WIRE HOLDER

Abstract

A wire holder for a stator of an electric motor includes a main body including a first wall portion and a second wall portion, and a partially annular clamp section which extends over 90 to 210 in a circumferential direction. The second wall portion defines an end surface of the clamp section and projects radially inwards, and includes at least two clamp sockets on the end surface and pointing away from the clamp section in an axial direction. The clamp sockets include at least one slot into which a winding connection wire can be laid.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A wire holder for a stator of an electric motor, the wire holder comprising: a main body made of plastic including a first wall portion and a second wall portion including a partially annular clamp section extending over 90 to 210 in a circumferential direction, the second wall portion defining an end surface of the clamp section projecting radially inwards, and at least two clamp sockets on the end surface and pointing away from the clamp section in an axial direction; wherein each of the clamp sockets includes at least one slot into which a winding connection wire is able to be laid.

15. The wire holder according to claim 14, wherein each of the at least two clamp sockets includes an inner space through which the slot extends.

16. The wire holder according to claim 15, wherein the inner space defines a guide for an insulation piercing contact.

17. The wire holder according to claim 14, wherein the at least one slot is open in an axial direction pointing away from the clamp section and includes a slot width that reduces towards the clamp section.

18. The wire holder according to claim 17, wherein the slot includes on a base thereof a circular slotted bore extending in a radial direction.

19. The wire holder according to claim 14, wherein the clamp section includes at least two snap-locking elements extending radially inwards to engage in recesses of the stator.

20. The wire holder according to claim 14, wherein a total of three clamp sockets are provided.

21. An electric motor comprising the wire holder according to claim 14.

22. The electric motor according to claim 21, wherein the wire holder is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the stator.

23. The electric motor according to claim 21, wherein winding connection wires of the stator are provided in the clamp sockets.

24. The electric motor according to claim 23, wherein the winding connection wires extend along a radial inner side of the wire holder and are angled radially outwards and located in the slots.

25. The electric motor according to claim 21, wherein the wire holder is detachably fixed in a snap-locking manner on an outer circumferential surface of the stator and is held in an axial direction by the winding connection wires.

26. A method for manufacturing an electric motor comprising: providing a stator package including at least two recesses on an outer circumferential surface and holding windings with winding connection wires that project beyond the stator package in an axial direction; placing a wire holder including slots onto the stator package in a radial direction such that the wire holder engages with snap-locking elements in the recesses to be held in a radial direction, the winding connection wires being radially inwards of the wire holder; bending the winding connection wires outwards in a radial direction and laying each of the at least one winding connection wire in one of the slots of the wire holder; and securing and contacting the winding wires by insulation piercing contacts on the winding connection wires in a transverse direction to sections of the winding connection wires located in the slots.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Example embodiments of the present disclosure are described below on the basis of the drawings, in which:

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a wire holder.

[0021] FIG. 2 shows the wire holder of FIG. 1 and a stator package before assembly.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows the components from FIG. 2 in an assembled condition.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows the assembly from FIG. 3 with winding connection wires and insulation piercing contacts inserted into the wire holder.

[0024] FIG. 5 shows an electric motor including a wire holder according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In the figures, identical or functionally identical components bear the same reference numbers.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire holder 1. The wire holder 1 has a main body 2 having a clamp section 2a which extends in roughly the shape of an arc. A first wall part 3 is designed as a part of a cylinder mantle extending in an axial direction, while a second wall part 4 aligned in an axial direction points inwards at a right angle from the first wall part. Both wall parts 3 and 4 are connected to one another in one piece in the region of an outer edge 5 and form the clamp section 2a, which is to be arranged in a clampable manner on a stator package. The wire holder 1 is overall manufactured in one piece from a technical plastic in an injection moulding process.

[0027] On its inner side 7, the first wall part 3 which points radially inwards carries a number of reinforcement ribs 8. On an outer side 9 opposite the inner side 7, the first wall section carries a number of snap-locking elements 10 which are each arranged in the region of a reinforcement rib 8 such that a reinforcement rib 8 is allocated to each snap-locking element 10 on the inner side 7 arranged externally.

[0028] The second wall part 4 has a flat upper side 12 which extends in an essentially radial plane of the arrangement. A total of three clamp sockets 14 are formed on the upper side 12, wherein the clamp sockets 14 each have an approximately cuboid external shape which tapers slightly away from the upper side 12. The clamp sockets are limited by short side walls 15 and long side walls 16. The short side walls 15 and the long side walls 16 adjoin one another at approximately right angles and surround an inner space which is open on an upper side, wherein the upper side of the clamp socket 14 points away from the upper side 12 of the second wall part 4. Each of the upper edges of the short side walls and the longer side walls 16 has an insertion slant 17 which facilitates the insertion of connectors or the like into the inner space of the respective clamp socket 4.

[0029] The long side walls 16 are each passed through by two slots 20 running in parallel. The slots of the two opposite long side walls 16 are directly opposite one another so aligning the slots results in a passage opening which is oriented in a normal manner relative to the side walls 16. Each slot 20 extends from the upper edge of the long side wall 16 in an axial direction towards the second wall part 4 and ends at a distance from the upper side 12 of the second wall part 4. The clear width of the slot decreases.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows the wire holder from FIG. 1 adjacent to a stator package 30. The wire holder 1 is in a position immediately before assembly on the stator package 30. The stator package 30 comprises, in a known manner, a plurality of sheet metal slats 31, which form the winding cores of wire coils 32 and in the subsequent function bundle the magnetic field formed by the flow of electricity through the winding package 32.

[0031] The winding packages 32 are normally made of a rigid copper wire which is varnished to ensure electrical insulation. The free ends of the wire coils form winding connection wires 33-38. The winding connection wires 33-38 lead out of the top of the stator package in the representation in FIG. 2 and point away from the winding packages in a manner which is essentially straight and parallel to the symmetrical axis of the stator package 30. The winding connection wires 33-38 are in a radial direction approximately in the region which forms the inner circumferential surface of the stator package 30 which surrounds the rotor when the electric motor is subsequently assembled.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows the arrangement from FIG. 2, wherein the wire holder 1 is now placed on the stator package 30. On their outer circumference, the sheet metal slats 31 of the stator package 30 have a number of recesses 40 which extend inwards in a radial direction and which form grooves running in parallel to the axis on the outer circumferential surface of the stator package 30. The recesses 40 are evenly distributed over the circumference of the stator package 30, in other words they are arranged at a constant angular distance in the circumferential direction.

[0033] The wire holder 1 is placed on the stator package 30 such that a snap-locking element 10 of the wire holder 1 is inserted into a recess 40 of the stator package 30. Since the wire holder 1 extends over an angle range of around 160 in the circumferential direction of the stator package 30, the two external snap-locking elements, only one of which is visible here, are almost diametrically opposite one another. Since it is manufactured from a technical plastic, the clamp section 2a of the wire holder 1 has an elasticity which enables the snap-locking elements 10 to engage in the recesses 40 when the wire holder 1 is placed in the position shown in FIG. 3. The transfer of the wire holder 1 from the disassembled position shown in FIG. 2 to the assembled position shown in FIG. 3 in a radial direction of the arrangement is carried out such that the wire holder 1 is clipped onto the stator package 30. The axial position of the wire holder 1 is determined by the system of the ribs 8 on the upper side of the stator package 30 which is not visible in FIGS. 2 and 3, in other words on the upper surface of the sheet metal package 31. As a result, the wire holder 1 is positioned precisely in an axial direction and a radial direction relative to the stator package 30. The wire holder 1 is still not secured in an axial, upwards direction in FIG. 3.

[0034] FIG. 4 shows the arrangement from FIG. 3 in a perspective view from another side. As described above, the wire holder 1 was placed on the stator package 30 where it is held by the snap-locking elements 10 which engage in the recesses 40. In this view, it is possible to see on the right-hand side that the reinforcement rib 8 protrudes on the upper sheet metal slat of the package 31, thereby defining the axial position of the wire holder 1 on the stator package 30. The second wall part 4, which extends in a radial plane of the arrangement, covers part of the winding packages 32 in the assembly position shown in FIG. 4.

[0035] Compared to the assembly condition of FIG. 3, the winding connection wires 33-38 in FIG. 4 are curved outwards in a radial direction and inserted into the respective slots of the three clamp sockets 14 far enough that the winding connection wires 33-38 lie on the closed end of the slots 20. The winding connection wires 33-38 pass through both slots 20 aligned with one another on the opposing long side walls 16 and the free ends protrude a small amount further radially outward beyond the outer surface of the clamp sockets 14. The winding connection wires 33-38 are relatively rigid and therefore now fix the wire holder 1 in an upwards direction in the axial direction of the arrangement too (away from the stator package 30). The width of the slot 20 which tapers downwards is slightly smaller at the lower end than the diameter of the winding connection wires 33-38 so the winding connection wires 33-38 are held in the slots 20 in a slightly clamped manner. In order to ensure better fixation, it is also possible to provide a round recess at the closed end of each slot 20 into which the respective wire can snap.

[0036] A number of insulation piercing contacts 43-48 are shown in FIG. 4 above the clamp socket 14. The insulation piercing contacts 43-48 are structurally identical and known to the person skilled in the art. In order to fix and connect the winding connection wires 33-38, the insulation piercing contacts 43-48 are inserted into the clamp sockets 14 from the position shown in FIG. 4 in an axial direction. Here they engage in an inextricable manner with barbs 49 and cut through the insulation on the winding connection wires 33-38. This means on the one hand the winding connection wires 33-38 are finally fastened into the clamp sockets 14 and on the other hand are brought into an electrically conductive connection with the insulation piercing contacts 43-48.

[0037] The upper side of the insulation piercing contacts 43-48 have a clamping area 50 in which further elements can be inserted for electrical contacting, for example electrical conductors in strip form, in sheet metal form or directly as printed circuit boards. With these elements, an electronic switch (not shown) to control the winding package 32 can be simply and reliably contacted with the winding connection wires 33-38.

[0038] The novel wire holder therefore enables simple, compact and reliable assembly on a stator package, a reliable hold of the winding connection wires 33-38 and a simple contacting of the wire connection wires 33-38 by means of insulation piercing contacts 43-48. The arrangement is to be manufactured in a compact and light manner with a small number of parts. The advantages mentioned also apply to an electric motor which is manufactured using a wire holder as described above.

[0039] An electric motor of this type is shown in cross-section in FIG. 5. The electric motor comprises the stator 30 having the winding packages 32, wherein the stator 30 carries the wire holder 1 (not fully identifiable here) having clamp sockets 14. The clamp sockets 14 are connected to a circuit board 52 to control the electric motor by means of the insulation piercing contacts 50.

[0040] A rotor 51 is rotatably mounted within the stator in a known manner. The arrangement is surrounded by a motor housing 53 which carries rolling bearings 54 for the rotatable mounting of the rotor 51. It is evident that the circuit board 52 is connected to the coils 32 by means of the insulation piercing contacts 50 in the region of the clamp sockets 14. As explained above, this reduces the number of parts and the electric motor is a compact and lightweight.

[0041] While example embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.