Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
  • H02K1/00—Details of the magnetic circuit
  • H02K1/06—Details of the magnetic circuit characterised by the shape, form or construction
  • H02K1/12—Stationary parts of the magnetic circuit
  • H02K1/14—Stator cores with salient poles
  • H02K1/146—Stator cores with salient poles consisting of a generally annular yoke with salient poles
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
  • H02K1/00—Details of the magnetic circuit
  • H02K1/06—Details of the magnetic circuit characterised by the shape, form or construction
  • H02K1/12—Stationary parts of the magnetic circuit
  • H02K1/20—Stationary parts of the magnetic circuit with channels or ducts for flow of cooling medium
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
  • H02K16/00—Machines with more than one rotor or stator
  • H02K16/02—Machines with one stator and two or more rotors
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
  • H02K21/00—Synchronous motors having permanent magnets; Synchronous generators having permanent magnets
  • H02K21/12—Synchronous motors having permanent magnets; Synchronous generators having permanent magnets with stationary armatures and rotating magnets
  • H02K21/24—Synchronous motors having permanent magnets; Synchronous generators having permanent magnets with stationary armatures and rotating magnets with magnets axially facing the armatures, e.g. hub-type cycle dynamos
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
  • H02K7/00—Arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with dynamo-electric machines, e.g. structural association with mechanical driving motors or auxiliary dynamo-electric machines
  • H02K7/08—Structural association with bearings
  • H02K7/086—Structural association with bearings radially supporting the rotor around a fixed spindle; radially supporting the rotor directly
  • H02K7/088—Structural association with bearings radially supporting the rotor around a fixed spindle; radially supporting the rotor directly radially supporting the rotor directly
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
  • H02K2201/00—Specific aspects not provided for in the other groups of this subclass relating to the magnetic circuits
  • H02K2201/03—Machines characterised by aspects of the air-gap between rotor and stator

Definitions

• a high pole count motor has many advantages such as the potential for high torque and light weight. It has been shown in WIPO published patent application
• a solid stator can provide adequate performance in regard to minimizing eddy currents when speeds are relatively low such as when used in robotics.
• the use of laminates is preferable to reduce eddy current losses.
• the challenge is that a high pole count axial motor has a very thin profile (if it is to take advantage of the torque to weight potential) and is therefore very difficult to build out of laminates. For example, if a single rotor and single stator construction is used, the forces pulling the stator and rotor together across the airgap would be expected to shear the glue-lines holding the laminated structure together such that the airgap would not be maintained.
• a rotary actuator solves this problem in a number of ways that include using a double rotor configuration where the stator is positioned between the two rotors.
• An advantage of this configuration is that the magnetic forces on the stator are reasonably equal in both axial directions on each of the posts at all times. This reduces the load on each of the posts and reduces the stress on each of the glue lines in the stator assembly.
• the tangential forces on each of the posts can also be very high when under full power, but these forces are also balanced on each posts such that the glue lines are not highly stressed at any time.
• an electric machine comprising a stator disposed between rotors, the rotors being mounted on bearings for rotation relative to the stator about an axis of the electric machine, the rotors being separated from the stator by respective air gaps; the stator being formed of structural members, each structural member being formed of laminates, each laminate having a smallest dimension that extends axially; each structural member having slots, and magnetic posts fixed within the slots for support of the magnetic posts by the structural member; and one or more electrical conductors disposed about the posts for generating a series of commutated electromagnetic poles.
• Fig L is a section view of an embodiment of a high speed actuator showing the rotor with magnets, thrust bearings, four-point contact bearings, a stator with laminated posts, laminated structural member of the stator, the solid structural member and the conductors.
• Fig 2. is a view of an exemplary embodiment having laminated posts installed between the laminated structural member.
• Fig 3. is a view of the laminated structural member of the stator showing a preferred stack layup of laminations. Where the radial cut is radially inward or outward of the stator post slot, and alternates for each adjacent layer.
• Fig. 4 is a view showing the installation of the laminated stator posts into the laminated structural member of the stator with no solid structural member present.
• Fig. 5 is a view showing the installation of the laminated stator posts into the laminated structural member of the stator with a solid structural member present which has mounting features.
• Fig. 6 shows how the Eddy current path is broken by the radial cuts made; both inward and outward of the stator post slot, in the laminates of the laminated structural member.
• Fig. 7 is a section view of the stator and rotor to show the orientation of the magnets in the rotor and the flux path across the laminated stator posts.
• Fig. 8 is a view of the final lamination assembly with 2 laminated structural pieces and laminated stator posts.
• Fig. 9 is a cutaway view of the stator with some posts and coils removed.
• a rotary actuator uses a double rotor configuration where the stator is positioned between the two rotors.
• An advantage of this configuration is that the magnetic forces on the stator are reasonably equal in both axial directions on each of the posts at all times. This reduces the load on each of the posts and reduces the stress on each of the glue lines in the stator assembly.
• the tangential forces on each of the posts can also be very high when under full power, but these forces are also balanced on each posts such that the glue lines are not highly stressed at any time.
• a rotary actuator uses a stack of two or more aluminum disks with slots in the disks to receive the posts, and additional slots, such as radially outward or inward from the slots, to eliminate an electrically conductive path around each of the posts.
• a single piece of aluminum may be used with radial slots to prevent eddy currents, but it is believed by the inventors that a laminated aluminum structure with eddy current slots that alternate from layer to layer from radially inward to radially outward, provide a stronger and stiffer structure for a given thickness. This is because the eddy current slots on one layer align with a non-slotted ring of material on the next aluminum layer such that the no two adjacent layers have aligned eddy current slots.
• the aluminum in the backiron laminates may be coated but they are preferably anodized such as with a hard anodized finish.
• Anodizing is essentially a ceramic coating which provides high dielectric strength and reasonably good thermal conductivity.
• An electric motor/actuator may comprise of a stator which utilizes ferromagnetic material laminates for the electromagnetic posts to reduce the Eddy Current losses. And a high thermal conducting material is preferred to be used in the stator structure to get heat out of the device.
• the rotor may be made of a ferrous material that performs as required.
• an electric machine comprises a stator, with a backbone 26 and structural laminate assembly 56 disposed between rotors 50 and 52, the rotors 50, 52 being mounted on bearings 32, 34 for rotation relative to the stator about an axis of the electric machine. Approximate location of the axis is identified as A in Fig. 4.
• the rotors 50, 52 are separated from the stator by respective air gaps 58.
• the stator structural laminate assembly 56 may comprise structural members 24, each structural member being formed as shown in Fig. 2 of annular laminates 38, 40 each laminate 38, 40 having a smallest dimension that extends axially.
• Each structural member 24 and the corresponding laminates have openings or slots 60, and (as shown in Fig. 4) magnetic posts 36 fixed within the slots 60 for support of the magnetic posts by the structural member 24.
• the slots 60 may have a longest dimension that extends radially, an intermediate dimension that extends circumferentially and a depth that extends axially.
• one or more electrical conductors 20 are disposed about the posts 36 for generating a series of commutated electromagnetic poles. There may be M poles and N posts and the greatest common factor of N and M is three or more.
• the backbone 26 comprises an outer backbone 68 and inner backbone 70, with the structural members 24 being secured on either side of ridges 62 that extend respectively inward of the outer backbone and outward of the inner backbone.
• the structural members 24 may be secured to the ridges 62 by any suitable means such as glue.
• the rotors 50, 52 are mirror images of each other and are secured to each other for example with bolts or screws (not shown) at their outside peripheries. As shown in Fig. lthe rotors 50, 52 are mounted for rotation relative to the stator on radial bearings 34 at the inside of the stator and on thrust or axial bearings 32 at the outside of the stator. Bearing races are formed on the backbone 26 of the stator and in the rotors 50, 52. The stator backbone 26 may be secured to a fixed structure at the inner periphery of the backbone 26 by any suitable means. The outward periphery 28 of the rotors 50, 52 may then be used as the output.
• Power for the windings 20 may be supplied through the inner part of the backbone 26 through channels (not shown). As shown in Fig. 2 the radial length of the stator posts 22 between the structural members 24 may be less than the distance between the ridges 62 of the stator backbone 26 to form a channel 64 around the stator that may be used for flow of a cooling fluid. Channels (not shown) in the inner part of the stator backbone 26 may be used for flowing a cooling fluid in and out of the channel 64.
• An exemplary embodiment may use an Iron alloy for the stator posts laminations and an Aluminium alloy for the structural laminates.
• the stator of an electric machine is formed of structural laminates 24 that have slots that posts 22 are fixed within.
• the structural laminates 24 have a thinnest dimension in the axial direction, and in the radial direction are annular.
• radial cuts 46 made from the post slot to the edge of the material to remove the Eddy current loop path 42 around the stator post, as shown in Fig. 6. Slots may also be between the posts such as circumferentially between every second post.
• the preferred embodiments have opposing radial cuts per layer, as seen in Fig. 3, these may be referred to as the "M" 38 and "W" 40 laminates. This is to remove the Eddy current loop path 42 on all the layers of the structural laminate while still maintaining adequate strength and rigidity in the aluminum layers by virtue of the overlapping sections on one or both sides of each slot on another layer.
• each laminated assembly 24 it is shown to have but not limited to five layers in each laminated assembly 24, the quantity of the layers is driven by the design scope. This then creates a thicker assembly that has the strength requirement and will reduce the loss from the Eddy Currents by virtue of the interrupted eddy current path on each layer, and the electrical insulation, such as an anodized surface, between each layer.
• stator post laminates 36 which are preferred to be mounted perpendicular to the structural laminate 24, are then to be mounted between two structural laminates to create the stator, this can be seen in Fig. 4 where an embodiment is mechanically fixed between the structural laminates by a tab at the inner and outer radial position.
• This assembly may be preferred to have interference and be pressed together to create a solid assembly 48 as seen in Fig, 8. It may be preferred to then coat this sub-assembly in a potting compound to add another material to help the heat get from the stator posts to the structural laminate.
• the magnetic posts may have an enlarged central section that defines respective shoulders that form the tabs and the respective shoulders engage the structural members to resist axial movement of the magnetic posts within the structural members.
• the posts and structural members together define chambers 66.
• a post lamination 36 is used for two stator posts, and acts as a single magnetic dipole. This requires the rotor to have the magnets 30 on side 52 to form poles 54 rotated by one pitch relative to side 50. So that a North Pole is across from a South Pole on the other side of the rotor, seen in Fig. 7 so that axially opposed magnets have opposite polarity.
• the chambers 66 and channel 64 together create a chamber 44 between the two structural laminates as seen in Fig. 2 and Fig, 9, which may extend throughout the space between the stator backbone and rotors that is not occupied by the structural members 24 or the posts.
• This chamber may be filled with a fluid or gas to remove heat from the stator and stator coils. This is preferred as the fluid or gas will be in direct contact with the center of stator post and structural laminated member which will allow effective heat transfer. This may be preferable as this allows the device to run at higher currents while maintaining a stable, desired temperature.
• the fluid or gas in this chamber is preferred to flow through the chamber due to a pressure differential between an inlet and an outlet (not shown, but may be in the inner backbone).
• the fluid or gas may also remain static, or if air cooling is preferred, ambient air may also flow through by natural convection.
• the spacer prevents the potting compound from filling the space between the laminated aluminum disks.
• This spacer is preferably made of a dissolvable material or a meltable material such as wax, which can be removed by dissolving or melting after potting is complete.
• a solid member in-between the laminates during the assembly process. This is shown in Fig. 5 where an exemplary member is inserted between the structural laminations. This exemplary member allows bearing on the ID and OD to be used and a bolt hole pattern on the ID flange 72 of stator backbone 26.
• a single set of coils could be used between the two structural members with shorter posts, instead of the coils 20 shown, that only just protrude from the structural members. This would not have the cooling benefits but would be a lower profile assembly.
• stator poles With a rotor on each side of the stator, there are balanced axial forces on the stator poles that results from the rotor poles acting with equal force on both axial ends of each post. This tends to eliminate the shear force on the stator post laminates, which reduces the strain on the glue layers between the laminates.
• the mechanical securing of the stator post laminates between the two aluminum layered disks (with the wider section of the posts between the aluminum layered disks) resists movement of the laminates even if the glue fails.
• the design reduces eddy currents in the laminates of the structural members as a result of the alternating ID - OD slots in each layer. Alternating from ID to OD with each successive layer provides a non- interrupted surface on at least one side of each eddy current prevention slot on an adjacent layer.

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (6)

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Citations (4)

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• 2017
  • 2017-07-14 CA CA3030064A patent/CA3030064A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2017-07-14 KR KR1020197002070A patent/KR102197474B1/ko active IP Right Grant
  • 2017-07-14 JP JP2019523150A patent/JP6868690B2/ja active Active
  • 2017-07-14 EP EP17826734.0A patent/EP3485557A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2017-07-14 CN CN201780044427.3A patent/CN109478806B/zh active Active
  • 2017-07-14 WO PCT/CA2017/050858 patent/WO2018010032A1/en unknown

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (2)

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