Stepper motor assembly having opposite shafts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9970792-B2
Application number	US-201414456564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2014
Priority date	Aug 11, 2014
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A stepper motor assembly, for use in an instrument panel in some applications, has a first rotor, a second rotor, a set of first electromagnets, and a set of second electromagnets. Each electromagnet is disposed adjacent to one of the first and second rotors and is configured to generate a magnetic field to rotate the respective rotor. The first rotor is configured to rotate a first shaft, wherein the first shaft extends from a first side of the stepper motor assembly. The second rotor is configured to rotate a second shaft, wherein the second shaft extends from a second side of the stepper motor assembly. The second side is opposite the first side. The first and second shafts are rotatable independently about a single shaft axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stepper motor assembly comprising:
a first rotor;
a second rotor;
a plurality of first electromagnets disposed adjacent to the first rotor, each first electromagnet being configured to generate a magnetic field to rotate the first rotor about a first rotor axis;
a plurality of second electromagnets disposed adjacent to the second rotor, each second electromagnet being configured to generate a magnetic field to rotate the second rotor about a second rotor axis;
a first shaft, the first rotor being configured to rotate the first shaft, the first shaft extending from a first side of the stepper motor assembly;
a second shaft, the second rotor being configured to rotate the second shaft, the first and second shafts being rotatable about a single shaft axis, the second shaft extending from a second side of the stepper motor assembly, the second side being opposite the first side;
a first shaft gear part extending from the first shaft and a second shaft gear part extending from the second shaft, the first shaft gear part being disposed along a first plane, the second shaft gear part being disposed along a second plane, the first and second planes being non-coplanar; and
a first intermediate gear in meshing engagement with the first shaft gear part, the first rotor having a first rotor gear part, the first intermediate gear being in meshing engagement with the first rotor gear part, the stepper motor assembly further comprising a second intermediate gear in meshing engagement with the second shaft gear part, the second rotor having a second rotor gear part, the second intermediate gear being in meshing engagement with the second rotor gear part.

2. The stepper motor assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a printed circuit board in communication with the pluralities of first and second electromagnets.

3. The stepper motor assembly of claim 2 , further comprising a first dial connected to the first shaft and a second dial connected to the second shaft, the first shaft being configured to rotate the first dial and the second shaft being configured to rotate the second dial.

4. The stepper motor assembly of claim 3 , further comprising a mask having a first illuminatable pointer corresponding to the first dial and a second illuminatable pointer corresponding to the second dial.

5. The stepper motor assembly of claim 2 , the second shaft having a sleeve concentrically disposed around the first shaft.

6. The stepper motor assembly of claim 5 , wherein the second shaft gear part is disposed along the second plane normal to the shaft axis.

7. The stepper motor assembly of claim 6 , further comprising a housing, the pluralities of first and second electromagnets, the first and second rotors, the first and second shaft gear parts, and the first and second intermediate gears being disposed in the housing.

8. The stepper motor assembly of claim 7 , the housing being attached to the printed circuit board.

9. The stepper motor assembly of claim 8 , one of the first and second shafts extending through the printed circuit board, the other of the first and second shafts not extending through the printed circuit board.

10. An instrument panel assembly comprising:
a first rotor;
a second rotor;
a plurality of first electromagnets disposed adjacent to the first rotor, each of the plurality of first electromagnets being configured to generate a magnetic field to rotate the first rotor about a first rotor axis;
a plurality of second electromagnets disposed adjacent to the second rotor, each of the plurality of second electromagnets being configured to generate a magnetic field to rotate the second rotor about a second rotor axis;
a first shaft, the first rotor being configured to rotate the first shaft, the first shaft extending from a first side of the instrument panel assembly;
a second shaft, the second rotor being configured to rotate the second shaft, the second shaft extending from a second side of the instrument panel assembly, the second side being opposite the first side;
a printed circuit board in communication with the pluralities of first and second electromagnets;
a first shaft gear part extending from the first shaft, the first shaft gear part being disposed along a first plane normal to a shaft axis;
a second shaft gear part extending from the second shaft, the second shaft gear part being disposed along a second plane normal to the shaft axis, the first and second planes being non-coplanar;
a first intermediate gear in meshing engagement with the first shaft gear part, the first rotor having a first rotor gear part, the first intermediate gear being in meshing engagement with the first rotor gear part; and
a second intermediate gear in meshing engagement with the second shaft gear part, the second rotor having a second rotor gear part, the second intermediate gear being in meshing engagement with the second rotor gear part.

11. The instrument panel assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a first dial connected to the first shaft and a second dial connected to the second shaft, the first shaft being configured to rotate the first dial and the second shaft being configured to rotate the second dial.

12. The instrument panel assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a mask having a first illuminatable pointer corresponding to the first dial and a second illuminatable pointer corresponding to the second dial.

13. The instrument panel assembly of claim 12 , the first and second shafts being disposed along a single shaft axis, the second shaft having a sleeve concentrically disposed around the first shaft.

14. The instrument panel assembly of claim 13 , further comprising:
a housing attached to the printed circuit board, the pluralities of first and second electromagnets, the first and second rotors, the first and second shaft gear parts, and the first and second intermediate gears being disposed in the housing.

15. An instrument panel assembly comprising:
a mask having a display side and a back side, the mask defining a first opening and a second opening in the mask;
a first dial extending through the first opening of the mask;
a second dial extending through the second opening of the mask; and
a stepper motor assembly disposed adjacent to the back side of the mask, the stepper motor assembly comprising:
a first stepper motor, the first stepper motor comprises a first rotor and a plurality of first electromagnets, the first stepper motor rotating the first rotor about a first rotor axis;
a second stepper motor, the second stepper motor comprising a second rotor and a plurality of second electromagnets, the second stepper motor rotating the second rotor about a second rotor axis;
a first shaft, the first stepper motor being configured to rotate the first shaft, the first shaft extending from a first side of the stepper motor assembly, the first shaft being connected to the first dial, the first shaft being configured to rotate the first dial;
a second shaft, the second stepper motor being configured to rotate the second shaft, the second shaft extending from a second side of the stepper motor assembly, the second side being opposite the first side, the second shaft being connected to the second dial, the second shaft being configured to rotate the second dial, wherein the first and second shafts are disposed along a single shaft axis;
a first shaft gear part extending from the first shaft, the first shaft gear part being disposed along a first plane normal to the shaft axis;
a second shaft gear part extending from the second shaft, the second shaft gear part being disposed along

Assignees

• Continental automotive systems inc

Inventors

• Quiroz Luis Ernesto

Classifications

• H02P8/00

  Arrangements for controlling dynamo-electric motors rotating step by step · CPC title

• H02K16/00

  Machines with more than one rotor or stator {(machines for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; permanent magnet machines with multiple rotors or stators relatively rotated for vectorially combining the excitation fields or the armature voltages H02K21/029)} · CPC title

• G01D13/08 Primary

  Rotating drums (G01D13/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01D13/02

  Scales; Dials · CPC title

• H02K7/116

  with gears · CPC title