Gearmotor, housing and associated method

A gearmotor, comprising:

• a support frame including a housing sealable along a longitudinal axis thereof and of generally unitary construction, said housing including two facing members which extend the full longitudinal length thereof and which define a longitudinal bore of substantially constant diameter for supporting a common shaft and bearings therefor in coaxial alignment;
• a first shaft extending essentially the longitudinal axis of said frame and received within said longitudinal bore;
• a plurality of bearing assemblies for rotatably supporting said first shaft at a plurality of axially-displaced positions thereof within said longitudinal bore;
• a motor having a rotor assembly, said rotor assembly being supported on said frame with said housing thereof about a first portion of said first shaft;
• a first gear that is supported about a second portion of said first shaft, axially displaced from said first portion thereof and substantially separated therefrom by a single wall member included within said housing and defining an opening therein adequate for passage of said shaft;
• a second gear operatively associated with said first gear;
• and
• an output shaft driven by said second gear.

An integral gearmotor and housing in combination, comprising:

• housing means defining first and second chambers therein with an opening therebetween, said housing means including a matable pair of housing members with at least one relatively open side each, and adapted to be sealed in a unitary configuration with such open sides in facing relationship so as to define said housing means chambers, said housing members further defining a longitudinal bore there along of substantially constant diameter for supporting a common shaft and a plurality of bearings therefor in coaxial alignment;
• motor means disposed in said first chamber;
• gear means disposed in said second chamber;
• and
• a first shaft received within said longitudinal bore and in said opening and common to said motor means and said gear means so that said motor means powers said gear means using said shaft said bearings being spaced along said shaft so as to generally reside near each respective end thereof and at a juncture between said first and second chambers.

A gearmotor, comprising:

• support means;
• a first shaft;
• shaft bearing means for rotatably supporting said first shaft on said support means;
• a motor having a rotor assembly attached to and disposed about said first shaft;
• a first gear in driving relation with said first shaft;
• a second shaft rotatably supported by said support means;
• and
• a second gear in fixed relation with said second shaft and in driving engagement with said first gear such that rotation of said first gear causes rotation of said second shaft;
• wherein
• said support means includes a sealable unitary housing, separable into two major components along a longitudinal axis thereof, and defining when joined a pair of interior chambers for receiving said motor and said first and second gears, respectively, and further defining when joined a longitudinal bore extending generally the length of said unitary housing and of substantially constant diameter for supporting said first shaft and said shaft bearing means in coaxial alignment;
• and
• said first shaft is a single-piece shaft extending for essentially the length of said housing longitudinal axis within said longitudinal bore so as to simultaneously reside in both of said chambers thereof, with a portion of said shaft bearing means residing between said chambers and the remainder thereof near respective ends of said first shaft.