KR20210083341A - Stator and rotor design for cyclic torque requirements - Google Patents

Abstract

A motor or generator comprising a rotor and a stator is disclosed. The rotor has an axis of rotation and is configured to produce a first magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation, the stator is configured to produce a second magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation, and wherein at least one of the rotor or stator is non-uniform about the axis of rotation. and generate a distributed magnetic flux profile. Also disclosed is a method involving generating one or more magnetic fluxes that produce windings of a stator non-uniformly about an axis of rotation of a rotor of an axial flux motor or generator.

Description

Stator and rotor design for cyclic torque requirements

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62/754,051 (titled PLANAR STATOR AND ROTOR DESIGN FOR PERIODIC TORQUE REQUIREMENTS, filed November 1, 2018) to 35 U.S.C. assert under § 119(e). This application is also a continuation-in-part application and has the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16/378,294 entitled STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING LOSSES IN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS, filed April 8, 2019, to 35 U.S.C. § 120, the primary application is U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16/165,745 entitled STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING LOSSES IN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS, filed October 19, 2018, presently U.S. Patent No. 10,256,690 subparagraph) is a continuation application of 35 USC § 120, the basic application is U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/852,972 entitled PLANAR COMPOSITE STRUCTURES AND ASSEMBLIES FOR AXIAL FLUX MOTORS AND GENERATORS, filed December 22, 2017, presently U.S. Patent No. 10,170,953) is a continuation application of which 35 USC § 120, the basic application is of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62/530,552 entitled STRUCTURES AND METHODS OF STACKING SUBASSEMBLIES IN PLANAR COMPOSITE STATORS TO OBTAIN HIGHER WORKING VOLTAGES, filed July 10, 2017. Gain 35 USC § 119 (as claimed under e, and also U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/611,359 entitled STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING LOSSES IN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS, filed July 1, 2017, now U.S. Patent No. 9,859,763 ) is a continuation-in-part application and claims the benefit of it under 35 USC § 120, which is based on (A) US Patent Application Serial No. 15/283,088 entitled STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING LOSSES IN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS; Filed on: September 30, 2016, as of September 30, 2016, a continuation-in-part of and claiming the benefit of, current U.S. Patent No. 9,800,109, under 35 USC § 120, said base application being U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/199,527 (Title of the Invention) : STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR THERMAL MANAGEMENT IN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD STATORS, filed on June 30, 2016, as a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent No. 9,673,684 as of June 30, 2016, claiming its benefits under 35 USC § 120; Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/236,407 (Title of the Invention: STRUCTURES TO REDUCE LOSSES IN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD WINDINGS, Filed on October 2, 2015) and (2) U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/236,422 (Invention of Claims the respective benefits of title: STRUCTURES FOR THERMAL MANAGEMENT IN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD STATORS, filed October 2, 2015) under 35 USC § 119(e), and (B) U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/208,452 (Title of the invention: APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FORMING A MAGNET A SSEMBLY, filed on July 12, 2016, as of July 12, 2016, is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent No. 9,673,688 and claims the benefit of 35 U.S.C. § 120, the basic application benefits from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/275,653, entitled ALIGNMNET OF MAGNETIC COMPONENTS IN AXIAL FLUX MACHINES WITH GENERALLY PLANAR WINDINGS, filed January 6, 2016. 35 USC assert under § 119(e). This application is also a continuation-in-part application and benefits from U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/983,985 entitled PRE-WARPED ROTORS FOR CONTROL OF MAGNET-STATOR GAP IN AXIAL FLUX MACHINES, filed May 18, 2018 35 USC § 120, published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2018/0351441, said preliminary application comprising (1) U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/515,251 entitled PRE-WARPED ROTORS FOR CONTROL OF MAGNET -STATOR GAP IN AXIAL FLUX MACHINES, filed on June 5, 2017) and (2) U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/515,256 (Title: AIR CIRCULATION IN AXIAL FLUX MACHINES, filed on June 5, 2017) ) each gain of 35 USC assert under § 119(e). The contents of each of the foregoing applications, publications, and patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

Permanent magnet axial flux motors and generators described by several patents, including U.S. Patent No. 7,109,625 (the "'625 patent"), are generally planar Features a planar printed circuit board stator (PCS). This printed circuit board stator has a hole through which the shaft connecting the rotor passes when supported against a frame fixed from the outer edge of the stator. An alternative embodiment reverses the roles of the inner and outer radii, creating a situation in which the inner radius of the stator is supported and the rotor surrounds the stator. In this configuration, the shaft effectively travels to an outer radius, sometimes referred to as an "out-runner."

This Summary is provided to introduce a collection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features, or to limit the scope of the claims contained herein.

In some of the disclosed embodiments, the motor or generator includes a rotor and a stator, the rotor having an axis of rotation and configured to produce a first magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation, the stator generating a second magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation wherein at least one of the rotor or the stator is configured to produce a non-uniformly distributed magnetic flux profile about an axis of rotation.

In another disclosed embodiment, a method involves arranging one or more magnetic fluxes to create windings of a stator non-uniformly about an axis of rotation of a rotor of an axial flux motor or generator.

In another disclosed embodiment, a rotor used in a motor or generator includes a support structure and one or more magnet portions supported by the support structure and generating a first magnetic flux parallel to an axis of rotation, wherein a second magnetism parallel to the axis of rotation is provided. The support structure rotates about an axis of rotation when assembled with a stator that generates the flux, and the one or more magnet portions are constructed and arranged to produce a non-uniformly distributed magnetic flux profile about the axis of rotation.

The objects, aspects, features and advantages of the embodiments disclosed herein will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which like reference signs identify like or identical elements. Reference signs introduced into the specification in connection with the drawings may be repeated in one or more subsequent drawings without further description in the specification to provide context for other features, and all components may be labeled in all drawings. it is not The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed on illustrating embodiments, principles, and concepts. The drawings are not intended to limit the claims contained herein.
1A illustrates an embodiment of an axial flux motor or generator that may employ some aspects of the present disclosure;
Fig. 1B is an enlarged view showing the components of the axial flux motor or generator shown in Fig. 1A and means for assembling these components;
Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing three printed circuit board stators having the same area but different configurations;
3 shows how a number of stator parts may be arranged for fabrication on a printed circuit board panel of standard dimensions;
Fig. 4 shows how a subset of the stator parts shown in Fig. 3 would appear if the stator parts were arranged in an edge-to-edge manner on the circuit board panel shown in Fig. 3;
5 illustrates an exemplary arrangement of a stator portion relative to a magnet on a rotor in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure;
Figure 6 is the same arrangement as Figure 5, but with the rotor at an angle where the stator portion overlaps the magnet portion providing the peak torque;
7 illustrates an exemplary arrangement of multiple stator portions relative to magnets on a rotor in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure; and
8 illustrates a cross-section of an exemplary embodiment of an axial flux motor integrated with and configured with a laundry machine load in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Conventional axial flux motors or generators, such as US Pat. No. 7,109,625; 9,673,688; 9,800,109; 9,673,684; and 10,170,953, as well as in the axial flux motor or generator disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. 2018-0351441 A1 ("'441 Publication"), the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. ), the magnetic flux generating component of the stator, whether or not composed of a single continuous printed circuit board or multiple printed circuit board parts, is energized by the stator at any given time when the windings of the stator are activated by an electric current. It is arranged so that the positions of the generated peak magnetic fluxes are uniformly distributed with respect to the angles about the rotational axis of the rotor. Similarly, in such machines, the magnetic flux generating component of the rotor, whether or not comprised of individual magnets or ring magnets disposed in pockets, at any given point in time, ensures that the position of the peak magnetic flux generated by the rotor is similarly It is arranged to be uniformly distributed with respect to an angle about the rotational axis of the rotor. Thus, in all such machines, at any given time the machine is in operation, the position of the peak magnetic flux produced by each of the rotor and stator is uniformly distributed as a function of angle about the machine's axis of rotation. That is, for each of the rotor and stator of this machine, the same angle separates each position of the peak magnetic flux from the next adjacent position of the peak magnetic flux about the axis of rotation, so that the respective magnetic flux profiles of the rotor and stator It is uniformly distributed around this axis of rotation.

An alternative with cost advantages over conventional designs for specific loads and machine configurations, where the stator and/or rotor may instead be configured to have a magnetic flux profile that is instead non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation of the rotor. A typical design is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, for example, the stator may be configured such that the stator describes a portion of an arc that surrounds the main axis of the machine. If these stator parts can be positioned, due to the integration of the machine with the attached load, at a large radius compared to a stator of equal area uniformly distributed about the same axis, the resulting rotational force is equal to the current density and the equivalent of the gap. Assuming the flux constrains the stator, it may be proportional to the increase in the radius over which the stator portion is placed. However, the cost of maintaining an equivalent flux in the gap for an "off-center" stator portion is an increase in magnet volume that is inversely proportional to the angle ranged by the portion. This is not a desirable trade-off in most cases. However, in applications where a peak torque at a particular angle or range of shaft angles is desired, the magnetic material may be non-uniformly distributed over the rotor, so that the stator is exposed to a peak magnetic flux density at the shaft angle for which the peak torque is desired. For generator applications where the source has the ability to generate periodic rotational force, a machine designed according to this principle may provide similar advantages.

Although the design of a stator and magnet system that produces a peak rotational force at a particular angle is not limited to one concentration of magnetic material on the rotor and one stator portion, this is the simplest embodiment. Embodiments comprising one or more non-uniformly distributed stator portions and/or one or more non-uniformly distributed magnet portions may provide useful combinations of torque capability as a function of angle. It should be understood that the same or similar torque capability as a function of angle may be achieved using different combinations of one or more non-uniformly distributed stator portions and one or more non-uniformly distributed magnet portions. For example, the same or similar torque capability as a function of angle can be achieved by varying the distribution of the stator parts relative to the rotor magnet position. This may allow the designer to make a tradeoff in cost of magnet material and stator area while achieving the same or similar torque capability as a function of angle.

The design of a machine that produces a peak torque at a specific angle does not prevent continuous rotation. When continuous rotation is desired, a machine designed according to the principles disclosed herein can supply rotational force (at peak torque angle) in a series of pulses that are flattened by the moment of inertia of the attached load to provide an approximately constant speed. The advantage of this design is that the losses in the stator due to eddy currents may be zero when the stator does not overlap the magnets. Another possibility for continuous rotation is to distribute the magnets at an angle of magnitude smaller than the "peak torque" angle so that the stator part always sees the magnet flux.

Some embodiments described herein may be particularly advantageous for applications where the machine radius may be significantly increased compared to conventional designs. In this application, a planar circuit board stator (PCS) portion disposed at a larger radius than a uniform planar circuit board stator may achieve a higher peak torque per unit area of the stator. Moreover, compared to annular stators that are thin at large radii, the stator portions can be “tiled” or arranged on a standard sized printed circuit board “panel”. This may allow for more efficient utilization of the printed circuit board material and may reduce the cost of the machine involved.

Examples of application areas include reciprocating piston or diaphragm type pumps, which may have periodic rotational force requirements. Also, for balancing purposes, these machines often contain an off-center mass that can potentially be displaced by an asymmetrically designed rotor. Similarly, a generator coupled to a single piston engine may benefit from the integrated design of a balancing mass with the magnetic material of the generator of the stator-part type. Other potential applications include laundry machines, or other applications where a motor or generator moves through a limited angle, and periodic or "reversing" type loads.

The basic observations of the novel concepts disclosed herein can be reduced to a "scale-down" discussion of other equivalent stators or stator parts, regardless of the internal configuration and connection of the stator, based on fundamental design considerations. In the conventional annular PCS according to the description of the '625 patent, the rotational force can be expressed as

는 차등 영역 구성요소이고,

는 등식(

)에 대응하는 회전력 밀도 크기이다. 힘 밀도는 축방향 플럭스 및 방사상 전류 밀도에 기인하여 θ-관련되고, 즉, 다음과 같다The component of this equation includes the integral of _{a first radius r 1} to a second radius r ₂ that includes the active area of the stator. This integral contains a perfect annularity by the constraint of the integral of θ. Terms

is the differential domain component,

is the equation (

) is the torque density corresponding to The force density is θ-related due to the axial flux and radial current density, i.e.

Here, the force density is the product of the current density supported by the stator and the magnetic flux density resulting from the rotor magnet circuit and the stator reaction at this current density. For the sake of illustration, B is assumed to be radial. In a stator designed according to the '625 patent, the branch radial trace introduces substantially a 1/r reduction in current density from the _{inner radius r 1 .} The model that captures this effect is

은 내부 반경에서의 크기 및 간격 필요조건을 통해, 주어진 구리 중량에서 특징부의 간섭에 기초한 최대 지지 전류 밀도이다. 이 모델에 대해,here

is the maximum carrying current density based on interference of features at a given copper weight, through size and spacing requirements at the inner radius. about this model,

를 상수로 간주하는 것은 엄밀히 올바르지 않다. 예를 들어, r₁ = 0에 대해, 어떤 비아도 수용될 수 없고,

= 0이다. 그러나, 실제 관심 있는 모터에 대해,

은 주로 열적 고려사항 및 간격 필요조건에 의존하는 값에 다가갈 것이다. 다른 등가의 고정자 간의 비교 목적을 위해

을 상수로 삼는 것은, 더 작은 r₁을 가진, 중앙 샤프트 주위에 위치된 종래의 고정자가 더 큰 반경의 고정자 부분보다 더 경쟁력 있는 것처럼 보이는 경향이 있다.The current density supported by the stator _{depends on the number of internal vias that can be placed in r 1} , which depends on the feature size and associated spacing, as well as _{the circumference at r 1} , and at intervals at which this circumference approaches the fabrication limit. Depends on whether you accept the feature or not. therefore,

It is not strictly correct to regard . For example, for r ₁ = 0, no vias can be accommodated,

= 0. However, for motors of practical interest,

will approach values that depend primarily on thermal considerations and spacing requirements. For comparison purposes between different equivalent stators

Taking as a constant, a _{conventional stator positioned around a central shaft, with a smaller r 1} , tends to appear more competitive than a larger radius stator portion.

)를 가진 고정자 또는 고정자 부분의 면적(

)은 다음과 같다Each range (

The area of a stator or stator part with ( )

)Is as follows

이다. 고정자 부분에 대해,

는 극판 쌍(pole pair)의 전체 수에 이상적으로 대응한다. 비용에 기초한 고정자 부분과 종래의 설계의 비교의 목적을 위해, 동일한 면적의 고정자와 자석 조립체를 비교하는 것이 합리적이다.

및 r₂의 다수의 해결책은 내부 반경(r₁)이 증가되고, 여기서 독립적인 변수로서 간주될 때 임의의 r₁에 대해 존재한다. 특히,

를 고려할 때, 부분 위의 극판 간격은 종래의 고정자에서와 같이 2π rad에 걸쳐 균일하게 극판을 배치하는 일반적인 제약에 부합할 필요가 없다. 이것은 종래의 고정자가 누리지 않는 부분에 상당한 설계 융통성뿐만 아니라 동일한 면적(A)을 달성하는 능력을 시사한다. 고정자 면적을 5 미만의 더 큰 r₁로 변위시키는 장점의 예는: (1) 더 큰 r₁을 가진 고정자 부분이 단위 면적당 더 높은 피크 회전력을 제공하는 것, (2) 고정자 부분과 자기 물질이 특정한 회전자 각(또는 각 범위)에서 완전히 중첩될 때, 피크 회전력이 입수 가능한 것, (3) 자기 물질과 고정자가 중첩되지 않을 때 기계의 와상 전류 손실이 없는 것, (4) 고정자 부분이 r₁ ,r₂ 및

가 부분이 인쇄 회로 기판 패널 상에 "네스팅"되는 경우에 획득될 수 있어서, 폐기물 및 비용을 최소화하는 것, 및 (5) 단위 면적당(또는 단위 비용당) 피크 회전력이 고정자 부분의 반경에 따라 증가되는 것을 포함한다.For a stator of a conventional design,

to be. About the stator part,

corresponds ideally to the total number of pole pairs. For the purpose of cost-based comparison of stator parts and conventional designs, it makes sense to compare stator and magnet assemblies of equal area.

and r ₂ multiple solutions exist for _{any r 1} when the inner radius r ₁ is increased, where considered as an independent variable. Especially,

Considering that, the plate spacing over the part does not have to conform to the general constraint of uniformly disposing the plates over 2π rad as in the conventional stator. This suggests the ability to achieve the same area (A) as well as considerable design flexibility in areas not enjoyed by conventional stators. Examples of advantages of displacing the stator area with a larger r _{1 less than 5 are: (1) the stator portion with a larger r 1} provides a higher peak torque per unit area, (2) the stator portion and the magnetic material At a certain rotor angle (or angular range), peak torque is available when fully overlapping, (3) no eddy current losses in the machine when the magnetic material and stator do not overlap, (4) when the stator portion is r ₁ ,r ₂ and

can be obtained when the false part is "nested" on a printed circuit board panel, thereby minimizing waste and cost, and (5) peak torque per unit area (or per unit cost) depends on the radius of the stator part. including increasing.

가 특정한 회전력(

)을 충족시키는 프로토타입 종래의 고정자를 위한 설계 절차를 고려하면, 부분이 자기 물질과 완전히 중첩되는 경우에 각(

)에 걸친 프로토타입 설계의 극판의 하위 세트와 마주 보는 고정자 부분에 대한 설계는 각 범위에 걸친

의 피크 회전력을 생성하는 것으로 추론될 수 있다. 따라서, 부분에 대한 실제 설계 절차는 회전력 필요조건이 부분에서 보존되는 것으로 의도되는 극판에 대한 종래의 고정자의 극판의 비만큼 증가되는, 종래의 고정자 프로토타입을 설계하는 것이다. 이 절차는 편리하기는 하지만, 극판 간격이 부분의 각 범위로, 그리고 종래의 설계의 2π 범위로 동시에 제한되기 때문에, 분할 설계의 자유도를 이용하지는 않는다. 부분 각(

)은 2π의 제수가 아니어도 되므로 설계 제약 조건을 충족시키도록 최적화될 수 있다.

is a specific rotational force (

Considering the design procedure for a prototype conventional stator that satisfies ), each (

) for a subset of the pole plates of the prototype design over

It can be inferred to produce a peak torque of Thus, the actual design procedure for a part is to design a conventional stator prototype in which the torque requirement is increased by the ratio of the pole plates of the conventional stator to the pole plates intended to be conserved in the part. Although this procedure is convenient, it does not take advantage of the degree of freedom of the division design, since the plate spacing is simultaneously limited to each range of parts and to the 2π range of the conventional design. partial angle (

) need not be a divisor of 2π, so it can be optimized to satisfy the design constraint.

The combination of stator parts and magnetic material, focused at specific angles on the fixed frame and rotor, can achieve varying torque capabilities as a function of angle. One or more regions on the rotor may contain magnetic material comprising different flux densities, one or more pairs of pole plates, and may be distributed at various angles. There may be one or more stator portions of a fixed frame, arranged at various angles.

Examples of motor and/or generator designs in which non-uniformly distributed stators and/or rotors, such as the non-uniformly distributed stators and/or rotors disclosed herein, may be employed, are described in US Patent Nos. 7,109,625; 9,673,688; 9,800,109; 9,673,684; and 10,170,953, as well as US Patent Application Publication No. 2018-0351441 A1 ("'441 Publication"), the base application of which is incorporated above by reference. An illustrative embodiment of such a machine will be initially described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B . Next, embodiments of a stator and a rotor having a magnetic flux profile, which are non-uniformly distributed about the rotational axis of the rotor, and which may be employed in such a machine, will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8 .

1A shows an embodiment of a system 100 employing a planar composite stator 110 in an assembly having rotor components 104a and 104b, shaft 108, wires 114, and controller 112. do. An enlarged view showing these components and the means for their assembly is shown in FIG. 1B . The pattern of the magnetic pole plates of the permanently magnetized portions 106a, 106b of the rotor assembly is also evident in the enlarged view of FIG. 1B . 1A is an embodiment of an embodiment in which electrical connections 114 are taken at the outer radius of PCS 110 and the stator is mounted to a frame or case at the outer perimeter. Another useful configuration, the “out-runner” configuration, involves mounting the stator at the inside radius, making electrical connections 114 at the inside radius, and replacing the shaft 108 with an annular ring that separates the rotor halves. . It is also possible to construct the system with only one magnet 106a or 106b, or to interpose multiple stators between successive magnet assemblies. Wire 114 may also convey information about the position of the rotor based on readings from Hall-effect or similar sensors mounted on the stator. Although not shown, for a similar purpose, an encoder attached to the shaft 108 may provide position information to the controller 112 .

The system 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B may function as a motor or generator, depending on the operation of the controller 112 and components coupled to the shaft 108 . As a motor system, the controller 112 switches a switch such that, due to the magnetic flux in the gap originating from the magnets 104a, 104b coupled to the shaft 108, the current in the stator 110 generates a rotational force about the shaft. make it work Depending on the design of the controller 112 , the magnetic flux of the gap and/or the position of the rotor may be measured or estimated to actuate a switch to achieve a torque output at the shaft 108 . As a generator system, a source of mechanical rotational power coupled to shaft 108 generates a voltage waveform at terminal 112 of the stator. This voltage may be applied directly to the load or this voltage may be rectified by a three-phase (or polyphase) rectifier in controller 112 . The rectifier implementation 112 may be “self-commutated” using diodes in generator mode, or configured using a controlled switch of a motor controller, but where the shaft rotational force opposes the rotational force provided by the mechanical source. and may be operated to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Thus, the same configuration of FIG. 1A may function as both a generator and a motor, depending on how the controller 112 is operated. Additionally, the controller 112 is a filter that mitigates switching effects, reduces EMI/RFI from the wires 114, reduces losses, and provides additional flexibility in the power supplied to or delivered from the controller. It may contain components.

Figure 2 shows the geometry of three stators 202, 204, 206 of different angular and radial extents, but of the same area. Stators 204 and 206 have different inner radii. Stator 206 shows relative dimensions representative of the stator as described by the '625 patent. The stator 204 is of a thin annular design. In the stator 204, the inner radius is increased, but a stator with this relative dimension does not efficiently use the "panel" of printed circuit board material. Stator 202 depicts a stator portion 208 , as suggested herein, of the same area and equivalent radius as stator 204 . All other things being equal, at larger radii, stators 202 and 204 will produce a higher peak torque than stator 206 as the radius increases the torque arm.

FIG. 3 shows “paneling” or packing of a stator portion, such as portion 208 shown in FIG. 1 , on a standard size printed circuit board panel 302 . The effective utilization of the panel 302 with the illustrated arrangement is high. The cost of the stator portion 208 is inversely proportional to the utilization of the panel 302 .

FIG. 4 shows an ineffective arrangement of portions 208 that are the same size as FIG. 3 on panel 302 . Although this arrangement is not feasible, it illustrates the effective panel utilization achieved for a conventional stator with the same inner and outer radii as achieved by portion 208 .

5 shows an exemplary arrangement of a stator portion 208 relative to a magnet 502 on a rotor 504 . In the illustrated embodiment, the dense angular range 506 of the magnet 502 , also referred to herein as a “dense magnet region” on the rotor 504 , produces a peak rotational force at the angle of overlap with the stator portion 208 . provided to achieve. The less dense angular extents 508 of the magnets 502, also referred to herein as “less dense magnet regions,” are arranged to provide lower torque capability regardless of the angle. Although not illustrated, it should be understood that in some embodiments, non-magnetic components may be added to the near or less dense magnet regions 508 to generally balance the weight of the rotor 504 . Moreover, in some embodiments, an additional rotor portion (not shown) with a corresponding but opposite polarity magnet arrangement may be disposed over the illustrated portion of the rotor 504 so that the stator portion 208 is two turns. It should be understood that the electrons may be disposed within the gap between the parts, and that the line of magnetic flux extends in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor between the pair of opposing, opposite polarity magnets. Further, although not illustrated in FIG. 5 , on one or more dielectric layers configured to form windings that produce magnetic flux in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor when the stator portion 208 is activated, for example, by an electric current. It should be understood that it may include conductive traces and/or vias disposed on the . Such windings may be configured to receive one or more phases of current from a power source (not shown in FIG. 5), and may be arranged in one or more spirals, one or more serpentine patterns, or otherwise, to generate such magnetic flux.

5 , in some embodiments, the stator portion 208 is held in place via an arcuate attachment member 510 that may attach the stator portion 208 using one or more fasteners 512 . One or more windings (not shown) of the stator portion 208 may be connected to a terminal 514 associated with the attachment member 510 , which terminal may be connected to a controller (not shown in FIG. 5 ), eg, FIG. 1A . and to the controller 112 discussed above in connection with FIG. 1B to supply the activated current(s) to the winding(s).

FIG. 6 shows the same configuration as FIG. 5 , but with the rotor 504 positioned at an angle where the stator portion 208 overlaps the dense magnet portion 506 providing the peak torque.

7 shows an alternative arrangement of FIGS. 4 and 5 . As shown, in addition to or in lieu of less dense magnet zones 508 (not shown in FIG. 7 ) with dense angular ranges 506 , stator portions 502a - 502g use constant stator portions at any angle. It may also be arranged to completely or substantially form an annular stator with a possible rotational force. In some embodiments, a subset of stator portions 502a - 502g may be made smaller, may be arranged in a coarser pitch, may include fewer winding "turns," and/or may include one or more windings. Less power may be supplied than other stator portions 502 so that the magnetized machine can provide angle-specific peak torque while still providing torque capability at any angle. For example, in some embodiments, stator portion 502a may be configured, arranged, and/or activated differently than other stator portions 502b - 502g for this purpose.

Irrespective of the particular arrangement of magnet(s) 502 and stator portion(s) 208 employed, in at least some circumstances, at least one stator portion 208 is positioned at each position during rotation of the rotor 504 . Care may be taken to ensure that at least one magnet 502 at least partially overlaps with the rotor 504 so that the magnetic flux from the stator portion 208 does not interact with the magnetic flux from the magnet 502 . You are not "striking" from a position where you do not.

In each of the embodiment configurations described above, the magnet(s) 502 and/or the stator portion(s) 208 of the rotor 504 have a magnetic flux profile that is non-uniformly distributed about the main axis of rotation of the machine. is configured to have In particular, the stator portion(s) 208 ensure that at any given point in time when the windings of the stator 504 are activated by an electric current, the position of the peak magnetic flux produced by the stator is at an angle about the axis of rotation of the rotor. arranged to be non-uniformly distributed. Similarly, in such a machine, the magnets 502 of the rotor 504 also ensure that, at any given point in time, the position of the peak magnetic flux produced by the rotor is likewise non-uniform with respect to an angle about the axis of rotation of the rotor. arranged to be evenly distributed. Thus, for each of the rotor and stator of such a machine, a different angle separates at least some positions of the peak magnetic flux from adjacent positions of the peak magnetic flux about the axis of rotation so that the magnetic flux profile produced by these components rotates around the axis of rotation. non-uniformly distributed around the center.

8 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an axial flux motor 802 that is comprised of components such as those shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and is integrated with a laundry machine load 804 in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. exemplify As shown, the stator portion 208 of the motor 802 may be secured via an attachment member 510 and one or more fasteners 512 to a housing 806 containing a washing machine tub 808 and may be washed The machine barrel 808 may be rotatably coupled to the housing 806 via a bearing component 810 . The rotor 504 of the motor 802 drives the laundry tub 808 directly via a shaft 812 that may extend from and/or be fixedly attached to the laundry tub 808 . may do it For the illustrated configuration, continuous rotation of relatively high speed and low rotational force in a “spin” mode results in a dense magnet region 506 and one or more less dense magnet regions 508, as described above in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6 . ) may be achieved using a collection of magnets 502 arranged in ) and a stator portion 208 . During this spin mode, due to the non-uniform distribution of the magnetic flux profile of the rotor and the stator about the axis of rotation of the rotor, the rotor 504 moves at an angle relative to the stator portion 208 at a substantially constant speed. As it rotates through the range, the periodicity of the rotational force generated due to the interaction between the magnetic flux generated by the rotor and the stator is irregular. The reversal action required for the "wash" mode may be operation in a relatively low speed, high-turn force mode where the torque can be supplied at a specific angle. In this case, the interaction of the dense magnet zone 506 with the stator portion 208 may provide a peak torque requirement.

Exemplary implementations of devices and methods according to the present disclosure

The following paragraphs (A1) through (A14) describe embodiments of apparatus that may be implemented in accordance with the present disclosure.

(A1) the motor or generator may include a rotor having an axis of rotation and configured to produce a first magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation, and a stator configured to produce a second magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation, whichever of the rotor or stator is At least one is configured to produce a non-uniformly distributed magnetic flux profile about an axis of rotation.

(A2) The motor or generator may be configured as described in paragraph (A1), and the rotor may be further configured to produce a first magnetic flux profile that is non-uniformly distributed about an axis of rotation.

(A3) The motor or generator may be configured as described in paragraph (A2), and the rotor may further include one or more magnet parts non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation.

(A4) the motor or generator may be configured as described in paragraph (A3), wherein each of the one or more magnet parts may further have a respective surface position at which the first magnetic flux has a maximum density, each surface The positions may be non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation.

(A5) The motor or generator may be configured as described in any of paragraphs (A2) to (A4), wherein the rotor rotates through each range relative to the stator at a substantially constant speed; It may be further configured such that the periodicity of the rotational force generated due to the interaction of the first magnetic flux and the second magnetic flux becomes irregular.

(A6) The motor or generator may be configured as described in any of paragraphs (A2) to (A5), wherein the stator is further configured to produce a second magnetic flux profile that is non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. may be configured.

(A7) The motor or generator may be configured as described in paragraph (A1), and the stator may be further configured to produce a non-uniformly distributed magnetic flux profile about an axis of rotation.

(A8) The motor or generator may be configured as described in any of paragraphs (A2) to (A7), wherein the stator further comprises one or more printed circuit board portions non-uniformly distributed about an axis of rotation. You may.

(A9) The motor or generator may be configured as described in any of paragraphs (A2) to (A8), wherein the stator is disposed on the at least one dielectric layer to produce a second magnetic flux when activated by an electric current. It may further include conductive traces arranged on the .

(A10) The motor or generator may be configured as described in any of paragraphs (A2) through (A9), wherein the stator at any given time when the conductive trace is activated by an electric current, the second magnetic It may further be configured such that one or more locations of the maximum density of the flux are non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation.

(A11) The motor or generator may be configured as described in paragraphs (A9) or (A10), wherein conductive traces are arranged on at least one dielectric layer and coupled to a power source to generate current output by the power source. Generate three phases of the second magnetic flux corresponding to the three phases.

(A12) The motor or generator may be configured as described in any of paragraphs (A1) to (A11), wherein the stator rotates through each range relative to the stator at a constant speed, the first It may be further configured so that the periodicity of the rotational force generated due to the interaction of the magnetic flux and the second magnetic flux becomes irregular.

(A13) A rotor used in a motor or generator may include a support structure and one or more magnet portions supported by the support structure and generating a first magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation and generating a second magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation. The support structure rotates about an axis of rotation when assembled with the generating stator, and the one or more magnet portions are constructed and arranged to produce a non-uniformly distributed magnetic flux profile about the axis of rotation.

(A14) The rotor may be configured as described in paragraph (A13), and the one or more magnet portions may further include at least a first magnet portion and a second magnet portion spaced apart from the first magnet portion, the first The magnet portion may include a greater number of adjacent magnets than the second magnet portion.

The following paragraphs (M1) through (M5) describe embodiments of methods that may be implemented in accordance with the present disclosure.

Method (M1) may include arranging one or more magnetic fluxes to produce windings of the stator non-uniformly about an axis of rotation of a rotor of an axial flux motor or generator.

Method (M2) may be performed as described in paragraph (M1), wherein arranging the one or more magnetic fluxes to create a winding arranging one or more printed circuit board portions comprising the windings non-uniformly about an axis of rotation. includes more

Method (M3) may be performed as described in paragraphs (M1) or (M2), wherein arranging the one or more printed circuit board parts comprises, at any given time, when the windings are activated by an electric current, the second The method may further include arranging the one or more printed circuit board portions such that the one or more locations of the maximum density of magnetic flux are non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation.

Method (M4) may be performed as described in any of paragraphs (M1) to (M3), and the rotor may include magnets non-uniformly arranged about an axis of rotation.

Method (M5) may be performed as described in any of paragraphs (M1) to (M4), wherein arranging the one or more magnetic fluxes to create the windings is such that the rotor rotates at a constant speed relative to the stator each range. The method may further comprise arranging the one or more magnetic fluxes generating the windings such that the periodicity of the rotational force generated due to the interaction of the magnetic fluxes generated by the rotor and the stator becomes irregular when rotating through the .

Thus, in describing several aspects of at least one embodiment, those skilled in the art understand that various changes, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such changes, modifications and improvements are intended to be part of the present disclosure and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are exemplary only.

The various aspects of the present disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or in various arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing, and thus the components presented in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings in this application. It is not limited to the arrangement and details of For example, an aspect described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with an aspect described in another embodiment.

Further, the disclosed aspects may be implemented as a method in which embodiments of the method are provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be arranged in any suitable manner. Accordingly, embodiments may consist of acts performed in an order different from the illustrated order, which may include some acts performed concurrently, although shown as sequential acts in the exemplary embodiments.

The use of ordinal terms in a claim to modify a claim element, such as "first," "second," "third," etc., is itself any use of one claim element relative to another claim element. It does not imply the precedence, precedence or order of or the chronological order in which acts of a method are performed, but merely to distinguish between claim elements one claim element with a particular name and another element with the same name (but, used as a label to distinguish it from ordinal terms).

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is used for purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," or "having," "containing," "involving," and variations thereof herein It is intended to cover the recited articles and their equivalents as well as additional articles.

Claims (20)

As a motor or generator,
a rotor having an axis of rotation and configured to produce a first magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation; and
a stator configured to produce a second magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation
including; wherein at least one of the rotor or the stator is configured to produce a non-uniformly distributed magnetic flux profile about the axis of rotation. The motor or generator of claim 1 , wherein the rotor is configured to produce a first magnetic flux profile that is non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. 3. The motor or generator according to claim 2, wherein the rotor comprises one or more magnet parts non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. 4. The motor of claim 3, wherein each of the one or more magnet portions has a respective surface location at which the first magnetic flux has a maximum density, each surface location being non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. generator. 3. The rotational force of claim 2 wherein said rotor generates a rotational force resulting from the interaction of said first and second magnetic fluxes as said rotor rotates through an angular range relative to said stator at a substantially constant speed ( A motor or generator configured such that the periodicity of torque) becomes irregular. 3. The motor or generator of claim 2, wherein the stator is configured to produce a second magnetic flux profile that is non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. The motor or generator of claim 1 , wherein the stator is configured to produce a magnetic flux profile that is non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. 8. The motor or generator of claim 7, wherein the stator comprises one or more printed circuit board portions distributed non-uniformly about the axis of rotation. The motor or generator of claim 1 , wherein the stator comprises conductive traces arranged on at least one dielectric layer to generate the second magnetic flux when activated by an electric current. 10. The stator of claim 9, wherein the stator is configured such that at any given time when the conductive trace is activated by an electric current, one or more locations of the maximum density of the second magnetic flux are non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. , motor or generator. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the conductive trace is arranged on the at least one dielectric layer and coupled to a power source to produce three phases of the second magnetic flux corresponding to three phases of a current output by the power source. which, motor or generator. 11. The motor or generator of claim 10, wherein the stator comprises one or more printed circuit board portions distributed non-uniformly about the axis of rotation. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the rotor or the stator is due to the interaction of the first magnetic flux and the second magnetic flux as the rotor rotates through an angular range relative to the stator at a constant speed. A motor or generator that is configured so that the periodicity of the rotational force generated by it becomes irregular. As a method,
A method comprising arranging one or more magnetic fluxes to create windings of a stator non-uniformly about an axis of rotation of a rotor of an axial flux motor or generator. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein arranging the one or more magnetic fluxes to create the winding comprises:
and arranging one or more printed circuit board portions comprising the windings non-uniformly about the axis of rotation. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the rotor comprises magnets non-uniformly arranged about the axis of rotation. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein arranging the one or more printed circuit board portions comprises:
arranging the one or more printed circuit board portions such that at any given time when the winding is activated by an electric current, one or more positions of the maximum density of the second magnetic flux are non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. Including method. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein arranging the one or more magnetic fluxes to create the winding comprises:
generating the windings such that the periodicity of the rotational force generated due to the interaction of the magnetic flux generated by the rotor and the stator becomes irregular as the rotor rotates through each range relative to the stator at a constant speed. arranging the one or more magnetic fluxes. A rotor used in a motor or generator, comprising:
support structure; and
one or more magnet portions supported by the support structure and producing a first magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation
wherein when assembled with a stator generating a second magnetic flux parallel to the axis of rotation, a support structure rotates about the axis of rotation, and wherein the one or more magnet portions are non-uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. A rotor constructed and arranged to produce a flux profile. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one magnet portion comprises at least a first magnet portion and a second magnet portion spaced apart from the first magnet portion, wherein the first magnet portion comprises a greater number than the second magnet portion. A rotor comprising adjacent magnets.

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