Electrical generator or motor structure – Dynamoelectric – Rotary
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-10
2001-09-18
Waks, Joseph (Department: 2834)
Electrical generator or motor structure
Dynamoelectric
Rotary
C310S071000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06291913
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive alternator provided with a surge absorber for absorbing surges arising in a voltage regulator for adjusting the magnitude of an alternating voltage generated in a stator.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8
is a cross section of a conventional automotive alternator (hereinafter “alternator”);
FIG. 9
is a front elevation of the interior of the alternator in
FIG. 8
,
FIG. 10
is a view of the interior of the alternator in
FIG. 8
from the direction of arrow A (Note: regulator is sectioned),
FIG. 11
is a view a view of the interior of the alternator in
FIG. 8
from the direction of arrow B,
FIG. 12
is a cross section taken along line XII—XII in
FIG. 11
(Note: surge absorber is not sectioned), and
FIG. 13
is an exploded perspective of the surge absorber in FIG.
12
.
This alternator includes: a case
3
consisting of an aluminum front bracket
1
and an aluminum rear bracket
2
; a shaft
6
disposed in the case
3
to one end of which a pulley
4
is secured; a Lundell-type rotor
7
secured to the shaft
6
; fans
5
secured to both end surfaces of the rotor
7
; a stator
8
secured to the inner wall of the case
3
; and slip rings
9
secured to the other end of the shaft
6
for supplying electric current to the rotor
7
.
This alternator also includes: a base
100
having an inserted conductor embedded therein by insertion molding with PPS resin; a brush holder
11
integrated with the base
100
accommodating in a housing recess
11
a
a pair of brushes
10
moving in contact with the slip rings
9
; a rectifier
12
electrically connected to the stator
8
for converting alternating current generated in the stator
8
into direct current; a voltage regulator
13
fitted into the brush holder
11
for adjusting the magnitude of the alternating current generated in the stator
8
; an arc-shaped flow control plate
14
disposed opposite the fans
5
for directing air drawn into the case
3
by the rotation of the fans
5
to the voltage regulator
13
; a surge absorber
15
integrated with the base
100
for absorbing surges generated as the voltage regulator
13
regulates the voltage; and a connector
16
integrated with the base
100
.
The rotor
7
includes: a rotor coil
17
for generating magnetic flux when electric current passes therethrough; and a pole core
18
disposed so as to cover the rotor coil
17
in which magnetic poles are produced by the magnetic flux generated by the rotor coil
17
.
The stator
8
includes: a stator core
19
; and a stator coil
20
composed of wire wound onto the stator core
19
in which alternating current is generated by changes in the magnetic flux from the rotor coil
17
as the rotor
7
rotates.
The voltage regulator
13
is housed in a recessed housing portion
21
formed in the brush holder
11
. The voltage regulator
13
includes: a circuit board
22
; a voltage regulator circuit portion
23
having IC chips, etc., mounted on the circuit board
22
; lead pins
24
electrically connecting the voltage regulator circuit portion
23
to the inserted conductor in the base
100
; cooling fins
25
secured to the circuit board
22
; and a resin portion
26
sealing the voltage regulator circuit portion
23
.
As shown in
FIGS. 12 and 13
, the surge absorber
15
includes: a case
27
; and a capacitor element
30
having a rectangular parallelepiped shape over all disposed inside the case
27
for preventing the propagation of noise to the vehicle's electrical systems such as audio systems, blower fans, etc., by absorbing surges generated as the voltage regulator
13
regulates the voltage. This surge absorber
15
is inserted into a receiving portion
32
formed in the base
100
. The positive terminal
33
and the negative terminal
34
of the capacitor element
30
are secured by soldering to the terminals
35
of the inserted conductor in the base
100
.
The connector
16
shown in
FIGS. 14 and 15
includes terminal
36
for detecting battery voltage and terminal
36
for alerting the driver of the vehicle to overvoltage and inoperation of the alternator. These terminals
36
are constituted by the terminals of the inserted conductor. Because the connector
16
is constructed for the insertion of an external connector
37
, the opening
39
thereof is formed with dimensions allowing clearance for the outside dimensions of the external connector
37
. For that reason, a rear surface portion
38
for preventing air from being drawn through the opening
39
into the interior of the case
3
by the rotation of the fans
5
is formed on the rear side of the opening
39
. A flat surface portion
40
is formed on the surface of the connector
16
opposite the fans
5
. This flat surface portion
40
lies on the same plane as the flow control plate
14
which is disposed axially overlapping the base
100
, and thus, air from the rotating fans
5
flows smoothly over the flat surface portion
40
and the flow control plate
14
, reducing noise.
In an alternator of the above construction, a current is supplied by a battery (not shown) through the brushes
10
and slip rings
9
to the rotor coil
17
, whereby magnetic flux is generated. At the same time, the pulley
4
is driven by the engine and the rotor
7
is rotated by the shaft
6
, so that a rotating magnetic field is imparted to the stator coil
20
and electromotive force is generated in the stator coil
20
. This alternating electromotive force passes through the rectifier
12
and is converted into direct current, the magnitude thereof is adjusted by the voltage regulator
13
, and the battery is recharged.
In an alternator of the above construction, the surge absorber
15
for preventing the propagation of noise is secured to the base
100
by inserting it into a receiving portion
32
formed in the base
100
and soldering the positive terminal
33
and the negative terminal
34
of the capacitor element
30
to the terminals
35
of the inserted conductor. That is to say, because the surge absorber
15
is held by the terminals
33
and
34
, the dynamic load acting on the surge absorber
15
due to vibrations from the engine, etc., is concentrated on the terminals
33
and
34
, and one problem has been the risk of breakages at the terminals
33
and
34
.
Because the terminals
33
and
34
are exposed to the exterior, other problem have been electrolytic corrosion of the metal positive terminal
33
due to wetting with salt water or the like, or breaking of the wires at the joints between the terminals
33
and
34
and the terminals
35
of the inserted conductor due to natural corrosion.
Because the joints between the terminals
35
of the inserted conductor and the terminals
33
and
34
of the capacitor element
30
are solder with the terminals
33
and
34
overlapping in surface contact with the terminals
35
in the axial direction, other problems have been that the soldering operation can only be performed from the direction of arrow C in
FIG. 12
, and that the joint strength has been unstable due to the irregular shape of the terminals
35
, for example.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to solve the above problems and an object of the present invention is to provide an automotive alternator in which the terminals of the surge absorber and the terminals of the inserted conductor are joined reliably and firmly.
To this send, according to the present invention, there is provided an automotive alternator comprising: a case; a shaft rotatably disposed inside the case; a rotor secured to the shaft; a fan secured to an end surface of the rotor; a stator secured to an inner wall of the case; a base through which the shaft passes having an inserted conductor embedded therein except for terminals; a voltage regulator integrated with the base for adjusting the magnitude of an alternating voltage generated in the stator; a flow control plate disposed opposite the fan for directing to the voltage regulator air drawn into the case
Adachi Katsumi
Nikawa Youji
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Waks Joseph
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