 1, characterized bythat the damping rings (26, 28) are held firmly in the axial direction on the holder (24) as well as in the housing (10). [3] Fastening device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that at least one damping ring (26) is held on the housing (10) in a rotationally fixed manner in the circumferential direction. [4] Fastening device according to claim 3, characterized by that at least one damping ring (26, 28) and the housing (10) are held circumferentially fixed to one another via at least one projection (50) and a corresponding recess (52) into which the projection (50) projects. [5] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least one damping ring (26, 28) is positively coupled in all directions to the housing (10) and / or the holder (24). [6] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the damping rings (26, 28) are connected to one another by a connecting web (48). [7] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the holder (24) and the unit (20) are connected to the housing (10) exclusively via the damping rings (26, 28). [8] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the damping rings (26, 28) are locked in position on the holder (24). [9] Fastening device according to claim 8, characterized by that holders (24) and damping rings (26, 28) are manufactured by multi-component injection molding and connected to one another. [10] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the blower motor (22) is axially inserted into the holder (24) surrounding it and clamped therein. [11] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the housing (10) is composed of at least two opposing shells which accommodate at least one of the damping rings (26, 28). [12] Fastening device according to claim 11, characterized by that the shells are attached to each other exclusively via snap connections. [13] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the housing (10) is the blower housing. [14] Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the blower motor (22) drives two fan wheels (32) arranged at its two axial ends. [15] Assembly of a vehicle blower (20) of a heating or air conditioning system, with a blower motor (22) and a motor mounting device according to one of the preceding claims.

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