This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Italian Patent Application No. MI2011U000087 filed in Italy on Mar. 9, 2011, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to an electric machine, such as, a rotor for a rotating electric machine and the manufacturing method for the rotor itself, which offers improved features for the insertion of windings into the rotor.
Rotating electric machines, such as for example electrical motors or generators, are devices that due to their versatility, reliability, and long life, have an increased widespread use in a large number of sectors.
Known rotating electric machines include a rotor suitable for rotating around its axis of rotation. In the rotor, a plurality of cavities, extending for at least a portion of the longitudinal extension of the rotor, are radially defined with respect to the axis of rotation. Windings are inserted into the cavities in order to configure the phases, or poles, of the rotor.
In known implementations, the windings of the rotor can include a set of straps connected in series, and the interior of the cavities made accessible through a cleft that allows the insertion of the straps for the respective windings. The cleft can be sized so that the straps of a winding can be inserted in the respective cavity one at a time.
In practice, a first strap of the winding can initially inserted into the respective cavity through the suitable insertion cleft, and then moved until contacting a wall that defines the cavity itself; then a second strap can be inserted into the cavity through the insertion cleft, and moved towards the first strap, until contacting with it. This same process can be repeated for all other straps of the winding, until the cavity is filled.
Known rotor designs offer the advantage that the structure itself of the cavities of the rotor is suitable for helping to hold the straps inside it, withstanding the centrifugal force applied by the straps themselves during the rotation of the rotor around its axis of rotation.
However, the fact that the straps of the windings have to be inserted first and then moved in the respective cavity one at a time, makes the rotor manufacturing process particularly slow and complex, and therefore expensive.
An exemplary rotor of a rotating electric machine for rotating around an axis of rotation is disclosed, the rotor comprising: at least a first cavity and at least a second cavity, which are radially defined relative to said axis of rotation along at least a portion of a longitudinal extension of the rotor along the axis of rotation, said first cavity and said second cavity including a bottom wall from which a first lateral wall and a second lateral wall extend facing each other and transversal with respect to said bottom wall, and configured for receiving therein a first lateral portion and a second lateral portion, respectively, of a winding of the rotor through an insertion opening which extends facing said bottom wall from said first lateral wall to said second lateral wall; and blocking means for blocking the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion of said winding inside the first cavity and the second cavity, respectively, by operatively coupling to respective coupling means defined in the rotor.
An exemplary method of manufacturing a rotor of a rotating electric machine for rotating around an axis of rotation is disclosed, said method comprising: defining at least a first cavity and at least a second cavity radially with respect to said axis of rotation along at least a portion of the longitudinal extension of the rotor along the axis of rotation itself, said at least a first cavity and said at least a second cavity comprising a bottom wall from which a first lateral wall and a second lateral wall extend facing each other and transversal with respect to said bottom wall, said at least a first cavity and said at least a second cavity for receiving therein a first lateral portion and a second lateral portion, respectively, of a winding of the rotor; inserting the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion of said winding inside the first cavity and inside the second cavity, respectively, through an insertion opening of the first cavity and of the second cavity, which extends facing the bottom wall from said first lateral wall to said second lateral wall; and blocking the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion of said winding inside said at least a first cavity and said at least a second cavity through coupling means for operatively coupling to respective coupling means defined in the rotor.
An exemplary rotor of a rotating electric machine for rotating around an axis of rotation is disclosed, the rotor comprising: at least one first cavity for receiving a first lateral portion; at least one second cavity for receiving a second lateral portion; and blocking means for blocking the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion of said winding inside the first cavity and the second cavity, respectively, by operatively coupling to respective coupling means defined in the rotor, wherein said first and second cavities are located radially relative to said axis of rotation along a longitudinal extension of the rotor, said first cavity and said second cavity including a bottom wall, and two lateral walls that extend transversally on opposite edges of said bottom wall, and wherein each of the two lateral walls is configured to receive a winding of the rotor through an insertion opening that extends facing said bottom wall and between the two lateral walls.
Characteristics and advantages will become more apparent from the non-exclusive description of an exemplary embodiment of a rotor for a rotating electric machine according to the present disclosure, illustrated for exemplification purposes in the accompanying drawings; wherein:
Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein overcome the disadvantage pointed out in the prior art by providing a rotor that specifies a simple, rapid, and economical manufacturing process.
These exemplary embodiments being directed to a rotor for a rotating electric machine, suitable for rotating around an axis of rotation and including at least a first cavity and at least a second cavity, which are radially defined relative to the axis of rotation along at least a portion of the longitudinal extension of the rotor along the axis of rotation itself, said at least a first cavity and said at least a second cavity including a bottom wall from which a first lateral wall and a second lateral wall extend facing each other and transversal with respect to the bottom wall, said at least a first cavity and said at least a second cavity being suitable for receiving therein a first lateral portion and a second lateral portion, respectively, of a winding of the rotor through an insertion opening which extends facing the bottom wall from the first lateral wall to the second lateral wall.
The exemplary rotor includes blocking means suitable for blocking the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion of the winding inside the first cavity and the second cavity, respectively, by operatively coupling to respective coupling means defined in the rotor.
An exemplary manufacturing method of a rotor for a rotating electric machine suitable for rotating around an axis of rotation, as provided in the present disclosure can include defining at least a first cavity and at least a second cavity radially with respect to the axis of rotation along at least a portion of the longitudinal extension of the rotor along the axis of rotation itself, said at least a first cavity and said at least a second cavity having a bottom wall from which a first lateral wall and a second lateral wall extend facing each other and transversal with respect to the bottom wall, said at least a first cavity and said at least a second cavity being suitable for receiving therein a first lateral portion and a second lateral portion, respectively, of a winding of the rotor; inserting the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion of the winding inside the first cavity and inside the second cavity, respectively, through an insertion opening of the first cavity and of the second cavity, which extends facing the bottom wall from the first lateral wall to the second lateral wall.
The exemplary method disclosed herein can also include blocking the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion of the winding inside said at least a first cavity and said at least a second cavity through coupling means suitable for operatively coupling to respective coupling means defined in the rotor.
The rotor 1 can include a plurality of cavities radially defined with respect to the axis of rotation 3, along at least a portion of the longitudinal extension of the rotor 1 along the axis of rotation 3 itself, longitudinal portion which is indicated by the reference “X” in the example illustrated in
The windings 20 of the rotor 1 can be realized by a set of straps 21 electrically in series, produced by bending a strip of metallic material, such as copper (see for example the straps 21 illustrated in
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the cavities 10, 101 of the rotor 1 are arranged along the longitudinal extension X of the rotor 1 itself in rows of cavities 10 separated from each other and aligned along the axis of rotation 3, and in rows of cavities 101 separated from each other and aligned along the axis of rotation 3. Alignment among cavities in the same row is to be understood as alignment along the direction defined by the axis of rotation 3 of the bottom walls 11, of the first lateral walls 12 and of the second lateral walls 13 of such cavities.
In practice, the cavities 10, 101 of the rotor 1 are defined along portions of the longitudinal extension X of the rotor 1 itself, which are physically separated (e.g., equidistant) from each other. In particular, such longitudinal portions are mounted and fixed on a central body 5 of the rotor 1 (see
For clarity of visualization,
The other longitudinal portions of the rotor 1, not illustrated in
Cavities 10, 101 defined on the different longitudinal portions of the rotor 1 are aligned to each other along the axis of rotation 3. In this way, the first side 50 and the second side 51 of each winding 20 of the rotor 1 are inserted in a corresponding row of cavities 10 and a corresponding row of second cavities 101, respectively.
Alternatively to the illustrated embodiment, the rows of cavities 10, 101 could be substituted by single cavities extending for the entire longitudinal extension X of the rotor 1.
The radial disposition of cavities 10, 101 of the rotor 1, which are defined along the same longitudinal portion of the rotor 1 itself (such as for example the first longitudinal portion 4 and the second longitudinal portion 40 illustrated in
The rotor 1 can include a plurality of phases 100 configured by a certain number of windings 20. For each phase 100 of the rotor 1, cavities 10, 101 defined along the same longitudinal portion of the rotor 1 has a first group of cavities 10 radially adjacent to each other (overall indicated with reference number 18 in the example in
The minimum distance D1 between cavities 10 adjacent to each other in the first group 18, can be equal to the minimum distance between cavities 101 adjacent to each other in the group 19, is less than the minimum distance D2 between a cavity 10 of the first group 18 and a cavity 101 of the second group 19 radially defined adjacent to each other.
The rotor 1 illustrated in
In an exemplary embodiment, the number of phases 100 of the rotor 1 and the number of windings 20 that configure such phases 100 may be different from the illustrated one, according to the specifications of the application of the rotor 1; and hence also the number of cavities 10 of the first group 18 and the number of cavities 101 of the second group 19 may be different from the illustrated one, according to the different configuration of the phases 100.
For simplicity sake the following description will refer to cavities 10, in particular to the cavity 10 illustrated in the example in
In an exemplary rotor 1 as described in the present disclosure, the cavities 10 are suitable for receiving therein the respective lateral portions 22 of windings 20 through an insertion opening 14 that extends facing the bottom wall 11 from the first lateral wall 12 to the second lateral wall 13. An exemplary embodiment of cavity 10 is illustrated in
In an exemplary embodiment disclosed herein, the cavity 10 is suitable for receiving therein the respective lateral portion 22 of the winding 20 so that section S1 (illustrated in
The example illustrated in
In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, cavities 10 in the rotor 1 may be suitable for receiving therein the respective lateral portions 22 of the windings 20 so that section S1 of such lateral portions 22 has its bigger side L parallel to the bottom wall 11 of the cavity 10, and its smaller side I transversal to the bottom wall 11.
In this embodiment, straps 21 of the winding 20 are inserted into the cavity 10 adjacent to one another, with the smaller side of the cross section of each strap 21 resting on the bottom wall 11.
Advantageously, the rotor 1 according to the present disclosure includes blocking means suitable for blocking the lateral portions 22 of its windings 20 inside the respective cavities 10 during the rotation of the rotor 1 around its axis of rotation 3, in spite of the presence of the insertion openings 14.
According to a exemplary embodiment, the blocking means of the rotor 1 are suitable for operatively coupling to respective coupling means defined in the rotor 1, such as inside cavities 10.
Upon such coupling, the blocking means can cover at least a portion of the insertion opening 14 of the cavities 10.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the blocking means includes at least a first insertion recess 15 and a second insertion recess 16, which are defined along the first lateral wall 12 and the second lateral wall 13 of the cavities 10, respectively, lengthwise the axis of rotation 3.
The first insertion recess 15 and the second insertion recess 16 are suitable for receiving respective portions 31 of a wedge 30 to cover insertion opening 14.
The first insertion recess 15 and the second insertion recess 16 advantageously have a cross section S2 (illustrated in
A sub-wedge 32 is inserted into the cavity 10 between the wedge 30 and the lateral portion 22 of the winding 20. In particular, in the example in
In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure a manufacturing method of the rotor 1, can include defining at least a first cavity 10 and at least a second cavity 101 in the rotor 1, according to the exemplary embodiments discussed above and illustrated in Figures.
In particular, according to another exemplary embodiment of the rotor 1, the cavities 10, 101 are arranged in rows of cavities 10, 101 separated and aligned along the axis of rotation 3, as in the examples previously described and illustrated in Figures.
In an exemplary embodiment disclosed herein the manufacturing method of the rotor 1 further can also include inserting the first lateral portion 22 and the second lateral portion 220 of a winding 20 of the rotor 1 into said at least a first cavity 10 and said at least a second cavity 101, respectively, through the insertion opening 14 of the cavities 10, 101 themselves.
The exemplary inserting step of the manufacturing method can include defining said at least a first cavity 10 and said at least a second cavity 101 to be suitable for receiving the first lateral portion 22 and the second lateral portion 220 of the winding 20, such that the section S1 of the first lateral portion 22 and of the second lateral portion 220 (transversal to the axis of rotation 3) has its bigger side L transversal to the bottom wall 11, and its smaller side I parallel to the bottom wall 11, as is the case in the examples previously described and illustrated in Figures (see in particular
The exemplary manufacturing method of the present disclosure can also include blocking the first lateral portion 22 and the second lateral portion 220 of the winding 20 inside the first cavity 10 and the second cavity 101, respectively, through blocking means suitable for operatively coupling to respective coupling means defined in the rotor 1, such as in cavities 10, 101.
Upon such coupling, the blocking means cover at least a portion of the insertion opening 14.
The exemplary blocking step of the manufacturing method can include defining at least a first insertion recess 15 and a second insertion recess 16 along at least a portion of the first lateral wall 12 and along at least a portion of the second lateral wall 13, respectively; and step c) includes inserting respective portions 31 of the wedge 30 into the first insertion recess 15 and the second insertion recess 16 to cover the insertion opening 14, as is the case in the examples previously described and illustrated in Figures (see in particular
In step a) the first insertion recess 15 and the second insertion recess 16 can be defined to have a section S2 (transversal to the axis of rotation 3) with a substantially trapezoidal shape, according to the examples previously described and illustrated in Figures (see in particular
Under experimentation, it has been verified that the rotor 1 according to the present disclosure and the relative manufacturing method fully achieve the predefined objective. In particular, the insertion opening 14 enables the full insertion of the set of straps 21 into the respective cavity of the rotor 1, insertion which occurs in a single manufacturing step without the need, after this step, to move the straps 21 in any way inside the cavity itself.
The insertion of the windings 20 into the respective cavities of the rotor 1 is therefore particularly quick, easy and cheap.
The blocking means of the rotor 1, such as the wedge 30 in the illustrated examples, are suitable for conveniently holding the straps 21 of the windings 20 blocked inside the respective cavities of the rotor 1, which due to the centrifugal force exerted on them during the rotation of the rotor 1 around its axis of rotation 3, are pushed to exit from the cavities themselves through the insertion openings 14.
In particular, the “dovetail” configuration described for the first insertion recess 15 and for the second insertion recess 16 enable the wedge 30 to better withstand the centrifugal force exerted by the straps 21 during the rotation of the rotor 1.
The exemplary embodiment of the rotor 1 (where the cross section S1 of the lateral portions 22, 220 of the windings 20 has its bigger side L transversal to the bottom wall 11) enables to easily insert the stack of straps 21 into the respective cavities of the rotor, and blocking such stack inside during the rotation of the rotor 1.
In particular, the blocking means, such as the wedge 30, should withstand the pushing of the straps 11 by covering the insertion opening 14 with an extension from the first lateral wall 12 to the second lateral wall 13 smaller than the extension foreseen in the alternative embodiment of the rotor 1 (where the cross section S1 of the lateral portions 22, 220 of the windings 20 has the bigger side L parallel to the bottom wall 11).
The solutions described are susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, alternatively to the examples described and illustrated in Figures, the blocking means for the cavity 10, 101 of the rotor 1 may be suitable for operatively coupling to respective coupling means defined in portions of the rotor included between the cavity 10, 101 itself and another two cavities 10, 101 positioned adjacent to it in the rotor 1. For example, the wedge 30 may be coupled to respective coupling recesses defined in the rotor 1 outside cavity 10, near to the first lateral wall 12 and the second lateral wall 13.
Furthermore, the blocking means may be designed differently than the wedge 30 used in the examples illustrated in Figures. For example, the cavities 10, 101 of the rotor 1 may be coupled to tie-rods that partially lock the insertion openings 14 to lock the straps 21 of the windings 20 inside them.
Finally, all details can be replaced by other equivalent technical elements. In practice, the type of materials within the scope of the applications described above, as well as the dimensions, may be of any kind according to the specifications and the state of the art.
Thus, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restricted. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changes that come within the meaning and range and equivalence thereof are intended to be embraced therein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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MI2011U000087 | Mar 2011 | IT | national |