Electric motor comprising a thermal fuse

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10027203-B2
Application number	US-201615375740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2016
Priority date	Jun 12, 2014
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

An electric motor for driving a motor vehicle component, in particular a fan impeller for cooling cooling water, having an electronics unit that includes a lead frame around which injection-molded plastic is provided and which has a current path conducting the motor current, and having two spaced-apart current path ends that form an interruption point bridged by a thermal fuse in the form of a spring-biased contact bridge. The contact bridge is mounted so as to be pivotable about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the plane of the interruption point. An abutment contour, against which the contact bridge pivots as a result of the restoring force of a spring element when the thermal fuse is triggered, limits the pivoting range of the contact bridge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric motor for driving a motor vehicle component, the electric motor comprising:
an electronics unit that includes a lead frame, which is provided with plastic encapsulation and has a current path conducting the motor current; and
two spaced-apart current path ends that form an interruption point bridged by a thermal fuse in the form of a spring-biased contact bridge,
wherein the contact bridge is held so as to be pivotable about a rotation axis extending substantially perpendicular to a plane of the interruption point,
wherein an abutment contour that limits a pivoting range of the contact bridge is provided against which the contact bridge pivots rotationally as a result of a restoring force of a spring element when the thermal fuse is triggered, and
wherein the spring element is formed as a leg spring with the spring eye coaxially surrounding the rotation axis, and with a first spring leg held on a stop-side extension arm and with a second spring leg under lying spring bias against the contact bridge on a long bridge side of the contact bridge that faces away from the abutment contour.

2. The electric motor according to claim 1 , wherein the contact bridge has a free bridge end and a holding end opposing the free bridge end, wherein, in an area of the free bridge end, a first contact surface is soldered to one of the current path ends and a soldered second contact surface is in contact with the other current path end.

3. The electric motor according to claim 1 , wherein the contact bridge has a bent depression directed toward the contact surface facing the rotation axis.

4. The electric motor according to claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle component is a fan impeller for cooling a cooling water.

5. An electric motor for driving a motor vehicle component, the electric motor comprising:
an electronics unit that includes a lead frame, which is provided with plastic encapsulation and has a current path conducting the motor current; and
two spaced-apart current path ends that form an interruption point bridged by a thermal fuse in the form of a spring-biased contact bridge,
wherein the contact bridge is held so as to be pivotable about a rotation axis extending substantially perpendicular to a plane of the interruption point,
wherein an abutment contour that limits a pivoting range of the contact bridge is provided against which the contact bridge pivots rotationally as a result of a restoring force of a spring element when the thermal fuse is triggered, and
wherein the abutment contour, acting as an end stop for the contact bridge when the thermal fuse is triggered, is formed from the plastic encapsulation.

6. An electric motor for driving a motor vehicle component, the electric motor comprising:
an electronics unit that includes a lead frame, which is provided with plastic encapsulation and has a current path conducting the motor current; and
two spaced-apart current path ends that form an interruption point bridged by a thermal fuse in the form of a spring-biased contact bridge,
wherein the contact bridge is held so as to be pivotable about a rotation axis extending substantially perpendicular to a plane of the interruption point,
wherein the contact bridge is arranged and/or guided in a circle segment-like guide slot formed from the plastic encapsulation, which limits a pivoting range of the contact bridge at at least one of a circle radii and/or guides the contact bridge along an arcuate slot wall.

7. The electric motor according to claim 6 , wherein the interruption point is arranged along one of the circle radii and an abutment contour in an area of the other circle radius of the circle segment-like guide slot.

8. An electric motor for driving a motor vehicle component, the electric motor comprising:
an electronics unit that includes a lead frame, which is provided with plastic encapsulation and has a current path conducting the motor current; and
two spaced-apart current path ends that form an interruption point bridged by a thermal fuse in the form of a spring-biased contact bridge,
wherein the contact bridge is held so as to be pivotable about a rotation axis extending substantially perpendicular to a plane of the interruption point,
wherein the contact bridge has a free bridge end and a holding end opposing the free bridge end, wherein, in an area of the free bridge end, a first contact surface is soldered to one of the current path ends and a soldered second contact surface is in contact with the other current path end, and
wherein the second contact surface of the contact bridge is provided between the first contact surface and the rotation axis on a side facing the interruption point.

9. An electric motor for driving a motor vehicle component, the electric motor comprising:
an electronics unit that includes a lead frame, which is provided with plastic encapsulation and has a current path conducting the motor current; and
two spaced-apart current path ends that form an interruption point bridged by a thermal fuse in the form of a spring-biased contact bridge,
wherein the contact bridge is held so as to be pivotable about a rotation axis extending substantially perpendicular to a plane of the interruption point,
wherein the contact bridge has a free bridge end and a holding end opposing the free bridge end, wherein the holding end of the contact bridge sits on a pivot pin formed from the plastic encapsulation, the pivot pin forming the rotation axis.

10. An electric motor for driving a motor vehicle component, the electric motor comprising:
an electronics unit that includes a lead frame, which is provided with plastic encapsulation and has a current path conducting the motor current; and
two spaced-apart current path ends that form an interruption point bridged by a thermal fuse in the form of a spring-biased contact bridge,
wherein the contact bridge is held so as to be pivotable about a rotation axis extending substantially perpendicular to a plane of the interruption point,
wherein the contact bridge has a free bridge end and a holding end opposing the free bridge end, wherein, in an area of the free bridge end, a first contact surface is soldered to one of the current path ends and a soldered second contact surface is in contact with the other current path end, and
wherein the contact bridge is a stamped/bent part with a number of bent sections, which form a raised bridge section in an area of the rotation axis between the first and second contact surfaces and in an area of an arcuate slot wall of a guide slot formed from the plastic encapsulation.

Assignees

• Brose Fahrzeugteile
• Brose Fahrzuegteile Gmbh & Co Kg Wuerzburg

Inventors

• Schulz Janik

Classifications

• H01H85/0241

  Structural association of a fuse and another component or apparatus (switches with built-in fuses H01H9/10, spark-gap arresters H01H85/44, transformers and inductances H01F27/402, capacitors H01G2/14, lamps H01K1/66, semiconductors H10W20/493 or H10W42/80) · CPC title

• H01H85/36 Primary

  Means for applying mechanical tension to fusible member · CPC title

• H02P6/16

  Circuit arrangements for detecting position · CPC title

• H02K11/25 Primary

  Devices for sensing temperature, or actuated thereby · CPC title

• H02K11/33

  Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics (H02K11/38 takes precedence) · CPC title