Device for fastening and electrically connecting a circuit board to a motor
AssigneeCarter Fuel Systems, LLC
InventorsGreg B. McCormick, Gerald Hayes, Michael S. Richards
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel pump assembly and method of making the same is disclosed. The fuel pump assembly includes a brushless direct current (BLDC) motor and a circuit board formed as a discrete component from the BLDC motor. The BLDC motor includes a stator with a plurality of windings. A screw, or some other fastener, extends through the circuit board and threadedly engages a portion of the BLDC motor. The screws serve the dual functions of attaching the circuit board to the BLDC motor and electrically connecting the BLDC motor to the circuit board to power the BLDC motor.
Claims17
A motor assembly comprising:
- a motor including:
- a rotor, and
- a stator coil disposed alongside the rotor;
- a printed circuit board (PCB) configured to control electric coil-powering current to the coil to electromagnetically urge the rotor to rotate, the PCB having a top surface facing away from the stator coil;
- a PCB housing that encapsulates the PCB, wherein the PCB housing includes a top housing layer overlying the PCB and a bottom housing layer underlying the PCB;
- top, middle and bottom apertures that respectively extend through the top housing layer, the PCB and the bottom housing layer;
- an electrically-conductive PCB contact on the PCB's top surface adjacent the middle aperture;
- an electrically-conductive fastener that secures the PCB to the motor, the fastener including:
- a head structure located in the top aperture, that engages a top surface of the PCB contact,
- a shank structure that extends from the head structure, through the middle and bottom apertures, and into the motor, and
- a screw thread, on the shank structure, that threadedly engages the motor;
- and
- a fastener-to-coil conductor in the motor that electrically connects the shank structure to the coil;
- for the coil-powering current to flow from the PCB contact, through the fastener's head structure and through the shank structure to the fastener-to-coil conductor in the motor to power the coil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.