Patent · US Expired

Driving unit with an electric driving motor and a worm gear connected downstream to said motor

US5886437A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
6References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 23, 1996
Grant dateMar 23, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 23, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T74/19828
  • WIPO fieldMechanical elements
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to a drive unit (10) having an electric drive motor (12) and a subsequent connected worm gear (14), which serves for instance to drive the wiper system of a motor vehicle. The drive unit (10) has a drive shaft (16), which includes both the motor armature shaft (18) and the worm shaft (20) of the gear. A unit housing (22), which receives the electric motor (12) and the worm gear (14), is provided with spring means (26) that to overcome the axial play of the drive shaft (16) press in prestressed fashion against the free end face of the worm shaft (20). An especially simple and economical way of overcoming longitudinal shaft in the drive shaft, in a way suitable for robot assembly, is obtained if the spring means (26) are embodied by a leaf-springlike spring element (26) oriented crosswise to the axis of rotation of the worm shaft (20), the spring element being fixed by opposed end edges to shoulders (48, 50) of the housing and its middle portion, located between the end edges, engaging the end face of the worm shaft.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.