Valeo Electrical Systems, Inc.

Gary S Andrews

David M Williams

Frank R Lombardo

Peter J Danish

Eugene B Porter

Robert Burtis

Larry Strausburg

A method and apparatus for forming and mounting a sleeve and a thrust member in a bore in a motor/gear drive housing shaft to support the motor/gear drive shaft against radial and axial movement. Gates are formed in the motor/gear drive housing and communicate with separate first and second bores in the housing. A mold core is inserted into the housing and closes off one bore to allow the injection of molten plastic into a cavity formed between the tip end portion of the mold core and the first bore to form an annular sleeve. The annular sleeve has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the end tip portion of the motor/gear drive shaft to be nominally spaced from the outer diameter of the drive shaft, but is supportingly engaged by the drive shaft under radial deformation of the drive shaft. Insertion of the drive shaft into the housing causes the tip end portion of the drive shaft to sealing close the second bore in the housing allowing the injection of molten plastic into the second bore to form a thrust member axially engaged with the end of the drive shaft to resist axial movement of the drive shaft during operation.

Windshield wiper motor with molded sleeve and thrust elements

A combination brush retainer/spring assembly for use in a DC motor includes a retaining ring and a conical spring connected together as a single unit. The retaining ring portion is designed to fit in a center hole of a brush holder to retain a plurality of spring-loaded brushes against their spring bias so that an armature shaft and commutator can pass through the center hole without obstruction. When the commutator passes through the center hole, it pushes the retaining ring free, allowing the brushes to spring back toward the center hole to contact the commutator. The spring portion of the assembly has an end that engages with a ball bearing on the armature shaft with enough force to ensure that the armature shaft and ball bearing rotate at the same angular velocity and without slippage.

Combination brush retainer/spring assembly

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Henneth, NY, United States of America

Gary S Andrews