Abstract:
The invention pertains to a motor housing ( 1 ) as well as a pole cover ( 2 ), especially for window lift or sunroof motors, having at least one pole cover ( 2 ) and a housing ( 3 ) closing off the pole cover, which are fastened together using fasteners ( 4 ), whereby the pole cover ( 2 ) has multiple receptacles ( 5 ) for the fasteners ( 4 ), and the housing ( 3 ) closing off the pole cover has multiple counterreceptacles ( 6 ) for the fasteners ( 4 ) and for differing housings ( 3 ) which close off the pole cover differing receptacles ( 5 ) on the pole cover ( 2 ) cooperate with the counterreceptacles ( 6 ) by fasteners ( 4 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a motor housing and a pole cover for an electric motor drive, especially for window lift or sunroof motors in a motor vehicle, according to the type of the independent claims. 
     Such housings for window lift motors or other actuating drives are generally known, DE-GM 29702525.2. The housings shown there disclose essentially two parts, a pole cover made of metal and a drive housing made of metal or plastic. In these motors there is usually a plastic brush holder located between the pole cover and drive housing which also serves as a seal. An integrated plug with a cable gland on the brush holder for supplying power to the motor extends from the motor. Both housing parts are connected together such that the plug extends undisturbed between two screw connections. The housing is constructed such that the brush holder with the plug connection can be rotated by 180° and the motor power supply can be brought in from the left or right side. There is no space however provided here in the housing for a printed circuit board. 
     In another version of the motor with integrated electronics EP 0 474 904 B1 and integrated electronics housing, the brush holder is located on a printed circuit board which is parallel to the motor shaft. The printed circuit board is brought out parallel to the motor shaft and laterally alongside to an electronic plug. This can however result in a collision of the printed circuit board with one of the screw connection between the pole cover and the drive housing. This problem is avoided here by giving the printed circuit board a very narrow, neck-like configuration in the area of the housing screw connection and bringing it out past the screw connection of the pole cover and drive housing. This form of printed circuit board is however quite expensive to produce and represents a severe limitation to placing on the printed circuit board larger area components. A further drawback to this solution is that different pole covers have to be manufactured for different housing types, which creates difficulties in manufacturing and is overall quite cost-intensive. By selecting a pole cover with three receptacles it would no longer be possible to exchange the plug with a motor with no electronics. This is considered however a distinct drawback. Furthermore it is necessary for different motor versions, when for example later space considerations dictate that the printed circuit board be brought out on the other side of the motor, to design completely new individual housing parts whereby the screw points between the pole cover and the drive housing are placed so that the printed circuit board can be brought out on this side. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The arrangement according to the invention having the features of the main claim has the advantage that a universal pole cover is created that can be fitted to various drive- and electronics housings for various motor housings. The resulting modular production process offers enormous advantages. The most expensive housing part, the pole cover, can be produce in very large quantities, and the associated less expensive housing parts for the drive, electronics and plug can be varied cost favorably depending on the requirements of the motor housing, without restricting the functionality of the various motor housing types. Furthermore the customary high connection strength is achieved even in the various constellations, since - as usual - four connection points can be used. 
     The features described in the dependent claims make possible advantageous further embodiments of the arrangement according to the main claim. If the pole cover has at least one more receptacle than the housing closing off the pole cover, and if one receptacle and/or counterreceptacle is not used, the result is a great degree of flexibility for combining the pole covers with various housing parts. By not using receptacles and/or counterreceptacles, the space one has save can be used for various specifications of the various housings. 
     The arrangement of the receptacles in the corners of a rectangle has the advantage of compatibility with currently available drive housings. These pole covers can also be used for actuating motors without electronics. If a fifth receptacle is provided on a short side of the rectangle, the overall width of the motor housing is not increased, which is important for installing it in motor vehicle roofs and doors. In addition, this fifth receptacle can then better absorb the forces of two adjacent, optionally unused receptacles. 
     In the case of a pole cover with five receptacles for a motor without electronics, the plug neck can be arranged as desired on the left or right. This is made possible by placing the four receptacles in the corners of the rectangle, which are arranged point-symmetric to the motor shaft. This represents a significant gain in flexibility for installing and wiring up the motors. By using a sixth receptacle the connection strength of the motor housing is further increased without making the motor housing wider. In this solution the form and length of the plug neck is adapted to the location of the sixth receptacle. 
     If the housing closing off the pole cover is a drive housing, and if a brush holder with a connecting plug is attached in between, the motor housing can be used fully interchangeably with traditional motors. The positioning of the fifth receptacle opposite the plug is advantageous, since the result is that no construction changes are necessary for the plug neck. 
     Furthermore the same pole cover can also be used for motors having integrated electronics without preventing any optimal arrangement of the printed circuit board. By not using one of the receptacles in the corner of the rectangle, the printed circuit board in the motor with electronics can extend parallel to the flattened drive housing wall parallel to the long side of the rectangle, without being hindered by one of the connection elements that are otherwise located in all four corners of the rectangular pole cover flange. An advantage of this method of installing the printed circuit board is the possibility of fitting larger electronic components such as relays on the printed circuit board without being restricted by the housing wall. Moreover, the mounting of the printed circuit board is simplified by its parallel orientation to the housing wall. 
     By screwing additional optional, asymmetrically arranged receptacles, the strength as compared with screwing having three fastening points is increased. This has the advantage that the constructional width of the motor corresponding to the short side of the named rectangle is not increased. The location of the fifth receptacle next to the unused fastening receptacle ensures that the joining strength is not diminished by the unused fastening receptacle. 
     The compatibility of the pole cover with the housing closing off the pole cover for motors having only one plug, for motors with provision for a plug-in electronic module and motors having integrated electronics make the production independent of any rapid market changes in the direction of integrated electronics. The still current need for purely mechanical motors is accounted for in this product by the fact that the plug for the power supply can be optionally located on the left or right. 
     Such a solution for the motor housing having only one type of pole cover with five or six receptacles for all motor types is of course very cost-effective and favorable to manufacturing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The drawing shows embodiments of a device according to the invention and is explained in greater detail in the following description. 
     FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a motor housing in cross-section, 
     FIGS. 2 a  and  2   b  each show a view of already known embodiments corresponding to a section along line II-II in FIG. 1, 
     FIGS. 3 a  through  3   c  each show a schematic representation of various embodiments in the direction of arrow III in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows an additional embodiment according to FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The embodiment represented in FIG. 1 shows a motor housing  1  according to the invention having integrated electronics, especially for actuators in a motor vehicle, whereby the embodiment relates in particular to an window lift motor. The motor housing  1  incorporates a pole cover  2  and a housing  3  closing off the pole cover  2 , with the housing  3  shown here as a drive housing  15  with an integrated electronics housing  16 . The pole cover  2  consists of a deep-drawn, flattened cylindrical tube at the end of which a holder  24  for a pole cover bearing  25  is formed. At the other end of the pole cover  2  a flange  26  is formed in which receptacles  5  are provided for fasteners  4 , here in the form of bolts. These receptacles  5  cooperate with counterreceptacles  6 , here in the form of blind threaded holes, arranged on a flange of the drive housing  27 , using the fastening elements  4 , whose arrangement is shown in greater detail in FIG.  3 . 
     The pole cover includes an armature  28 , which is penetrated by a motor shaft  14  which is held in the pole cover bearing  25  and in a spherical bearing  29 . 
     A printed circuit board  19  having electronic components and an integrated electronics plug  31  is arranged parallel to the motor shaft  14  and passes below the latter. In this arrangement of a rectangular printed circuit board  19  its width extends over the area of a collector  34  and of a ring magnet  35  attached to the motor shaft  14 . For this purpose the pole cover  2  is short enough so that it does not surround the collector  35 . Two brushes  33  with terminals for the power supply are held by a separate component  17  which is clamped between the pole cover  2  and the housing  3  closing off the pole cover. This component  17  also serves as a planar form seal between the two flanges  26  and  27  of the pole cover  2  and the housing  3  closing off the pole cover  2 . It extends with the brushes  33  over the flanges  26  and  27  as far as the collector  34 . The wide rectangular printed circuit board  19  in the area of the ring magnet  35  can accommodate larger area sensors  37  or other electronic components in the direct vicinity of the ring magnet  35 . 
     FIG. 2 a  shows in cross-section how a printed circuit board  19  can be accommodated in a traditional motor housing having the usual four receptacles  5 . The printed circuit board  19  carries a sensing device  37  and must therefore be located in the area of the rotor shaft  14  in its direct vicinity. The printed circuit board  19  extends from the rotor shaft  14  into the electronics housing  16  and for this purpose must be located on it, which limits the space for larger components located here such as relay  38  and makes installation of the printed circuit board  19  difficult. 
     To eliminate this disadvantage, another known solution according to FIG. 2 b  reduces the number of receptacles  5 , whereby the printed circuit board  19  can be arranged parallel along a long side  7  of the electronics housing  16  without crossing over a receptacle  5 . By reducing the number of receptacles however the strength and security of the joint between pole cover  2  and drive housing  15  can fall below a tolerable value. 
     FIGS. 3 a - 3   c  schematically show the various combination possibilities of a pole cover  2  with five receptacles  5 . Four of the five receptacles  5  are arranged in the corners  9  of a rectangle  8 . The rectangle  8  has long sides  10  and short sides  11 . The pole cover  2  and the drive housing  15  have flattened housing walls  36 , which extend parallel to the long sides  10  of the rectangle. A fifth receptacle  12  is arranged at one of the short sides  11  of the rectangle  8 . The receptacles  5  of the pole cover  2  are formed here as depressions in the pole cover flange  26 , so that starting from a circular flange surface outwardly curved sheet metal tongs  39  are formed (FIG. 3 b ). The exact shape and size of these sheet metal tongs  39  can be designed in various ways. 
     FIG. 3 a  shows the arrangement of the pole cover  2  on a drive housing  15  without electronics. 
     The four receptacles  5  in the corners  9  of the rectangle  8  are fitted with fasteners  4 , and the fifth fastening receptacle  12  contains no fastener. A two-pole plug  18  for the motor power supply, which is formed as a projection of component  17 , extends out over the left side of the construction opposite the fifth receptacle  12  between two fasteners  4 . The plug  18  includes here bushings for the corresponding plug lugs of the connection cable. The plug lugs can however also be mounted on component  17 . 
     FIG. 3 b  shows a second possible position of the plug  18  using the same pole cover and drive housing  2  and  15 . The component  17  with plug  18  and the pole cover  2  are turned 180° as compared with FIG. 3 a , so that the plug  18  extends to the right. This is possible because the four receptacles  5  are arranged in the corners  9  of the rectangle  8  point-symmetric to the motor shaft  14 . 
     FIG. 3 c  shows the same pole cover together with a drive housing  15  with integrated electronics housing  16 . On the right side of the electronics housing  16  is a multi-pole electronics plug  31  which is connected to the printed circuit board  19 . Only three fastening receptacles  5  are used. The printed circuit board  19  extends parallel along the flattened housing wall  36  and crosses over an area  20  of an unused receptacle  21 . This area  20  is defined such that in case a fastener  4  is used its contact with the printed circuit board  19  or with any components located on it cannot be reliably excluded. The fifth receptacle  12 , in this case occupied by a fastener, is next to the unused receptacle  21 , i.e. outside the area  20 . The precise location of the fifth receptacle  12 , whether exactly on the short rectangle side  11  or exactly in the middle of it, is not critical. Here an additional receptacle  22  in the corner  9  of the rectangle  8  opposite the printed circuit board  19  can be used to increase the fastening strength of the motor housing  1 . 
     FIG. 4 shows an additional embodiment in the schematic representation according to FIG.  3 . The flange  26  of the pole cover  2  has here a sixth receptacle  13  opposite the fifth receptacle  12 . This has the advantage of additional fastening strength of the motor housing. 
     Between flange  26  and plug  18  there is a plug neck  40  as a part of the component  17 , which is correspondingly extended in length. This embodiment as well, conceivably with additional receptacles  5 , can be universally used for various housings  3  closing off the pole cover.