US4918343A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Brushless alternator
Assignee: Kohler Co
•
Filing: 1988-10-13
•
Granted: 1990-04-17
•
Expires: 2008-10-13
Abstract
Abstract A brushless alternator for an engine-generator set has a housing for mounting to the engine. Raised ribs define an internal bore of the housing, the bore having a constant diameter to mount the stator and the exciter field assembly, both of which have the same laminations. The ribs also define cooling air flow paths through the housing. A fan is mounted outside of the housing at the free end of the housing to draw air into the engine end, through the housing and out the free end.
Inventors
- 👤 Martin W. Heinrich
- 👤 James A. Ten Hoven
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 10:58
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02K; H02K9/00; H02K9/02; H02K9/04; H02K9/06; H02K1/00; H02K1/06; H02K1/12; H02K1/18; H02K1/185; H02K19/00; H02K19/16; H02K19/38
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
356 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having a free end and an engine end opposite from the free end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to the engine; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotatably relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside of the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial location in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; and wherein: the housing has integral raised ribs which extend axially and are circumferentially spaced apart around the interior of the housing, said ribs defining open spaces between them and defining an internal bore of the housing in which the stator and the exciter field assembly are mounted; a fan is mounted on the shaft outside of the housing at the free end of the housing, said fan rotating with the shaft to draw cooling air into the housing through air intake slots located at the engine end of the housing and past the stator through the open spaces defined by the raised ribs, and to exhaust the cooling air out through the free end of the housing; the housing is enlarged at the engine end to produce a bell shape; the air intake slots are located in the enlarged portion of the housing; and the raised ribs which define the internal bore of the housing extend into and become deeper in the enlarged portion of the housing.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
356 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having a free end and an engine end opposite from the free end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to the engine; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotatably relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside of the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial location in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; and wherein: the housing has integral raised ribs which extend axially and are circumferentially spaced apart around the interior of the housing, said ribs defining open spaces between them and defining an internal bore of the housing in which the stator and the exciter field assembly are mounted; a fan is mounted on the shaft outside of the housing at the free end of the housing, said fan rotating with the shaft to draw cooling air into the housing through air intake slots located at the engine end of the housing and past the stator through the open spaces defined by the raised ribs, and to exhaust the cooling air out through the free end of the housing; the housing is enlarged at the engine end to produce a bell shape; the air intake slots are located in the enlarged portion of the housing; and the raised ribs which define the internal bore of the housing extend into and become deeper in the enlarged portion of the housing.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
A brushless alternator as in claim 1, wherein the exciter field assembly is secured inside the raised ribs at an axial location inside the enlarged portion of the housing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A brushless alternator as in claim 1, wherein are the laminations of the stator and exciter field assembly are shaped to receive the raised ribs and form the open spaces between the raised ribs.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
302 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having an engine end and a free end opposite from the engine end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to a prime mover; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotating relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside of the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial location in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; cooling air intake means at the engine end of the housing; exhaust vent means at the free end of the housing; fan means outside of the housing at the free end of the housing for drawing cooling air through the exhaust vent means; means inside the housing for defining a cooling air flow path from the cooling air intake means to the exhaust vent means; and wherein: a drive hub is positioned on the shaft at the engine end of the housing to drivingly couple the shaft to a prime mover to which the housing is mounted; and the drive hub is slip fit on the shaft and bolted to the exciter armature.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
302 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having an engine end and a free end opposite from the engine end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to a prime mover; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotating relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside of the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial location in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; cooling air intake means at the engine end of the housing; exhaust vent means at the free end of the housing; fan means outside of the housing at the free end of the housing for drawing cooling air through the exhaust vent means; means inside the housing for defining a cooling air flow path from the cooling air intake means to the exhaust vent means; and wherein: a drive hub is positioned on the shaft at the engine end of the housing to drivingly couple the shaft to a prime mover to which the housing is mounted; and the drive hub is slip fit on the shaft and bolted to the exciter armature.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A brushless alternator as in claim 4, wherein the drive hub is replaceable with a drive hub of a different length to adapt the alternator to a different prime mover.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A brushless alternator as in claim 4, wherein the cooling air intake means admit air to the interior of the housing past the outside of the exciter field assembly.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
323 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having an engine end and a free end opposite from the engine end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to a prime mover; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotatably relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside of the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial location in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; cooling air intake means at the engine end of the housing; exhaust vent means at the free end of the housing; fan means outside of the housing at the free end of the housing to draw cooling air through the exhaust vent means; means inside the housing for defining a cooling air flow path from the cooling air intake means to the exhaust vent means; and wherein: a drive hub is positioned on the shaft at the engine end of the housing to drivingly couple the shaft to a prime mover to which the housing is mounted; the drive hub is bolted to the exciter armature; the shaft has a flange which is integral with the shaft; and the drive hub is slip fit onto the shaft and is also bolted to the flange.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
323 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having an engine end and a free end opposite from the engine end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to a prime mover; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotatably relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside of the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial location in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; cooling air intake means at the engine end of the housing; exhaust vent means at the free end of the housing; fan means outside of the housing at the free end of the housing to draw cooling air through the exhaust vent means; means inside the housing for defining a cooling air flow path from the cooling air intake means to the exhaust vent means; and wherein: a drive hub is positioned on the shaft at the engine end of the housing to drivingly couple the shaft to a prime mover to which the housing is mounted; the drive hub is bolted to the exciter armature; the shaft has a flange which is integral with the shaft; and the drive hub is slip fit onto the shaft and is also bolted to the flange.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
A brushless alternator as in claim 7, wherein the exciter armature is slip fit onto the shaft and is sandwiched between the drive hub and the flange.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
336 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having an engine end and a free end opposite from the engine end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to a prime mover; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotatably relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial location in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; cooling air intake means at the engine end of the housing; exhaust vent means at the free end of the housing; fan means outside of the housing at the free end of the housing to draw cooling air through the exhaust vent means; means inside the housing for defining a cooling air flow path from the cooling air intake means to the exhaust vent means; and wherein: a drive hub is positioned on the shaft at the engine end of the housing to drivingly couple the shaft to a prime mover to which the housing is mounted; the drive hub is bolted to the exciter armature; the shaft has a flange which is integral with the shaft; the exciter armature is slip fit on the shaft; the drive hub is slip fit onto the shaft; and the exciter armature and the drive hub are fastened to the flange.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
336 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having an engine end and a free end opposite from the engine end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to a prime mover; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotatably relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial location in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; cooling air intake means at the engine end of the housing; exhaust vent means at the free end of the housing; fan means outside of the housing at the free end of the housing to draw cooling air through the exhaust vent means; means inside the housing for defining a cooling air flow path from the cooling air intake means to the exhaust vent means; and wherein: a drive hub is positioned on the shaft at the engine end of the housing to drivingly couple the shaft to a prime mover to which the housing is mounted; the drive hub is bolted to the exciter armature; the shaft has a flange which is integral with the shaft; the exciter armature is slip fit on the shaft; the drive hub is slip fit onto the shaft; and the exciter armature and the drive hub are fastened to the flange.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
300 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having an engine end and a free end opposite from the engine end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to a prime mover; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotatably relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside of the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial locations in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; cooling air intake means at the engine end of the housing; exhaust vent means at the free end of the housing; fan means outside of the housing at the free end of the housing to draw cooling air through the exhaust vent means; means inside the housing for defining a cooling air flow path from the cooling air intake means to the exhaust vent means; and wherein: the cooling air intake means admit air to the interior of the housing pas the outside of the exciter field assembly; and the cooling air intake means are slots in the housing which extend axially away from the exciter field assembly toward the stator.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
300 words
A brushless alternator, comprising: a housing having an engine end and a free end opposite from the engine end; housing mounting means at the engine end of the housing for mounting the housing to a prime mover; a shaft coaxial with and extending through the housing; means for mounting the shaft rotatably relative to the housing; an exciter field assembly fixed to and inside of the housing, said exciter field assembly including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; an exciter armature which is mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft at an axial location in alignment with the exciter field assembly so that the exciter armature is radially inside of the exciter field assembly, said exciter armature including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a rotor mounted on the shaft inside the housing, said rotor including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; a stator fixed to and inside of the housing at an axial locations in alignment with the rotor so that the rotor is radially inside of the stator, said stator including a plurality of laminations which are stacked together; cooling air intake means at the engine end of the housing; exhaust vent means at the free end of the housing; fan means outside of the housing at the free end of the housing to draw cooling air through the exhaust vent means; means inside the housing for defining a cooling air flow path from the cooling air intake means to the exhaust vent means; and wherein: the cooling air intake means admit air to the interior of the housing pas the outside of the exciter field assembly; and the cooling air intake means are slots in the housing which extend axially away from the exciter field assembly toward the stator.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2634379A
Cited
US2650992A
Cited
US2796542A
Cited
US3020427A
Cited
GB953066A
Cited
US3487457A
Cited
US3743873A
Cited
US4055778A
Cited
US4138629A
Cited
US4501983A
Cited
US4250423A
Cited
US4297784A
Cited
DE3306775A1
Cited
SU1304137A1
Cited
US4647806A
Cited
JPS6216040A
Cited
US4689507A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-04-16 | 1993-10-16 | 1994-04-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-04-16 | 1997-10-16 | 1998-04-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-04-16 | 2001-10-16 | 2002-04-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |