Method for retaining a magnet within a motor assembly

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG.
1, a six pole motor 11 is assembled from drive end head 13, an armature or armature assembly 15, a frame 17, six permanent magnets 19, six magnet shields 21, a commutator end head 23, a fan blade 25 and a shroud 27.
All of these components are assembled together to form a compact motor 11 as shown in FIG.
2.
End heads 13,23 include bearing assemblies (not shown) which receive armature 15 in a conventional fashion for permitting rotation thereof to drive an output shaft 29 (FIG.
1).
Armature 15 is a conventional armature having a commutator portion 30 and a coil area portion 32.
Brushes (not shown) are held in commutator end head 23 and make sliding electrical engagement with commutator portion 30 of the armature.
Coil area 32 may include conventional insulators between which the motor coils are wrapped and presents a generally cylindrical outer face which rotates past permanent magnets 19.
As shown in FIG.
3, drive end head 13 is die cast from metal and is generally cylindrical in shape having a top flat platform surface 31.
A central opening 32 is formed in platform surface 31 for receiving armature 15.
A conventional bearing (not shown) is disposed in opening 32 to permit ease of rotation of the armature.
Six separate locating legs 33 are stationed at equally spaced points around a circular perimeter 35 on platform surface 31.
Perimeter 35 is spaced radially inward from an outer perimeter 37 of the cylindrical end head 13.
This provides a radial area 39 disposed between perimeter 35 and outer perimeter 37 of the end head.
Radial area 39 supports the end 36 (FIG.
1) of frame 17 after the frame is slid over armature 15 during assembly of the motor.
Each locating leg 33 includes a slot or notch 41 formed of a narrow vertical slot 43 extending into a flared slot 45.
As shown in FIGS.
3 and 4, vertical slot 43 is formed of three walls: a first side wall 47 disposed substantially normal to the platform surface; a second side wall 49 disposed substantially normal to the platform surface such that slot 43 is generally radially disposed with respect to circular platform surface 31; and a bottom wall 51 which is spaced above and parallel to platform surface 31