General Electric Company

Prince Corporation

Alan L Kindig

Kenneth M Lindberg

Sammy L Miller

Dale J Frye

Albert J Wesseldyk

Jeffrey D Gras

Robert J Stander

Ho H Tew

Eugene C Bair

Bradford J Burrows

Joseph B Buonodono

Ronald H Brown

David A Ozios

Thomas L Boerema

Calvin Humes, Jr

Fredus N Peters, Iii

An upholstery system for a vehicle accessory includes a substrate with a U-shaped channel adjacent an edge and including a lip extending from one wall. A trim member includes spaced locking tabs which underlie the lip for compressibly holding an edge of upholstery material in the channel. In one embodiment, pins in the trim ring extend through the material and into apertures in an outer flange of the channel. In another embodiment, the locking tabs are formed on the substrate and the trim member includes interengaging locking slots.

Upholstery system

A torque control for providing a desired frictional resistance to a pivotally mounted vehicle accessory, such as an armrest or headrest, which includes a resilient member having an irregular arcuate slot. A resistance element extends in the slot to move along the length thereof as the pivoted component pivots about the pivot axis. In one modification, the shape of the slot provides a desired predetermined frictional resistance and in another modification a cutout is made in one of the walls of the slot permitting such wall to flex.

Armrest torque control

An upholstery system for a vehicle accessory includes a substrate with a U-shaped channel adjacent an edge and including alternately staggered apertures and slots in its floor. A trim member with alternately staggered pins and locking tabs compressibly holds an edge of upholstery material in the channel with the pins extending through the material and into the apertures and the tabs lockably holding the trim member by fitting into the slots.

A torque control for providing a desired frictional resistance to a pivotally mounted vehicle accessory, such as an armrest or headrest, which includes a resilient member having an irregular arcuate slot. A resistance element extends in the slot to move along the length thereof as the pivoted component pivots about the pivot axis. The shape of the slot provides a desired predetermined frictional resistance.

A connection insulator for a dynamoelectric machine having a magnetic core and at least one winding arranged thereon comprising a plurality of coils of wire conductors with end turns thereof projecting beyond side faces of the core and being subject to pressure forces during compacting and forming and with lead wires extending therefrom. The insulator is formed of a flexible heat-shrinkable electrical insulating material and comprises a tubular portion with an open end adapted to receive an electrical connection joining at least one of the lead wires with another wire and a closed end with an integral flat tab portion extending axially therefrom at a junction with the tubular portion. A substantial part of the tab portion spaced from the junction is adapted to be grippingly engaged by the end turns of one of the coils and a substantial part of the tubular portion spaced from the junction is adapted to be grippingly engaged by the end turns of an adjoining coil. The electrical connection is located within the tubular portion and adjacent the closed end thereof. The parts of the tubular and tab portions not engaged by the end turns of adjoining coils span a space between adjoining coils and are substantially unaffected by pressure forces applied during compacting and forming of the end turns. A stator assembly with lead wire connections insulated by these connection insulators and methods of forming such stator assemblies are also described.

Connection insulator and stator assembly

A hermetic compressor unit driven by a dynamoelectric machine therein adapted to be energized from a source of power has a housing with a chamber therein, and means associated with the housing and communicating with the chamber is adapted for connection with the power source. A stator of the dynamoelectric machine mounted to the housing within the chamber includes winding means having a set of lead ends integral therewith. Plug means is removably associated with the connection means for receiving the lead ends and for connecting them in circuit relation with the connection means. A set of means are associated with the lead ends of the winding means for insulating them electrically from each other with the insulating means and lead ends twisted together into a twisted bundle thereof.

Hermetic compressor unit

Methods of insulating lead connections for dynamoelectric machine

Automatic system and method for compressing coil turns and insulators in stator core slots. Stator cores initially provided with end cuffed slot liners and a set of loosely inserted windings are loaded by the system operator sequentially into holding stations in a circular indexing, rotatable worktable. Each holding station comprises a cuff support assembly that serves simultaneously to precisely position and irremovably hold the stator cores as the worktable indexes the cores through a plurality of work stations. Automatic apparatus is provided at the work stations to initially press the turns into the slots, insert phase insulators, insert slot separator wedge insulators and further compress both the coil turns and insulators in the slots. A plurality of phase insulator work stations are gang operated to maintain high speed production rates despite relatively slow reloading of phase insulators into the insertion arbor of each work station. Angular orientation of the phase insulators in the stator core is preselectable remotely from the loading/unloading station of the system by means of selection of one of a plurality of sensor switches spaced about an arbor positioning switch plate at predetermined desired angular positions.

Automatic system for compressing coil turns and inserting insulators in

Automatic system and method for compressing coil turns and inserting

Crimp connection equipment includes means for positioning a crimp height controlling eccentric shaft in virtually an infinite number of different predetermined angular positions and virtually continuously monitoring the actual instantaneous position of such shaft. In addition, a universal wheelfeed for feeding a connector strip and selectively replaceable means for guiding such strip are disclosed.

Apparatus for use in making electrical interconnections

Dynamoelectric machine stator assemblies are disclosed in which end turns of the different windings are separated by winding end turn insulating portions of a plurality of individual phase insulators. The end turn insulating portions of the phase insulators are disposed in overlapping pinwheel configuration with overlapping portions of the insulators being disposed adjacent each other along the entire extent of the overlap.

Dynamoelectric machine stator assembly

Method involves programming crimp connection equipment to automatically and sequentially establish a plurality of desired different connection configurations. Information representing a series of desired connection configurations is transferred to a control means. Such information is carried by a card that also illustrates a desired final stator assembly configuration. An operator sets thumb wheel switches so that digital information on the card is entered into a control panel. The control means automatically sequences and conditions the apparatus to establish different connections. The card both directly controls machine operation and also is used as a process control card. Also disclosed is a means for positioning a crimp height controlling eccentric shaft in virtually an infinite number of different predetermined angular positions and virtually continuously monitoring the actual instantaneous position of such shaft. In addition, a universal wheelfeed for feeding a connector strip and selectively replaceable means for guiding such strip are disclosed.

Methods and apparatus for use in making electrical interconnections

An insulated internal connection arrangement between a terminal end of a winding of a dynamoelectric machine and at least one other wire conductor is disclosed. The connection arrangement includes an insulator having at least one elongated generally tubular receptacle with one end thereof open and the other end closed and having an internal restriction between the open and closed ends. A connector disposed within the at least one receptacle, electrically joins winding and wire conductor ends. The connector has a flared portion which cooperates with the internal restriction to firmly capture the connector within the receptacle. The insulator may include a plurality of receptacles formed from a single sheet of insulating material with the receptacles disposed generally coplanar and with each receptacle opening in the same direction. The internal restriction may comprise a depression extending transverse to each of the receptacles. The insulator may be formed by rolling a sheet of insulating material in a sinuous pattern to form a plurality of receptacles and providing a seam generally along a path in the direction of elongation of those receptacles to maintain the sheet in its sinuous configuration. A transverse seam is formed near one end of the rolled sheet to close the receptacles at that one end, and a side wall of one or more of the receptacles is deformed, for example, by heating in a region between the closed and open ends of the receptacles to form the connector holding internal irregularity or restriction. When the connected conductors are inserted into the receptacle open end, the connector passes beyond the internal irregularity or restriction, and the restriction cooperates with a flared trailing edge of the connector to hold the connector and its associated conductors within the receptacle.

Apparatus for insulating an internal motor connection

Methods and apparatus for developing a plurality of coils of conductive wire for use in magnetic cores are disclosed. In one embodiment, a coil turn forming assembly having a coil form portion with a plurality of turn-gauging steps thereon is employed to develop a plurality of coils. A flyer generates turns of wire about the coil turn forming assembly and a jump mechanism locates the turn-gauging steps in the path of the wire generating the turns. The jump mechanism includes a cam surface with a plurality of axially and radially displaced stops thereon. A cam follower which is movable with the coil form portion is provided to sequentially engage the cam stops. A control arrangement actuates the jump mechanism to move the cam surface radially allowing engagement of the cam follower with different stops of the cam surface to place different turn-gauging steps of the coil form in the path of the wire generating the turns. The coil turn forming assembly is thereby moved across the winding path to sequentially locate turn-gauging steps of the coil form in position to receive turns of wire as the follower follows the cam surface. The cam surface has a generally spiral staircase configuration and is disposed on a segment of a right circular cylinder. Different stops of the cam are presented to the cam follower by incrementally rotating the cylinder segment about the cylinder axis. Upon completion of a set of coils or coil group, a ratchet which has been incrementing the cam surface is rendered inoperative to allow resetting of the cam surface to an initial position for forming or developing another set of coils.

Jump mechanism

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for fabricating dynamoelectric machine stator assemblies in which end turns of the different windings are separated by winding end turn insulation. In one disclosed method, a plurality of phase insulators are deformed and constrained in a substantially cylindrical configuration and moved axially into a stator core bore. The phase insulators are moved radially outward of the substantially cylindrical configuration with connectors of the insulators moving into predetermined slots of the core. In one disclosed apparatus, a substantially cylindrical arbor is provided with longitudinally extending grooves therein for positioning and accommodating connectors of the phase insulators. The phase insulators are deformed about a peripheral surface of the arbor and then retained adjacent thereto during insertion of the arbor into the bore of a core. The connectors are aligned and moved from the arbor grooves into predetermined core slots. In another aspect, an ejecting means is also disclosed for engaging and positively moving at least some of the connectors from the arbor grooves and thereby aid the stored energy, produced in the insulators by the deforming, in positioning the connectors within predetermined core slots.

Growing community of inventors

Holland, MI, United States of America

Alan L Kindig