Throttle body with captured bearings
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorsChristopher Joseph Kalebjian, Stephen Joseph Hamby, Wade Coots
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A throttle body (12), for an air intake system of a vehicle, including a housing (14) formed of a thermoplastic material and including a pair of throttle shaft bearing pockets (24, 26) extending from a main bore (16) of the throttle body. The bearing pockets (24, 26) each include a generally cylindrical wall (34) of a diameter to allow for a press fit of throttle shaft support bearings (28, 30) therein. After insertion, a swaging process secures the bearings (28, 30) into the pockets (24, 26) by forming lips (40) around the bearings. The walls (34) may include axial grooves (36) to allow for a more controlled swaging operation.
Claims8
A throttle body comprising:
- a housing, formed of a thermoplastic type of material, including a main wall defining a main bore therethrough and a pair of bosses extending from the main wall and defining a throughbore therethrough;
- the bosses each including a bearing pocket adjacent the throughbore defined by a generally cylindrical pocket wall and a stop member extending radially inward into the corresponding pocket;
- a pair of bearings having generally cylindrical outer surfaces, one each mounted in a respective one of the bearing pockets and abutting a respective one of the stop members;
- and
- each of the pockets including retention lips extending from and being integral with the wall about a portion of the respective bearing opposite the side of the bearing abutting the stop member.
A throttle body comprising:
- a housing, formed of a thermoplastic type of material, including a main wall defining a main bore therethrough and a pair of bosses extending from the main wall and defining a throughbore therethrough;
- the bosses each including a bearing pocket adjacent the throughbore defined by a generally cylindrical pocket wall and a stop member extending radially inward into the corresponding pocket, with the wall of each bearing pocket including a plurality of spaced axial grooves extending along and recessed into the wall;
- a pair of bearings having generally cylindrical outer surfaces, one each mounted in a respective one of the bearing pockets and abutting a respective one of the stop members;
- and
- each of the pockets including retention lips extending from and being integral with the wall about a portion of the respective bearing opposite the side of the bearing abutting the stop member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.