JP7472631B2 - Rotating electric machine and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

The disclosure in this specification relates to a rotating electric machine and a manufacturing method thereof.

Conventionally, a rotating electric machine is known that includes a field element including a magnet portion having multiple magnetic poles, and an armature having a multi-phase armature winding. Patent Document 1 discloses an armature with a teethless structure (an armature without conductor housing grooves) that uses multiple air-core electromagnetic coils, with each electromagnetic coil arranged in a circumferential direction relative to the armature core. In this configuration, each electromagnetic coil is arranged in a circumferential direction with a gap between the electromagnetic coils.

JP 2007-288933 A

In an armature with a teethless structure, it is considered desirable to reduce the gap between adjacent conductors in the circumferential direction in order to improve the conductor space factor. In this case, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not disclose any specific configuration for reducing the gap between the conductors, and it is considered that there is room for technical improvement.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to improve the conductor space factor in a rotating electric machine using an armature with a teethless structure. It also aims to make it possible to suitably manufacture an armature that enables an improvement in the conductor space factor in a manufacturing method for a rotating electric machine.

The various aspects disclosed in this specification employ different technical means to achieve their respective objectives. The objectives, features, and advantages disclosed in this specification will become more apparent by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

Means 1 is
A field element having a plurality of magnetic poles;
an armature having a teethless structure, the armature having a polyphase armature winding including a plurality of partial windings, and a winding support member provided on one of a radial inner side and a radial outer side of the armature winding opposite to the field element and supporting the plurality of partial windings;
a rotor being one of the field element and the armature,
the partial windings each include a pair of intermediate conductor portions extending in an axial direction, and transition portions provided at one and the other axial ends thereof and annularly connecting the pair of intermediate conductor portions, the partial windings being arranged side by side in a circumferential direction,
The intermediate conductor portions adjacent in the circumferential direction have circumferentially opposing circumferential side surfaces that are parallel to each other.

The rotating electric machine of the above configuration has an armature with a teethless structure, and in the armature winding, multiple partial windings are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction. In this state, the circumferential side surfaces of the intermediate conductor parts adjacent in the circumferential direction that face each other in the circumferential direction are parallel to each other. In this case, since the circumferential side surfaces of the intermediate conductor parts are parallel to each other, it is advantageous in reducing the gap between the intermediate conductor parts compared to a configuration in which the circumferential side surfaces are non-parallel to each other, and an improvement in the conductor space factor can be preferably achieved. As a result, the conductor space factor can be improved in a rotating electric machine using an armature with a teethless structure.

In the second embodiment, the intermediate conductor portions arranged in the circumferential direction in the first embodiment include circumferential side surfaces that extend radially from the center point of the armature and are parallel to a straight line passing between the intermediate conductor portions.

The intermediate conductor sections arranged in the circumferential direction have circumferential sides that are parallel to a straight line extending radially from the center point of the armature, making it possible to reduce the gaps between the intermediate conductor sections while arranging each intermediate conductor section evenly or nearly evenly.

In the third embodiment, in the first or second embodiment, the partial windings are arranged in the circumferential direction with one intermediate conductor portion of each of the other two partial windings interposed between the pair of intermediate conductor portions, and N/2 of the total N partial windings (N is an even number) are first partial windings of a first winding group, and the remaining N/2 partial windings are second partial windings of a second winding group, and the jumper portions of the first partial windings in the first winding group are aligned in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and the jumper portions of the second partial windings in the second winding group are aligned in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and the jumper portions of the first partial windings and the jumper portions of the second partial windings overlap each other in the axial or radial direction, and the cross-sectional shapes of the intermediate conductor portions of the first partial windings and the second partial windings are different.

In the above configuration, the multiple partial windings are arranged in the circumferential direction with one intermediate conductor portion of each of the other two partial windings interposed between a pair of intermediate conductor portions. In this case, in a configuration using N partial windings, 2N intermediate conductor portions are arranged in the circumferential direction. Here, the total N partial windings can be divided into a first winding group and a second winding group each having N/2 partial windings, and in each of these winding groups, the jumper portions of the partial windings are provided separately in the axial or radial direction. In other words, the jumper portions of the first partial windings of the first winding group are arranged in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and the jumper portions of the second partial windings of the second winding group are arranged in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and the jumper portions of each of these partial windings overlap each other in the axial or radial direction.

In this configuration, when each partial winding is assembled to the winding support member, the partial windings of one of the first and second winding groups are assembled first, and the partial windings of the other winding group are assembled later. In this case, when each partial winding of one winding group is pre-attached, the intermediate conductor parts are installed in N of the 2N intermediate conductor parts arranged in the circumferential direction, and when each partial winding of the other winding group is assembled (post-attached), the intermediate conductor parts are installed in the remaining N installation spaces, so that the partial windings are assembled. At that time, the post-attached partial winding is assembled from the radial or axial direction, but if the cross-sectional shape of the intermediate conductor parts is the same for the first and second partial windings, there is a concern that assembly will be difficult. In addition, in a configuration in which the gap between the intermediate conductor parts is reduced to improve the conductor space factor as described above, the difficulty of assembly is considered to be significant.

In this regard, in the above-mentioned configuration of the present means, the cross-sectional shapes of the intermediate conductor parts of the first partial winding and the second partial winding are different, so that the gap between the intermediate conductor parts is small to improve the conductor space factor, while taking into account that the intermediate conductor parts of the partial windings pre-attached to the winding support member already exist (i.e., the installation location of the intermediate conductor part on the post-attached side is specified), it is possible to suitably assemble the post-attached partial winding.

In the fourth embodiment, in the third embodiment, in the first winding group, the circumferential side surfaces of the partial windings on the outer side of the ring face each other and are parallel to a straight line extending radially from the center point of the armature and passing between the two intermediate conductor parts, and in the second winding group, the circumferential side surfaces of the partial windings on the outer side of the ring face each other and are parallel to a straight line extending radially from the center point of the armature and passing between the two intermediate conductor parts.

In the above configuration, in each of the first winding group and the second winding group, in the portions where the partial windings are adjacent to each other, the circumferential side surfaces (circumferential side surfaces on the outer annular surface) of the two intermediate conductor portions extend radially from the center point of the armature and are parallel to a straight line passing between the two intermediate conductor portions. In this case, the assembly conditions for each partial winding included in the first winding group are the same, while the assembly conditions for each partial winding included in the second winding group are the same, and the partial windings with the same assembly conditions are assembled in an evenly distributed manner in the circumferential direction.

In the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the intermediate conductor portion of the first partial winding and the intermediate conductor portion of the second partial winding are arranged in a circumferential direction, and in the two intermediate conductor portions arranged in a circumferential direction, the circumferential side surface of the annular inner side of the partial winding is not parallel to a straight line that extends radially from the center point of the armature and passes between the two intermediate conductor portions.

The first winding group and the second winding group have different assembly orders for the partial windings on the winding support member, and the later-attached winding group is assembled so that the intermediate conductor portion fits into the remaining space after the pre-attached partial winding is installed. In this case, in the two intermediate conductor portions (the first partial winding and the second partial winding intermediate conductor portions) that are aligned in the circumferential direction, the annular inner circumferential side of the partial winding extends radially from the center point of the armature and is not parallel to the straight line between the two intermediate conductor portions. This makes it possible to suppress the inconvenience of the later-attached partial winding interfering with the pre-attached partial winding even in a configuration in which the gap (margin) between the intermediate conductor portions is small.

In the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the first winding group is a winding group that is first assembled to the winding support member, and the second winding group is a winding group that is assembled to the winding support member after the first winding group is assembled, and the intermediate conductor portion of the first partial winding and the intermediate conductor portion of the second partial winding are aligned in the circumferential direction, and the circumferential side surface of the annular inner side of the partial winding is not parallel to a straight line that extends radially from the center point of the armature and passes between the two intermediate conductor portions.

Two intermediate conductor parts, one on the first partial winding side and one on the second partial winding side, are arranged in the circumferential direction, and the inner circumferential side of the annular part of the two intermediate conductor parts is configured to be non-parallel to a straight line that extends radially from the center point of the armature and passes between the two intermediate conductor parts. This makes it possible to suppress the inconvenience of a later-attached partial winding interfering with a pre-attached partial winding, even in a configuration in which the gap (margin) between the intermediate conductor parts is small.

In the seventh aspect, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, an insulating member (157) is interposed between the intermediate conductor portions arranged in the circumferential direction.

This configuration allows proper insulation between the intermediate conductor parts, i.e., interphase insulation. In addition, since the circumferentially adjacent intermediate conductor parts in the armature winding have circumferentially opposing side surfaces that are parallel to each other, when a sheet material (film material) of a constant thickness is used as the insulating member, the gaps between the intermediate conductor parts can be easily filled, and each intermediate conductor part can be appropriately fixed.

Means 8 is
A field element having a plurality of magnetic poles;
a toothless armature (60) including a polyphase armature winding including a plurality of partial windings, and a winding support member provided on one of the radially inner side and the radially outer side of the armature winding opposite to the field element and supporting the plurality of partial windings;
A manufacturing method of a rotating electric machine comprising:
The partial winding includes a pair of intermediate conductor portions extending in an axial direction, and transition portions provided at one and the other axial ends thereof and annularly connecting the pair of intermediate conductor portions,
Among the total N partial windings (N is an even number), N/2 partial windings are first partial windings of a first winding group, and the remaining N/2 partial windings are second partial windings of a second winding group,
the first partial winding and the second partial winding have different cross-sectional shapes at the intermediate conductor portions, and are arranged in the circumferential direction such that circumferential side surfaces facing each other in the circumferentially adjacent intermediate conductor portions are parallel to each other,
a first step of assembling the first partial winding to the winding support member in a state in which the jumper portions of the first partial winding are aligned in a circumferential direction at the same axial position;
a second step of subsequently assembling the second partial winding in a radial or axial direction to the winding support member in a state in which each of the intermediate conductor portions of the second partial winding is interposed between the pair of intermediate conductor portions of the first partial winding, the crossover portions of the second partial winding are arranged in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and the crossover portions of the first partial winding and the crossover portions of the second partial winding overlap each other in the axial or radial direction;
has.

The rotating electric machine of the above configuration has a first partial winding included in the first winding group and a second partial winding included in the second winding group as partial windings of the armature winding. The first partial winding and the second partial winding have different cross-sectional shapes at the intermediate conductor portions, and are arranged in the circumferential direction such that the circumferential side surfaces facing each other in the circumferential direction of the intermediate conductor portions adjacent in the circumferential direction are parallel to each other.

Here, a configuration in which the circumferentially opposing circumferential side surfaces of adjacent intermediate conductor parts are parallel to each other is advantageous in reducing the gap between the intermediate conductor parts, and can favorably improve the conductor space factor. However, with this configuration, there is a concern that the assembly may be difficult when first assembling the first partial winding to the winding support member and then assembling the second partial winding.

In this respect, in the present invention, the cross-sectional shapes of the intermediate conductor portions of the first partial winding and the second partial winding are made different, and then the armature is manufactured in the following steps. That is, in the first step, the first partial winding is assembled to the winding support member with the jumpers of the first partial winding lined up in the circumferential direction at the same axial position. Then, in the subsequent second step, the two intermediate conductor portions of the second partial winding are interposed one by one between a pair of intermediate conductor portions of the first partial winding, and the jumpers of the second partial winding are lined up in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and the jumpers of the first partial winding and the second partial winding overlap each other in the axial or radial direction, and the second partial winding is assembled to the winding support member from the radial or axial direction.

In this case, since the cross-sectional shapes of the intermediate conductor portions of the first and second partial windings are different from each other, the partial windings of each conductor group that are assembled in a chronological order can be assembled while avoiding mutual interference. This makes it possible to preferably manufacture an armature that allows for an improvement in the conductor space factor.

1 is a perspective view showing an entire rotating electric machine according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. Cross-sectional view of the rotor. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional structure of a magnet unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the electrical angle and the magnetic flux density of the magnet according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a graph showing the relationship between electrical angle and magnetic flux density for a magnet of a comparative example. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the core assembly as viewed from one axial side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the core assembly as viewed from the other axial side. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a connection state of partial windings in each of three phase windings. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the first coil module and the second coil module arranged side by side for comparison; FIG. 4 is a side view showing a first partial winding and a second partial winding arranged side by side for comparison; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first coil module. Cross-sectional view taken along line 20-20 in FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a second coil module. Cross-sectional view taken along line 23-23 in Figure 22(a). FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing overlap positions of film materials when each coil module is aligned in the circumferential direction. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the first coil module is assembled to the core assembly. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the assembled state of the first coil module and the second coil module to the core assembly. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a fixed state by a fixing pin. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a vertical cross section of the bus bar module. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the bus bar module is assembled to the stator holder. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a fixing portion for fixing the bus bar module. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the relay member is attached to the housing cover. FIG. FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram showing a control system for a rotating electric machine. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a current feedback control process performed by a control device. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a torque feedback control process performed by the control device. FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of a magnet unit in a modified example. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a stator unit having an inner rotor structure. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the state in which the coil module is assembled to the core assembly. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an entire stator unit according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4A is a plan view of a stator unit, and FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the core assembly and the stator windings. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a coil module. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing components of a coil module. 48(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 48-48 in FIG. 46, and FIG. 46, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 49-49 in FIG. 46, and (b) is an exploded cross-sectional view. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the partial winding and a bracket portion. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an arrangement of three partial windings. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of a coupling member. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the coil modules on the lower side arranged in the circumferential direction. FIG. 13 is a plan view of a stator unit according to a third embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the core assembly and the stator windings. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the partial winding and a bracket portion. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the coil modules on the lower side arranged in the circumferential direction. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an arrangement state of intermediate conductor portions on the radially outer side of the core assembly in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a cross-sectional shape of an intermediate conductor portion of a first partial winding, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a cross-sectional shape of an intermediate conductor portion of a second partial winding. FIG. 4 is a front view showing an assembly state of each partial winding relative to the core assembly. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the assembly of each partial winding to the core assembly. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a first partial winding is pre-attached to a core assembly, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a second partial winding is later attached to the core assembly. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of a partial winding. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of a partial winding. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of a partial winding. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of a partial winding.

Several embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In several embodiments, functionally and/or structurally corresponding and/or associated parts may be given the same reference numerals or reference numerals that differ in the hundredth or higher digit. For corresponding and/or associated parts, the descriptions of other embodiments may be referred to.

The rotating electric machine in this embodiment is used, for example, as a vehicle power source. However, rotating electric machines can be widely used in industrial applications, vehicles, home appliances, office automation equipment, gaming machines, etc. In the following embodiments, parts that are identical or equivalent to each other are given the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the explanations of the parts with the same reference numerals are used.

First Embodiment
The rotating electric machine 10 according to the present embodiment is a synchronous multi-phase AC motor with an outer rotor structure. The rotating electric machine 10 is generally shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire rotating electric machine 10, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rotating electric machine 10, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rotating electric machine 10 (sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2), FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the rotating electric machine 10 (sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3), and FIG. 5 is an exploded sectional view showing components of the rotating electric machine 10 in an exploded manner. In the following description, in the rotating electric machine 10, the direction in which the rotating shaft 11 extends is defined as the axial direction, the direction extending radially from the center of the rotating shaft 11 is defined as the radial direction, and the direction extending circumferentially around the rotating shaft 11 is defined as the circumferential direction.

The rotating electric machine 10 is roughly divided into a rotating electric machine main body having a rotor 20, a stator unit 50, and a busbar module 200, and a housing 241 and a housing cover 242 that are arranged to surround the rotating electric machine main body. All of these components are arranged coaxially with a rotating shaft 11 that is integral with the rotor 20, and the rotating electric machine 10 is configured by assembling them in the axial direction in a predetermined order. The rotating shaft 11 is supported by a pair of bearings 12, 13 that are respectively provided on the stator unit 50 and the housing 241, and is rotatable in this state. The bearings 12, 13 are, for example, radial ball bearings having an inner ring, an outer ring, and a number of balls arranged between them. The rotation of the rotating shaft 11 rotates, for example, the axle of a vehicle. The rotating electric machine 10 can be mounted on a vehicle by fixing the housing 241 to a vehicle frame or the like.

In the rotating electric machine 10, the stator unit 50 is provided to surround the rotating shaft 11, and the rotor 20 is disposed radially outside the stator unit 50. The stator unit 50 has a stator 60 and a stator holder 70 attached radially inside the stator 60. The rotor 20 and the stator 60 are disposed radially opposite each other with an air gap between them, and the rotor 20 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 11, causing the rotor 20 to rotate radially outside the stator 60. The rotor 20 corresponds to the "field element" and the stator 60 corresponds to the "armature".

Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotor 20. As shown in Figure 6, the rotor 20 has a rotor carrier 21 that is substantially cylindrical, and a ring-shaped magnet unit 22 fixed to the rotor carrier 21. The rotor carrier 21 has a cylindrical portion 23 and an end plate portion 24 provided at one axial end of the cylindrical portion 23, which are integrated together. The rotor carrier 21 functions as a magnet holding member, and the magnet unit 22 is fixed to the radial inside of the cylindrical portion 23 in a ring shape. A through hole 24a is formed in the end plate portion 24, and the rotating shaft 11 is fixed to the end plate portion 24 by a fastener 25 such as a bolt while being inserted into the through hole 24a. The rotating shaft 11 has a flange 11a that extends in a direction intersecting (orthogonal to) the axial direction, and the rotor carrier 21 is fixed to the rotating shaft 11 while the flange 11a and the end plate portion 24 are surface-jointed.

The magnet unit 22 has a cylindrical magnet holder 31, a plurality of magnets 32 fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the magnet holder 31, and an end plate 33 fixed to the axially opposite end plate portion 24 of the rotor carrier 21. The magnet holder 31 has the same length dimension as the magnet 32 in the axial direction. The magnet 32 is provided in a state in which it is surrounded by the magnet holder 31 from the radially outside. The magnet holder 31 and the magnet 32 are fixed in a state in which they abut against the end plate 33 at one end on the axial direction. The magnet unit 22 corresponds to the "magnet portion".

Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional structure of magnet unit 22. In Figure 7, the direction of the easy magnetization axis of magnet 32 is indicated by an arrow.

In the magnet unit 22, the magnets 32 are arranged in a line so that their polarity alternates along the circumferential direction of the rotor 20. This gives the magnet unit 22 multiple magnetic poles in the circumferential direction. The magnets 32 are polar anisotropic permanent magnets, and are constructed using sintered neodymium magnets with an intrinsic coercive force of 400 kA/m or more and a residual magnetic flux density Br of 1.0 T or more.

The radially inner peripheral surface (stator 60 side) of magnet 32 is magnetic flux action surface 34 where magnetic flux is exchanged. In magnet unit 22, magnetic flux is generated intensively in the area near the d-axis, which is the magnetic pole center, on magnetic flux action surface 34 of magnet 32. Specifically, in magnet 32, the orientation of the magnetization easy axis is different on the d-axis side (part closer to the d-axis) and the q-axis side (part closer to the q-axis), and on the d-axis side, the orientation of the magnetization easy axis is parallel to the d-axis, and on the q-axis side, the orientation of the magnetization easy axis is perpendicular to the q-axis. In this case, an arc-shaped magnetic flux path is formed along the orientation of the magnetization easy axis. In short, magnet 32 is configured so that the orientation of the magnetization easy axis is parallel to the d-axis on the d-axis side, which is the magnetic pole center, compared to the q-axis side, which is the magnetic pole boundary.

In magnet 32, the magnetic flux path is formed in an arc shape, so the magnetic flux path length is longer than the radial thickness dimension of magnet 32. This increases the permeance of magnet 32, making it possible to exert the same performance as a magnet with a larger amount of magnet, despite the same amount of magnet.

The magnets 32 are arranged in pairs, two adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, to form one magnetic pole. In other words, the magnets 32 arranged in the circumferential direction in the magnet unit 22 have cut surfaces on the d-axis and q-axis, and the magnets 32 are arranged in contact with or in close proximity to each other. As described above, the magnets 32 have an arc-shaped magnetic flux path, and the N pole and S pole of the magnets 32 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction face each other on the q-axis. This makes it possible to improve the permeance near the q-axis. In addition, the magnets 32 on both sides of the q-axis attract each other, so that the magnets 32 can maintain contact with each other. This also contributes to improving the permeance.

In the magnet unit 22, the magnetic flux flows in an arc between the adjacent N and S poles due to each magnet 32, so the magnetic path is longer than that of a radially anisotropic magnet, for example. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the magnetic flux density distribution is close to a sine wave. As a result, unlike the magnetic flux density distribution of a radially anisotropic magnet shown as a comparative example in FIG. 9, the magnetic flux can be concentrated toward the center of the magnetic pole, making it possible to increase the torque of the rotating electric machine 10. In addition, in the magnet unit 22 of this embodiment, it can be confirmed that there is a difference in the magnetic flux density distribution compared to the conventional Halbach array magnet. In addition, in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the horizontal axis indicates the electrical angle, and the vertical axis indicates the magnetic flux density. In addition, in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, 90° on the horizontal axis indicates the d-axis (i.e., the magnetic pole center), and 0° and 180° on the horizontal axis indicate the q-axis.

In other words, with each magnet 32 configured as described above, the magnetic flux on the d-axis in the magnet unit 22 is strengthened, and the magnetic flux change near the q-axis is suppressed. This makes it possible to preferably realize a magnet unit 22 in which the surface magnetic flux change from the q-axis to the d-axis is smooth at each magnetic pole.

The sine wave matching rate of the magnetic flux density distribution may be, for example, 40% or more. In this way, the amount of magnetic flux in the central part of the waveform can be reliably improved compared to the use of radially oriented magnets or parallel oriented magnets, which have a sine wave matching rate of about 30%. Furthermore, if the sine wave matching rate is set to 60% or more, the amount of magnetic flux in the central part of the waveform can be reliably improved compared to a magnetic flux concentration arrangement such as a Halbach arrangement.

In the radially anisotropic magnet shown in FIG. 9, the magnetic flux density changes sharply near the q-axis. The sharper the change in magnetic flux density, the more eddy currents increase in the stator winding 61 of the stator 60, which will be described later. The magnetic flux changes sharply on the stator winding 61 side. In contrast, in this embodiment, the magnetic flux density distribution has a magnetic flux waveform that is close to a sine wave. Therefore, the change in magnetic flux density near the q-axis is smaller than the change in magnetic flux density of the radially anisotropic magnet. This makes it possible to suppress the generation of eddy currents.

The magnet 32 has a recess 35 formed on the outer peripheral surface on the radially outer side in a predetermined range including the d-axis, and a recess 36 formed on the inner peripheral surface on the radially inner side in a predetermined range including the q-axis. In this case, depending on the direction of the easy axis of magnetization of the magnet 32, the magnetic flux path becomes short near the d-axis on the outer peripheral surface of the magnet 32, and the magnetic flux path becomes short near the q-axis on the inner peripheral surface of the magnet 32. Therefore, taking into consideration that it is difficult to generate sufficient magnetic flux in places where the magnetic flux path length is short in the magnet 32, magnets are removed in places where the magnetic flux is weak.

The magnet unit 22 may be configured to use the same number of magnets 32 as the number of magnetic poles. For example, the magnets 32 may be provided between two circumferentially adjacent magnetic poles, with one magnet being provided between the d-axis, which is the center of each magnetic pole. In this case, the magnet 32 is configured so that the circumferential center is the q-axis and has a cut surface on the d-axis. The magnet 32 may also be configured so that the circumferential center is the d-axis, rather than the q-axis. Instead of using magnets with twice the number of magnetic poles or the same number of magnets as the number of magnetic poles, the magnets 32 may be configured to use ring magnets connected in a ring shape.

As shown in FIG. 3, a resolver 41 is provided as a rotation sensor on both axial ends of the rotating shaft 11 opposite the connection with the rotor carrier 21 (the upper end in the figure). The resolver 41 includes a resolver rotor fixed to the rotating shaft 11 and a resolver stator arranged radially outside the resolver rotor to face it. The resolver rotor is in the shape of a circular ring, and is provided coaxially with the rotating shaft 11 with the rotating shaft 11 inserted through it. The resolver stator has a stator core and a stator coil, and is fixed to the housing cover 242.

Next, the configuration of the stator unit 50 will be described. Figure 10 is a perspective view of the stator unit 50, and Figure 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the stator unit 50. Note that Figure 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken at the same position as Figure 3.

The stator unit 50 generally comprises a stator 60 and a stator holder 70 located radially inside the stator 60. The stator 60 comprises a stator winding 61 and a stator core 62. The stator core 62 and the stator holder 70 are integrated together to form a core assembly CA, to which multiple partial windings 151 constituting the stator winding 61 are attached. The stator winding 61 corresponds to the "armature winding", the stator core 62 corresponds to the "armature core", and the stator holder 70 corresponds to the "armature holding member". The core assembly CA corresponds to the "support member".

Here, we will first explain the core assembly CA. Figure 12 is a perspective view of the core assembly CA seen from one axial side, Figure 13 is a perspective view of the core assembly CA seen from the other axial side, Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of the core assembly CA, and Figure 15 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the core assembly CA.

As described above, the core assembly CA has the stator core 62 and the stator holder 70 attached to its radially inner side. In other words, the stator core 62 is integrally attached to the outer peripheral surface of the stator holder 70.

The stator core 62 is configured as a core sheet laminate in which core sheets 62a made of magnetic steel sheets are laminated in the axial direction, and has a cylindrical shape with a predetermined thickness in the radial direction. The stator winding 61 is assembled to the radially outer side of the stator core 62, which is the rotor 20 side. The outer peripheral surface of the stator core 62 is curved without any irregularities. The stator core 62 functions as a back yoke. The stator core 62 is configured by laminating multiple core sheets 62a, for example, punched into an annular plate shape, in the axial direction. However, a stator core 62 having a helical core structure may also be used. In the helical core structure stator core 62, a strip-shaped core sheet is used, and this core sheet is wound in an annular shape and laminated in the axial direction to form a cylindrical stator core 62 as a whole.

In this embodiment, the stator 60 has a slotless structure that does not have teeth for forming slots, but the configuration may be any of the following (A) to (C).
(A) In the stator 60, inter-conductor members are provided between each conductor portion (intermediate conductor portion 152 described later) in the circumferential direction, and the inter-conductor member is made of a magnetic material that satisfies the relationship Wt×Bs≦Wm×Br, where Wt is the circumferential width dimension of the inter-conductor member at one magnetic pole, Bs is the saturation magnetic flux density of the inter-conductor member, Wm is the circumferential width dimension of the magnet 32 at one magnetic pole, and Br is the residual magnetic flux density of the magnet 32.
(B) In the stator 60, inter-conductor members are provided between each conductor portion (intermediate conductor portion 152) in the circumferential direction, and a non-magnetic material is used for the inter-conductor members.
(C) In the stator 60, no inter-conductor members are provided between each conductor portion (intermediate conductor portion 152) in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 15, the stator holder 70 has an outer cylinder member 71 and an inner cylinder member 81, which are assembled together with the outer cylinder member 71 on the radial outside and the inner cylinder member 81 on the radial inside. Each of these members 71, 81 is made of metal, such as aluminum or cast iron, or carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP).

The outer tube member 71 is a cylindrical member whose outer and inner circumferential surfaces are both perfectly circular curved surfaces, and an annular flange 72 extending radially inward is formed on one axial end side. This flange 72 has a plurality of protrusions 73 extending radially inward at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 13). In addition, the outer tube member 71 has opposing surfaces 74, 75 formed on one and the other axial ends, respectively, that axially face the inner tube member 81, and the opposing surfaces 74, 75 have annular grooves 74a, 75a extending annularly.

The inner tube member 81 is a cylindrical member having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tube member 71, and its outer peripheral surface is a perfectly circular curved surface concentric with the outer tube member 71. An annular flange 82 extending radially outward is formed on one axial end of the inner tube member 81. The inner tube member 81 is assembled to the outer tube member 71 in a state in which it abuts against the opposing surfaces 74, 75 of the outer tube member 71 in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 13, the outer tube member 71 and the inner tube member 81 are assembled to each other by a fastener 84 such as a bolt. Specifically, a plurality of protrusions 83 extending radially inward are formed at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral side of the inner tube member 81, and the protrusions 73, 83 are fastened to each other by a fastener 84 in a state in which the axial end faces of the protrusions 83 and the protrusions 73 of the outer tube member 71 are overlapped.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the outer tube member 71 and the inner tube member 81 are assembled to each other, an annular gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube member 71 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube member 81, and the gap space serves as a refrigerant passage 85 through which a refrigerant such as cooling water flows. The refrigerant passage 85 is provided in an annular shape in the circumferential direction of the stator holder 70. More specifically, the inner tube member 81 is provided with a passage forming portion 88 that protrudes radially inward on its inner peripheral side and has an inlet side passage 86 and an outlet side passage 87 formed therein, and each of these passages 86, 87 opens to the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube member 81. In addition, a partition portion 89 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube member 81 to divide the refrigerant passage 85 into an inlet side and an outlet side. As a result, the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet side passage 86 flows circumferentially through the refrigerant passage 85 and then flows out from the outlet side passage 87.

The inlet side passage 86 and the outlet side passage 87 have one end extending radially and opening on the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder member 81, and the other end extending axially and opening on the axial end surface of the inner cylinder member 81. FIG. 12 shows an inlet opening 86a leading to the inlet side passage 86 and an outlet opening 87a leading to the outlet side passage 87. The inlet side passage 86 and the outlet side passage 87 lead to an inlet port 244 and an outlet port 245 (see FIG. 1) attached to the housing cover 242, and the refrigerant flows in and out through these ports 244, 245.

At the joint between the outer tube member 71 and the inner tube member 81, sealing materials 101, 102 are provided to prevent leakage of the refrigerant from the refrigerant passage 85 (see FIG. 15). Specifically, the sealing materials 101, 102 are, for example, O-rings, and are accommodated in the annular grooves 74a, 75a of the outer tube member 71 and are provided in a compressed state by the outer tube member 71 and the inner tube member 81.

12, the inner tube member 81 has an end plate portion 91 at one axial end, and the end plate portion 91 is provided with a hollow cylindrical boss portion 92 extending in the axial direction. The boss portion 92 is provided so as to surround an insertion hole 93 for inserting the rotating shaft 11. The boss portion 92 is provided with a plurality of fastening portions 94 for fixing the housing cover 242. The end plate portion 91 is provided with a plurality of support portions 95 extending in the axial direction on the radial outside of the boss portion 92. The support portions 95 are portions that serve as fixing portions for fixing the bus bar module 200, and will be described in detail later. The boss portion 92 is a bearing holding member that holds the bearing 12, and the bearing 12 is fixed to a bearing fixing portion 96 provided on the inner periphery of the boss portion 92 (see FIG. 3).

As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the outer tube member 71 and the inner tube member 81 are formed with recesses 105, 106 that are used to secure multiple coil modules 150, which will be described later.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of recesses 105 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the axial end face of the inner tube member 81, more specifically, on the axial outer end face of the end plate portion 91 that surrounds the boss portion 92. Also, as shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of recesses 106 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the axial end face of the outer tube member 71, more specifically, on the axial outer end face of the flange 72. These recesses 105, 106 are arranged so as to be aligned on an imaginary circle that is concentric with the core assembly CA. The recesses 105, 106 are each provided at the same position in the circumferential direction, and the intervals and numbers are also the same.

The stator core 62 is assembled in a state where it generates a radial compressive force on the stator holder 70 in order to ensure the strength of the assembly to the stator holder 70. Specifically, the stator core 62 is fitted and fixed to the stator holder 70 with a predetermined tightening margin by shrink fitting or press fitting. In this case, it can be said that the stator core 62 and the stator holder 70 are assembled in a state where one of them generates a radial stress on the other. In addition, when increasing the torque of the rotating electric machine 10, for example, it is considered that the diameter of the stator 60 is increased, and in such a case, the tightening force of the stator core 62 is increased to strengthen the connection of the stator core 62 to the stator holder 70. However, if the compressive stress (in other words, the residual stress) of the stator core 62 is increased, there is a concern that the stator core 62 may be damaged.

In this embodiment, the stator core 62 and the stator holder 70 are fitted and fixed to each other with a predetermined tightening margin, and a restricting portion is provided at the radially opposing portions of the stator core 62 and the stator holder 70 to restrict the circumferential displacement of the stator core 62 by engaging in the circumferential direction. In other words, as shown in Figures 12 to 14, a plurality of engaging members 111 are provided as restricting portions at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction between the stator core 62 and the outer tube member 71 of the stator holder 70 in the radial direction, and the engaging members 111 suppress the circumferential positional deviation between the stator core 62 and the stator holder 70. In this case, it is preferable to provide a recess in at least one of the stator core 62 and the outer tube member 71, and to engage the engaging member 111 in the recess. Instead of the engaging member 111, a convex portion may be provided in either the stator core 62 or the outer tube member 71.

In the above configuration, the stator core 62 and the stator holder 70 (outer tube member 71) are fitted and fixed with a predetermined tightening margin, and are provided in a state in which their mutual circumferential displacement is restricted by the restriction of the engaging member 111. Therefore, even if the tightening margin in the stator core 62 and the stator holder 70 is relatively small, the circumferential displacement of the stator core 62 can be suppressed. In addition, since the desired displacement suppression effect can be obtained even if the tightening margin is relatively small, damage to the stator core 62 caused by an excessively large tightening margin can be suppressed. As a result, the displacement of the stator core 62 can be appropriately suppressed.

A ring-shaped internal space is formed on the inner periphery of the inner cylinder member 81 so as to surround the rotating shaft 11, and electrical components constituting, for example, an inverter as a power converter may be arranged in the internal space. The electrical components are, for example, electrical modules in which semiconductor switching elements and capacitors are packaged. By arranging the electrical module in contact with the inner periphery of the inner cylinder member 81, it is possible to cool the electrical module by the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage 85. It is also possible to eliminate the multiple protrusions 83 on the inner periphery of the inner cylinder member 81 or to reduce the protruding height of the protrusions 83, thereby expanding the internal space on the inner periphery of the inner cylinder member 81.

Next, the configuration of the stator winding 61 that is assembled to the core assembly CA will be described in detail. The state in which the stator winding 61 is assembled to the core assembly CA is as shown in Figures 10 and 11, where the multiple partial windings 151 that make up the stator winding 61 are assembled in a circumferentially aligned state on the radial outside of the core assembly CA, i.e., on the radial outside of the stator core 62.

The stator winding 61 has multiple phase windings, and is formed into a cylindrical (annular) shape by arranging the phase windings of each phase in a predetermined order in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the stator winding 61 is configured to have three phase windings by using U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase windings.

As shown in FIG. 11, the stator 60 has, in the axial direction, a portion corresponding to the coil side CS that faces radially the magnet unit 22 of the rotor 20, and a portion corresponding to the coil end CE that is axially outside the coil side CS. In this case, the stator core 62 is provided in a range corresponding to the coil side CS in the axial direction.

In the stator winding 61, each phase winding has a plurality of partial windings 151 (see FIG. 16), and the partial windings 151 are individually provided as coil modules 150. In other words, the coil module 150 is configured by integrally providing the partial windings 151 in the phase winding of each phase, and the stator winding 61 is configured by a predetermined number of coil modules 150 according to the number of poles. The coil modules 150 (partial windings 151) of each phase are arranged in a predetermined order in the circumferential direction, so that the conductor parts of each phase are arranged in a predetermined order on the coil side CS of the stator winding 61. FIG. 10 shows the order of the conductor parts of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase on the coil side CS. In this embodiment, the number of magnetic poles is 24, but the number is arbitrary.

In the stator winding 61, the partial windings 151 of each coil module 150 are connected in parallel or series for each phase to form a phase winding. Figure 16 is a circuit diagram showing the connection state of the partial windings 151 in each of the three phase windings. Figure 16 shows the partial windings 151 in the phase windings of each phase connected in parallel.

As shown in FIG. 11, the coil module 150 is assembled to the radial outside of the stator core 62. In this case, the coil module 150 is assembled with both axial ends protruding axially outward from the stator core 62 (i.e., toward the coil end CE). In other words, the stator winding 61 has a portion corresponding to the coil end CE that protrudes axially outward from the stator core 62, and a portion corresponding to the coil side CS that is axially inward from that.

The coil module 150 has two types of shapes. One has a shape in which the partial winding 151 is bent radially inward at the coil end CE, i.e., toward the stator core 62, and the other has a shape in which the partial winding 151 is not bent radially inward at the coil end CE and extends linearly in the axial direction. In the following description, for convenience, the partial winding 151 having a bent shape at both axial ends is also referred to as the "first partial winding 151A," and the coil module 150 having the first partial winding 151A is also referred to as the "first coil module 150A." In addition, the partial winding 151 not having a bent shape at both axial ends is also referred to as the "second partial winding 151B," and the coil module 150 having the second partial winding 151B is also referred to as the "second coil module 150B."

Figure 17 is a side view showing the first coil module 150A and the second coil module 150B side by side for comparison, and Figure 18 is a side view showing the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B side by side for comparison. As shown in these figures, the coil modules 150A, 150B and the partial windings 151A, 151B have different axial lengths and different end shapes on both axial sides. The first partial winding 151A is approximately C-shaped in side view, and the second partial winding 151B is approximately I-shaped in side view. The first partial winding 151A is fitted with insulating covers 161, 162 as "first insulating covers" on both axial sides, and the second partial winding 151B is fitted with insulating covers 163, 164 as "second insulating covers" on both axial sides.

Next, the configuration of coil modules 150A and 150B will be described in detail.

First, we will explain the first coil module 150A of the coil modules 150A and 150B. Figure 19(a) is a perspective view showing the configuration of the first coil module 150A, and Figure 19(b) is a perspective view showing the components of the first coil module 150A disassembled. Also, Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 20-20 in Figure 19(a).

As shown in Figures 19(a) and 19(b), the first coil module 150A has a first partial winding 151A formed by multiple windings of conductive wire CR, and insulating covers 161, 162 attached to one axial end and the other axial end of the first partial winding 151A. The insulating covers 161, 162 are molded from an insulating material such as synthetic resin.

The first partial winding 151A has a pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 arranged parallel to each other and linearly, and a pair of transition parts 153A that connect the pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 at both axial ends, and is formed into a ring shape by the pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 and the pair of transition parts 153A. The pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 are arranged at a predetermined coil pitch apart, and the intermediate conductor parts 152 of the partial winding 151 of the other phase can be arranged between the pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 are arranged at a two coil pitch apart, and one intermediate conductor part 152 of the partial winding 151 of the other two phases is arranged between the pair of intermediate conductor parts 152.

The pair of transition sections 153A have the same shape on both axial sides, and both are provided as parts corresponding to the coil ends CE (see FIG. 11). Each transition section 153A is provided so as to be bent in a direction perpendicular to the intermediate conductor section 152, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

As shown in FIG. 18, the first partial winding 151A has a crossover portion 153A on both axial sides, and the second partial winding 151B has a crossover portion 153B on both axial sides. The crossover portions 153A, 153B of the partial windings 151A, 151B have different shapes, and to clearly distinguish between them, the crossover portion 153A of the first partial winding 151A is also referred to as the "first crossover portion 153A," and the crossover portion 153B of the second partial winding 151B is also referred to as the "second crossover portion 153B."

In each partial winding 151A, 151B, the intermediate conductor portions 152 are provided as coil side conductor portions arranged one by one in the circumferential direction on the coil side CS. In addition, each transition portion 153A, 153B is provided as a coil end conductor portion that connects intermediate conductor portions 152 of the same phase at two different positions in the circumferential direction on the coil end CE.

As shown in FIG. 20, the first partial winding 151A is formed by winding the conductor wire CR in multiple layers so that the cross section of the conductor assembly portion is rectangular. FIG. 20 shows a cross section of the intermediate conductor portion 152, in which the conductor wire CR is wound in multiple layers so as to be aligned in the circumferential and radial directions. In other words, the first partial winding 151A is formed so that the conductor wire CR is arranged in multiple rows in the circumferential direction and multiple rows in the radial direction in the intermediate conductor portion 152, so that the cross section is approximately rectangular. In addition, at the tip of the first crossover portion 153A, the conductor wire CR is wound in multiple layers so as to be aligned in the axial and radial directions by bending in the radial direction. In this embodiment, the first partial winding 151A is formed by winding the conductor wire CR in a concentric manner. However, the winding method of the conductor wire CR is arbitrary, and instead of concentric winding, the conductor wire CR may be wound multiple times using alpha winding.

In the first partial winding 151A, an end of the conductor wire CR is pulled out from one of the first crossover parts 153A on both axial sides (the upper first crossover part 153A in FIG. 19(b)), and these ends serve as winding ends 154, 155. The winding ends 154, 155 are the start and end of the winding of the conductor wire CR, respectively. One of the winding ends 154, 155 is connected to a current input/output terminal, and the other is connected to a neutral point.

In the first partial winding 151A, each intermediate conductor portion 152 is provided covered with a sheet-like insulating cover 157. Note that in FIG. 19(a), the first coil module 150A is shown in a state in which the intermediate conductor portion 152 is covered with the insulating cover 157 and the intermediate conductor portion 152 is present inside the insulating cover 157, but for convenience, the corresponding portion is referred to as the intermediate conductor portion 152 (the same applies to FIG. 22(a) described below).

The insulating cover 157 is provided by using a film material FM having an axial dimension of at least the length of the axial insulating cover range of the intermediate conductor portion 152, and wrapping the film material FM around the intermediate conductor portion 152. The film material FM is made of, for example, a PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) film. More specifically, the film material FM includes a film base material and a foaming adhesive layer provided on one of the two surfaces of the film base material. The film material FM is then wrapped around the intermediate conductor portion 152 while being adhered to the intermediate conductor portion 152 by the adhesive layer. It is also possible to use a non-foaming adhesive as the adhesive layer.

20, the intermediate conductor portion 152 has a substantially rectangular cross section due to the conductor material CR arranged in the circumferential and radial directions, and the intermediate conductor portion 152 is covered with a film material FM with its circumferential ends overlapped to provide an insulating cover 157. The film material FM is a rectangular sheet whose vertical dimension is longer than the axial length of the intermediate conductor portion 152 and whose horizontal dimension is longer than the circumference of the intermediate conductor portion 152, and is wound around the intermediate conductor portion 152 with creases made to match the cross-sectional shape of the intermediate conductor portion 152. When the film material FM is wound around the intermediate conductor portion 152, the gap between the conductor material CR of the intermediate conductor portion 152 and the film base material is filled by foaming in the adhesive layer. In addition, in the overlap portion OL of the film material FM, the circumferential ends of the film material FM are joined together by an adhesive layer.

The intermediate conductor portion 152 is provided with an insulating cover 157 so as to cover all of the two circumferential side surfaces and two radial side surfaces. In this case, the insulating cover 157 surrounding the intermediate conductor portion 152 is provided with an overlap portion OL where the film material FM overlaps the portion facing the intermediate conductor portion 152 in the partial winding 151 of the other phase, i.e., one of the two circumferential side surfaces of the intermediate conductor portion 152. In this embodiment, the overlap portion OL is provided on the same circumferential side of each of the pair of intermediate conductor portions 152.

In the first partial winding 151A, an insulating cover 157 is provided in the range from the intermediate conductor portion 152 to the portion of the first crossover portion 153A on both axial sides that is covered by the insulating covers 161, 162 (i.e., the portion inside the insulating covers 161, 162). In FIG. 17, the range AX1 in the first coil module 150A is the portion not covered by the insulating covers 161, 162, and the insulating cover 157 is provided in a range extending above and below the range AX1.

Next, the configuration of the insulating covers 161 and 162 will be described.

The insulating cover 161 is attached to the first crossover portion 153A on one axial side of the first partial winding 151A, and the insulating cover 162 is attached to the first crossover portion 153A on the other axial side of the first partial winding 151A. The configuration of the insulating cover 161 is shown in Figures 21(a) and (b). Figures 21(a) and (b) are perspective views of the insulating cover 161 viewed from two different directions.

21(a) and (b), the insulating cover 161 has a pair of side portions 171 that are circumferential side surfaces, an outer surface portion 172 on the axially outer side, an inner surface portion 173 on the axially inner side, and a front surface portion 174 on the radially inner side. Each of these portions 171 to 174 is formed in a plate shape and is connected to each other in a three-dimensional shape so that only the radially outer side is open. Each of the pair of side portions 171 is provided in a direction that extends toward the axis of the core assembly CA when assembled to the core assembly CA. Therefore, when multiple first coil modules 150A are arranged in a circumferential line, the side portions 171 of the insulating cover 161 of each adjacent first coil module 150A face each other in abutment or close proximity. This allows each of the first coil modules 150A adjacent in the circumferential direction to be insulated from each other while being preferably arranged in an annular arrangement.

In the insulating cover 161, the outer surface portion 172 is provided with an opening 175a for pulling out the winding end 154 of the first partial winding 151A, and the front surface portion 174 is provided with an opening 175b for pulling out the winding end 155 of the first partial winding 151A. In this case, one winding end 154 is pulled out axially from the outer surface portion 172, while the other winding end 155 is pulled out radially from the front surface portion 174.

In addition, in the insulating cover 161, a pair of side portions 171 are provided with semicircular recesses 177 extending in the axial direction at positions that are both circumferential ends of the front portion 174, i.e., positions where each side portion 171 and the front portion 174 intersect. Furthermore, the outer surface portion 172 is provided with a pair of protrusions 178 extending in the axial direction at positions that are symmetrical on both sides in the circumferential direction with respect to the center line of the insulating cover 161 in the circumferential direction.

Additional explanation on the recess 177 of the insulating cover 161. As shown in FIG. 20, the first crossover portion 153A of the first partial winding 151A is curved so that it is convex on the radially inner side, i.e., on the side of the core assembly CA. In this configuration, a gap is formed between adjacent first crossover portions 153A in the circumferential direction, and the gap becomes wider toward the tip side of the first crossover portion 153A. Therefore, in this embodiment, the gap between the first crossover portions 153A arranged in the circumferential direction is utilized to provide a recess 177 at a position on the side portion 171 of the insulating cover 161 that is outside the curved portion of the first crossover portion 153A.

The first partial winding 151A may be provided with a temperature detection unit (thermistor). In such a configuration, an opening may be provided in the insulating cover 161 for pulling out a signal line extending from the temperature detection unit. In this case, the temperature detection unit can be conveniently housed within the insulating cover 161.

Although detailed explanation with illustrations is omitted, the other insulating cover 162 in the axial direction has a configuration generally similar to that of the insulating cover 161. Like the insulating cover 161, the insulating cover 162 has a pair of side portions 171, an outer surface portion 172 on the axial outside, an inner surface portion 173 on the axial inside, and a front surface portion 174 on the radial inside. In addition, in the insulating cover 162, the pair of side portions 171 are provided with semicircular recesses 177 at positions that are both circumferential ends of the front surface portion 174, and a pair of protrusions 178 are provided on the outer surface portion 172. The difference from the insulating cover 161 is that the insulating cover 162 does not have an opening for pulling out the winding ends 154, 155 of the first partial winding 151A.

The insulating covers 161 and 162 have different axial height dimensions (i.e., axial width dimensions at the pair of side portions 171 and the front portion 174). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the axial height dimension W11 of the insulating cover 161 and the axial height dimension W12 of the insulating cover 162 are W11>W12. In other words, when winding the conductor CR in multiple layers, it is necessary to switch (change lanes) the winding stages of the conductor CR in a direction perpendicular to the winding direction (circumferential direction), and it is considered that the winding width becomes larger due to the switching. To supplement, the insulating cover 161 of the insulating covers 161 and 162 is a portion that covers the first crossover portion 153A on the side including the winding start and winding end of the conductor CR, and by including the winding start and winding end of the conductor CR, the winding allowance (overlap allowance) of the conductor CR becomes larger than other portions, which may result in a larger winding width. Taking this into consideration, the axial height dimension W11 of the insulating cover 161 is greater than the axial height dimension W12 of the insulating cover 162. This prevents the insulating covers 161 and 162 from limiting the number of turns of the conductor wire CR, which would occur if the height dimensions W11 and W12 of the insulating covers 161 and 162 were the same.

Next, we will explain the second coil module 150B.

Figure 22(a) is a perspective view showing the configuration of the second coil module 150B, and Figure 22(b) is a perspective view showing the components of the second coil module 150B disassembled. Also, Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 23-23 in Figure 22(a).

As shown in Figures 22(a) and (b), the second coil module 150B has a second partial winding 151B that is formed by multiple turns of conductive wire CR, similar to the first partial winding 151A, and insulating covers 163, 164 attached to one and the other axial ends of the second partial winding 151B. The insulating covers 163, 164 are molded from an insulating material such as synthetic resin.

The second partial winding 151B has a pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 arranged parallel to each other and linearly, and a pair of second bridge parts 153B that connect the pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 at both axial ends, and is formed into a ring shape by the pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 and the pair of second bridge parts 153B. In the second partial winding 151B, the pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 has the same configuration as the intermediate conductor part 152 of the first partial winding 151A. In contrast, the pair of second bridge parts 153B has a different configuration from the first bridge part 153A of the first partial winding 151A. The second bridge part 153B of the second partial winding 151B is arranged to extend linearly in the axial direction from the intermediate conductor part 152 without being bent in the radial direction. Figure 18 clearly shows the difference between the partial windings 151A and 151B.

In the second partial winding 151B, an end of the conductor wire CR is pulled out from one of the second crossover parts 153B on both axial sides (the upper second crossover part 153B in FIG. 22(b)), and this end serves as the winding ends 154, 155. As in the first partial winding 151A, in the second partial winding 151B, one of the winding ends 154, 155 is connected to a current input/output terminal, and the other is connected to a neutral point.

In the second partial winding 151B, similar to the first partial winding 151A, each intermediate conductor portion 152 is covered with a sheet-like insulating covering 157. The insulating covering 157 is provided by using a film material FM whose axial dimension is at least the length of the axial insulating covering range of the intermediate conductor portion 152, and wrapping the film material FM around the intermediate conductor portion 152.

The configuration of the insulating cover 157 is also generally the same for each partial winding 151A, 151B. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, the intermediate conductor portion 152 is covered with a film material FM with its circumferential end overlapped. The intermediate conductor portion 152 is provided with an insulating cover 157 so as to cover all of its two circumferential side surfaces and two radial side surfaces. In this case, the insulating cover 157 surrounding the intermediate conductor portion 152 is provided with an overlap portion OL where the film material FM overlaps on a portion facing the intermediate conductor portion 152 in the partial winding 151 of the other phase, i.e., on one of the two circumferential side surfaces of the intermediate conductor portion 152. In this embodiment, the overlap portion OL is provided on the same circumferential side of each of the pair of intermediate conductor portions 152.

In the second partial winding 151B, an insulating cover 157 is provided in the range from the intermediate conductor portion 152 to the portion of the second crossover portion 153B on both axial sides that is covered by the insulating covers 163, 164 (i.e., the portion inside the insulating covers 163, 164). In FIG. 17, the range AX2 in the second coil module 150B is the portion not covered by the insulating covers 163, 164, and the insulating cover 157 is provided in a range extending above and below the range AX2.

In each of the partial windings 151A, 151B, the insulating cover 157 is provided in an area that includes a portion of the transition portion 153A, 153B. That is, in each of the partial windings 151A, 151B, the insulating cover 157 is provided on the intermediate conductor portion 152 and on the portion of the transition portion 153A, 153B that extends linearly beyond the intermediate conductor portion 152. However, because the axial lengths of the partial windings 151A, 151B are different, the axial ranges of the insulating cover 157 are also different.

Next, the configuration of the insulating covers 163 and 164 will be described.

The insulating cover 163 is attached to the second crossover portion 153B on one axial side of the second partial winding 151B, and the insulating cover 164 is attached to the second crossover portion 153B on the other axial side of the second partial winding 151B. The configuration of the insulating cover 163 is shown in Figures 24(a) and (b). Figures 24(a) and (b) are perspective views of the insulating cover 163 viewed from two different directions.

24(a) and (b), the insulating cover 163 has a pair of side portions 181 that are circumferential side surfaces, an outer surface portion 182 on the axially outer side, a front surface portion 183 on the radially inner side, and a rear surface portion 184 on the radially outer side. Each of these portions 181 to 184 is formed in a plate shape and is connected to each other in a three-dimensional shape so that only the axially inner side is open. Each of the pair of side portions 181 is provided in a direction that extends toward the axis of the core assembly CA when assembled to the core assembly CA. Therefore, when multiple second coil modules 150B are arranged in a circumferential line, the side portions 181 of the insulating cover 163 of adjacent second coil modules 150B face each other in abutment or close proximity. This allows for a suitable annular arrangement while ensuring mutual insulation between the second coil modules 150B adjacent in the circumferential direction.

In the insulating cover 163, the front surface 183 is provided with an opening 185a for pulling out the winding end 154 of the second partial winding 151B, and the outer surface 182 is provided with an opening 185b for pulling out the winding end 155 of the second partial winding 151B.

The front surface 183 of the insulating cover 163 is provided with a protruding portion 186 that protrudes radially inward. The protruding portion 186 is provided at a position that is the center between one end and the other end of the circumferential direction of the insulating cover 163, so as to protrude radially inward from the second bridge portion 153B. The protruding portion 186 has a tapered shape that tapers toward the radially inner side in a plan view, and a through hole 187 extending in the axial direction is provided at its tip. Note that the protruding portion 186 may have any configuration as long as it protrudes radially inward from the second bridge portion 153B and has a through hole 187 at a position that is the center between one end and the other end of the circumferential direction of the insulating cover 163. However, assuming an overlapping state with the insulating cover 161 on the axial inner side, it is desirable to form the protruding portion 186 narrow in the circumferential direction to avoid interference with the winding ends 154, 155.

The protrusion 186 has a stepped axial thickness at its radially inner tip, and a through hole 187 is provided in the thin lower step 186a. This lower step 186a corresponds to a portion where the height from the axial end face of the inner tube member 81 is lower than the height of the second bridge portion 153B when the second coil module 150B is assembled to the core assembly CA.

As shown in FIG. 23, the protrusion 186 is provided with a through hole 188 that penetrates in the axial direction. This makes it possible to fill the gap between the insulating covers 161 and 163 through the through hole 188 when the insulating covers 161 and 163 are overlapped in the axial direction.

Although detailed explanation using the drawings will be omitted, the other insulating cover 164 in the axial direction has a configuration generally similar to that of the insulating cover 163. Like the insulating cover 163, the insulating cover 164 has a pair of side portions 181, an outer surface portion 182 on the axial outside, a front surface portion 183 on the radial inside, and a rear surface portion 184 on the radial outside, and also has a through hole 187 provided at the tip of the protruding portion 186. Also, as a difference from the insulating cover 163, the insulating cover 164 is configured not to have an opening for pulling out the winding ends 154, 155 of the second partial winding 151B.

In the insulating covers 163 and 164, the radial width dimensions of the pair of side portions 181 are different. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the radial width dimension W21 of the side portion 181 of the insulating cover 163 and the radial width dimension W22 of the side portion 181 of the insulating cover 164 are W21>W22. In other words, of the insulating covers 163 and 164, the insulating cover 163 is a portion that covers the second crossover portion 153B on the side including the winding start and winding end of the conductor material CR, and by including the winding start and winding end of the conductor material CR, the winding allowance (overlap allowance) of the conductor material CR is larger than other portions, and as a result, the winding width may be larger. Taking this into consideration, the radial width dimension W21 of the insulating cover 163 is larger than the radial width dimension W22 of the insulating cover 164. This prevents the inconvenience of the insulating covers 163 and 164 limiting the number of turns of the conductor wire CR, unlike when the width dimensions W21 and W22 of the insulating covers 163 and 164 are the same.

Figure 25 is a diagram showing the overlap position of the film material FM when the coil modules 150A, 150B are arranged in the circumferential direction. As described above, in each coil module 150A, 150B, the film material FM is covered around the intermediate conductor portion 152 so as to overlap the portion facing the intermediate conductor portion 152 in the partial winding 151 of the other phase, i.e., the circumferential side surface of the intermediate conductor portion 152 (see Figures 20 and 23). Then, when the coil modules 150A, 150B are arranged in the circumferential direction, the overlap portion OL of the film material FM is arranged on the same side (the right side in the circumferential direction in the figure) of both sides in the circumferential direction. As a result, the overlap portions OL of the film material FM in the intermediate conductor portions 152 of the partial windings 151A, 151B of different phases adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction do not overlap each other in the circumferential direction. In this case, a maximum of three sheets of film material FM overlap between each of the intermediate conductor portions 152 arranged in the circumferential direction.

Next, we will explain the configuration for assembling each coil module 150A, 150B to the core assembly CA.

The coil modules 150A, 150B have different axial lengths and different shapes of the bridge portions 153A, 153B of the partial windings 151A, 151B, and are configured to be attached to the core assembly CA with the first bridge portion 153A of the first coil module 150A facing axially inward and the second bridge portion 153B of the second coil module 150B facing axially outward. With regard to the insulating covers 161-164, the insulating covers 161, 163 are stacked in the axial direction at one axial end of each coil module 150A, 150B, and the insulating covers 162, 164 are stacked in the axial direction at the other axial end, and each of the insulating covers 161-164 is fixed to the core assembly CA.

Figure 26 is a plan view showing a state where multiple insulating covers 161 are lined up in the circumferential direction when the first coil module 150A is assembled to the core assembly CA, and Figure 27 is a plan view showing a state where multiple insulating covers 161, 163 are lined up in the circumferential direction when the first coil module 150A and the second coil module 150B are assembled to the core assembly CA. Also, Figure 28 (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state before fixing by the fixing pin 191 in the assembled state of each coil module 150A, 150B to the core assembly CA, and Figure 28 (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state after fixing by the fixing pin 191 in the assembled state of each coil module 150A, 150B to the core assembly CA.

As shown in FIG. 26, when multiple first coil modules 150A are assembled to the core assembly CA, multiple insulating covers 161 are arranged with their side portions 171 abutting or in close proximity to each other. Each insulating cover 161 is arranged so that the boundary line LB between the opposing side portions 171 coincides with the recess 105 on the axial end surface of the inner tube member 81. In this case, the side portions 171 of circumferentially adjacent insulating covers 161 abut or come into close proximity to each other, so that the recesses 177 of the insulating covers 161 form through-holes extending in the axial direction, and the positions of the through-holes and the recesses 105 coincide with each other.

As shown in FIG. 27, the second coil module 150B is further assembled to the integral core assembly CA and the first coil module 150A. With this assembly, the multiple insulating covers 163 are arranged with their side portions 181 in contact or close to each other. In this state, the transition portions 153A, 153B are arranged to intersect with each other on the circle on which the intermediate conductor portions 152 are arranged in the circumferential direction. Each insulating cover 163 is arranged such that the protrusion 186 overlaps with the insulating cover 161 in the axial direction and the through hole 187 of the protrusion 186 is axially connected to the through hole portion formed by each recess 177 of the insulating cover 161.

At this time, the protrusion 186 of the insulating cover 163 is guided to a predetermined position by a pair of protrusions 178 provided on the insulating cover 161, so that the position of the through hole 187 on the insulating cover 163 side matches the through hole portion on the insulating cover 161 side and the recess 105 of the inner tube member 81. In other words, when each coil module 150A, 150B is assembled to the core assembly CA, the recess 177 of the insulating cover 161 is located at the back side of the insulating cover 163, so it may be difficult to align the through hole 187 of the protrusion 186 with the recess 177 of the insulating cover 161. In this regard, the protrusion 186 of the insulating cover 163 is guided by the pair of protrusions 178 of the insulating cover 161, making it easier to align the insulating cover 163 with the insulating cover 161.

As shown in Figs. 28(a) and (b), the insulating cover 161 and the protruding portion 186 of the insulating cover 163 are engaged at the overlapping portion of the insulating cover 161 and the protruding portion 186 of the insulating cover 163, and the fixing pin 191 is fixed by the fixing member. More specifically, the recess 105 of the inner tube member 81, the recess 177 of the insulating cover 161, and the through hole 187 of the insulating cover 163 are aligned, and the fixing pin 191 is inserted into the recesses 105, 177 and the through hole 187. This fixes the insulating covers 161 and 163 to the inner tube member 81 as a unit. According to this configuration, the coil modules 150A and 150B adjacent in the circumferential direction are fixed to the core assembly CA at the coil end CE by a common fixing pin 191. The fixing pin 191 is preferably made of a material with good thermal conductivity, such as a metal pin.

As shown in FIG. 28B, the fixing pin 191 is attached to the lower step 186a of the protruding portion 186 of the insulating cover 163. In this state, the upper end of the fixing pin 191 protrudes above the lower step 186a, but does not protrude above the upper surface (outer surface 182) of the insulating cover 163. In this case, the fixing pin 191 is longer than the axial height dimension of the overlapping portion between the insulating cover 161 and the protruding portion 186 (lower step 186a) of the insulating cover 163, and has a margin for protruding upward, so that it is considered that the fixing pin 191 can be easily inserted into the recesses 105, 177 and the through hole 187 (i.e., when fixing the fixing pin 191). In addition, because the upper end of the fixing pin 191 does not protrude above the upper surface (outer surface portion 182) of the insulating cover 163, the inconvenience of the axial length of the stator 60 becoming longer due to the fixing pin 191 protruding can be suppressed.

After the insulating covers 161 and 163 are fixed by the fixing pins 191, adhesive is filled through the through holes 188 provided in the insulating cover 163. This allows the insulating covers 161 and 163, which overlap in the axial direction, to be firmly joined to each other. Note that for convenience, the through holes 188 are shown in the range from the top to the bottom of the insulating cover 163 in Figures 28(a) and (b), but in reality, the through holes 188 are provided in a thin plate portion formed by hollowing out or the like.

28(b), the fixing position of each insulating cover 161, 163 by the fixing pin 191 is the axial end face of the stator holder 70 radially inward (left side of the figure) from the stator core 62, and the fixing pin 191 is fixed to the stator holder 70. In other words, the first bridge portion 153A is fixed to the axial end face of the stator holder 70. In this case, since the stator holder 70 is provided with a refrigerant passage 85, the heat generated in the first partial winding 151A is directly transferred from the first bridge portion 153A to the vicinity of the refrigerant passage 85 of the stator holder 70. In addition, the fixing pin 191 is inserted into the recess 105 of the stator holder 70, and the transfer of heat to the stator holder 70 side is promoted through the fixing pin 191. With this configuration, the cooling performance of the stator winding 61 is improved.

In this embodiment, 18 insulating covers 161, 163 are stacked on the inside and outside of the axial direction in the coil end CE, while 18 recesses 105 are provided on the axial end face of the stator holder 70, the same number as the insulating covers 161, 163. The 18 recesses 105 are then fixed by fixing pins 191.

Although not shown, the same is true for the insulating covers 162 and 164 on the opposite axial side. That is, when the first coil module 150A is assembled, the side portions 171 of the insulating covers 162 adjacent in the circumferential direction come into contact with or approach each other, so that the recesses 177 of the insulating covers 162 form through-holes extending in the axial direction, and the positions of the through-holes and the recesses 106 on the axial end surface of the outer tube member 71 are aligned. Then, when the second coil module 150B is assembled, the positions of the through-holes 187 on the insulating cover 164 side are aligned with the through-holes on the insulating cover 163 side and the recesses 106 of the outer tube member 71, and the fixing pins 191 are inserted into the recesses 106, 177, and the through-holes 187, so that the insulating covers 162 and 164 are fixed together with the outer tube member 71.

When assembling each coil module 150A, 150B to the core assembly CA, it is preferable to first attach all the first coil modules 150A to the outer periphery of the core assembly CA, and then assemble all the second coil modules 150B and fix them with the fixing pins 191. Alternatively, it is also possible to first fix two first coil modules 150A and one second coil module 150B to the core assembly CA with one fixing pin 191, and then assemble the first coil modules 150A, assemble the second coil modules 150B, and fix them with the fixing pins 191 repeatedly in this order.

Next, we will explain the busbar module 200.

The busbar module 200 is a winding connection member that is electrically connected to the partial windings 151 of each coil module 150 in the stator winding 61, connects one end of the partial windings 151 of each phase in parallel for each phase, and connects the other end of each partial winding 151 at a neutral point. Figure 29 is a perspective view of the busbar module 200, and Figure 30 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of the longitudinal section of the busbar module 200.

The busbar module 200 has an annular portion 201, a plurality of connection terminals 202 extending from the annular portion 201, and three input/output terminals 203 provided for each phase winding. The annular portion 201 is formed into an annular shape using an insulating material such as resin.

As shown in FIG. 30, the annular portion 201 has laminated plates 204 that are approximately annular and laminated in multiple layers (five layers in this embodiment) in the axial direction, and four bus bars 211 to 214 are provided between the laminated plates 204. Each bus bar 211 to 214 is annular and includes a U-phase bus bar 211, a V-phase bus bar 212, a W-phase bus bar 213, and a neutral bus bar 214. Each bus bar 211 to 214 is arranged in the axial direction with the plate surfaces facing each other in the annular portion 201. Each laminated plate 204 and each bus bar 211 to 214 are bonded to each other with an adhesive. It is preferable to use an adhesive sheet as the adhesive. However, a liquid or semi-liquid adhesive may be applied. A connection terminal 202 is connected to each bus bar 211 to 214 so as to protrude radially outward from the annular portion 201.

A protrusion 201a extending in a circular shape is provided on the top surface of the annular portion 201, i.e., the top surface of the laminate 204 on the outermost side of the five laminated layers 204.

The busbar module 200 may be one in which the busbars 211-214 are embedded in the annular portion 201, and the busbars 211-214 arranged at predetermined intervals may be integrally insert-molded. The arrangement of the busbars 211-214 is not limited to a configuration in which all are lined up in the axial direction and all of the plate surfaces face the same direction, but may be a configuration in which they are lined up in the radial direction, a configuration in which they are lined up in two axial rows and two radial rows, a configuration in which the plate surfaces extend in different directions, etc.

29, the connection terminals 202 are arranged in a line in the circumferential direction of the annular portion 201 and extend in the axial direction on the radially outer side. The connection terminals 202 include a connection terminal connected to the U-phase busbar 211, a connection terminal connected to the V-phase busbar 212, a connection terminal connected to the W-phase busbar 213, and a connection terminal connected to the neutral busbar 214. The connection terminals 202 are provided in the same number as the winding ends 154, 155 of each partial winding 151 in the coil module 150, and each of the connection terminals 202 is connected to one of the winding ends 154, 155 of each partial winding 151. In this way, the busbar module 200 is connected to the U-phase partial winding 151, the V-phase partial winding 151, and the W-phase partial winding 151, respectively.

The input/output terminals 203 are made of, for example, busbar material, and are provided so as to extend in the axial direction. The input/output terminals 203 include an input/output terminal 203U for the U phase, an input/output terminal 203V for the V phase, and an input/output terminal 203W for the W phase. These input/output terminals 203 are connected to the busbars 211 to 213 for each phase within the annular portion 201. Through these input/output terminals 203, power is input/output from an inverter (not shown) to the phase windings of each phase of the stator winding 61.

The busbar module 200 may be configured to have an integrated current sensor for detecting the phase current of each phase. In this case, the busbar module 200 may be provided with a current detection terminal, and the detection result of the current sensor may be output to a control device (not shown) through the current detection terminal.

In addition, the annular portion 201 has a number of protrusions 205 that protrude toward the inner circumference as fixed portions to the stator holder 70, and the protrusions 205 have through holes 206 that extend in the axial direction.

Figure 31 is a perspective view showing the state in which the busbar module 200 is assembled to the stator holder 70, and Figure 32 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the fixing portion that fixes the busbar module 200. Please refer to Figure 12 for the configuration of the stator holder 70 before the busbar module 200 is assembled.

In FIG. 31, the busbar module 200 is provided on the end plate 91 so as to surround the boss 92 of the inner tube member 81. The busbar module 200 is positioned by assembly to the support 95 (see FIG. 12) of the inner tube member 81, and is then fixed to the stator holder 70 (inner tube member 81) by fastening fasteners 217 such as bolts.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 32, the end plate portion 91 of the inner tube member 81 is provided with a support portion 95 extending in the axial direction. The busbar module 200 is fixed to the support portion 95 by a fastener 217 with the support portion 95 inserted into the through holes 206 provided in the multiple protrusions 205. In this embodiment, the busbar module 200 is fixed using a retainer plate 220 made of a metal material such as iron. The retainer plate 220 has a fastened portion 222 having an insertion hole 221 through which the fastener 217 is inserted, a pressing portion 223 that presses the upper surface of the annular portion 201 of the busbar module 200, and a bend portion 224 provided between the fastened portion 222 and the pressing portion 223.

When the retainer plate 220 is attached, the fastener 217 is inserted into the insertion hole 221 of the retainer plate 220 and screwed to the support 95 of the inner tube member 81. The pressing portion 223 of the retainer plate 220 is in contact with the upper surface of the annular portion 201 of the busbar module 200. In this case, the retainer plate 220 is pushed downward in the figure as the fastener 217 is screwed into the support 95, and the annular portion 201 is pressed downward by the pressing portion 223 accordingly. The downward pressing force in the figure generated by screwing the fastener 217 is transmitted to the pressing portion 223 through the bend portion 224, so pressing by the pressing portion 223 is performed in a state accompanied by the elastic force of the bend portion 224.

As described above, an annular protrusion 201a is provided on the upper surface of the annular portion 201, and the tip of the retainer plate 220 on the pressing portion 223 side can abut against the protrusion 201a. This prevents the downward pressing force of the retainer plate 220 from escaping radially outward. In other words, the pressing force generated by the screwing of the fastener 217 is properly transmitted to the pressing portion 223 side.

As shown in FIG. 31, when the busbar module 200 is attached to the stator holder 70, the input/output terminals 203 are located 180 degrees circumferentially opposite the inlet opening 86a and the outlet opening 87a that lead to the refrigerant passage 85. However, the input/output terminals 203 and the openings 86a and 87a may be located together in the same position (i.e., in close proximity).

Next, we will explain the relay member 230 that electrically connects the input/output terminal 203 of the busbar module 200 to an external device outside the rotating electric machine 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the rotating electric machine 10, the input/output terminals 203 of the busbar module 200 are provided so as to protrude outward from the housing cover 242, and are connected to the relay member 230 on the outside of the housing cover 242. The relay member 230 is a member that relays the connection between the input/output terminals 203 for each phase extending from the busbar module 200 and the power lines for each phase extending from an external device such as an inverter.

Figure 33 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which relay member 230 is attached to housing cover 242, and Figure 34 is a perspective view of relay member 230. As shown in Figure 33, a through hole 242a is formed in housing cover 242, and input/output terminal 203 can be pulled out through this through hole 242a.

The relay member 230 has a main body 231 fixed to the housing cover 242, and a terminal insertion portion 232 inserted into the through hole 242a of the housing cover 242. The terminal insertion portion 232 has three insertion holes 233 through which the input/output terminals 203 of each phase are inserted one by one. The three insertion holes 233 have an elongated cross-sectional opening, and are aligned so that the longitudinal directions of the three insertion holes 233 are all oriented in approximately the same direction.

Three relay bus bars 234, one for each phase, are attached to the main body 231. The relay bus bars 234 are bent into a roughly L-shape and are fixed to the main body 231 with fasteners 235 such as bolts, and are fixed to the tip of the input/output terminal 203 inserted into the insertion hole 233 of the terminal insertion portion 232 with fasteners 236 such as bolts and nuts.

Although not shown in the figure, the relay member 230 can be connected to a power line for each phase extending from an external device, making it possible to input and output power to and from the input/output terminal 203 for each phase.

Next, we will explain the configuration of the control system that controls the rotating electric machine 10. Figure 35 is an electrical circuit diagram of the control system for the rotating electric machine 10, and Figure 36 is a functional block diagram showing the control process by the control device 270.

As shown in FIG. 35, the stator winding 61 is composed of a U-phase winding, a V-phase winding, and a W-phase winding, and an inverter 260 equivalent to a power converter is connected to the stator winding 61. The inverter 260 is configured as a full bridge circuit having the same number of upper and lower arms as the number of phases, and a series connection consisting of an upper arm switch 261 and a lower arm switch 262 is provided for each phase. Each of these switches 261, 262 is turned on and off by a driver 263, and the phase winding of each phase is energized by the on and off. Each of the switches 261, 262 is configured of a semiconductor switching element such as a MOSFET or an IGBT. In addition, a charge supply capacitor 264 for supplying the charge required during switching to each switch 261, 262 is connected in parallel to the series connection of the switches 261, 262 to the upper and lower arms of each phase.

One end of the U-phase winding, the V-phase winding, and the W-phase winding are connected to the intermediate connection point between the switches 261 and 262 of the upper and lower arms. These phase windings are star-connected (Y-connected), and the other ends of the phase windings are connected to each other at the neutral point.

The control device 270 is equipped with a microcomputer consisting of a CPU and various memories, and performs energization control by turning on and off each switch 261, 262 based on various detection information in the rotating electric machine 10 and requests for power running and power generation. The detection information of the rotating electric machine 10 includes, for example, the rotation angle (electrical angle information) of the rotor 20 detected by an angle detector such as a resolver, the power supply voltage (inverter input voltage) detected by a voltage sensor, and the energization current of each phase detected by a current sensor. The control device 270 performs on/off control of each switch 261, 262, for example, by PWM control at a predetermined switching frequency (carrier frequency) or square wave control. The control device 270 may be an internal control device built into the rotating electric machine 10, or an external control device provided outside the rotating electric machine 10.

Incidentally, since the rotating electric machine 10 of this embodiment has a slotless structure (teethless structure), the inductance of the stator 60 is reduced and the electrical time constant is small. In a situation where the electrical time constant is small, it is desirable to increase the switching frequency (carrier frequency) and the switching speed. In this regard, the charge supply capacitor 264 is connected in parallel to the series connection of the switches 261, 262 of each phase, thereby reducing the wiring inductance, and appropriate surge countermeasures are possible even in a configuration with a high switching speed.

The high-potential terminal of the inverter 260 is connected to the positive terminal of the DC power supply 265, and the low-potential terminal is connected to the negative terminal (ground) of the DC power supply 265. The DC power supply 265 is, for example, configured as a battery pack in which multiple single cells are connected in series. In addition, a smoothing capacitor 266 is connected in parallel to the DC power supply 265 to the high-potential terminal and low-potential terminal of the inverter 260.

Figure 36 is a block diagram showing the current feedback control process that controls the currents of the U, V, and W phases.

In FIG. 36, the current command value setting unit 271 uses a torque-dq map to set a d-axis current command value and a q-axis current command value based on the powering torque command value or the power generation torque command value for the rotating electric machine 10, and the electrical angular velocity ω obtained by time-differentiating the electrical angle θ. Note that the power generation torque command value is a regenerative torque command value, for example, when the rotating electric machine 10 is used as a power source for a vehicle.

The dq converter 272 converts the current detection values (three phase currents) from the current sensors provided for each phase into d-axis current and q-axis current, which are components of an orthogonal two-dimensional rotating coordinate system in which the d-axis is the direction of an axis of a magnetic field, or field direction.

The d-axis current feedback control unit 273 calculates a d-axis command voltage as an operation amount for feedback-controlling the d-axis current to the d-axis current command value. The q-axis current feedback control unit 274 calculates a q-axis command voltage as an operation amount for feedback-controlling the q-axis current to the q-axis current command value. In each of these feedback control units 273 and 274, the command voltage is calculated using a PI feedback method based on the deviation of the d-axis current and the q-axis current from the current command value.

The three-phase conversion unit 275 converts the d-axis and q-axis command voltages into U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase command voltages. Each of the above units 271 to 275 is a feedback control unit that performs feedback control of the fundamental wave current according to the dq conversion theory, and the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase command voltages are the feedback control values.

The operation signal generating unit 276 generates an operation signal for the inverter 260 based on the three-phase command voltages using a well-known triangular wave carrier comparison method. Specifically, the operation signal generating unit 276 generates switch operation signals (duty signals) for the upper and lower arms in each phase by PWM control based on a magnitude comparison between a signal in which the three-phase command voltages are normalized by the power supply voltage and a carrier signal such as a triangular wave signal. The switch operation signals generated by the operation signal generating unit 276 are output to the driver 263 of the inverter 260, and the driver 263 turns on and off the switches 261 and 262 of each phase.

Next, the torque feedback control process will be described. This process is mainly used for the purpose of increasing the output of the rotating electric machine 10 and reducing losses under operating conditions where the output voltage of the inverter 260 is high, such as in the high rotation range and high output range. The control device 270 selects and executes either the torque feedback control process or the current feedback control process based on the operating conditions of the rotating electric machine 10.

Figure 37 is a block diagram showing the torque feedback control process for the U, V, and W phases.

The voltage amplitude calculation unit 281 calculates a voltage amplitude command, which is a command value for the magnitude of a voltage vector, based on a powering torque command value or a power generation torque command value for the rotating electric machine 10 and the electrical angular velocity ω obtained by time-differentiating the electrical angle θ.

The dq conversion unit 282 converts the current detection values from the current sensors provided for each phase into d-axis current and q-axis current, similar to the dq conversion unit 272. The torque estimation unit 283 calculates the torque estimation values corresponding to the U, V, and W phases based on the d-axis current and the q-axis current. The torque estimation unit 283 calculates the voltage amplitude command based on map information that correlates the d-axis current, the q-axis current, and the voltage amplitude command.

The torque feedback control unit 284 calculates a voltage phase command, which is a command value for the phase of the voltage vector, as an operation amount for feedback control of the torque estimate value to the powering torque command value or the power generation torque command value. The torque feedback control unit 284 calculates the voltage phase command using a PI feedback method based on the deviation of the torque estimate value from the powering torque command value or the power generation torque command value.

The operation signal generating unit 285 generates an operation signal for the inverter 260 based on the voltage amplitude command, the voltage phase command, and the electrical angle θ. Specifically, the operation signal generating unit 285 calculates three-phase command voltages based on the voltage amplitude command, the voltage phase command, and the electrical angle θ, and generates switch operation signals for the upper and lower arms in each phase by PWM control based on a comparison of the magnitude between a signal obtained by normalizing the calculated three-phase command voltages with the power supply voltage and a carrier signal such as a triangular wave signal. The switch operation signals generated by the operation signal generating unit 285 are output to the driver 263 of the inverter 260, and the driver 263 turns on and off the switches 261 and 262 of each phase.

Incidentally, the operation signal generating unit 285 may generate a switch operation signal based on pulse pattern information, which is map information in which a voltage amplitude command, a voltage phase command, an electrical angle θ, and a switch operation signal are associated, a voltage amplitude command, a voltage phase command, and an electrical angle θ.

(Modification)
Modifications of the first embodiment will now be described.

- The configuration of the magnet 32 in the magnet unit 22 may be changed as follows. In the magnet unit 22 shown in FIG. 38, the magnetization easy axis of the magnet 32 is inclined to the radial direction, and a linear magnetic flux path is formed along the direction of the magnetization easy axis. In other words, the magnet 32 is configured so that the direction of the magnetization easy axis is inclined to the d-axis between the magnetic flux action surface 34a on the stator 60 side (radially inner side) and the magnetic flux action surface 34b on the opposite stator side (radially outer side), and is linearly oriented so that it approaches the d-axis on the stator 60 side in the circumferential direction and moves away from the d-axis on the opposite stator side. Even in this configuration, the magnetic flux path length of the magnet 32 can be made longer than the radial thickness dimension, making it possible to improve permeance.

- It is also possible to use Halbach array magnets in the magnet unit 22.

- In each partial winding 151, the bending direction of the crossover portion 153 may be either radially inward or outward, and in terms of its relationship with the core assembly CA, the first crossover portion 153A may be bent toward the core assembly CA, or the first crossover portion 153A may be bent toward the opposite side of the core assembly CA. In addition, the second crossover portion 153B may be bent either radially inward or outward, as long as it is axially outside the first crossover portion 153A and circumferentially spans a portion of the first crossover portion 153A.

・The partial winding 151 may have only one type of partial winding 151, instead of two types of partial winding 151 (first partial winding 151A, second partial winding 151B). Specifically, the partial winding 151 may be formed to have an approximately L-shape or an approximately Z-shape in side view. When the partial winding 151 is formed to have an approximately L-shape in side view, the crossover portion 153 is bent radially inward or outward at one axial end, and is not bent radially at the other axial end. When the partial winding 151 is formed to have an approximately Z-shape in side view, the crossover portion 153 is bent radially in opposite directions at one axial end and the other axial end. In either case, the coil module 150 may be fixed to the core assembly CA by an insulating cover that covers the crossover portion 153 as described above.

- In the above configuration, all partial windings 151 for each phase winding in the stator winding 61 are connected in parallel, but this may be changed. For example, all partial windings 151 for each phase winding may be divided into multiple parallel connection groups, and the multiple parallel connection groups may be connected in series. In other words, all n partial windings 151 in each phase winding may be divided into two parallel connection groups of n/2 pieces each, or three parallel connection groups of n/3 pieces each, and these may be connected in series. Alternatively, all multiple partial windings 151 for each phase winding in the stator winding 61 may be connected in series.

The stator winding 61 in the rotating electric machine 10 may be configured to have two phase windings (a U-phase winding and a V-phase winding). In this case, for example, in the partial winding 151, a pair of intermediate conductor portions 152 are provided one coil pitch apart, and one intermediate conductor portion 152 in the partial winding 151 of the other phase is disposed between the pair of intermediate conductor portions 152.

-Instead of the outer rotor type surface magnet type rotating electric machine 10, it is also possible to embody it as an inner rotor type surface magnet type rotating electric machine. Figures 39(a) and (b) are diagrams showing the configuration of the stator unit 300 when an inner rotor structure is used. Of these, Figure 39(a) is a perspective view showing the state in which the coil modules 310A, 310B are assembled to the core assembly CA, and Figure 39(b) is a perspective view showing the partial windings 311A, 311B included in each coil module 310A, 310B. In this example, the core assembly CA is formed by assembling the stator holder 70 to the radial outside of the stator core 62. In addition, multiple coil modules 310A, 310B are assembled to the radial inside of the stator core 62.

The partial winding 311A has a configuration similar to that of the first partial winding 151A described above, and includes a pair of intermediate conductor portions 312 and a bridge portion 313A that is bent toward the core assembly CA side (radially outward) on both axial sides. The partial winding 311B has a configuration similar to that of the second partial winding 151B described above, and includes a pair of intermediate conductor portions 312 and a bridge portion 313B that is provided on both axial sides so as to straddle the bridge portion 313A circumferentially on the axially outer side. An insulating cover 315 is attached to the bridge portion 313A of the partial winding 311A, and an insulating cover 316 is attached to the bridge portion 313B of the partial winding 311B.

The insulating cover 315 has semicircular recesses 317 extending in the axial direction on both circumferential side surfaces. The insulating cover 316 has a protruding portion 318 that protrudes radially outward from the transition portion 313B, and a through hole 319 extending in the axial direction is provided at the tip of the protruding portion 318.

Figure 40 is a plan view showing the state in which coil modules 310A, 310B are assembled to core assembly CA. In addition, in Figure 40, multiple recesses 105 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the axial end face of stator holder 70. In addition, stator holder 70 has a cooling structure that uses liquid refrigerant or air, and for example, as an air-cooled structure, multiple heat dissipation fins may be formed on the outer circumferential surface.

In FIG. 40, the insulating covers 315 and 316 are arranged so that they overlap in the axial direction. In addition, a recess 317 provided on the side of the insulating cover 315 and a through hole 319 provided in the protruding portion 318 of the insulating cover 316 at a position that is central between one end and the other end of the circumference of the insulating cover 316 are connected in the axial direction, and each of these portions is fixed by a fixing pin 321.

In addition, in FIG. 40, the fixing position of each insulating cover 315, 316 by the fixing pin 321 is the axial end face of the stator holder 70 radially outward of the stator core 62, and the fixing pin 321 is fixed to the stator holder 70. In this case, since the stator holder 70 is provided with a cooling structure, heat generated in the partial windings 311A, 311B is easily transferred to the stator holder 70. This improves the cooling performance of the stator winding 61.

The stator 60 used in the rotating electric machine 10 may have protrusions (e.g., teeth) extending from the back yoke. In this case, it is sufficient that the coil module 150 and the like are attached to the stator core by the back yoke.

- The rotating electric machine is not limited to star-connected ones, but can also be delta-connected ones.

Second Embodiment
Next, a rotating electric machine according to a second embodiment will be described. The rotating electric machine according to this embodiment is an inner rotor type surface magnet type rotating electric machine, and includes a rotor (field element) having multiple magnetic poles with alternating polarities in the circumferential direction, and a stator (armature) having a multi-phase stator winding, with the rotor rotatably supported radially inside the stator.

The configuration of the stator unit 400 that constitutes the stator 410 in this embodiment is described in detail below.

Figure 41 is a perspective view showing the entire stator unit 400, Figure 42(a) is a plan view of the stator unit 400, Figure 42(b) is a cross-sectional view of the stator unit 400, Figure 43 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the stator unit 400, and Figure 44 is an exploded perspective view showing the core assembly CB and the stator winding 411 in the stator unit 400. Note that Figure 43 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 43-43 passing through the stator center point C in Figure 42(a).

The stator unit 400 generally comprises a stator 410 and a stator holder 420 on the radially outer side thereof. The stator 410 also comprises a stator winding 411 and a stator core 412. The stator core 412 and the stator holder 420 are integrated to form a core assembly CB, and multiple partial windings 451 constituting the stator winding 411 are assembled to the core assembly CB. The stator winding 411 corresponds to the "armature winding", the stator core 412 corresponds to the "armature core", and the stator holder 420 corresponds to the "armature holding member". The core assembly CB also corresponds to the "winding support member".

In FIG. 43, the rotor 430 provided radially inside the stator 410 is shown by virtual lines, and the rotating electric machine MG is configured to include the stator 410 and the rotor 430. The rotor 430 is rotatable integrally with the rotating shaft 431. The rotor 430 has a similar configuration to the rotor 20 described in the first embodiment, so it will be described briefly here.

The rotor 430 has a rotor carrier as a magnet holding member fixed to the rotating shaft 431, and an annular magnet unit as a magnet part fixed to the rotor carrier. However, in this embodiment, since the rotor has an inner rotor structure, the magnet unit is fixed to the radial outside of the rotor carrier. In the magnet unit, the magnet has multiple magnetic poles in the circumferential direction, and more specifically, multiple magnets are arranged so that the polarity alternates along the circumferential direction of the rotor. The magnet unit generates magnetic flux concentrated in an area near the d-axis, which is the center of the magnetic pole, on the magnetic flux action surface of the magnet. Specifically, the magnet has different orientations of the magnetization easy axis on the d-axis side and the q-axis side, and on the d-axis side, the orientation of the magnetization easy axis is parallel to the d-axis, and on the q-axis side, the orientation of the magnetization easy axis is perpendicular to the q-axis (see FIG. 7). In the rotating electric machine MG, the stator winding 411 and the magnet unit of the rotor 430 face each other in the radial direction, and an air gap is formed between them.

Now, we will explain the core assembly CB. Figure 45 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the core assembly CB. Note that Figure 45, like Figure 43, is a cross-sectional view taken along line 43-43 in Figure 42(a).

As shown in Figures 44 and 45, the core assembly CB has a stator holder 420 having a bottomed cylindrical shape and a cylindrical stator core 412 attached to the inner periphery of the stator holder 420. The stator core 412 is configured as a core sheet laminate in which core sheets made of magnetic steel sheets are stacked in the axial direction. The stator winding 411 is attached to the radially inner side of the stator core 412, which is the rotor side. The stator core 412 does not have a take (irregularities on the inner periphery) and functions as a back yoke. The stator core 412 of this embodiment may have the same configuration as the stator core 62 of the first embodiment, and the slotless structure is the same.

As shown in FIG. 45, the stator holder 420 has a cylindrical portion 421, a bottom portion 422 provided at one axial end of the cylindrical portion 421, and an annular flange 423 provided at the other axial end of the cylindrical portion 421 and extending radially outward. The bottom portion 422 has a through hole 424 through which a rotating shaft 431 integrally provided with the rotor 430 is inserted. The stator holder 420 may be made of metal such as aluminum or cast iron, or carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The bottom portion 422 and the flange 423 each correspond to a "pedestal portion."

In addition, the cylindrical portion 421 of the stator holder 420 is provided with a refrigerant passage 425 as a cooling portion through which a refrigerant such as cooling water flows. The refrigerant passage 425 is provided in an annular shape in the circumferential direction of the stator holder 420, and although details are not shown, the refrigerant flows in from the inlet, flows in the circumferential direction through the refrigerant passage 425, and then flows out from the outlet. In the configuration shown in FIG. 45, the refrigerant passage 425 is provided in a range including the cylindrical portion 421 and the bottom portion 422 of the stator holder 420. However, the refrigerant passage 425 may be provided in a range including the flange 423. The refrigerant passage 425 is preferably provided at least in the cylindrical portion 421, more specifically, in a position radially outside the stator core 412.

As shown in FIG. 45, the stator holder 420 has recesses 427, 428 formed therein to be used for fixing a plurality of coil modules 450, which will be described later. Specifically, a plurality of recesses 427 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in the flange 423 of the stator holder 420. A plurality of recesses 428 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in the bottom portion 422 of the stator holder 420. These recesses 427, 428 are arranged on a virtual circle concentric with the core assembly CB. In this embodiment, the number of recesses 427, 428 is set to 1/2 the number of coil modules 450, but may be the same number as the number of coil modules 450.

Next, the configuration of the stator winding 411 that is assembled to the core assembly CB will be described in detail. The state in which the stator winding 411 is assembled to the core assembly CB is as shown in Figures 41 to 43, where multiple partial windings 451 that make up the stator winding 411 are assembled in a circumferentially aligned state on the radial inside of the core assembly CB, i.e., on the radial inside of the stator core 412.

The stator winding 411 has multiple phase windings, and is formed into a cylindrical (annular) shape by arranging the phase windings of each phase in a predetermined order in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the stator winding 411 is configured to have three phase windings by using U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase windings.

In the stator winding 411, each phase winding has a plurality of partial windings 451, and the partial windings 451 are individually provided as coil modules 450. In other words, the coil module 450 is configured by integrally providing the partial windings 451 in the phase windings of each phase, and the stator winding 411 is configured by a predetermined number of coil modules 450 according to the number of poles. The coil modules 450 (partial windings 451) of each phase are arranged in a predetermined order in the circumferential direction, so that the conductor parts of each phase are arranged in a predetermined order on the coil side CS of the stator winding 411. Figure 44 shows a configuration in which a plurality of coil modules 450 are arranged in a circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the number of magnetic poles is 24, but the number is arbitrary. In the stator winding 411, the partial windings 451 of each coil module 450 are connected in parallel or in series for each phase to configure the phase winding of each phase.

As shown in FIG. 43, the stator 410 has, in the axial direction, a portion corresponding to the coil side CS that faces the stator core 412 in the radial direction, and a portion corresponding to the coil end CE that is axially outside the coil side CS. The coil side CS is also a portion that faces the magnet unit of the rotor 430 in the radial direction. The coil module 450 is assembled to the radial inside of the stator core 412. In this case, the coil module 450 is assembled with both axial end portions protruding axially outward (i.e., toward the coil end CE) beyond the stator core 412.

The coil modules 450 used in the stator winding 411 are all configured in the same form, and are arranged in the circumferential direction with two axially offset rows. In this embodiment, the partial winding 451 has coil ends CE on both axial sides with different radial bending directions, and at one axial end, the coil end portion (crossover portion) of the partial winding 451 is bent radially inward, and at the other axial end, the coil end portion (crossover portion) of the partial winding 451 is bent radially outward. In other words, the partial winding 451 is approximately Z-shaped when viewed from the side.

In the stator winding 411, N/2 of the N coil modules 450 used in the stator winding 411 are arranged in two axial rows in a staggered fashion. In this embodiment, the 12 coil modules 450 are divided into two groups of six, and the coil modules 450 in each group are assembled in two axial rows.

Figure 46 is a perspective view showing the configuration of coil module 450, and Figure 47 is a perspective view showing the components of coil module 450 disassembled.

As shown in Figures 46 and 47, the coil module 450 has a partial winding 451 formed by multiple windings of conductive wire CR, and insulating covers 460, 470 attached to one and the other axial ends of the partial winding 451.

The partial winding 451 has a pair of intermediate conductor parts 452 that are parallel to each other and arranged linearly, and a pair of transition parts 453, 454 that connect the pair of intermediate conductor parts 452 at both axial ends, and is formed into a ring shape by the pair of intermediate conductor parts 452 and the pair of transition parts 453, 454. The pair of intermediate conductor parts 452 are arranged at a predetermined coil pitch apart, and the intermediate conductor parts 452 of the partial winding 451 of the other phase can be arranged between the pair of intermediate conductor parts 452 in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the pair of intermediate conductor parts 452 are arranged at a distance of two coil pitches, and one intermediate conductor part 452 of the partial winding 451 of the other two phases is arranged between the pair of intermediate conductor parts 452.

The crossovers 453, 454 on both axial sides are provided as parts corresponding to the coil ends CE (see FIG. 43) and are bent in opposite directions in the radial direction. The crossovers 453, 454 are provided so as to be bent in a direction perpendicular to the intermediate conductor 452, i.e., perpendicular to the axial direction. The crossovers 453 on one axial end side and the crossovers 454 on the other axial end side have different shapes in plan view (shapes seen from the axial direction), with one crossover 453 having a shape that is wider in the circumferential direction at the tip of the bend, and the other crossover 454 having a shape that is narrower in the circumferential direction at the tip of the bend. In this case, the radially extending parts of the crossovers 453, 454 are all provided so as to extend radially from the center point of the stator.

In each partial winding 451, the intermediate conductor portions 452 are provided as coil side conductor portions arranged one by one in the circumferential direction on the coil side CS. In addition, each of the crossover portions 453, 454 is provided as a coil end conductor portion that connects the intermediate conductor portions 452 of the same phase at two different positions in the circumferential direction on the coil end CE.

In the partial winding 451, similar to the partial winding 151 of the first embodiment described above, the conductor wire material CR is wound in multiple layers so that the cross section of the conductor wire assembly portion is rectangular. In the intermediate conductor portion 452, the conductor wire material CR is arranged in multiple rows in the circumferential direction and multiple rows in the radial direction, so that the cross section is formed to be approximately rectangular (see FIG. 20).

In the partial winding 451, each intermediate conductor portion 452 is provided covered with a sheet-like insulating cover 455. The configuration of the insulating cover 455 is also the same as that of the insulating cover 157 of the partial winding 151 described above. That is, the insulating cover 455 is provided by using a film material having an axial dimension at least the length of the axial insulating cover range of the intermediate conductor portion 452, and winding the film material around the intermediate conductor portion 452. The insulating cover 455 is also provided around the intermediate conductor portion 452 with the circumferential end of the film material overlapping.

Next, the configuration of the insulating covers 460, 470 will be described. The insulating covers 460, 470 are insulating members provided to insulate the partial windings 451 from each other in each of the transition sections 453, 454, and surround the entire circumference of the transition sections 453, 454.

The insulating cover 460 is attached to the jumper portion 453 on one axial side of the partial winding 451, and the insulating cover 470 is attached to the jumper portion 454 on the other axial side of the partial winding 451. These insulating covers 460, 470 are molded from an insulating material such as synthetic resin, and the windings at the jumper portions 453, 454 of the partial winding 451 are insulated from each other by the insulating covers 460, 470. FIG. 48(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 48-48 of FIG. 46 showing the jumper portion 453 side of the coil module 450, and FIG. 48(b) is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the configuration of FIG. 48(a) in an exploded manner. FIG. 49(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 49-49 of FIG. 46 showing the jumper portion 454 side of the coil module 450, and FIG. 49(b) is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the configuration of FIG. 49(a) in an exploded manner.

As shown in Figures 48(a) and (b), the insulating cover 460 is configured to be separable in the axial direction, and has an outer cover material 461 that covers the transition portion 453 from the axial outside, and an inner cover material 462 that covers the transition portion 453 from the axial inside. Of these, the outer cover material 461 has an end plate portion 463 that faces the axially outer end face of the transition portion 453, and a peripheral wall portion 464 that extends in the axial direction from the end plate portion 463. A bracket portion 465 made of a metal plate is integrally provided on the end plate portion 463. For example, the bracket portion 465 is provided in a state where it is embedded in the end plate portion 463 (outer cover material 461), which is a resin molded body.

In addition, the outer cover material 461 and the inner cover material 462 are "split cover materials" and may be attached from the radial direction in addition to being attached from the axial direction (the same applies to the outer cover material 471 and the inner cover material 472 described below).

The bracket portion 465 is a support member that supports the coil end portion of the coil module 450 when it is attached to the core assembly CB, and its configuration is shown in Figure 50 (a). In Figure 50 (a), the end plate portion 463 of the outer cover material 461 is shown by a virtual line.

A part of the bracket portion 465 protrudes radially from the end plate portion 463 of the outer cover material 461, and through holes 465a and 465b are provided in the protruding portion. More specifically, the bracket portion 465 is provided so as to protrude at two different positions in the circumferential direction on the outside of the end plate portion 463. In a plan view, one of the protruding portions protrudes radially outward at the circumferential center position of the end plate portion 463, and a through hole 465a is provided in the protruding portion. The other protruding portion protrudes circumferentially outward from the end plate portion 463, and a through hole 465b is provided in the protruding portion.

The bracket portion 465 also has a bent portion 465c bent in the axial direction. The bent portion 465c is bent at an end of the insulating cover 460 on the radially opposite side of the bracket protruding side, and when the insulating cover 460 is assembled, the bent portion 465c faces the crossover portion 453 in the radial direction. In this embodiment, the crossover portion 453 of the partial winding 451 is bent radially outward, and the bent portion 465c faces the inside of the curved portion that is radially convex in the crossover portion 453 in the bent state in the radial direction. As a result, the bent portion 465c or the peripheral wall portion 464 integrated with the bent portion 465c can engage with the crossover portion 453 on the opposite side of the through hole 465a.

The bent portion 465c has curved portions 465d, 465e at both circumferential ends that are curved to extend radially inward. These curved portions 465d, 465e are engaging portions that can engage with the transition portion 453 from the inside in the bending direction when the insulating cover 460 is assembled to the transition portion 453 of the partial winding 451. In other words, the insulating cover 460 is provided in a state where the bracket portion 465 is sandwiched between two conductor portions (i.e., conductor portions extending from each intermediate conductor portion to the coil end side) that are spaced apart in the circumferential direction at the transition portion 453.

As shown in FIG. 47, the inner cover material 462 has an end plate portion 467 that faces the axially inner end face of the transition portion 453, and two upright portions 468 that extend axially from the end plate portion 467. The upright portions 468 are provided at the tip of the transition portion 453 so as to face the radially inner side and the radially outer side, respectively.

When the insulating cover 460 is attached to the bridge portion 453 of the partial winding 451, the inner cover material 462 is attached to the bridge portion 453, and the outer cover material 461 is attached to the inner cover material 462. The bridge portion 453 and each cover material 461, 462 may be joined to each other by a joining means such as adhesive. However, the order in which each cover material 461, 462 is attached is arbitrary.

As shown in FIG. 48(a), when the insulating cover 460 is attached to the transition portion 453, the transition portion 453 is surrounded by the insulating cover 460 in the axial and radial directions, and a part of the bracket portion 465 protrudes. The insulating cover 460 is filled with a filler RE made of, for example, a synthetic resin.

As shown in Figs. 49(a) and (b), the insulating cover 470 is configured to be separable in the axial direction, and has an outer cover material 471 that covers the transition portion 454 from the axial outside, and an inner cover material 472 that covers the transition portion 454 from the axial inside. Of these, the outer cover material 471 has an end plate portion 473 that faces the axially outer end face of the transition portion 454, and a peripheral wall portion 474 that extends in the axial direction from the end plate portion 473. A bracket portion 475 made of a metal plate is integrally provided on the end plate portion 473. For example, the bracket portion 475 is provided in a state where it is embedded in the end plate portion 473 (outer cover material 471), which is a resin molded body.

The bracket portion 475 is a support member that supports the coil end portion of the coil module 450 when it is attached to the core assembly CB, and its configuration is shown in Figure 50 (b). In Figure 50 (b), the end plate portion 473 of the outer cover material 471 is shown by a virtual line.

A part of the bracket portion 475 protrudes radially from the end plate portion 473 of the outer cover material 471, and through holes 475a, 475b are provided in the protruding portion. More specifically, the bracket portion 475 protrudes radially inward at the circumferential center position of the end plate portion 473 on the outer side of the end plate portion 473, and through holes 475a, 475b are provided in the protruding portion.

The bracket portion 475 also has a bent portion 475c bent in the axial direction. The bent portion 475c is bent at an end of the insulating cover 470 on the radially opposite side of the bracket protruding side, and when the insulating cover 470 is assembled, the bent portion 475c faces the crossover portion 454 in the radial direction. In this embodiment, the crossover portion 454 of the partial winding 451 is bent radially inward, and the bent portion 475c faces the radially inner side of the curved portion that is convex in the radial direction in the crossover portion 454 in the bent state. As a result, the bent portion 475c or the peripheral wall portion 474 integrated with the bent portion 475c can engage with the crossover portion 454 on the opposite side of the through holes 475a, 475b.

The bent portion 475c has curved portions 475d, 475e at both circumferential ends that are curved to extend radially inward. These curved portions 475d, 475e are engagement portions that can engage with the transition portion 454 from the inside in the bending direction when the insulating cover 470 is assembled to the transition portion 454 of the partial winding 451. In other words, the insulating cover 470 is provided with the bracket portion 475 sandwiched between two circumferentially spaced conductor portions (i.e., conductor portions extending from each intermediate conductor portion to the coil end side) in the transition portion 454.

As shown in FIG. 47, the inner cover material 472 has an end plate portion 477 that faces the axially inner end face of the transition portion 454, and two upright portions 478 that extend axially from the end plate portion 477. The upright portions 478 are provided at the tip of the transition portion 454 so as to face the radially inner and outer sides, respectively.

When the insulating cover 470 is attached to the bridge portion 454 of the partial winding 451, the inner cover material 472 is attached to the bridge portion 454, and the outer cover material 471 is attached to the inner cover material 472. The bridge portion 454 and each cover 471, 472 may be joined to each other by a joining means such as adhesive. However, the order in which these covers 471, 472 are attached is arbitrary.

As shown in FIG. 49(a), when the insulating cover 470 is attached to the transition portion 454, the transition portion 454 is surrounded by the insulating cover 470 in the axial and radial directions, and a part of the bracket portion 475 protrudes. The insulating cover 470 is filled with a filler RE made of, for example, a synthetic resin.

51(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the positional relationship between the partial windings 451 and the bracket parts 465, 475 in the stator winding 411. For ease of explanation, the insulating covers 460, 470 (outer cover materials 461, 471 and inner cover materials 462, 472) and the insulating coating 455 are removed from the coil module 450 in these views. Of these, FIG. 51(a) is a perspective view of the assembled state of the three partial windings 451 as seen from the radial inside, and FIG. 51(b) is a perspective view of the assembled state of the same three partial windings 451 as seen from the radial outside.

As shown in FIG. 51(a), at one axial end of the stator winding 411, a bracket portion 465 is provided such that a bent portion 465c faces the radially inner side of the crossover portion 453 of the partial winding 451 and extends radially outward from the bent portion 465c. Also, as shown in FIG. 51(b), at the other axial end of the stator winding 411, a bracket portion 475 is provided such that a bent portion 475c faces the radially outer side of the crossover portion 454 of the partial winding 451 and extends radially inward from the bent portion 475c.

Here, a specific configuration for fixing each partial winding 451 (each coil module 450) by the bracket parts 465, 475 will be described. FIG. 52 is a plan view showing the state in which three partial windings 451 are arranged on the stator holder 420 (core assembly CB), and the figure shows a state in which one partial winding 451 is arranged in the upper row (i.e., the front side of the paper) and two partial windings 451 are arranged in the lower row (i.e., the back side of the paper). Note that FIG. 52 shows the coil module 450 with the insulating covers 460, 470 (outer cover material 461, 471 and inner cover material 462, 472) and the insulating cover 455 removed, as in FIGS. 51(a) and (b).

In FIG. 52, the bridge portions 453, 454 of the multiple partial windings 451 overlap each other in the axial direction, and in this overlapping state, the two bracket portions 465, 475 (i.e., the insulating covers 460, 470 including the bracket portions 465, 475) are mechanically coupled to the stator holder 420 by coupling members 481, 482. This makes it possible to fix each insulating cover 460, 470 to the stator holder 420.

In detail, at one axial end side, in the two bracket parts 465 overlapping in the axial direction, the through holes 465a, 465b formed in each bracket part 465 are in the same position in the axial direction. In other words, the bracket part 465 has through holes 465a, 465b formed at two different positions in the circumferential direction, and when the two bracket parts 465 overlap in the axial direction, the position of the through hole 465a of one bracket part 465 and the position of the through hole 465b of the other bracket part 465 coincide. Also, as described above, the flange 423 of the stator holder 420 has a recess 427 (see FIG. 45), and when each partial winding 451 is arranged relative to the stator holder 420, the positions of the through holes 465a, 465b of each bracket part 465 coincide with the position of the recess 427 of the stator holder 420. Then, by inserting a connecting member 481 into the through holes 465a, 465b of each bracket portion 465 and the recess 427 of the stator holder 420, each bracket portion 465 (each insulating cover 460) is mechanically connected to the stator holder 420.

The connecting member 481 on the transition section 453 side is, for example, a metal fixing pin, and is fixed to the recess 427 on the stator holder 420 side by press-fitting or screwing. The connecting member 481 is inserted into the through holes 465a, 465b of each bracket section 465, so that each bracket section 465 is connected in an engaged state.

At the other axial end, the through holes 475a and 475b formed in the two bracket parts 475 that overlap in the axial direction are in the same axial position. In other words, the bracket parts 475 have through holes 475a and 475b formed at two different positions in the circumferential direction, and when the two bracket parts 475 overlap in the axial direction, the position of the through hole 475a in one bracket part 475 and the position of the through hole 475b in the other bracket part 475 coincide. As described above, the bottom part 422 of the stator holder 420 has a recess 428 (see FIG. 45), and when each partial winding 451 is arranged relative to the stator holder 420, the positions of the through holes 475a and 475b in each bracket part 475 coincide with the position of the recess 428 in the stator holder 420. Then, by inserting a coupling member 482 into the through holes 475a, 475b of each bracket portion 475 and the recess 427 of the stator holder 420, each bracket portion 475 (each insulating cover 470) is mechanically coupled to the stator holder 420.

The connecting member 482 on the crossover section 454 side has a connection structure that can be separated and connected in the axial direction. The specific configuration is shown in FIG. 53. The connecting member 482 is made of a metal material and is composed of two connecting bolts 482a, 482b that can be separated and connected in the axial direction. One connecting bolt 482a can be screwed into a recess 428 formed in the bottom 422 of the stator holder 420, and the other connecting bolt 482b can be screwed into the one connecting bolt 482a. Note that a female thread is formed in the recess 428. In this case, the bracket portion 475 of the insulating cover 470 on the lower stage side is fixed by the connecting bolt 482a, and the bracket portion 475 of the insulating cover 470 on the upper stage side is fixed by the connecting bolt 482b. Note that the connecting member 482 may be configured such that two members that can be separated and connected in the axial direction are fixed by press fitting.

Each of the connecting members 481, 482 can be changed to another form, and instead of making the connecting structure different at one axial end side and the other axial end side, the connecting structure may be the same at one axial end side and the other axial end side. Also, the connecting form may be welding or adhesive.

52, in each partial winding 451, the crossover portions 453, 454 are configured to overlap with the crossover portions 453, 454 of different partial windings 451 in the axial direction at one circumferential end side and the other circumferential end side. The combination of the two partial windings 451 fixed to the stator holder 420 by the coupling members 481, 482 is different at one axial end side and the other axial end side. In other words, in this embodiment, the pair of partial windings 451 coupled by the coupling member 481 on the crossover portion 453 side is different from the pair of partial windings 451 coupled by the coupling member 482 on the crossover portion 454 side. In FIG. 52, on the transition section 453 side, of the three partial windings 451 (left, center, and right), the pair of "left and center" partial windings 451 is coupled by a coupling member 481, and on the transition section 454 side, of the three partial windings 451 (left, center, and right), the pair of "center and right" partial windings 451 is coupled by a coupling member 482.

In the completed state of the stator unit 400, as shown in FIG. 42(a), the through holes 465a and 465b of each insulating cover 460 overlap vertically at 12 locations in the circumferential direction in each axially overlapping insulating cover 460, and the through holes 465a and 465b are connected by the connecting member 481 at every other through hole 465a and 465b in the circumferential direction. Also, the through holes 475a and 475b of each insulating cover 470 overlap vertically at 12 locations in the circumferential direction in each axially overlapping insulating cover 470, and the through holes 475a and 475b are connected by the connecting member 482 at every other through hole 475a and 475b in the circumferential direction. In this case, as described above, the pair of coil modules 450 connected by the connecting member 481 on the insulating cover 460 side (the crossover portion 453 side) is different from the pair of coil modules 450 connected by the connecting member 482 on the insulating cover 470 side (the crossover portion 454 side).

However, the pair of coil modules 450 connected by the connecting member 481 on the insulating cover 460 side may be the same as the pair of coil modules 450 connected by the connecting member 482 on the insulating cover 470 side. Also, the configuration may be such that the connecting members 481 connect all the through holes 465a, 465b in the circumferential direction on the insulating cover 460 side, or the connecting members 482 connect all the through holes 475a, 475b in the circumferential direction on the insulating cover 470 side.

Next, we will explain the configuration for assembling each coil module 450 to the core assembly CB.

When the coil modules 450 are assembled, the lower six coil modules 450 are arranged in a circumferential line with respect to the core assembly CB. This state is shown in the plan view of FIG. 54. In this case, multiple (six in this embodiment) insulating covers 460 are arranged in a circumferential line at the same axial position. In this state, the through holes 465a and 465b on the insulating cover 460 side are aligned with the recesses 427 (see FIGS. 44 and 45) of the stator holder 420. As shown in FIG. 44, when the number of recesses 427 is 1/2 of the total number of coil modules 450, for example, the through hole 465b of the through holes 465a and 465b is aligned with the recesses 427 of the stator holder 420.

Before assembling the coil modules 450, the connecting member 481 is fixed in the recess 427 of the stator holder 420 by press-fitting or screwing, and in this state, each coil module 450 is positioned while inserting the connecting member 481 through the through hole 465b of the bracket part 465.

In addition, multiple insulating covers 470 (six in this embodiment) are arranged in a circumferential line at the same axial position. In this state, the through holes 475a, 475b on the insulating cover 470 side are aligned with the recess 428 (see FIG. 45) of the stator holder 420. At this time, the connecting bolt 482a is inserted into the through hole 475a of the bracket part 475, thereby fixing each insulating cover 470.

Then, the six coil modules 450 on the upper side are assembled. This state is shown in Fig. 42(a) and (b). At this time, the insulating covers 460, 470 are arranged in two tiers, one above the other, at one axial end and the other end. The intermediate conductor parts 452 of the coil modules 450 are arranged in a line in the circumferential direction. In this state, the insulating covers 460 on the upper and lower tiers are joined to the stator holder 420 with the joining members 481 inserted through the through holes 465a, 465b. The insulating covers 470 on the upper and lower tiers are joined to the stator holder 420 with the joining members 482 inserted through the through holes 475a, 475b.

In the completed stator unit 400 shown in Figures 41 to 43, bracket portions 465, 475 provided on the insulating covers 460, 470 of the coil modules 450 are mechanically connected to the core assembly CB by connecting members 481, 482, thereby fixing each coil module 450. In this case, the insulating covers 460, 470 of each coil module 450 enable interphase insulation between the partial windings 451 and ground insulation for the stator core 412.

In addition, each coil module 450 is connected to the stator holder 420 having the refrigerant passage 425 by the connecting members 481, 482. Therefore, heat generated in the partial winding 451 is directly transferred from the transition parts 453, 454 to the vicinity of the refrigerant passage 425 of the stator holder 420 via the bracket parts 465, 475 and the connecting members 481, 482. In this case, the bracket parts 465, 475 are partially exposed to the outside of the cover, and are connected to the outside of the cover by the connecting members 481, 482, which promotes heat dissipation. In addition, since the bracket parts 465, 475 and the connecting members 481, 482 are all made of metal, heat transfer is good.

Furthermore, since the insulating covers 460, 470 are filled with filler RE (see Figures 48(a) and 49(a)), the gaps between the transition parts 453, 454 (partial winding 451) and the insulating covers 460, 470 are filled, increasing the thermal conductivity. Furthermore, by filling the gaps in the insulating covers 460, 470 with filler RE, it is expected that the bonding strength of each coil module 450 will be increased.

The present embodiment described above provides the following advantages:

In the rotating electric machine MG configured as above, the partial winding 451 of the stator winding 411 has a pair of intermediate conductor portions 452 and crossover portions 453, 454, and the multiple partial windings 451 are arranged in the circumferential direction with the intermediate conductor portions 452 aligned in the circumferential direction. In this case, by assembling each partial winding 451 (coil module 450) to the core assembly CB, the stator winding 411 can be assembled regardless of whether the stator 410 has teeth or not. In addition, insulating covers 460, 470 are attached to the crossover portions 453, 454 of the partial winding 451, so that the partial windings 451 aligned in the circumferential direction can be suitably insulated from each other.

In this configuration, bracket parts 465, 475 are provided protruding from the insulating covers 460, 470, and the bracket protruding parts protruding from the insulating covers 460, 470 are mechanically coupled to the core assembly CB (stator holder 420). In this case, multiple partial windings 451 (coil modules 450) can be easily and reliably attached to the core assembly CB. When the stator is manufactured using a manufacturing device such as a winding machine, the manufacturing device can be made smaller. As a result, the stator windings 411 can be easily assembled.

Bends 465c, 475c are provided at the ends of the bracket parts 465, 475 on the radially opposite side from the protruding side, and the bent parts 465c, 475c are configured to face the crossover parts 453, 454 in the radial direction. In this case, the crossover parts 453, 454 and the bracket parts 465, 475 can be engaged in the radial direction at the bent parts 465c, 475c on the non-protruding side of the bracket parts 465, 475, and in this state, the protruding parts of the bracket parts 465, 475 are mechanically coupled to the core assembly CB. This makes it possible to suppress radial positional deviation of the partial windings 451, and thus to maintain the assembly state of each partial winding 451 to the core assembly CB in a proper state.

In a configuration in which the crossover portions 453, 454 of the partial winding 451 are bent in the radial direction and overlap the core assembly CB in the axial direction, the insulating covers 460, 470 are arranged in an axially overlapping state with respect to the core assembly CB at the axial end of the core assembly CB. In this configuration, the bent portions 465c, 475c of the bracket portions 465, 475 are radially opposed to the inside of the curved portions of the crossover portions 453, 454, so that the insulating covers 460, 470 can be mechanically coupled suitably to the axial end of the core assembly CB.

The crossover parts 453, 454 of the partial winding 451 have two conductor parts (i.e., conductor parts extending from each intermediate conductor part 452 toward the coil end side) that are spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and when the bracket parts 465, 475 are sandwiched between the conductor parts, the bracket parts 465, 475 restrict the circumferential positional deviation of the crossover parts 453, 454. Therefore, according to the above configuration, in addition to being able to suppress radial positional deviation of the partial winding 451, it is also possible to suppress circumferential positional deviation. Also, since the bracket parts 465, 475 are configured to face the crossover parts 453, 454 on the axial outside, it is possible to suppress positional deviation of the partial winding 451 in all directions, axial, radial, and circumferential.

In order to insulate the partial windings 451 from each other and from the core assembly CB (particularly the stator core 412) in the crossover parts 453, 454 of the partial windings 451, it is desirable to provide the insulating covers 460, 470 in a state in which the crossover parts 453, 454 are surrounded in the axial and radial directions. In this case, the insulating covers 460, 470 can be easily attached to the crossover parts 453, 454 by configuring the insulating covers 460, 470 to include multiple divided cover materials that are attached to the crossover parts 453, 454 in the axial direction. In addition, by configuring the bracket parts 465, 475 to be integrally provided on any of the multiple divided cover materials, the bracket parts 465, 475 can be attached at the same time as each divided cover material is attached. This makes it possible to preferably provide the insulating covers 460, 470 that completely surround the crossover parts 453, 454 in the axial and radial directions.

In the stator winding 411 of the above configuration, each partial winding 451 arranged in the circumferential direction is arranged with some overlapping in the circumferential direction, and at the coil end CE, the crossover parts 453, 454 of the partial windings 451 of different phases overlap each other in the axial direction. In this state, in the insulating covers 460, 470 attached to each crossover part 453, 454, the protruding parts of each overlapping bracket part 465, 475 are connected to the core assembly CB by the connecting members 481, 482, so that the multiple partial windings 451 can be easily attached to the core assembly CB. In addition, the connecting members 481, 482 form a heat transfer path between each bracket part 465, 475 and the core assembly CB, so that a desirable configuration can be realized from the viewpoint of heat dissipation of the stator winding 411.

The combination of the two partial windings 451 connected to the core assembly CB by the connecting members 481, 482 is different between one axial end side and the other axial end side. This makes it possible to connect adjacent partial windings 451 arranged in the circumferential direction to each other while minimizing the number of connecting locations to the core assembly CB. This reduces the manufacturing burden of the rotating electric machine MG.

The bracket parts 465, 475 of the insulating covers 460, 470 are configured to be connected to the core assembly CB having a cooling part. In this case, the heat generated in the partial winding 451 is directly transferred to the vicinity of the cooling part via the bracket parts 465, 475, so the cooling performance for cooling the stator winding 411 can be improved.

The core assembly CB is configured to include a stator core 412 and a stator holder 420 radially outside the stator core 412, and the bracket parts 465, 475 of the insulating covers 460, 470 are connected to the stator holder 420 located beyond the stator core 412 by connecting members 481, 482. In this case, it is not necessary to connect the connecting members 481, 482 to the stator core 412, so there is no need to provide recesses or the like in the stator core 412 for connecting the connecting members 481, 482, and problems such as the generation of cogging torque can be suppressed.

The stator holder 420 is configured to have a refrigerant passage 425 in an area including the cylindrical portion 421 and the bottom portion 422. This allows heat to be transferred effectively from the bracket portions 465, 475 to the refrigerant passage 425 of the stator holder 420 in a configuration in which the bracket portions 465, 475 are mechanically coupled to the bottom portion 422 of the stator holder 420.

In the above configuration, the bottom 422 and flange 423 extending radially in the core assembly CB are the attachment locations where the bracket parts 465, 475 are mechanically attached. This makes it easier to secure the attachment locations, and allows the bracket parts 465, 475 to be attached in an optimal manner.

At both axial ends of the partial winding 451, the insulating covers 460, 470 are mechanically coupled to the core assembly CB. This allows the partial winding 451 to be properly fixed, and prevents, for example, the intermediate conductor portion 452 in the partial winding 451 from becoming non-parallel to the axial direction, which can lead to differences in the air gap dimensions in the axial direction. In addition, at both axial ends of the partial winding 451, the coupling members 481, 482 are coupled in different forms. Specifically, one is coupled by a screw thread, and the other is coupled by an engagement. This allows the degree of coupling (amount of play) to be different between the one axial end and the other axial end, making it easy to adjust the dimensions when assembled.

The intermediate conductor portion 452 (coil side portion) of the partial winding 451 is covered with an insulating cover 455 made of a film material. In this configuration, the coil end portion of the partial winding 451 is insulated by the insulating covers 460 and 470, and the coil side portion is insulated by the insulating cover 455, which simplifies the insulation structure of each portion compared to a configuration in which the same insulating material is provided for each of these portions.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
The bracket portions 465, 475 of the insulating covers 460, 470 need only be integrally formed with the end plate portions 463, 473, and other than being embedded in the end plate portions 463, 473, they may be fixed to the plate surfaces of the end plate portions 463, 473 by adhesive or the like.

- The bracket parts 465, 475 may be made of a material other than metal, for example, a high-strength, non-elastic resin material. The bracket parts 465, 475 are preferably made of a material with higher strength than the insulating covers 460, 470. The bracket parts 465, 475 are preferably made of a material with high thermal conductivity.

- A mechanical coupling mechanism may be provided on only one of the insulating covers 460, 470 provided on both axial sides. For example, a mechanical coupling mechanism may be provided only on the bottom 422 side of the stator holder 420. In this case, the opposite axial side may be pressed down by a bus bar, terminal block, housing, etc. (not shown).

- At one axial end side and the other axial end side of the partial winding 451, the form of connection by the connecting members 481, 482 may be the same. For example, both may be screw-connected, or both may be engaged-connected.

- In the second embodiment, the core assembly CB including the stator core 412 and the stator holder 420 is used as the winding support member, but this may be changed to a configuration in which the stator holder 420 is used as the winding support member, i.e., a configuration that does not include the stator core 412. The cooling section provided in the core assembly CB (winding support member) may be configured differently from the refrigerant passage 425, and the cooling section may be configured, for example, by providing heat dissipation fins on the outer periphery side of the cylindrical portion 421.

Third Embodiment
The configuration of the stator unit 500 in this embodiment will be described below. The stator unit 500 in this embodiment is a partly modified version of the stator unit 400 in the second embodiment, and the following mainly describes the differences from the second embodiment. Note that the same component numbers are used for the components common to the second embodiment, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Figure 55 is a plan view of the stator unit 500, Figure 56 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the stator unit 500, and Figure 57 is an exploded perspective view showing the core assembly CB and the stator winding 411 in the stator unit 500. Note that Figure 56 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 56-56 passing through the stator center point C in Figure 55.

In the stator unit 500 of this embodiment, the configuration for fixing each coil module 450 to the core assembly CB is different from that of the second embodiment, and the coil modules 450 are fixed with pins on the bottom 422 side of the stator holder 420, and are fixed with bolts on the flange 423 side of the stator holder 420. Therefore, in the stator holder 420, the shape of the recess 427 provided in the flange 423 and the shape of the recess 428 provided in the bottom 422 are changed.

As described above, the stator winding 411 has a plurality of coil modules 450, each of which has a substantially Z-shaped partial winding 451, but compared to the second embodiment, the shape of the insulating covers 460, 470 is different. In addition, in this embodiment, in each coil module 450 arranged in two stages in the axial direction, the configuration of the insulating covers 460, 470 differs between the upper stage side and the lower stage side. Therefore, in the following description, for convenience, the coil module 450 on the lower stage side is also referred to as the "lower stage module 450A" and the coil module 450 on the upper stage side is also referred to as the "upper stage module 450B". In addition, in order to clarify the difference in configuration between the lower stage module 450A and the upper stage module 450B, the insulating covers 460, 470 of the lower stage module 450A are also referred to as the "insulating covers 460A, 470A" and the insulating covers 460, 470 of the upper stage module 450B are also referred to as the "insulating covers 460B, 470B". Each insulating cover 460, 470 has an outer cover material 461, 471 and an inner cover material 462, 472, similar to the second embodiment.

Figure 58(a) is an oblique view of the lower module 450A, and Figure 58(b) is an oblique view of the upper module 450B.

As shown in FIG. 58(a), the insulating cover 460A of the lower module 450A is provided with a bracket portion 501 with a portion protruding in the circumferential direction. The bracket portion 501 is provided with a boss portion 502 extending in the axial direction, and the boss portion 502 is provided with a through hole 503. The insulating cover 470A of the lower module 450A is provided with a bracket portion 504 with a portion protruding radially inward. The bracket portion 504 is provided with a through hole 505 in the protruding portion.

As shown in FIG. 58(b), the insulating cover 460B of the upper module 450B is provided with a bracket portion 511 with a portion protruding radially outward. The bracket portion 511 is provided with a boss portion 512 extending in the axial direction, and the boss portion 512 is provided with a through hole 513. The insulating cover 470B of the upper module 450B is provided with a bracket portion 514 with a portion protruding radially inward. The bracket portion 514 is provided with a through hole 515 in its protruding portion.

Note that in Figures 58(a) and (b), parts of the bracket parts 501, 504, 511, and 514 are hidden within the insulating covers 460 and 470 and cannot be seen, but each of these bracket parts 501, 504, 511, and 514 has a bent part that is bent at the end on the radially opposite side from the protruding side, similar to the configuration described above.

Figures 59(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the positional relationship between the partial windings 451 of each module 450A, 450B and the bracket parts 501, 504, 511, and 514 in the stator winding 411. Of these, Figure 59(a) is a perspective view of the assembled state of the three partial windings 451 as seen from the radial inside, and Figure 59(b) is a perspective view of the assembled state of the same three partial windings 451 as seen from the radial outside.

As shown in Figures 59(a) and (b), at one axial end (upper side of the figure), the bosses 502, 512 of the bracket parts 501, 511 that overlap in the axial direction are connected to each other, and the through holes 503, 513 of the boss parts 502, 512 communicate with each other. At the other axial end (lower side of the figure), the through holes 505, 515 of the bracket parts 504, 514 that overlap in the axial direction are aligned with each other.

As shown in FIG. 55, at one axial end, the bracket parts 501, 511 that overlap in the axial direction are joined to the stator holder 420 by a joining member 521. More specifically, the bracket parts 501, 511 are joined with the joining member 521 inserted into the through holes 503, 513 of the boss parts 502, 512. The joining member 521 is, for example, a metal bolt, and the bolt is threaded into the female thread formed in the through hole 513 of each boss part 512 with the bolt communicating with the through holes 503, 513 of each boss part 502, 512 from the boss part 502 side.

The bosses 502 and 512 may have projections and recesses on their joining surfaces, and the projections and recesses may be engaged to position them relative to each other. This makes it easier to position each coil module 450 when it is assembled.

At the other axial end, the bracket parts 504, 514 that overlap in the axial direction are joined to the stator holder 420 by a joining member 522. More specifically, the bracket parts 504, 514 are joined with the joining member 522 inserted through the through holes 505, 515 of the bracket parts 504, 514. The joining member 522 is, for example, a metal fixing pin.

When the coil modules 450 are assembled, the six coil modules 450 on the lower side are arranged in a circumferential direction on the core assembly CB, and then the six coil modules 450 on the upper side are arranged in a circumferential direction. The state in which the coil modules 450 on the lower side are arranged is shown in FIG. 60, and the state in which the coil modules 450 on the upper side are arranged is shown in FIG. 55. In the state shown in FIG. 55, the bracket parts 501 and 511 provided on each insulating cover 460A and 460B at one axial end side are mechanically connected to the core assembly CB by a connecting member 521, and the bracket parts 504 and 514 provided on each insulating cover 470A and 470B at the other axial end side are mechanically connected to the core assembly CB by a connecting member 522. This fixes each coil module 450 to the core assembly CB.

In this embodiment, the boss portions 502, 512 of the bracket portions 501, 511 of the insulating covers 460A, 460B are joined to each other in the axial direction, and the joining member 521 is inserted into the hollow portion of each of the boss portions 502, 512, and the bracket portions 501, 511 are joined by the joining member 521. In this case, by joining the boss portions 502, 512, the relative distance between each of the insulating covers 460A, 460B in the axial direction is kept constant, and each of the insulating covers 460, 470 can be joined to the core assembly CB in an appropriate state.

Below, we will explain modified examples of the second and third embodiments.

- For example, in the second embodiment, the bracket parts 465, 475 of the insulating covers 460, 470 may be mechanically coupled to the core assembly CB without using coupling members 481, 482 separate from the bracket parts 465, 475. For example, as shown in FIG. 61, in a configuration in which each insulating cover 460 overlaps in the axial direction and has bracket parts 465X, 465Y, a bent part 531 formed by bending in the axial direction is provided at the tip of the bracket part 465X on the axially outer side, and the bent part 531 may be fixed to the recess 427 on the stator holder 420 side with the bent part 531 inserted into the through hole of the bracket part 465Y.

- In the above configuration, each partial winding 451 is formed into a substantially Z-shape when viewed from the side, and the partial windings 451 are arranged in two axially stacked rows, one above the other, but this configuration may be modified. For example, in the configuration of FIG. 62, the partial windings 451 are provided in two different shapes, one of which is substantially I-shaped when viewed from the side, and the other of which is substantially C-shaped when viewed from the side. Each partial winding 451 is then assembled to the core assembly CB. Note that FIG. 62 shows a simplified view of the bracket portions 465, 475 and the coupling members 481, 482 included in the insulating covers 460, 470.

In FIG. 62, one partial winding 451 has a shape in which the bridge portions 453, 454 are not bent in the radial direction. In addition, in the unbent bridge portions 453, 454, the bent portions 465c, 475c of the bracket portions 465, 475 face the bridge portions 453, 454 in the radial direction, similar to the bent bridge portions 453, 454.

- Figure 63 shows a configuration applied to a stator with an outer rotor structure. As already mentioned, in Figure 63, the bracket parts 465, 475 protruding from the insulating covers 460, 470 are mechanically connected to the core assembly CB.

-As the rotating electric machine MG, instead of a rotating field type rotating electric machine in which the field element is the rotor and the armature is the stator, it is also possible to adopt a rotating armature type rotating electric machine in which the armature is the rotor and the field element is the stator.

Fourth Embodiment
The configuration of a rotating electric machine in the fourth embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, a characteristic configuration is added to the stator winding of the stator, and the conductor space factor is improved in a stator having a teethless structure. Here, the stator unit 50 of the rotating electric machine 10 described in the first embodiment is used as the basic configuration, and the configuration that is different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

As explained above with reference to Figures 10 and 11, the stator unit 50 has a stator 60 and a stator holder 70 located radially inside the stator 60, and the stator 60 has a stator winding 61 and a stator core 62. The stator core 62 and the stator holder 70 are integrated to provide a core assembly CA as a winding support member, and multiple partial windings 151 that make up the stator winding 61 are assembled to the core assembly CA.

The stator 60 is applied to an outer rotor type rotating electric machine 10, and is assembled with a plurality of partial windings 151 constituting the stator winding 61 arranged in the circumferential direction on the radial outside of the core assembly CA, i.e., on the radial outside of the stator core 62. The partial windings 151 have a pair of intermediate conductor portions 152 extending in the axial direction, and transition portions 153, 154 provided on one and the other axial ends, which connect the pair of intermediate conductor portions 152 in a ring shape.

As shown in Figures 17 and 18, the partial winding 151 includes a first partial winding 151A and a second partial winding 151B that are different in shape, with the first coil module 150A being formed by the first partial winding 151A and the second coil module 150B being formed by the second partial winding 151B. More specifically, the coil modules 150A and 150B are configured such that insulating covers 161 to 164 are attached to the crossover sections 153 and 154 at both axial ends of each partial winding 151A and 151B, respectively, and each intermediate conductor section 152 is covered with a sheet-like insulating covering 157, specifically, an insulating covering 157 made of a film material of a certain thickness.

However, in this embodiment, the number of partial windings 151 (coil modules 150) constituting the stator winding 61 has been changed in comparison with the configuration in FIG. 10 etc. Specifically, the number of partial windings 151 (coil modules 150) in the stator unit 50 shown in FIG. 10 etc. is 36 in total, whereas the number of partial windings 151 (coil modules 150) in the stator unit 50 of this embodiment is 12 in total.

Figure 64 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the intermediate conductor portions 152 on the radially outer side of the core assembly CA. Note that in Figure 64, the core assembly CA is shown in cylindrical cross section. The straight lines LX1, LX2, and LX3 in the figure extend radially from the stator center point C and pass between the intermediate conductor portions 152, and are equal-angled lines extending radially from the stator center point C at equal angular intervals. If the number of intermediate conductor portions 152 arranged in the circumferential direction is M, then the straight lines LX1 to LX3 are determined every "360/M" degrees.

In the intermediate conductor section 152, multiple conductor wires CR are arranged vertically and horizontally and wound in multiple layers, and the cross section of the conductor assembly is rectangular. The intermediate conductor section 152 is covered with an insulating cover 157 as an insulating member, and each intermediate conductor section 152 is arranged with the insulating cover 157 in contact or close to each other.

In FIG. 64, the intermediate conductor portions 152 arranged in the circumferential direction are respectively designated as conductor portions D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6. In this case, "conductor portions D1, D4" are a pair of intermediate conductor portions 152 in the same partial winding 151 (second partial winding 151B), and "conductor portions D3, D6" are a pair of intermediate conductor portions 152 in the same partial winding 151 (first partial winding 151A).

Figure 65(a) shows the cross-sectional shape of the intermediate conductor portion 152 in the first partial winding 151A, and Figure 65(b) shows the cross-sectional shape of the intermediate conductor portion 152 in the second partial winding 151B. In Figures 65(a) and (b), line LX1 is a line extending radially from the stator center point C at the circumferential center position of the first partial winding 151A, and line LX2 is a line extending radially from the stator center point C at the circumferential center position of the second partial winding 151B. In the first partial winding 151A, the line at the circumferential end position is the "line LX2", and in the second partial winding 151B, the line at the circumferential end position is the "line LX1".

The first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B have mutually different cross-sectional shapes of the intermediate conductor portion 152. In detail, in each partial winding 151A, 151B, the intermediate conductor portion 152 has circumferential side surfaces 601, 602 that face each other in the circumferential direction, of which the circumferential side surface 601 is the side surface that forms the annular outer side of the partial winding 151, and the circumferential side surface 602 is the side surface that forms the annular inner side of the partial winding 151. In the following description, the annular outer circumferential side surface 601 is also referred to as the "outer side surface 601" and the annular inner circumferential side surface 602 is also referred to as the "inner side surface 602".

As shown in FIG. 65(a), the first partial winding 151A is configured such that the outer side surface 601 of the intermediate conductor portion 152 extends parallel to the straight line LX2, and the inner side surface 602 of the intermediate conductor portion 152 extends parallel to the parallel line LY that is parallel to the straight line LX2. In this case, in the first partial winding 151A, the outer side surface 601 and the inner side surface 602 of the intermediate conductor portion 152 are parallel to each other, and the cross-sectional shape of the intermediate conductor portion 152 is approximately a parallelogram.

As shown in FIG. 65(b), the second partial winding 151B is configured such that the outer side surface 601 of the intermediate conductor portion 152 extends parallel to the straight line LX1, and the inner side surface 602 of the intermediate conductor portion 152 extends parallel to the parallel line LY that is parallel to the straight line LX2. In this case, in the second partial winding 151B, the outer side surface 601 and the inner side surface 602 of the intermediate conductor portion 152 are not parallel to each other, and the cross-sectional shape of the intermediate conductor portion 152 is approximately trapezoidal.

Comparing the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B, the intermediate conductor portion 152 of the first partial winding 151A has the same circumferential width dimension on the radially outer side as the circumferential width dimension on the radially inner side, whereas the intermediate conductor portion 152 of the second partial winding 151B has a circumferential width dimension on the radially outer side that is larger than the circumferential width dimension on the radially inner side.

When the partial windings 151A, 151B are assembled to the core assembly CA, as shown in FIG. 64, the circumferentially adjacent intermediate conductor portions 152 have their circumferentially opposing outer side surfaces 601 and inner side surfaces 602 facing each other and parallel to each other with the insulating cover 157 interposed therebetween. In this case, in particular, the outer side surfaces 601 of each intermediate conductor portion 152 are parallel to the straight lines LX1, LX2 that pass between the two opposing outer side surfaces 601. In contrast, the inner side surfaces 602 of the intermediate conductor portions 152 are non-parallel to the straight line LX3 that passes between the two opposing inner side surfaces 602.

The configuration of the stator winding 61 is explained in more detail below.

Figures 66(a) and (b) are front views showing the assembly state of the partial windings 151A and 151B to the core assembly CA, of which Figure 66(a) shows the partial windings 151A and 151B in a separated state, and Figure 66(b) shows the partial windings 151A and 151B in an assembled state. Note that for ease of explanation, Figures 66(a) and (b) omit the insulating covers 161-164 and insulating coating 157 of the coil modules 150A and 150B, and show only the partial windings 151A and 151B.

The partial windings 151A and 151B have different axial lengths and different end shapes (transfer portion shapes) on both axial sides. The first partial winding 151A is roughly C-shaped in side view, and the second partial winding 151B is roughly I-shaped in side view. In Figures 66(a) and (b), the dotted parts indicate the conductor parts at the ends of the transition portions of the partial windings 151A and 151B. When the partial windings 151A and 151B are assembled, the intermediate conductor portions 152 are aligned in the circumferential direction, and the transition portions 153 and 154 overlap in the axial direction.

The first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B are assembled to the core assembly CA in a different order, with the first partial winding 151A, which has bent portions at both axial ends, being assembled to the core assembly CA first, and then the second partial winding 151B, which does not have bent portions at both axial ends, being assembled from the radially outer side. The multiple (six in this embodiment) first partial windings 151A are the partial windings 151 of the first winding group G1 that are pre-attached, and the multiple (six in this embodiment) second partial windings 151B are the partial windings 151 of the second winding group G2 that are post-attached.

In each winding group G1, G2, the bridge portions 153, 153 of the partial winding 151 are arranged in two axial stages. That is, in the first partial winding 151A of the first winding group G1, the bridge portions 153, 154 are lined up in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and in the second partial winding 151B of the second winding group G2, the bridge portions 153, 154 are lined up in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and the bridge portions of each winding group G1, G2 overlap each other in the axial direction.

Figure 67 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the assembly of the partial windings 151A, 151B to the core assembly CA. For ease of explanation, only the partial windings 151A, 151B are shown in Figure 67, and the intermediate conductor portions 152 of each partial winding 151A, 151B are marked with dots.

The partial windings 151 are arranged in the circumferential direction with one intermediate conductor portion of each of the other two partial windings 151 interposed between a pair of intermediate conductor portions 152. In this case, as shown in FIG. 67, when the first partial winding 151A is pre-attached to the core assembly CA, the intermediate conductor portions 152 are installed in 12 (N) of the 24 (2N) intermediate conductor portions 152 arranged in the circumferential direction. Then, the second partial winding 151B is assembled so that the intermediate conductor portions 152 are installed in the remaining 12 (N) installation spaces. In this embodiment, the second partial winding 151B is assembled from the opposite side of the core assembly CA in the radial direction, i.e., from the radial outside.

However, if the cross-sectional shape of the intermediate conductor portion 152 of the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B were the same, there is a concern that assembly would be difficult. Also, in order to improve the conductor space factor of the stator winding 61, it is desirable to reduce the gap between the intermediate conductor portions 152 arranged in the circumferential direction, but it is thought that reducing the gap would significantly increase the difficulty of assembly.

In this regard, in the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shapes of the intermediate conductor portion 152 of the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B are made different, thereby improving the conductor space factor and improving the ease of assembly of the partial winding 151. The configuration will be described below together with the manufacturing method of the stator 60.

Figure 68(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the first partial winding 151A is pre-attached to the core assembly CA, and Figure 68(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the second partial winding 151B is further attached later.

As shown in FIG. 68(a), the first partial windings 151A are arranged in the circumferential direction on the radial outside of the core assembly CA (corresponding to the first step). At this time, the outer side surfaces 601 of the intermediate conductor portions 152 of the two circumferentially adjacent first partial windings 151A are arranged in close proximity to each other (more specifically, in close proximity via the insulating cover 157). In addition, the outer side surfaces 601 of the two intermediate conductor portions 152 of the circumferentially adjacent first partial windings 151A face each other and are parallel to the straight line LX2 passing between the two intermediate conductor portions 152. By assembling the first partial windings 151A, the crossover portions 153, 154 of the first partial windings 151A are arranged in the circumferential direction at the same axial position.

Then, the second partial winding 151B is assembled to the core assembly CA from the radial outside (corresponding to the second process). At this time, the inner side surface 602 on the first partial winding 151A side, which is attached in advance, and the inner side surface 602 on the second partial winding 151B side, which is attached later, are both parallel to the straight line LX2 at the circumferential center position of the second partial winding 151B, so that the second partial winding 151B can be assembled along the inner side surface 602 on the first partial winding 151A side. By assembling the second partial winding 151B, the crossover portions 153 and 154 of the second partial winding 151B are aligned in the circumferential direction at the same axial position. The crossover portions 153 and 154 of the partial windings 151A and 151B overlap each other in the axial direction.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 68(b), the intermediate conductor parts 152 of each partial winding 151A, 151B are arranged in a row on the radial outside of the core assembly CA. In other words, the intermediate conductor parts 152 are arranged in a row such that one intermediate conductor part 152 of each of the two second partial windings 151B is interposed between a pair of intermediate conductor parts 152 of the first partial winding 151A. At this time, the outer side surfaces 601 of the intermediate conductor parts 152 of the two circumferentially adjacent second partial windings 151B are arranged in close proximity to each other (more specifically, in close proximity via the insulating cover 157). In addition, the outer side surfaces 601 of the two intermediate conductor parts 152 of the circumferentially adjacent second partial windings 151B face each other and are parallel to the straight line LX1 passing between the two intermediate conductor parts 152 (see FIG. 64).

In addition, at the boundary where the intermediate conductor portion 152 of the first partial winding 151A and the intermediate conductor portion 152 of the second partial winding 151B are aligned in the circumferential direction, the inner side surface 602 of the two aligned intermediate conductor portions 152 is non-parallel to the straight line LX3 that passes between the two intermediate conductor portions 152 (see FIG. 64).

The present embodiment described above provides the following excellent effects:

In the teethless stator 60, multiple partial windings 151 are arranged in a circumferential direction, and the circumferential side surfaces 601, 602 of the circumferentially adjacent intermediate conductor portions 152 are parallel to each other. In this case, compared to a configuration in which the circumferential side surfaces 601, 602 are non-parallel to each other, it is advantageous in reducing the gap between the intermediate conductor portions 152, and it is possible to preferably improve the conductor space factor. As a result, it is possible to improve the conductor space factor in the rotating electric machine 10 using the teethless stator 60.

The intermediate conductor parts 152 arranged in the circumferential direction include an outer side surface 601 that extends radially from the stator center point C and is parallel to the straight lines LX1 and LX2 that pass between the intermediate conductor parts 152. This allows the intermediate conductor parts 152 to be arranged evenly or nearly evenly while reducing the gaps between the intermediate conductor parts 152.

In a configuration in which the first partial winding 151A is first assembled to the core assembly CA and the second partial winding 151B is then assembled, if the cross-sectional shapes of the intermediate conductor portions 152 of the partial windings 151A and 151B are the same, there is a concern that assembly may be difficult. In addition, in a configuration in which the gaps between the intermediate conductor portions 152 are reduced to improve the conductor space factor as described above, it is thought that the difficulty of assembly will become more pronounced.

In this regard, the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B are configured to have different cross-sectional shapes at the intermediate conductor portion 152. This makes it possible to reduce the gap between the intermediate conductor portions to improve the conductor space factor, while taking into account that the intermediate conductor portion 152 of the first partial winding 151A, which is pre-attached to the core assembly CA, already exists (i.e., the installation location of the intermediate conductor portion 152 to be attached later is specified), and thus makes it possible to suitably assemble the second partial winding 151B to be attached later.

In each of the first winding group G1 and the second winding group G2, in the portion where the first partial windings 151A or the second partial windings 151B are adjacent to each other, the outer side surfaces 601 of the two intermediate conductor portions 152 are configured to extend radially from the stator center point C and to be parallel to the straight lines LX1, LX2 passing between the two intermediate conductor portions 152. In this case, the first partial windings 151A included in the first winding group G1 have the same assembly conditions, while the second partial windings 151B included in the second winding group G2 have the same assembly conditions, and the partial windings having the same assembly conditions are assembled in an evenly distributed manner in the circumferential direction.

The two intermediate conductor parts 152 of the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B arranged in the circumferential direction are configured so that their inner side surfaces 602 extend radially from the stator center point C and are non-parallel to the straight line LX3 passing between the two intermediate conductor parts 152. This makes it possible to suppress the inconvenience of the later-attached second partial winding 151B interfering with the previously-attached first partial winding 151A, even in a configuration in which the gap (margin) between the intermediate conductor parts 152 is small.

The insulating coating 157 is interposed between the intermediate conductors 152 arranged in the circumferential direction. In particular, a film material of a constant thickness is used as the insulating coating 157. This configuration allows proper insulation between the intermediate conductors 152, i.e., interphase insulation. In addition, the circumferential side surfaces of the intermediate conductors 152 adjacent to each other in the stator winding 61 that face each other in the circumferential direction are parallel to each other. Therefore, when a film material of a constant thickness is used as the insulating coating 157, the gaps between the intermediate conductors 152 can be easily filled, and each intermediate conductor 152 can be appropriately fixed.

The partial windings 151 of the stator winding 61 are a first partial winding 151A that is roughly C-shaped in side view and a second partial winding 151B that is roughly I-shaped in side view, which are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction with some overlapping each other. In this configuration, the second partial winding 151B that is later installed is assembled from the radially outside to the first partial winding 151A that is previously installed. In this case, by configuring the intermediate conductor portion 152 of each partial winding 151A, 151B to have different cross-sectional shapes as described above, it is possible to improve the ease of assembly of each partial winding 151A, 151B.

(Modification of the fourth embodiment)
The configuration of each of the partial windings 151A, 151B of the stator winding 61 may be changed as follows.

In the configuration shown in Fig. 69(a) and (b), the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B are both substantially C-shaped in side view, and have different lengths (axial lengths) in the axial direction. That is, the crossover parts 153, 154 on both axial sides of each of these partial windings 151A, 151B are formed by bending radially toward the core assembly CA side (the opposite side of the magnet unit 22 of the rotor 20). In addition, the axial length of the second partial winding 151B is longer than the axial length of the first partial winding 151A, so that at one and the other axial ends, the crossover parts 153, 154 of the first partial winding 151A are on the axial inner side, and the crossover parts 153, 154 of the second partial winding 151B are on the axial outer side. Then, with the first partial winding 151A attached to the core assembly CA in advance, the second partial winding 151B is assembled from the radial outer side.

In the configuration shown in Figures 70(a) and (b), the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B are both roughly Z-shaped in side view. In other words, in each of these partial windings 151A, 151B, the crossover portions 153, 154 on both axial sides are bent in opposite directions in the radial direction. Each partial winding 151A, 151B has the same shape in side view, and is assembled to the core assembly CA with the axial assembly positions shifted from each other. The second partial winding 151B is assembled from the radial outside with the first partial winding 151A attached to the core assembly CA first.

In the configuration shown in Figures 71(a) and (b), the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B are both approximately L-shaped in side view. In other words, only one axial end of each of these partial windings 151A and 151B is bent radially, with the jumper portion 153 of the first partial winding 151A being bent toward the core assembly CA, and the jumper portion 154 of the second partial winding 151B being bent toward the opposite side of the core assembly CA. Then, with the first partial winding 151A pre-attached to the core assembly CA, the second partial winding 151B is assembled from the radially outer side.

In the configuration shown in Figs. 72(a) and (b), the first partial winding 151A and the second partial winding 151B are both substantially C-shaped in side view, and are assembled in opposite directions in the radial direction. That is, in the first partial winding 151A, the crossover portions 153 and 154 on both axial sides are bent toward the core assembly CA, and in the second partial winding 151B, the crossover portions 153 and 154 on both axial sides are bent toward the opposite side of the core assembly CA. Then, with the first partial winding 151A attached to the core assembly CA in advance, the second partial winding 151B is assembled from the radial outside. In the configuration shown in Fig. 72, the crossover portions 153 and 154 of the first partial winding 151A and the crossover portions 153 and 154 of the second partial winding 151B overlap each other in the radial direction.

In each of the configurations shown in Figures 69 to 72 above, it is preferable that each partial winding 151A, 151B has a configuration as shown in Figure 64. Also, in the configurations shown in Figures 70 to 72, in addition to assembling the second partial winding 151B from the radial direction, it is also possible to assemble the second partial winding 151B from the axial direction.

- For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 65(a), in the first partial winding 151A, the circumferential width dimension on the radially outer side of the intermediate conductor portion 152 is equal to the circumferential width dimension on the radially inner side, but this may be changed. In the first partial winding 151A, the circumferential width dimension on the radially outer side of the intermediate conductor portion 152 may be smaller than the circumferential width dimension on the radially inner side.

The configuration of this embodiment for improving the conductor space factor can be adopted in the stator unit 400 described in the second embodiment and the stator unit 500 described in the third embodiment. Specifically, in each partial winding 451 of the stator winding 411, the circumferentially adjacent intermediate conductor portions 452 may have their circumferentially opposing circumferential side surfaces parallel to each other. In addition, the partial winding 451 corresponding to the first partial winding and the partial winding 451 corresponding to the second partial winding may have different cross-sectional shapes at the intermediate conductor portions 452. A more detailed configuration is as described above.

-Instead of a rotating field type rotating electric machine in which the field element is the rotor and the armature is the stator, it is also possible to adopt a rotating armature type rotating electric machine in which the armature is the rotor and the field element is the stator as the rotating electric machine 10.

The disclosure in this specification is not limited to the exemplified embodiments. The disclosure includes the exemplified embodiments and modifications based thereon by those skilled in the art. For example, the disclosure is not limited to the combination of parts and/or elements shown in the embodiments. The disclosure can be implemented in various combinations. The disclosure can have additional parts that can be added to the embodiments. The disclosure includes the omission of parts and/or elements of the embodiments. The disclosure includes the substitution or combination of parts and/or elements between one embodiment and another embodiment. The technical scope of the disclosure is not limited to the description of the embodiments. Some technical scopes disclosed are indicated by the description of the claims, and should be interpreted as including all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the description of the claims.

10... rotating electric machine, 20... rotor (field element), 60... stator (armature), 61... stator winding (armature winding), 151... partial winding, 152... intermediate conductor section, 153, 154... crossover section, 601, 602... circumferential side surface, CA... core assembly (winding support member).

Claims (6)

A field element (20) having a plurality of magnetic poles;
a toothless armature (60) including a polyphase armature winding (61) including a plurality of partial windings (151) and a winding support member (CA) provided on one of the radially inner side and the radially outer side of the armature winding opposite to the field element and supporting the plurality of partial windings;
A rotating electric machine (10) comprising:
The partial winding has a pair of intermediate conductor portions (152) extending in the axial direction, and transition portions (153, 154) provided at one and the other axial ends thereof and annularly connecting the pair of intermediate conductor portions, and is arranged side by side in the circumferential direction with the intermediate conductor portions of the other two partial windings interposed between each of the pair of intermediate conductor portions ,
Of the total N partial windings (N is an even number), N/2 partial windings are first partial windings (151A) of a first winding group (G1), and the remaining N/2 partial windings are second partial windings (151B) of a second winding group (G2), and the jumper portions of the first partial windings in the first winding group are aligned in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, while the jumper portions of the second partial windings in the second winding group are aligned in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and the jumper portions of the first partial winding and the jumper portions of the second partial winding overlap each other in the axial or radial direction,
A rotating electric machine in which the cross-sectional shapes of the intermediate conductor portion are different between the first partial winding and the second partial winding, and the intermediate conductor portions adjacent in the circumferential direction have circumferentially opposing circumferential side surfaces (601, 602) that are parallel to each other. In the first winding group, two of the intermediate conductor portions adjacent in the circumferential direction have circumferential side surfaces (601) on the annular outer sides of the partial windings opposed to each other and parallel to a straight line (LX2) that extends radially from a center point of the armature and passes between the two intermediate conductor portions,
2. The rotating electric machine according to claim 1, wherein in the two circumferentially adjacent intermediate conductor portions in the second winding group, the circumferential side surfaces (601) on the annular outer sides of the partial windings face each other and are parallel to a straight line (LX1) that extends radially from a center point of the armature and passes between the two intermediate conductor portions. an intermediate conductor portion of the first partial winding and an intermediate conductor portion of the second partial winding are arranged side by side in a circumferential direction,
3. The rotating electric machine according to claim 2, wherein in the two intermediate conductor portions arranged in the circumferential direction, the circumferential side surface (602) on the annular inner side of the partial winding is non-parallel to a straight line (LX3) extending radially from a center point of the armature and passing between the two intermediate conductor portions. the first winding group is a winding group that is first assembled to the winding support member, and the second winding group is a winding group that is assembled to the winding support member after the first winding group is assembled,
3. The rotating electric machine according to claim 2, wherein an intermediate conductor portion of the first partial winding and an intermediate conductor portion of the second partial winding are arranged in a circumferential direction, and in the two intermediate conductor portions arranged in a circumferential direction, the circumferential side surface (602) on an annular inner side of the partial winding is non-parallel to a straight line (LX3) that extends radially from a center point of the armature and passes between the two intermediate conductor portions. The rotating electric machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein an insulating member (157) is interposed between the intermediate conductor portions arranged in the circumferential direction. A field element (20) having a plurality of magnetic poles;
a toothless armature (60) including a polyphase armature winding (61) including a plurality of partial windings (151) and a winding support member (CA) provided on one of the radially inner side and the radially outer side of the armature winding opposite to the field element and supporting the plurality of partial windings;
A manufacturing method for a rotating electric machine (10) comprising:
The partial winding has a pair of intermediate conductor portions (152) extending in the axial direction, and transition portions (153, 154) provided at one and the other axial ends thereof and annularly connecting the pair of intermediate conductor portions,
Of the total N partial windings (N is an even number), N/2 partial windings are first partial windings (151A) of a first winding group (G1), and the remaining N/2 partial windings are second partial windings (151B) of a second winding group (G2),
the first partial winding and the second partial winding have different cross-sectional shapes at the intermediate conductor portions, and are arranged in the circumferential direction such that circumferential side surfaces (601, 602) facing each other in the circumferential direction at the intermediate conductor portions adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are parallel to each other,
a first step of assembling the first partial winding to the winding support member in a state in which the jumper portions of the first partial winding are aligned in a circumferential direction at the same axial position;
a second step of subsequently assembling the second partial winding in a radial or axial direction to the winding support member in a state in which each of the intermediate conductor portions of the second partial winding is interposed between the pair of intermediate conductor portions of the first partial winding, the crossover portions of the second partial winding are arranged in the circumferential direction at the same axial position, and the crossover portions of the first partial winding and the crossover portions of the second partial winding overlap each other in the axial or radial direction;
A manufacturing method of a rotating electric machine having the above structure.

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