US 11,786,677 B2
Brushless DC motor with bearings
David B. Sears, Woodland Hills, CA (US); Aleksandr S. Nagorny, Canoga Park, CA (US); and Samuel Aziz Mebasser, Chatsworth, CA (US)
Assigned to ResMed Motor Technologies Inc., Chatsworth, CA (US)
Filed by ResMed Motor Technologies Inc, Chatsworth, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 11, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/399,197.
Application 17/399,197 is a continuation of application No. 15/908,865, filed on Mar. 1, 2018, granted, now 11,090,453.
Application 15/908,865 is a continuation of application No. 14/098,990, filed on Dec. 6, 2013, granted, now 9,937,307, issued on Apr. 10, 2018.
Application 14/098,990 is a continuation of application No. 12/312,041, granted, now 8,638,014, issued on Jan. 28, 2014, previously published as PCT/AU2007/022474, filed on Oct. 24, 2007.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/929,558, filed on Jul. 3, 2007.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/853,778, filed on Oct. 24, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2021/0369994 A1, Dec. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. H02K 5/128 (2006.01); A61M 16/00 (2006.01); H02K 5/173 (2006.01); H02K 7/08 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 16/00 (2013.01) [A61M 16/0066 (2013.01); A61M 16/021 (2017.08); H02K 5/128 (2013.01); H02K 5/1732 (2013.01); H02K 7/083 (2013.01); A61M 2205/42 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A brushless DC motor, comprising:
a rotor having a magnet;
a pair of bearings configured to rotatably support the rotor;
a stator assembly configured to control movement of the rotor; and
a tube provided between the rotor and the stator assembly,
wherein the tube includes a one-piece structure, the tube including an interior surface configured to retain and align the pair of bearings that rotatably support the rotor and magnet within an interior of the tube, and the stator assembly is provided along an exterior surface of the tube,
wherein the tube includes at least a portion that is sufficiently magnetically transparent configured to allow a magnetic field to pass between the magnet and the stator assembly,
wherein the pair of bearings includes a first bearing and a second bearing that has a smaller size than the first bearing,
wherein a first end of the tube includes a first portion of the interior surface configured to support the first bearing and an opposite, second end of the tube includes a second portion of the interior surface configured to support the second bearing having the smaller size, and
wherein the tube is configured such both the first bearing and the second bearing are inserted into the interior and into engagement with the interior surface through the first end of the tube.