IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,482,894
Granted Patent B2
US 11,482,894 · App. 17/071,386 · Granted Oct 25, 2022

Electric machine with combined axial- and radial-flux

Inventors: Lei Zhou (Austin, TX); Bingnan Wang (Belmont, MA); Hongyu Wang (Cambridge, MA)
Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
H02K1/16H02K1/182H02K1/2766H02K16/04H02K21/24
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,482,894
App. No.
17/071,386
Granted
Oct 25, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

An axial-flux and radial-flux motor including a rotor mounted rotatably about a machine axis, with the rotor rotatively attached to a shaft. A stator assembly having a core with a non-ferromagnetic material and including a first axial-flux stator yoke with an inner wall rigidly attached on an outer surface of a first edge wall of the core. A second axial-flux stator yoke having an inner wall rigidly attached on an outer surface of a second edge wall of the core. The first and the second axial-flux stator yokes each include an outer wall with slots. A radial-flux stator yoke with slots includes an inner wall rigidly attached on a continuous outer wall of the core. The radial-flux stator yoke and the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes include laminated sheets. Windings positioned in the slots of the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes and the radial-flux stator yoke.

Claims (53)

1. An electrical machine that is an axial-flux and radial-flux motor, comprising:

a rotor mounted rotatably about a machine axis, with the rotor rotatively attached to a shaft; and

a stator assembly having a stator core with a non-ferromagnetic material and including

a first axial-flux stator yoke having an inner wall rigidly attached on an outer surface of a first edge wall of the stator core, and a second axial-flux stator yoke having an inner wall rigidly attached on an outer surface of a second edge wall of the stator core, wherein the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes each include an outer wall with slots;

a radial-flux stator yoke with slots includes a continuous inner wall rigidly attached on a continuous outer wall of the stator core, wherein the radial-flux stator yoke and the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes include laminated sheets; and

windings positioned in the slots of the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes and the radial-flux stator yoke.

2. The electric machine of claim 1 , wherein the stator assembly is rigidly attached to the shaft, and wherein the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes have slots in an axial direction, the radial-flux stator yoke has slots located on an outer diameter surface of the continuous outer wall of the stator core, and the windings include a set of toroid-shaped multiphase windings configured within the slots of the first and second axial-flux stator yokes and the radial-flux stator yoke.

3. The electrical machine of claim 1 , further comprising:

a two axial-flux rotor assembly rotatively attached to the shaft via bearings, and engages with the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes, each axial-flux rotor assembly having an axial-flux rotor housing rigidly attached to an outer race of bearings, an axial-flux rotor back-iron attached to the axial-flux rotor housing, and an axial-flux permanent magnet array attached to the axial-flux rotor back-iron.

4. The electrical machine of claim 3 , further comprising:

a radial-flux rotor assembly rigidly connected to an axial-flux rotor housing, and rotatively engaged with the radial-flux stator yoke,

wherein the radial-flux rotor assembly includes a radial-flux rotor housing rigidly attached to the axial-flux rotor housing, a radial-flux rotor back-iron attached to the radial-flux rotor housing, and a radial-flux permanent magnet array attached to the axial-flux rotor back-iron.

5. The electrical machine of claim 4 , wherein the axial-flux permanent magnet arrays of the two axial-flux rotor assembly and the radial-flux permanent magnet array each have alternative polarity.

6. The electrical machine of claim 4 , wherein the first and second axial-flux stator yokes and the axial-flux rotor back-irons of the two axial-flux rotor assembly are made of spiral-shaped electrical lamination, or that the radial-flux stator yoke and radial-flux rotor back-iron are made of stacked electrical lamination.

7. The electrical machine to claim 1 , wherein the non-ferromagnetic material of the stator core includes at least 90% of one or more non-ferromagnetic materials.

8. The electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein the non-ferromagnetic material of the stator core is a material that is one of plastic, carbon fiber reinforced polymer, fiberglass or an iron (ferrous) free material.

9. The electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein the non-ferromagnetic material of the stator core includes a level of an electrically conductive material and a level of mechanical stiffness associated with one of titanium, fiber glass or acetal homopolymer.

10. The electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein the non-ferromagnetic material of the stator core is a material that is one or more non-ferromagnetic metals obtained from sulfide, carbonate or silicate minerals, and is non-magnetic.

11. The electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein the windings are wrapped around the assembled stator yoke and include a winding pattern having end turns which are termed toroidal windings, such that the toroidal windings reduces an amount of a length of the end turns, resulting in an increase in an amount of overall efficiency of the electrical machine, when compared with a similarly configured electric machine without the toroidal windings.

12. The electrical machine to claim 1 , wherein the windings include a copper material and are wrapped around the assembled stator yoke that include a winding pattern with end turns that are termed toroidal windings, such that the toroidal windings reduces an amount of a length of the end turns, resulting in a total amount of a motor's windings copper loss which improves a motor's overall efficiency.

13. The electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein the windings are thermally connected to the shaft, such that the thermal connection of the windings and the shaft is implemented using a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material of epoxy.

14. The electrical machine of claim 1 , further comprising:

bearings are utilized so the rotor is rotatively attached to the shaft, such that the shaft is a hollow stationary shaft, and

wherein the stator core and the shaft include a coupling feature adapted to selectively couple and mate the stator core to the shaft, so that the stator assembly is fixed to the shaft in order to transmit a torque action and maintain an angular correspondence, to produce a torque force.

15. An electrical machine that is an axial-flux and radial-flux motor, comprising:

a rotor mounted rotatably about a machine axis, with the rotor rotatively attached to a stationary shaft; and

a stator assembly including

a stator core with a non-ferromagnetic material, the stator core including a first edge wall, a second edge wall and a continuous outer wall circumferentially positioned around the stator core;

a first axial-flux stator yoke having an inner wall rigidly attached on an outer surface of a first edge wall of the stator core, and a second axial-flux stator yoke having an inner wall rigidly attached on an outer surface of a second edge wall of the stator core, wherein the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes each include an outer wall with slots;

a radial-flux stator yoke with slots includes a continuous inner wall rigidly attached on a continuous outer wall of the stator core, wherein the radial-flux stator yoke and the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes include laminated sheets; and

windings positioned in the slots of the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes and the radial-flux stator yoke, wherein the stator assembly is fixed to the stationary shaft of which the rotor rotates around the same stationary shaft, in order to transmit a torque action to produce a torque force.

16. The electrical machine of claim 15 , wherein the radial-flux stator yoke includes stacked laminations of sheets that are electrically laminated and insulated from each other, such that sheets have substantially a same shape, and are stacked one on top of another in an axial direction or connected to one another.

17. The electrical machine of claim 15 , wherein the first and second axial-flux stator yokes includes stacked laminations of sheets that are electrically laminated and insulated from each other, the stacked laminations of sheets are axisymmetric relative to a radial straight line, wherein the laminations for the first and second axial-flux stator yokes include the sheets stacked one on top of another in a radial direction or connected to one another.

18. The electrical machine of claim 15 , wherein the radial-flux stator yoke is ring-shaped and includes an includes an inner facing surface of a continuous inner wall rigidly attached on an outer facing surface of the continuous outer wall of the non-ferromagnetic core.

19. The electrical machine of claim 15 , wherein the windings are wrapped around the assembled stator yoke to include multiple loops of magnetic copper wires and have three-phases along with a pole pair number.

20. An electrical machine that is an axial-flux and radial-flux motor, comprising:

a rotor mounted rotatably about a machine axis;

a stator assembly including

a fixed non-ferromagnetic stator core attached to the shaft;

a first axial-flux stator yoke and a second axial-flux stator yoke both having slots in an axial direction;

a radial-flux stator yoke with slots is positioned on an outer diameter surface of the fixed non-ferromagnetic stator core, and a set of toroid-shaped multiphase winding configured within the slots of the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes the radial-flux stator yoke;

two axial-flux rotor assemblies rotatively attached to the shaft, and engage with the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes, each axial-flux rotor assembly includes an axial-flux rotor housing rigidly attached to an outer race of bearings, an axial-flux rotor back-iron attached to the axial-flux rotor housing, and an axial-flux permanent magnet array attached to the axial-flux rotor back-iron; and

a radial-flux rotor assembly rigidly connected to both axial-flux rotor housings, and rotatively engaged with a radial-flux stator yoke, the radial-flux rotor assembly has a radial-flux rotor housing rigidly attached to the both axial-flux rotor housings, a radial-flux rotor back-iron attached to the radial-flux rotor housing, and a radial-flux permanent magnet array attached to the both axial-flux rotor back-irons.

21. The electrical machine of claim 20 , wherein a pole pair number of the permanent magnet arrays matches with a pole-pair number of the stator winding to form a synchronous surface mount permanent magnet motor, or the pole pair number of the permanent magnet arrays matches with the stator slot number plus or minus the stator winding pole-pair number to form a vernier permanent magnet motor.

22. A system comprising:

a transceiver to receive signals from sensors associated with an axial-flux and radial-flux (AFARF) motor;

a digital controller configured to receive the signals, and generate control signals specifying values of one or combination of a multi-phase voltage or a current for the AFARF motor, for tracking a reference trajectory of torques of the AFARF motor, and wherein the AFARF motor has a load whose position is controlled by the AFARF motor and is controllable by the digital controller, such that the AFARF motor includes:

a rotor mounted rotatably about a machine axis, with the rotor rotatively attached to a shaft; and

a stator assembly having a stator core with a non-ferromagnetic material and including

a first axial-flux stator yoke having an inner wall rigidly attached on an outer surface of a first edge wall of the stator core, and a second axial-flux stator yoke having an inner wall rigidly attached on an outer surface of a second edge wall of the stator core, wherein the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes each include an outer wall with slots;

a radial-flux stator yoke with slots includes a continuous inner wall rigidly attached on a continuous outer wall of the stator core, wherein the radial-flux stator yoke and the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes include laminated sheets; and

windings positioned in the slots of the first and the second axial-flux stator yokes and the radial-flux stator yoke that form a toroid-shaped stator assembly; and

an inverter in communication with the digital controller and the AFARF motor, is configured to supply the multi-phase voltage and the current generated according to the generated control signals to multi-phase windings of the AFARF motor to reduce an error between the reference trajectory and a measured torque of the AFARF motor, if the error is above a predetermined error threshold.

Continuity (1)
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