Rotating electrical machine
A rotating electrical machine includes a magnetic field-producing unit and an armature. A magnet unit is equipped with a plurality of magnets arranged adjacent each other in a circumferential direction. Each of the magnets is magnetically oriented to have an easy axis of magnetization which is aligned near a d-axis that is defined on a center of the magnetic pole to be more parallel to the d-axis than an easy axis of magnetization near a q-axis that is defined on a boundary between the magnetic poles. An armature winding includes conductive members which face the magnetic field-producing unit and are arranged at a given interval away from each other in the circumferential direction. Each of the magnets has an end surface which faces in the circumferential direction and is placed in direct contact with an end surface of a circumferentially adjacent one of the magnets.
1. A rotating electrical machine comprising:
a magnetic field-producing unit which includes a magnet unit, the magnet unit being equipped with a plurality of magnetic poles arranged to have magnetic polarities located alternately in a circumferential direction of the magnetic field-producing unit;
an armature which is equipped with a multi-phase winding; and
a rotor which is implemented by one of the magnetic field-producing unit and the armature, wherein
the magnet unit includes a plurality of magnets which are arranged in the circumferential direction, the magnet unit being magnetically oriented to have an easy axis of magnetization in a region which is located near a d-axis that is defined on a center of the magnetic pole to be more parallel to the d-axis than an easy axis of magnetization in a region located near a q-axis that is defined on a boundary between the magnetic poles,
the armature winding includes conductive members which face the magnetic field-producing unit and are arranged at a given interval away from each other in the circumferential direction,
the armature includes inter-conductor members each of which is disposed between a respective adjacent two of the conductive members in the circumferential direction,
defining a total width of the inter-conductor members arranged within one of the magnetic poles in the circumferential direction as Wt, a saturation magnetic flux density of the inter-conductor members as Bs, a dimension of a portion of the magnet unit equivalent to one of the magnetic poles in the circumferential direction of the magnet unit as Wm, and a remnant flux density in the magnet unit as Br,
the inter-conductor members are made of material meeting a relation of Wt×Bs≤Wm×Br or are non-magnetic material, and
each of the magnets has an end surface which faces in the circumferential direction and is placed in direct contact with an end surface of a circumferentially adjacent one of the magnets.