6 701 603

6,701,603 Title:

Method of manufacturing yoke of electric rotating machine

A cup shaped yoke made of sheet material has an opening portion provided in a side wall on an axial end side, a shoulder portion provided in the sidewall on another axial end side, a magnet installation portion for installing a magnet, which is provided in the side wall between the opening and shoulder portions and whose wall thickness is substantially equal to thickness of the sheet material, and a bottom portion, which is provided in a bottom wall, having a boss shaped bearing accommodating portion in a center thereof. Each wall thickness of the opening, shoulder and bottom portions including the boss shaped bearing accommodating portion is equal to or smaller than a half of wall thickness of the magnet installation portion.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a cup shaped yoke of an electric rotating machine, whose side wall has an opening portion, a magnet installation portion and a shoulder portionand whose bottom wall has at least a boss, out of a piece of plate, comprising: bulging the plate locally to form a first worked plate having a semispherical protrusion by pressing a first area of the plate, after firmly holding the plate around anoutside of the first area with a first holding force, so that the wall thickness of the first semispherical protrusion is less than the thickness of the plate, drawing the first worked plate to form a second worked plate having a first cup by pressing asecond area of the first worked plate at and around an outside of the semispherical protrusion, the diameter of which is larger than that of the first area, after holding the first worked plate around an outside of the second area with a second holdingforce, which is lower than the first holding force, so that the thickness of a bottom wall of the first cup is less than the wall thickness of the semispherical protrusion, and the thickness of a side wall of the first cup is substantially equal to thethickness of the plate, wherein the wall thickness of the side wall is equal to the thickness of the plate and greater than the thickness of the bottom wall, and the diameter of the second area is larger than the inside diameter of the cup shaped yoke; bulging the bottom wall of the first cup to form the boss in a center thereof; and further drawing the second worked plate, while holding a third area of the bottom wall of the first cup of the second worked plate, the diameter of which is smaller thanthat of the second area, to form a third worked plate having a second cup, the inside diameter of which is smaller than that of the first cup and the axial length of which is greater than that of the first cup, by pressing the second worked plate at anouter periphery of the bottom wall of the first cup axially along an outer circumference of the third area, wherein the outer periphery of the bottom wall of the second worked plate is moved to constitute a part of a side wall of the third worked plate.

2. A method of manufacturing a cup shaped yoke of an electric rotating machine according to claim 1, further comprising steps of: deforming the third worked plate to form a fourth worked plate by ironing opposite axial circumferential edges ofthe side wall of the second cup so that the fourth worked plate has the magnet installation portion, the opening portion and the shoulder portion in which each wall thickness of the opening and shoulder portions is thinner than the wall thickness of themagnet installation portion.

3. A method of manufacturing a cup shaped yoke of an electric rotating machine according to claim 2, wherein neither of the respective wall thicknesses of the opening and shoulder portions is greater than a half of the wall thickness of themagnet installation portion.

4. A method of manufacturing a cup shaped yoke of an electric rotating machine having a cylindrical magnet installation portion and a central bearing accommodating portion, comprising: holding a piece of plate, which has a uniform thickness, ata peripheral portion between a die and a cushion plate; bulging a central portion of the piece of plate with a first punch, the outside diameter of which is smaller than the inside diameter of the cylindrical magnet installation portion, while holding aportion of the piece of plate adjacent to the first punch to form a first worked plate that has a semispherical protrusion, wherein the wall thickness of the semispherical protrusion is less than the uniform thickness of the piece of plate; drawing thefirst worked plate with a second punch, the outside diameter of which is larger than the inside diameter of the cylindrical magnet installation portion to form a second worked plate having a cylindrical portion and a bottom portion, wherein the wallthickness of the bottom portion is less than the wall thickness of the cylindrical portion; and bulging the bottom portion of the second worked plate with a third punch, the outside diameter of which is equal to the inside diameter of the centralbearing accommodation portion.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein: the die used in holding the piece of plate comprises a holder for holding the peripheral portion of the piece of plate and a supporting die for supporting a middle portion of the piece of plate oppositeto the first punch, and the first punch is moved in a direction from the cushion plate toward the supporting die to hold and press the middle portion in the step of bulging a central portion of the piece of plate.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the piece of plate is held between the holder and the cushion plate with a stronger holding force when bulging the central portion than when performing the drawing.