U.S. patent application number 10/651018 was filed with the patent office on 2005-03-03 for blower assembly and method.
Invention is credited to Metzger, William J..
Application Number | 20050047945 10/651018 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34217292 |
Filed Date | 2005-03-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050047945 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Metzger, William J. |
March 3, 2005 |
Blower assembly and method
Abstract
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a blower
assembly having a housing adapted to receive a fan therein, a
bracket coupled to the housing, a motor supported on the bracket
and drivably coupled to the fan, a resilient bushing coupled to the
housing and positioned to support the bracket thereon, and a
deformable fastener coupling the resilient bushing to the housing.
The deformable fastener can include a first retaining portion and a
second retaining portion. In some embodiments, the resilient
bushing and at least a portion of the housing are secured between
the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion.
Inventors: |
Metzger, William J.;
(Crystal Lake, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MICHAEL BEST & FRIEDRICH, LLP
100 E WISCONSIN AVENUE
MILWAUKEE
WI
53202
US
|
Family ID: |
34217292 |
Appl. No.: |
10/651018 |
Filed: |
August 28, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/423.14 ;
417/423.15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 29/668 20130101;
F04D 29/626 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/423.14 ;
417/423.15 |
International
Class: |
F04B 017/00; F04B
035/04 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A blower assembly, comprising: a housing adapted to receive a
fan therein; a bracket coupled to the housing; a motor supported on
the bracket and drivably coupled to the fan; a resilient bushing
coupled to the housing and positioned to support the bracket
thereon; and a one-piece fastener coupling the resilient bushing to
the housing, the one-piece fastener including a first retaining
portion and a second retaining portion, the resilient bushing and
at least a portion of the housing being secured between the first
retaining portion and the second retaining portion.
2. The blower assembly of claim 1, wherein the first retaining
portion comprises a head, and wherein the second retaining portion
comprises a deformed end portion of a shank extending from the
head.
3. The blower assembly of claim 2, wherein the head is larger than
the deformed end portion of the shank.
4. The blower assembly of claim 2, wherein the head is positioned
adjacent the resilient bushing, and wherein the deformed end
portion of the shank is positioned adjacent the housing.
5. The blower assembly of claim 4, wherein: the fastener is
received within an aperture in the bracket; and the head includes a
diameter no smaller than a diameter of the aperture.
6. The blower assembly of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of
the shank is hollow.
7. The blower assembly of claim 1, further comprising a tubular
support supporting at least a portion of the one-piece fastener,
the tubular support having a base and a hollow shank extending from
the base along a longitudinal axis.
8. The blower assembly of claim 7, wherein the base is positioned
adjacent the housing and the resilient bushing.
9. The blower assembly of claim 8, wherein the housing is secured
between the base and one of the first and second retaining
portions.
10. The blower assembly of claim 9, wherein the one of the first
and second retaining portions comprises a deformed end portion of
the one-piece fastener.
11. The blower assembly of claim 7, wherein the first retaining
portion comprises a head, and wherein the second retaining portion
comprises a deformed end portion of a shank extending from the
head, and wherein the head is positioned adjacent the resilient
bushing and an end of the hollow shank of the tubular support.
12. The blower assembly of claim 11, wherein the hollow shank of
the tubular support is positioned within the resilient bushing.
13. The blower assembly of claim 11, wherein the shank of the
one-piece fastener is received within the hollow shank of the
tubular support.
14. The blower assembly of claim 7, wherein the hollow shank has a
length dimension defined along the longitudinal axis no greater
than a length dimension defined along the longitudinal axis of the
resilient bushing.
15. The blower assembly of claim 7, wherein the base includes a
diameter at least as large as a diameter of the resilient
bushing.
16. A blower assembly, comprising: a housing adapted to receive a
fan therein; a bracket coupled to the housing; a motor supported on
the bracket and drivably coupled to the fan; a resilient bushing
coupled to the housing and positioned to support the bracket; and a
permanently deformable fastener coupling the resilient bushing to
the housing, the permanently deformable fastener including a head
and a deformable shank extending from the head, the resilient
bushing and at least a portion of the housing being secured between
the head and a deformed end portion of the shank.
17. The blower assembly of claim 16, wherein the head is larger
than the deformed end portion of the shank.
18. The blower assembly of claim 16, wherein the head is positioned
adjacent the resilient bushing, and wherein the deformed end
portion of the shank is positioned adjacent the housing.
19. The blower assembly of claim 18, wherein: the fastener is
received within an aperture in the bracket; and the head includes a
diameter no smaller than a diameter of the aperture.
20. The blower assembly of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of
the shank is hollow.
21. The blower assembly of claim 16, further comprising a tubular
support supporting at least a portion of the permanently deformable
fastener, wherein the tubular support includes a base and a hollow
shank extending from the base along a longitudinal axis.
22. The blower assembly of claim 21, wherein the base is positioned
adjacent the housing and the resilient bushing.
23. The blower assembly of claim 22, wherein the housing is secured
between the base and the deformed end portion of the permanently
deformable fastener.
24. The blower assembly of claim 21, wherein the hollow shank of
the tubular support is positioned within the resilient bushing.
25. The blower assembly of claim 21, wherein the shank of the
permanently-deformable fastener is supported within the hollow
shank of the tubular support.
26. The blower assembly of claim 21, wherein the hollow shank of
the tubular support has a length dimension defined along the
longitudinal axis no greater than a length dimension defined along
the longitudinal axis of the resilient bushing.
27. The blower assembly of claim 21, wherein the base includes a
diameter at least as large as a diameter of the resilient
bushing.
28. A blower assembly, comprising: a housing adapted to receive a
fan therein; a bracket coupled to the housing; a motor supported on
the bracket and drivably coupled to the fan; a resilient bushing
coupled to the housing and positioned to support the bracket; and a
permanently deformable fastener coupling the resilient bushing to
the housing, the permanently deformable fastener including a head
and a deformable shank protruding from the head, at least a portion
of the shank being deformed to secure the resilient bushing between
the housing and the head.
29. The blower assembly of claim 28, further comprising a tubular
support within which the deformable shank of the permanently
deformable fastener is received, wherein the tubular support
includes a base and an at least partially hollow shank extending
from the base.
30. The blower assembly of claim 29, wherein the housing is secured
adjacent an end of the resilient bushing.
31. The blower assembly of claim 30, wherein the at least partially
hollow shank is received within the resilient bushing.
32. The blower assembly of claim 30, wherein the head of the
permanently-deformable fastener is positioned adjacent the
resilient bushing.
33. The blower assembly of claim 29, wherein the deformable shank
is insertable within the hollow shank of the tubular support.
34. The blower assembly of claim 33, wherein a portion of the
deformable shank is deformable within the hollow shank of the
tubular support to interlock the fastener and the tubular
support.
35. A method of securing a motor assembly to a housing adapted to
receive a fan therein, the method comprising: providing a resilient
bushing; positioning the resilient bushing at a mounting portion of
the housing; providing a permanently-deformable fastener having a
head and a deformable shank extending from the head; inserting the
permanently-deformable fastener through the resilient bushing and
the mounting portion of the housing; and deforming an end portion
of the shank such that the resilient bushing and the mounting
portion of the housing is secured between the head and the deformed
end portion of the shank.
36. The method of claim 35, further comprising inserting an at
least partially hollow shank of a tubular support through the
resilient bushing.
37. The method of claim 36, further comprising inserting the
deformable shank through the at least partially hollow shank of the
tubular support.
38. A blower assembly, comprising: a housing; a fan received within
the housing; a motor mounting bracket; a motor drivably coupled to
the fan and mounted upon the motor mounting bracket; a fastener
having an end extending through an aperture in one of the motor
mounting bracket and the housing, the end permanently deformable to
secure the motor mounting bracket with respect to the housing.
39. The blower assembly of claim 38, wherein the aperture is a
first aperture and the end is a first end of the fastener, the
fastener having a second end extending through a second aperture in
another of the motor mounting bracket and the housing.
40. The blower assembly of claim 39, wherein the second end of the
fastener has an enlarged head.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Many different blower assemblies exist and are well known in
the art. A typical centrifugal blower assembly includes a
scroll-shaped housing having a fan enclosed therein, and a motor
assembly mounted to the housing and drivably coupled to the fan. In
many cases, the housing includes a centralized intake opening to
allow the fan to draw air from outside the housing, and a discharge
opening substantially transverse to the intake opening and from
which pressurized air is discharged by the fan.
[0002] The motor assembly typically includes an electric motor
mounted to the housing. A bracket can support the motor such that
the motor's driveshaft extends through an opening in the housing to
drive the fan. The driveshaft is coupled to the fan using
conventional methods such that torque from the driveshaft is
transmitted to the fan to drive the fan.
[0003] The electric motor is controllable to drive the fan at one
or more speeds. As such, any imbalance in the fan or misalignment
between the driveshaft and the fan can cause vibration to be
transmitted through the motor assembly to the housing. If the
housing is rigidly mounted to its supporting structure, the
vibration can be further transmitted to the supporting structure
and beyond. Vibration of the fan assembly or its supporting
structure can cause noise, premature failure, and other problems
(common in some conventional fan assemblies).
[0004] To help dampen fan assembly vibration (in those embodiments
where such dampening is desired), the motor assembly can be
isolated from the housing by one or more resilient bushings.
Typically, the resilient bushing is fastened to the housing, and
the bracket is independently coupled to the resilient bushing to
isolate the bracket from the housing. Conventional multi-piece
fasteners (e.g., a bolt, washer, and nut) are typically used to
fasten the resilient bushings to the housing. However, such
conventional manners of attachment can loosen over an extended
period of time, which can lead to damage and/or failure of the
blower assembly. Also, the head portion of many conventional
fasteners typically extends too far into the housing, such that it
can physically interfere with the fan or disrupt the airflow in the
housing generated by the fan.
[0005] Other fasteners, such as self-clinching enlarged head studs
or capacitor discharge (CD) welded studs, can be employed to help
decrease the interference and disruption inside the housing caused
by other fasteners. However, many such alternative fastening
elements are difficult to install and secure and/or can add
significant cost in the assembly process. Also, in many cases the
resilient bushing is still captured by a washer and nut, which can
loosen from the stud over an extended period of time.
[0006] Other issues important to blower design include blower
manufacturability and the costs associated with blower assembly.
Blower designs that take these issues into account while providing
good fan performance are always welcome in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In some embodiments of the present invention, a blower
assembly is provided, and has a housing adapted to receive a fan
therein, a bracket coupled to the housing, a motor supported on the
bracket and drivably coupled to the fan, a resilient bushing
coupled to the housing and positioned to support the bracket
thereon, and a one-piece fastener coupling the resilient bushing to
the housing, wherein the one-piece fastener includes a first
retaining portion and a second retaining portion, and wherein the
resilient bushing and at least a portion of the housing are secured
between the first retaining portion and the second retaining
portion.
[0008] Some embodiments of the present invention provide a blower
assembly comprising a housing adapted to receive a fan, a bracket
coupled to the housing, a motor supported on the bracket and
drivably coupled to the fan, a resilient bushing coupled to the
housing and positioned to support the bracket, a permanently
deformable fastener coupling the resilient bushing to the housing,
wherein the permanently deformable fastener includes a head and a
deformable shank extending from the head, and wherein the resilient
bushing and at least a portion of the housing are secured between
the head and a deformed end portion of the shank.
[0009] In another aspect of the present invention, a blower
assembly is provided that has a housing adapted to receive a fan
therein, a bracket coupled to the housing, a motor supported on the
bracket and drivably coupled to the fan, a resilient bushing
coupled to the housing and positioned to support the bracket, and a
permanently deformable fastener coupling the resilient bushing to
the housing, wherein the permanently deformable fastener includes a
head and a deformable shank protruding from the head, and where at
least a portion of the shank is deformed to secure the resilient
bushing between the housing and the head.
[0010] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of
securing a motor assembly to a fan housing is provided, and
comprises providing a resilient bushing, positioning the resilient
bushing at a mounting portion of the housing, providing a
permanently-deformable fastener having a head and a deformable
shank extending from the head, inserting the permanently-deformable
fastener through the resilient bushing and the mounting portion of
the housing, and deforming an end portion of the shank such that
the resilient bushing and the mounting portion of the housing is
secured between the head and the deformed end portion of the
shank.
[0011] Other features and aspects of the present invention will
become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the
following detailed description, claims and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate
like parts:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blower assembly according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a
motor assembly mounted to a housing;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the
exemplary blower assembly of FIG. 1, taken along lines 2-2 of FIG.
1; and
[0015] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2,
showing a mounting configuration according to another exemplary
embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] Before any features of the invention are explained in
detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in
its application to the details of construction and the arrangements
of supports set forth in the following description or illustrated
in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and
of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also,
it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used
herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded
as limiting.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] With reference to FIG. 1, a exemplary blower assembly 10
including a motor assembly 14 coupled to a housing 18 is shown. The
motor assembly 14 includes an electric motor 22 mounted to a
bracket 26 having multiple resilient bushings 30 secured thereto.
In the illustrated construction, the bracket 26 includes three
resilient bushings 30 to provide three mounting locations to the
housing 18. However, in other constructions of the blower assembly
10, more or less than three resilient bushings 30 can be used to
provide more or less than three mounting locations to the housing
18. Further, in other constructions of the blower assembly 10, the
resilient bushings 30 can be omitted from the motor assembly 14
such that the bracket 26 is rigidly mounted to the housing 18 (as
described in greater detail below). The motor 22 can comprise a
conventional AC or DC electric motor 22 powered by either an AC or
DC power source (not shown), respectively. Alternatively, any other
driving device capable of driving a fan (as described in greater
detail below) can instead be employed, such as hydraulic motors,
magneto-drives, and the like, any of which can be mounted to a
housing 18 following the same principles of the invention described
herein.
[0018] With reference again to the exemplary illustrated
embodiment, the motor 22 includes a driveshaft (not shown)
extending therefrom and a cooling fan 34 coupled for co-rotation
with the driveshaft. Upon activation of the motor 22 and rotation
of the driveshaft, the cooling fan 34 provides a cooling airflow
past the motor 22. In other embodiments, the driveshaft is only
coupled to a fan within the housing 18 (i.e., no cooling fan 34 is
employed).
[0019] The motor 22 is supported by the bracket 26 relative to the
housing 18 such that the driveshaft extends through an opening (not
shown) in the housing 18. The driveshaft is coupled to a fan 38
inside the housing 18 using conventional methods such that torque
from the driveshaft is transmitted to the fan 38 in order to drive
the fan 38.
[0020] With reference to FIG. 2, a first exemplary mounting
configuration of the motor assembly 14 is shown. The resilient
bushing 30 in this embodiment is configured as a hollow cylinder
defining an outer surface 42 and a central aperture 46
therethrough. The bushing 30 defines a length dimension along a
longitudinal axis 48 passing through the central aperture 46. In
other embodiments, the resilient bushing 30 can take any other
shape desired (i.e., not necessarily cylindrical or fully
encircling the rivet). Resilient bushings 30 having any shape
capable of being retained in place with respect to the housing 18
(e.g., C-shaped bushings, ring-shaped bushings, and the like) can
instead be employed. In some embodiments, the resilient bushing 30
includes a groove 50 to receive a mating flange, edge, or
protrusion 54 of the bracket 26. The groove 50 can extend along
and/or around any part of the resilient bushing 30 in order to
provide engagement between the bracket 26 and the resilient bushing
30. The resulting connection between the flange, edge, or
protrusion 54 and the groove 50 is sufficient to secure the
resilient bushing 30 to the bracket 26. In other embodiments, a
groove 50 is not needed to secure the bracket 26 to the resilient
bushing 30. Rather, the bracket 26 can be pressed onto the bushing
30 to achieve the connection between the bracket 26 and the bushing
30 and/or the bracket 26 can be connected to the bushing 30 with
epoxy or other bonding material, or in any other manner.
[0021] The resilient bushings 30 can be made of any material or
combination of materials, including without limitation rubber,
plastic, urethane, and any other vibration dampening material. In
other embodiments, the bushing 30 need not necessarily be selected
for vibration dampening properties, such as bushings 30
manufactured of steel, aluminum, brass, and other metals, ceramics,
composite materials, and the like, in which case the bushing 30 can
even be an integral part of the bracket 26 and can have any other
shape desired. In such cases, the bushings 30 can be employed for
securing the bracket 26 in a desired location with respect to the
housing 18, can have electrically insulative or conductive
properties, can have heat insulative or conductive properties, and
the like.
[0022] A one-piece, permanently deformable fastener 58 is
insertable through the aperture 46 of the resilient bushing 30 and
an aperture 62 formed in the housing 18. The fastener 58 is further
secured to the housing 18 so that the resilient bushing 30 is
secured to the housing 18. The fastener 58 is secured to the
housing 18 by deforming at least one end of the fastener 58 with a
tool (not shown). Any tool capable of deforming the end of the
fastener 58 can be employed for this purpose. By way of example
only, a tool designed to grasp one end of the fastener 58 and
deform the opposite end can be employed, if desired. As shown in
FIG. 2, the fastener 58 includes a first retaining portion, or a
head 66, and a second retaining portion, or a deformed end portion
70 of a shank 74 extending from the head 66. The head 66 is
positioned outside the housing 18, while the deformed end portion
70 is positioned inside the housing 18. However, in other
embodiments, the fastener 58 can be reversed, such that the head 66
is positioned inside the housing 18 and the deformed end portion is
positioned outside the housing 18 adjacent the tubular support 82
and the resilient bushing 30. In such cases, a washer or similar
element can be employed on an end of the fastener 58 opposite the
head 66 as needed.
[0023] In the illustrated construction of FIG. 2, the fastener 58
is shown having a partially hollow shank portion 78. After the
shank 74 is inserted through the resilient bushing 30 and the
aperture 62 formed in the housing 18 as described above, the
partially hollow shank portion 78 can be deformed outwardly to
yield the deformed end portion 70. However, in other constructions
of the blower assembly 10, the shank 74 can be entirely solid
rather than being partially hollow, or can be entirely hollow along
the length of the shank 74.
[0024] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, a tubular support
82 is also employed to mount the bracket 26 to the housing 18. The
tubular support 82 shown in FIG. 2 is received within the resilient
bushing 30, at least partially surrounds the fastener 58, and
includes a base 86 and a hollow shank 90 extending from the base
86. The hollow shank 90 defines a length dimension along the
longitudinal axis 48. One side of the base 86 abuts an outside
surface 94 of the housing 18, while the resilient bushing 30 is
slidably inserted over the hollow shank 90 and abutted against the
opposite side of the base 86. However, in other embodiments, the
tubular support 82 can be reversed, such that the base 86 is
positioned adjacent the head 66. In still other embodiments, the
tubular support 82 is received within the aperture 62 in the
housing 18 such that the wall of the housing 18 is trapped between
the base 86 and the bushing 30.
[0025] In some embodiments, the tubular support 82 is used to
prevent buckling of the fastener 58 and to limit the amount which
an installation tool (not shown) can compress the fastener 58. As a
result, the tubular support 82 can have any of a number of shapes
capable of preventing buckling of the fastener 58 (e.g., a straight
tube without an enlarged end, a tapered lug, and the like). The
resilient bushing 30 can be sized with a length dimension (i.e.,
along an axis parallel to the shank 90) that is no shorter than the
length of the hollow shank 90 of the tubular support 82. In some
cases, the length of the resilient bushing 30 is longer than that
of the hollow shank 90, thereby providing a pre-loaded resilient
bushing 30.
[0026] In the illustrated exemplary construction, the shank 74 of
the fastener 58 is inserted through the hollow shank 90 of the
tubular support 82 and the aperture 62 formed in the housing 18.
The hollow shank 90 of the tubular support 82 can provide
structural reinforcement and stability to the shank 74 of the
fastener 58. For instance, the hollow shank 90 of the tubular
support 82 can help prevent the shank 74 of the fastener 58 from
buckling under applied loads (e.g., stress placed upon the bracket
26, compression forces placed upon the shank 74 of the fastener 58
during the fastening process, and the like). The length dimension
of the resilient bushing 30, the length of the hollow shank 90 of
the tubular support 82, and the length of the shank 74 of the
fastener 58 can be sized such that upon deforming the fastener 58
to secure the bracket 26 to the housing 18, the head 66 is drawn
against the hollow shank 90 of the tubular support 82. However, in
other constructions of the blower assembly 10, the tubular support
82 is omitted, such that the resilient bushing 30 is abutted
against the surface 94 of the housing 18.
[0027] The one-piece, deformable fastener 58 can allow for a
simplified method of assembling the motor assembly 14 to the
housing 18. In this regard, the motor assembly 14 can be
pre-assembled before being assembled with the housing 18. Any of a
number of differently sequenced steps can be carried out to
pre-assemble the motor assembly 14. One such method of
pre-assembling the motor assembly 14 includes coupling the electric
motor 22 to the bracket 26, then coupling the cooling fan 34 to the
driveshaft. The motor 22 can be coupled to the bracket 26, and the
cooling fan 34 coupled to the driveshaft in any conventional
manner.
[0028] Each resilient bushing 30 can be coupled to the bracket 26
by engaging the groove 50 formed in the resilient bushing 30 with
the mating flange, edge, or protrusion 54 in the bracket 26 as
described above. This can be performed at any time during
pre-assembly of the motor assembly 14 (i.e., before, concurrently,
or after coupling the motor 22 and the bracket 26) or at another
time. If employed, the tubular support 82 can also be engaged with
the resilient bushing 30 while pre-assembling the motor assembly
14. However, the tubular support 82 can instead be engaged with the
resilient bushing 30 during a separate step after pre-assembling
the motor assembly 14.
[0029] In those embodiments in which the motor assembly 14 is
pre-assembled, the pre-assembled motor assembly 14 can be
positioned such that each resilient bushing 30 is positioned
relative to (e.g., over) a respective aperture 62 formed at an
outside surface 94 or other mounting portion of the housing 18. If
one or more tubular supports 82 are pre-assembled with the motor
assembly 14, then the motor assembly 14 can be positioned such that
the tubular supports 82 (e.g., the bases 86 of the tubular supports
82) abut the housing 18 and the central aperture 46 of the
resilient bushing 30 is aligned with the aperture 62 formed in the
housing 18.
[0030] After positioning the resilient bushings 30 adjacent
apertures 62 in the housing 18, the shanks 74 of the fasteners 58
are inserted through the resilient bushings 30 (and the hollow
shanks 90 of the tubular support 82, if employed) and through the
apertures 62 formed in the housing 18, such that the head 66 of the
fastener 58 is located outside of the housing 18. With reference to
the illustrated exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the
partially-hollow shank portion 78 is then deformed as described
above. The act of deforming the partially-hollow shank portion 78
can pre-load the resilient bushing 30 until the head 66 abuts
against the hollow shank 90 of the tubular support 82, if employed.
Otherwise, the partially-hollow shank portion 78 can be deformed
until the fastener 58 has been shortened to a desired length (in
some cases pre-loading the resilient bushing 30 and in other cases
only retaining the resilient bushing in place with respect to the
housing 18). As previously stated, the fastener 58 can instead be
reversed, such that the head 66 is positioned inside the housing 18
and the deformed end portion is positioned outside the housing 18
adjacent the tubular support 82 and the resilient bushing 30. The
fan 38 can be coupled to the driveshaft of the motor 22 in any
conventional manner.
[0031] The one-piece, deformable fastener 58 illustrated in FIG. 2
can simplify the process of assembling the motor assembly 14 with
the housing 18 by decreasing the number and complexity of assembly
steps required (compared to conventional assembly methods). In some
cases for example, bolts, self-clinching enlarged head studs, or CD
welded studs must be inserted from the inside of the housing 18. In
the case of CD welded studs, a welding step follows the insertion
step to secure the CD welded studs to the housing 18. Further,
after the motor assembly 14 is positioned on the housing 18, a step
is often required to insert washers onto the bolts or studs, and a
step is required to thread nuts onto the bolts or studs to secure
the motor assembly 14 to the housing 18. In some embodiments of the
present invention, such steps are not required, and are less
complex that the actions taken to secure the motor assembly to the
housing 18 as described above.
[0032] The one-piece, deformable fastener 58 illustrated in FIG. 2
also decreases the number of components used to assemble the motor
assembly 14 and the housing 18. The method according to some
embodiments of the present invention requires only a single
component (i.e., the fastener 58) to secure each resilient bushing
30 to the housing 18, while conventional methods require multiple
components (e.g., a bolt or stud, a washer, and a nut) to secure
each resilient bushing 30 to the housing 18. This reduction of
components decreases costs relating to assembling the blower
assembly 10, which can result in increased profitability for the
manufacturer.
[0033] The deformable fastener 58 illustrated in FIG. 2 can also
increase the reliability of the connection between the motor
assembly 14 and the housing 18. Once the fastener 58 is deformed,
the connection between the motor assembly 14 and the housing 18 is
permanent. In contrast, by using conventional motor assembly
mounting methods, a nut or other fastening element can loosen due
to excessive vibration of the blower assembly 10. A soft-foot
condition can result and cause additional vibration of the blower
assembly 10. Failure of the blower assembly 10 can even result if
the fasteners are continually allowed to loosen.
[0034] By virtue of the shape of the fastener 58, the deformed end
portion 70 (or the head 66, in some embodiments) can occupy
relatively little space inside the housing 18 (see FIG. 2), thereby
providing increased clearance between the fastener 58 and the fan
38 while decreasing undesirable characteristics in the airflow
inside the housing 18.
[0035] With reference to FIG. 3, a second exemplary mounting
configuration of the motor assembly 14 is shown. In this
embodiment, the resilient bushing 30 is configured and secured to
the bracket 26 in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 2, with
the exception of the fastener structure employed. Accordingly, with
the exception of mutually inconsistent elements and features
between the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3, reference is made to the
above discussion regarding the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 for
further description regarding the elements, features, and fastening
process of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0036] With reference to FIG. 3, some embodiments of the present
invention employ a fastener 102 received through the resilient
bushing 30 and permanently deformable to engage the resilient
bushing 30 or another element received within the resilient bushing
30. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3, a tubular support 98
is also received within the resilient bushing 30, and receives the
fastener 102 for this engagement. In some embodiments, the tubular
support 98 includes a base 106 and a hollow shank 110 extending
from the base 106 and defining a length dimension along the
longitudinal axis 48. The hollow shank 110 is insertable through
the aperture 62 in the housing 18 such that the base 106 abuts an
inside surface 114 of the housing 18. The resilient bushing 30 is
inserted over the hollow shank 110 and is abutted against an
outside surface 94 of the housing 18.
[0037] With continued reference to the exemplary illustrated
embodiment of FIG. 3, the permanently deformable fastener 102 can
be inserted through the hollow shank 110 of the tubular support 98.
As shown in FIG. 3, the fastener 102 includes a head 122 and a
shank 126 extending from the head 122 and defining a length
dimension along the longitudinal axis 48. The fastener 102 is
secured to the hollow shank 110 so that the resilient bushing 30 is
secured to the housing 18. At least an end portion 130 of the shank
126 is deformable by a mandrel 134 extending through the shank 126
and the head 122. Upon insertion with the tubular support 98, the
head 122 is positioned outside the housing 18, while the end
portion 130 is positioned inside the hollow shank 110 of the
tubular support 98. The fastener 102 is secured to the hollow shank
110 by permanently deforming the end portion 130 of the shank 126
with a tool capable of grasping and pulling the mandrel 134 from
the shank 126. A friction or interference fit between the deformed
end portion 130 of the shank 126 and the hollow shank 110 of the
tubular support 98 is sufficient to interlock the fastener 102 and
the tubular support 98, thereby securing the resilient bushing 30
to the housing 18.
[0038] In other embodiments, the tubular support 98 and the
fastener 102 illustrated in FIG. 3 can be reversed, such that the
head 122 of the fastener 102 is positioned inside the housing 18
and the base 106 of the tubular support 98 is positioned outside
the housing 18 adjacent the resilient bushing 30. In still other
embodiments, the tubular support 98 can be omitted. In such
embodiments, the fastener 102 is insertable through the aperture 62
in the housing 18 such that the head 122 abuts the inside surface
114 of the housing 18. The resilient bushing 30 can then be
inserted over the shank 126 and is abutted against the outside
surface 94 of the housing 18. Further, the mandrel 134 can be
pulled from the shank 126 to deform the end portion 134 of the
fastener 102 to substantially interlock the bushing 30 and the
fastener 102, thereby securing the bushing 30 to the housing
18.
[0039] The embodiments described above and illustrated in the
figures are presented by way of example only and are not intended
as a limitation upon the concepts and principles of the present
invention. As such, it will be appreciated by one having ordinary
skill in the art that various changes in the elements and their
configuration and arrangement are possible without departing from
the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the
appended claims.
[0040] For example, and as mentioned above, some embodiments of the
blower assembly 10 employ no resilient bushings 30 to mount the
motor assembly 14 to the housing 18. By way of example only, the
embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 2 can be
modified such that no bushing 30 is employed, such as by reducing
the aperture in the bracket 26 so that the head 66 of the fastener
58 retains the bracket 26 on the housing 18. In these embodiments,
the bracket 26 can be secured in place with respect to the housing
18 in a number of different manners, such as by shortening the
fastener 58 such that the bracket 26 is in contact with the housing
18, trapping the bracket 26 between the head 66 of the fastener 58
and the adjacent end of the tubular support 82, receiving the
bracket 26 inside a groove or other recess in the fastener 58, and
the like. Still other manners of securing the bracket 26 with
respect to the housing 18 are possible, and fall within the spirit
and scope of the present invention.
[0041] Another example of alternative embodiments falling within
the present invention relates to the use of the tubular support 90
to secure the bracket 26 to the housing 18. In particular, in some
embodiments the fastener 58 (referring to the embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 2) is integral with the tubular support 90. In
such embodiments, the tubular support 90 need not necessarily have
a base 86, and can instead extend through the wall of the housing
18 to a side opposite the bracket 26. The wall(s) of the tubular
support 90 can therefore extend to and intersect the surface 94 of
the housing 18 (whereby a portion of the tubular support 90 extends
further through the aperture 62). The tubular support 90 can then
be secured with respect to the housing 18 by employing a tool (not
shown) to deform the end of the tubular support 90 received through
the housing wall in a manner similar to that described above with
reference to the deformation of the fastener 58 in FIG. 2 (i.e.,
emulating the illustrated deformed end portion 70 of the fastener
58 in FIG. 2).
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