Wiper motor

Abstract

The invention relates to a wiper motor (10) comprising: an electronically commutated electric motor (14) with a stator (18) having wire windings (16); an interconnect device (20) for energizing the wire windings (16) of the stator (18); and a housing (12) in which the interconnect device (20) is disposed, the housing (12) having a housing lid (25) which covers the interconnect device (20) and is connected to connecting lines (28) for contacting the interconnect device (20) in a first connection area (31).

Description

Wiper motor

[0001] The invention relates to a wiper motor, in particular for a windshield wiper system of a vehicle, the wiper motor being characterized by a particularly advantageous and reliable design of the electrical connections between an interconnect device in the form of a circuit board and a housing lid having connecting lines and between the interconnect device and wire windings of a stator.State of the art

[0002] A wiper motor having the features of the preamble of claim 1 is known from JP 2023-060598 A. The known wiper motor is characterized by an interconnect device which is disposed in a housing and serves to energize wire windings of a stator of an electronically commutated electric motor. The interconnect device is connected to a plug connection on the housing of the wiper motor via connecting lines designed as lead-frame elements. The lead-frame elements are disposed in a housing lid of the housing and are partially overmolded by its plastic.

[0003] A disadvantage of the design described above, in which the connecting lines for energizing the interconnect device are integrated in the housing lid, is that the connection areas are not directly accessible for connecting the connecting lines to the interconnect device, in particular by means of welded connections. This is because the housing lid has to be installed on the housing for contacting, which moves the connecting lines into the area of the interconnect device. However, the housing lid covers the connection area of the connecting lines on the interconnect device, so that the connecting lines have to be welded more or less blindly.Disclosure of the invention

[0004] The wiper motor according to the invention exhibiting the features of claim 1 has the advantage that it makes it possible for the connecting lines in the housing lid to be connected to the interconnect device in a particularly simple and procedurally reliable manner.

[0005] The invention is based on the idea of simplifying contacting of the connecting lines with the interconnect device after installation of the housing lid by having an additional opening on the housing lid overlap with the connection area between the interconnect device and the connecting lines of the housing lid, said additional opening being designed to be closed by a closure element. This allows direct access to the connection area between the connecting lines and the interconnect device when the closure element has not yet been finally installed, thus ensuring easy access for welding equipment, for example. The said connections can also be visually monitored very easily as a result.

[0006] In light of the above explanations, a wiper motor according to the invention exhibiting the features of claim 1 therefore has an electronically commutated electric motor with a stator having wire windings. Furthermore, an interconnect device for energizing the wire windings of the stator is provided, as is a housing in which the interconnect device is disposed. The housing has a housing lid which covers the interconnect device and which is connected to connecting lines for contacting the interconnect device in a first connection area. The wiper motor according to the invention is characterized in that the housing lid has an opening in an area of overlap with the first connection area, the opening being designed to be closed by a closure element.

[0007] Advantageous embodiments of the wiper motor according to the invention are indicated in the dependent claims.

[0008] In particular, the connecting lines are formed by lead-frame elements disposed in the housing lid and partially surrounded by the material of the housing lid or overmolded with plastic.

[0009] In a constructively preferred embodiment of the closure element, the closure element is hinged to the housing lid in the area of the opening. This allows the closure element to simply be swung open or folded to the side to form the connections and means that to the closure element is captively connected to the housing lid.

[0010] Moreover, it is an essential aspect that the closure element can be connected to the housing lid in a fluid-tight manner, in particular by a bonded connection. This prevents moisture from entering the interior of the housing. The bonded connection is preferably a laser-welded connection. It is also conceivable for an adhesive to be used instead of a laser welded connection, for example.

[0011] According to another embodiment, the wire windings of the stator are connected to the interconnect device in a second connection area, which is also disposed in the area of overlap with the closure element, and the connection of the wire windings in the second connection area and / or the connection of the connecting lines in the first connection area is a bonded connection, in particular a welded connection. Such a design makes it possible, in particular, to connect both the wire windings of the stator and the connecting lines of the housing lid to the interconnect device by means of a single welding device in one and the same state in which the closure element allows access to the two connection areas. This enables shorter cycle times during production.

[0012] According to an alternative configuration of the last proposal, the wire windings are connected to the interconnect device in a second connection area, which is also disposed in the area of overlap with the closure element, and the connection of the wire windings in the second connection area and / or the connection of the connecting lines in the first connection area is a mechanical connection, in particular a plug connection. While such a design requires additional components (plug connection) or installation space in practice, it does not require any bonded connections and may therefore be advantageous with regard to the number of tools involved, i.e., the lack of need for a welding device.

[0013] In order to avoid thermal stress in the area of the housing lid and the closure element and to enable particularly tight connections between the housing lid and the closure element, it is furthermore advantageous if the housing lid and the closure element are made of the same plastic.

[0014] Other advantages, features, and details of the invention are apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention and from the drawings.Brief description of the drawings

[0015] andare simplified, partially sectioned top views of a wiper motor before and after the installation of an additional closure element in the area of connection areas between wire windings of a stator and lead-frame elements on a housing lid with an interconnect device; and

[0016] is a schematic illustration of a closure element hinged to a housing lid.Embodiments of the invention

[0017] Identical elements or elements having the same function are designated by the same reference numerals in the figures.

[0018] Figs. 1 and 2 show a greatly simplified wiper motor 10 of a windshield wiper system of a vehicle (not shown). In particular, the wiper motor 10 has a housing 12, which is schematically illustrated. An electronically commutated electric motor 14 is disposed inside the housing 12. The electric motor 14 has a stator 18 with wire windings 16, which interacts in a known manner with a rotor (not shown) of the electric motor 14 to drive wiper blades. The wire windings 16 are extended into the area of an interconnect device 20 in the form of a circuit board 22. The circuit board 22 or the interconnect device 20 has an electronic circuit (not shown) which serves to supply power to or energize the wire windings 16.

[0019] In the embodiment illustrated, the housing 12 of the wiper motor 10 accommodates the electric motor 14. However, it is also conceivable for the electric motor 14 to have a separate motor housing and to be firmly connected to the housing 12 by flanging for example (not shown).

[0020] The housing 12 of the wiper motor 10 is closed by a housing lid 25 in the area of an opening 24 of the housing 12. The housing lid 25 is preferably made of plastic. Furthermore, connecting lines 28, in particular in the form of lead-frame elements 26, are disposed in the housing lid 25 and partially overmolded by the material of the housing lid 25, which is made of plastic. As is known per se from the prior art, the connecting lines 28 are routed to a connector area or a plug connection (not shown) of the wiper motor 10, via which the wiper motor 10 can be energized. The connecting lines 28 are connected to the interconnect device 20 in a first connection area 31, in particular by laser-welded connections. Furthermore, the wire windings 16 are connected to the interconnect device 20 in a second connection area 32, also preferably by laser-welded joints. In the embodiment illustrated, the two connection areas 31, 32 are disposed directly next to each other or at a small distance from each other.

[0021] It should additionally be mentioned that both the wire windings 16 and the connecting lines 18 can also be connected to the interconnect device 20 via mechanical connections in the form of plug connections as an alternative to bonded connections in the form of welded connections.

[0022] In an area of overlap 34 between the two connection areas 31, 32 and the housing lid 25, the housing lid 25 has an additional opening 36, which can be closed with a closure element 38. In the embodiment illustrated, the opening 36 is approximately rectangular or square in shape. The closure element 38 can be connected to the housing lid 25 in an articulated manner, for example via a hinge 40, as shown inIn particular, the closure element 38 and the housing lid 25 are made of the same plastic material. In order to prevent fluids from entering after the housing lid 25 has been closed with the closure element 38, it is provided for the closure element 38 to seal the opening 36 in a fluid-tight manner, for which purpose the closure element 38 is connected to the housing lid 25 by a laser-welded connection (not shown), for example, i.e., a bonded connection.

[0023] As can be seen from, when the closure element 38 is open, both the first connection area 31 and the second connection area 32 are freely accessible from outside the housing 12, for example for welding equipment, with the housing lid 35 already installed. As a result, there is easy access for connecting the wire windings 16 or the connecting lines 28 to the interconnect device 20 in the two connection areas 31, 32 and visually monitoring the procedure.

[0024] After the connections have been formed, the closure element 38 is joined to the opening 36 to (completely) close the housing lid 25.

[0025] The wiper motor 10 described above can be altered or modified in a variety of ways without deviating from the spirit of the invention.Reference numerals

[0026] 10 wiper motor

[0027] 12 housing

[0028] 14 electric motor

[0029] 16 wire winding

[0030] 18 stator

[0031] 20 interconnect device

[0032] 22 circuit board

[0033] 24 opening

[0034] 25 housing lid

[0035] 26 lead-frame element

[0036] 28 connecting line

[0037] 31 first connection area

[0038] 32 second connection area

[0039] 34 area of overlap

[0040] 36 opening

[0041] 38 closure element

[0042] 40 hinge

Claims

A wiper motor (10) comprising: an electronically commutated electric motor (14) with a stator (18) having wire windings (16); an interconnect device (20) for energizing the wire windings (16) of the stator (18); and a housing (12) in which the interconnect device (20) is disposed, the housing (12) having a housing lid (25) which covers the interconnect device (20) and is connected to connecting lines (28) for contacting the interconnect device (20) in a first connection area (31), characterized in that the housing lid (25) has an opening (36) in an area of overlap (34) with the first connection area (31), the opening (36) being designed to be closed by a closure element (38).The wiper motor according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting lines (28) are formed by lead-frame elements (26) disposed in the housing lid (25) and partially surrounded by the material of the housing lid (25).The wiper motor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the closure element (38) is hinged to the housing lid (25) in the area of the opening (36).The wiper motor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the closure element (38) is configured to be connected to the housing lid (25) in a fluid-tight manner, in particular by a bonded connection.The wiper motor according to claim 4, characterized in that the bonded connection is a laser-welded connection.The wiper motor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the wire windings (16) are connected to the interconnect device (20) in a second connection area (32), which is also disposed in the area of overlap (34) with the closure element (38), and the connection of the wire windings (16) in the second connection area (32) and / or the connection of the connecting lines (28) in the first connection area (31) is a bonded connection, in particular a welded connection.The wiper motor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the wire windings (16) are connected to the interconnect device (20) in a second connection area (32), which is also disposed in the area of overlap (34) with the closure element (38), and the connection of the wire windings (16) in the second connection area (32) and / or the connection of the connecting lines (28) in the first connection area (31) is a mechanical connection, in particular a plug connection.The wiper motor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the housing lid (25) and the closure element (38) are made of the same plastic material.

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