FR3050589A1 - ROTATING ELECTRIC MACHINE HAVING CONTACTS ESTABLISHING A CONNECTION BETWEEN PHASE WINDINGS AND TERMINALS OF A CONNECTOR - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates mainly to a rotating electrical machine (10) comprising a stator (11) having an axis (X) and having a body (25) of ferromagnetic material, characterized in that said rotary electric machine (10) further comprises at least three contacts (40) each having a connection interface (51), - said three connection interfaces (51) being aligned with each other along a line (D1), - in which said contacts (40) ) having an axial length (L2) greater than a gap between said maximum radius (Rmax) and said minimum radius (Rmin) of said stator body (25), - at least three housings (41), each contact (40) being positioned within a corresponding housing (41), - each housing (41) having an inner end (411) closest to said axis (X), and each inner end (411) of a housing ( 41) is located with respect to said axis (X) at a distance greater than said minimum radius (Rmin) of said inner periphery of said stator body (25).

Description

The invention relates to a rotary electric machine provided with contacts establishing a connection between phase windings and terminals of a connector. The invention finds a particularly advantageous, but not exclusive, application with electrical machines integrated in a motor vehicle air conditioning compressor.

In known manner, the rotating electrical machines comprise a stator and a rotor secured to a shaft. The rotor may be integral with a driving shaft and / or driven and may belong to a rotating electrical machine in the form of an alternator, an electric motor, or a reversible machine that can operate in both modes.

The stator is mounted in a housing configured to rotate the shaft for example by means of bearings. The rotor comprises a body formed by a stack of sheets of sheet metal held in pack form by means of a suitable fastening system. The rotor comprises poles formed for example by permanent magnets housed in cavities formed in the magnetic mass of the rotor.

Furthermore, the stator comprises a body consisting of a stack of thin sheets forming a ring, whose inner face is provided with notches open inwardly to receive phase windings. These windings pass through the notches of the stator body and form buns protruding from both sides of the stator body. The phase windings are obtained for example from a continuous wire covered with enamel or from conductive elements in the form of pins connected together by welding. These windings are polyphase windings connected in star or delta whose outputs are connected to an electrical control module.

In some applications, the outputs of the phase windings are connected to terminals of a connector fixed on an outer face of the machine housing. These terminals are intended to be electrically connected with a complementary connector belonging to the electrical control module positioned outside the housing of the electric machine. In the state of the prior art, the insertion of the winding outlets in the connector is carried out in a direction radial with respect to the axis of the electric machine. In other prior arts, the phase ends are connected in a housing located outside the outer diameter of the stator causing a bulky radial of the electric machine. The invention aims to provide an optimized configuration for establishing the connection between the phase windings and the connector terminals fixed on the outer face of the connector. For this purpose, the invention proposes a rotating electrical machine comprising: a stator having an axis and comprising a body made of ferromagnetic material, said stator body having an outer periphery having a maximum radius and an inner periphery having a minimum radius, characterized in that it further comprises: - at least three contacts each having a connection interface, - said three connection interfaces being aligned with each other along a straight line, - said contacts having a greater axial length at a gap between said maximum radius and said minimum radius of said stator body, - at least three housings, each contact being positioned inside a corresponding housing, - each housing comprising an inner end closest to said axis, and in that each inner end of a housing is located with respect to said axis at a greater distance than said ra yon of said inner periphery of said stator body and at a distance smaller than said maximum radius of said outer periphery.

Such a configuration makes it possible to optimize the radial size of the rotating electrical machine while avoiding interference between the contacts intended to receive the terminals of the connector and the rotor.

In other words, the housing is mounted axially between the stator is an end of the machine to minimize the radial size.

By axial length of the contact or contact axis means in the longitudinal direction of the contact, that is to say in the axial direction of a conductive wire when it is positioned in the contact.

According to one embodiment, the contacts are arranged so that their axis is in a radial plane of the X axis of the machine.

According to one embodiment, said three connection interfaces are the parts of each of the contacts furthest from said axis. This facilitates access to the connection interfaces.

According to one embodiment, by defining a plane comprising said axis of the stator and passing through a central connection interface located between the two other connection interfaces, two contacts are inclined on one side with respect to said plane and the other contact is inclined on the opposite side. This optimizes the positioning of the contacts around a fastener type element.

In one embodiment, the two contacts inclined on the same side of said plane are non-parallel with respect to each other. This minimizes the risk of interference with the air gap of the electric machine.

According to one embodiment, said rotating electrical machine comprises a fastener passing between a central contact and an inclined contact on an opposite side with respect to said central contact. Such a configuration makes it possible to limit the overall size while allowing the connector carrying the terminals to be fixed.

According to one embodiment, each housing is open axially relative to said rotating electrical machine over the entire axial length of said corresponding contact. This allows a mounting of the contacts in an axial direction of the machine.

According to one embodiment, said three housings are formed in a one-piece housing. This facilitates the mounting of the housing contacts in the electric machine.

In one embodiment, said housing comprises a connecting plate and walls defining said housing. The connecting plate can thus be used to support a cover.

According to one embodiment, said rotating electrical machine further comprises a cover for closing said housing. This ensures the protection of the system while allowing easy access to the contacts to make their replacement in case of failure.

According to one embodiment, said cover comprises abutments against each of which is adapted to bear a corresponding contact. Each stop ensures retention in translation of one of the contacts inside its corresponding housing.

According to one embodiment, said cover comprises holes each allowing the passage of a terminal intended to cooperate with a connection interface of a corresponding contact. This facilitates the connection between the terminals and the contacts.

According to one embodiment, a first length between an outer end of each housing and a corresponding abutment of the cover is greater than a second maximum axial length of a corresponding contact head, such that a ratio between said second length divided by said first length is between 0.99 and 0.92. Thus, by allowing an axial displacement of the connector inside its housing, such a characteristic makes it possible to absorb the mounting sets of the various elements of the machine to guarantee a connection between the terminals and the corresponding connection interfaces.

According to one embodiment, a width of each housing is greater than a maximum width of a corresponding contact, such that a ratio between the maximum width of each contact divided by the width of a corresponding housing is between 0.96 and 0.85 . This configuration improves the ability of the device to absorb mounting sets. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle compressor characterized in that it comprises a rotating electrical machine as previously defined. The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows and the examination of the figures which accompany it. These figures are given for illustrative but not limiting of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rotating electrical machine according to the present invention integrated in a compressor;

Figure 2 is a perspective view in partial section of the rotary electric machine of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the rotating electrical machine according to the present invention without its housing;

Figure 4 is an axial sectional view of the rotating electrical machine according to the present invention;

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a housing and its cover for receiving the contacts establishing the connection between the outputs of the phase windings and the terminals of a connector;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the lid alone;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the housing alone having the receptacles receiving the contacts according to the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a contact-containing housing according to the present invention;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a single contact.

Identical, similar or similar elements retain the same reference from one figure to another.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a rotating electrical machine 10 comprising a wound stator 11, which may be polyphase, surrounding a rotor 12 with the presence of an air gap between the outer periphery of the rotor 12 and the internal periphery of the stator 11. The rotor 12 with permanent magnets is mounted on a shaft 13. The stator 11 is fixed to a housing 16 visible in Figures 1 and 2 configured to rotate the shaft 13 via ball bearings and / or needle. The electrical machine 10 may belong to a compressor used for the refrigerant compression of the air conditioner of a motor vehicle.

More precisely, the rotor 12 comprises a body 19 (see FIG. 4) formed by an axial stack of sheets in order to reduce the eddy currents. The body 19 may be rotatably connected to the shaft 13 of the rotary electrical machine 10 in various ways, for example by force-fitting the splined shaft 13 inside the central opening of the rotor 12, or using a keyed device.

The rotor 12 has cavities 20 for receiving permanent magnets 21. The magnets 21 are made of ferrite or rare earth depending on the applications and the desired power of the machine. Alternatively, the magnets may be of different shade to reduce costs. The rotor 12 is at flux concentration, that is to say that the lateral faces vis-à-vis the magnets located in two consecutive notches are of the same polarity.

Moreover, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the X-axis stator 11 which also corresponds to the axis of the rotor 12 comprises a body 25 and a coil 26. The stator body 25 is made of a ferromagnetic material and consists for example of an axial stack of flat sheets. The stator body 25 has an outer periphery having a maximum radius Rmax and an inner periphery having a minimum radius Rmin. The body 25 has teeth 29 distributed angularly in a regular manner on an inner periphery of a yoke 32. These teeth 29 delimit notches, so that each notch is delimited by two teeth 29 successive. The yoke 32 thus corresponds to the solid outer annular portion of the body 25 which extends between the bottom of the notches and the outer periphery of the stator 11.

The notches open axially into the axial end faces of the body 25. The notches are also open radially inwardly of the body 25. The stator 11 is provided with tooth roots 34 on the free ends of the teeth 29. Each foot tooth 34 extends circumferentially on either side of a corresponding tooth 29.

To obtain the winding 26, a plurality of phase windings are formed by coils 37 each wound around a tooth. Each coil 37 is formed from an electrically conductive wire covered with a layer of electrically insulating material such as enamel. In an exemplary embodiment, a coil insulator may be interposed between each coil 37 and the corresponding tooth 29. The windings are polyphase windings connected in star or delta whose outputs are connected to an electrical control module (not shown). For this purpose, the ends of the phase windings are electrically connected to contacts 40 each positioned inside a corresponding housing 41 of a housing 42. Terminals 45 of a connector 48 fixed on an outer face of the housing 16 are intended to be inserted into connection interfaces 51 of the contacts 40. The terminals 45 of the connector 48 are intended to be electrically connected with a complementary connector belonging to the electrical control module positioned outside the housing 16.

The housing comprises an inner end 411 belonging to a housing, this end closest to said axis X, and in that each inner end 411 of a housing 41 is located with respect to said axis X at a greater distance than said minimum radius Rmin of said inner periphery of said stator body 25 and at a distance smaller than said maximum radius Rmax of said outer periphery. In other words, the housing is mounted axially between the stator is an end of the machine.

By axial length of the contact or contact axis means in the longitudinal direction of the contact, that is to say in the axial direction of a conductive wire when it is positioned in the contact.

The contacts are each arranged so that their axis is in a radial plane of the X axis of the machine.

As can be seen more clearly in FIGS. 3 and 9, the three contacts 40 each comprise an elongated shape having at one end a connection interface 51 and at the other end a connection interface 52 taking for example the form of a clamp -fil to achieve the electrical connection between the ends 53 of the phase windings and the corresponding contact 40. The contacts 40 have a length L2 greater than a difference between the maximum radius Rmax and the minimum radius Rmin of the stator body 25.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, the three connection interfaces 51 are the parts of the contacts 40 furthest from the X axis. The three connection interfaces 51 are aligned with one another along a line D1.

Furthermore, each contact 40 is positioned inside a corresponding housing 41. Each housing 41 includes an inner end 411 closest to the X axis and an outer end 412 farthest from the X axis located on the side of the yoke 32. The inner ends 411 of the housings 41 are located relative to the X axis at a distance greater than the minimum radius Rmin of the inner periphery of the stator body 25. The inner ends 411 of the housings 41 are positioned between the inner periphery and the outer periphery of the stator body 25, so that the housings 41 and the contacts 40 overlap axially at least in part with the stator body 25. Two elements are considered to be superposed axially with respect to one another when an axially oriented straight line with respect to the X axis passing through one of the elements also cuts the second.

As can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 7, the three housings 41 are formed in the one-piece housing 42, that is to say that the three housings 41 form with the housing 42 a single piece. For this purpose, the housing 42 comprises a connecting plate 55 providing a connection between the three housing 41. The walls 56 are derived from the connecting plate 55, so that each housing 41 is delimited by a bottom 57, two walls 56 facing one another, and a third wall 56 positioned at one end of the two walls 56 vis-à-vis one another. Thus, each housing 41 having a U-shaped cross section is open axially with respect to the X axis of the electrical machine 10 over the entire axial length of the contact 40. It is thus possible to mount the contacts 40 in an axial direction X of the electric machine 10.

In the example shown, the connecting plate 55 extends on the side of the free ends of the walls 56 so as to connect these free ends together. However, alternatively, the connecting plate 55 may be positioned on the opposite side and form the bottoms 57 of the housings 41. Each bottom 57 may also include a groove 58 for receiving a corresponding protrusion belonging to a contact 40 to ensure positioning flat contact 40 inside the corresponding housing 41.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, by defining a plane P1 comprising the X axis of the stator 11 and passing through a central connection interface 51 situated between the two other connection interfaces 51, the housings 41 are configured in such a way that two contacts 40 are inclined on the same side relative to the plane P1 and the other contact 40 is inclined on the opposite side. The two inclined contacts 40 on the same side of the plane P1 are non-parallel with respect to each other. Thus, as is clearly visible in FIG. 7, their corresponding housings 41 have longitudinal extension directions forming an angle A1 between them.

A fastener 60 is located between the central contact 40 and the inclined contact on the opposite side with respect to the central contact 40. The fixing member 60 is constituted by a protruding portion provided with an internal thread for receiving a fixing screw for fixing the connector 48.

Furthermore, as can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, a cover 61 is used to close the housing 42. When the housing 42 is closed by the cover 61, only the inner end 411 of the housing 41 remains open for the passage of the wire of the phase windings. To assemble the cover 61 with the housing 42, the cover 61 has latching means. These latching means consist of lugs 71 coming from flanges 72 of the lid and intended to bear on either side of the connecting plate 55.

As shown in Figures 6 and 8, the cover 61 may comprise stops 64 against each of which is adapted to abut a lug 65 of a corresponding contact 40. Each stop 64 positioned between the inner end 41 of the open housing 41 and the lug 65 thus provides translation retention of a contact 40 within its corresponding housing 41. Each rib 66, for example in the form of a cross, extending between the inner end 411 of the housing 41 and the stop 64 makes it possible to guarantee correct positioning of the head of the contact 40 in its housing 41. The contact head forming the connection interface 51 has a length L2 '.

The cover 61 further comprises through holes 68 each allowing the passage of a terminal 45 for cooperating with a connection interface 51 of a corresponding contact 40.

In order to compensate for the mounting clearance of the various elements, a length L1 between an outer end 412 of a housing 41 and a corresponding stop 64 of the cover 61 is greater than a maximum length L2 'of a corresponding contact head. In an exemplary embodiment, a ratio between the maximum length L2 'of each contact head 40 divided by the corresponding length L1 is between 0.99 and 0.92.

A width L3 of each housing 41 is greater than a maximum width L4 of a corresponding contact 40. In an exemplary embodiment, a ratio between the maximum width L4 of each contact 40 divided by the width L3 of a corresponding housing is between 0.92 and 0.85.

The rotary electrical machine 10 has been described for a three-phase machine thus comprising three contacts 40 and three corresponding housings 41. However, the number of contacts 40 and corresponding housings 41 can be adapted to the number of phases of the machine, namely five for a pentaphase machine, six for a hexaphase machine, etc ...

Of course, the foregoing description has been given by way of example only and does not limit the scope of the invention which would not be overcome by replacing the different elements by any other equivalent.

Claims (14)

A rotary electric machine (10) comprising: - a stator (11) having an axis (X) and having a body (25) made of ferromagnetic material, said stator body (25) having an outer periphery having a maximum radius ( Rmax) and an inner periphery having a minimum radius (Rmin), characterized in that said rotating electrical machine (10) further comprises: - at least three contacts (40) each having a connection interface (51), - said three connecting interfaces (51) being aligned with each other along a line (D1), - wherein said contacts (40) having an axial length (L2) greater than a gap between said maximum radius (Rmax) and said radius minimum (Rmin) of said stator body (25), - at least three housings (41), each contact (40) being positioned inside a corresponding housing (41), - each housing (41) comprising one end internal (411) closest to said axis (X), and in e each inner end (411) of a housing (41) is located with respect to said axis (X) at a greater distance than said minimum radius (Rmin) from said inner periphery of said stator body (25) and at a distance smaller than said maximum radius (Rmax) of said outer periphery. 2. A rotary electrical machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said three connection interfaces (51) are the parts of each of the contacts (40) furthest from said axis (X). Rotary electric machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plane (P1) comprising said axis of the stator (11) and passing through a central connection interface (51) situated between the two other connection interfaces ( 51), two contacts (40) are inclined on one side with respect to said plane (P1) and the other contact (40) is inclined on the opposite side. 4. A rotary electric machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the two contacts (40) inclined on the same side of said plane (P1) are non-parallel with respect to each other. 5. rotary electrical machine according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that it comprises a fastener (60) passing between a contact (40) central and a contact (40) inclined to an opposite side with respect to said contact (40) central. 6. rotary electric machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each housing (41) is open axially relative to said rotating electrical machine over the entire axial length (L2) of said contact (40) corresponding. 7. rotary electric machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said three housings (41) are formed in a housing (42) monobloc. 8. rotary electrical machine according to claim 7, characterized in that said housing (42) comprises a connecting plate (55) and walls (56) defining said housing (41). 9. rotary electric machine according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it further comprises a cover (61) for closing said housing (42). 10. A rotary electrical machine according to claim 9, characterized in that said cover (61) comprises stops (64) against each of which is adapted to bear a corresponding contact (40). 11. rotary electric machine according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that said cover (61) comprises holes (68) each allowing the passage of a terminal (45) intended to cooperate with a connection interface (51) d a corresponding contact (40). 12. Rotating electric machine according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that a first length (L1) between an outer end (412) of each housing (41) and a corresponding stop (64) of the cover ( 61) is greater than a second maximum axial length (L2 ') of a corresponding contact head (40), so that a ratio between said second length (L2') divided by said first length (L1) is included between 0.99 and 0.92. Electric machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that a width (L3) of each housing (41) is greater than a maximum width (L4) of a corresponding contact (40), such that a ratio between the maximum width (L4) of each contact (40) divided by the width (L3) of a corresponding housing (41) is between 0.96 and 0.85. 14. Motor vehicle compressor characterized in that it comprises a rotary electric machine (10) as defined in any one of the preceding claims.