Rotary electrical machines

• US 20030178896A1
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Converteam UK Limited (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Converteam UK Limited (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Crane, Allan David
• Granted Patent: US 7,061,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/68R
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/33 Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics H02K11/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 2203/09 Machines characterised by wiring elements other than wires, e.g. bus rings, for connecting the winding terminations
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/28 Layout of windings or of connections between windings windings for pole-changing H02K17/06, H02K17/14, H02K19/12, H02K19/32

Abstract

An electrical machine, such as an induction motor, comprises a stator assembly (102) having a plurality of conductive windings (103) spaced around an axis of rotation X-X′, a rotor (101) which is adapted to rotate about the axis of rotation dependent upon the flow of current through the stator windings, and a plurality of switching assemblies (106) provided at circumferentially spaced locations around the stator. Each switching assembly (106) is electrically connected between an end of at least one of the windings and a power supply busbar ring assembly (107) comprising at least one conductor. The busbar assembly connects the electrical supply to one or more of the switching assemblies, each of the switching assemblies being effective to selectively control supply of current to at least one of the windings.

Claims

1. An electrical machine comprising:

a rotor;

a stator having a plurality of field-generating conductors;

at least one ring-shaped busbar for supplying power to the field-generating conductors;

a plurality of switch means angularly spaced apart around the stator and connected between the at least one busbar and the field-generating conductors; and

control means for selectively operating the switch means to control current in the field-generating conductors and thereby control operation of the machine.

4. An electrical machine according to any preceding claim in which at least one busbar is provided at one or both ends of the stator.

5. An electrical machine according to any preceding claim, in which a plurality of busbars are arranged concentrically with each other at one or both ends of the stator.

6. An electrical machine according to any preceding claim, in which there are a plurality of busbars for supplying a corresponding plurality of electrical supply phases to the field-generating conductors and each switch means comprises a corresponding plurality of switches, whereby the field-generating conductors are selectively connectable to any one of the plurality of electrical supply phases.

7. An electrical machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which a busbar is provided for each polarity of a DC input supply and each switch means controls a connection between a field-generating conductor and one of the busbars.

8. An electrical machine according to any preceding claim in which the field-generating conductors are supported by a former having a plurality of axially extending slots provided therein at circumferentially spaced locations and in which the circumferentially spaced locations of the slots correspond to the spaced locations of the switch means.

9. An electrical machine according to any preceding claim, in which each switch means comprises a plurality of semiconductor switches.

10. An electrical machine according to claim 9, in which the switches of each switch means are supported by a respective electrically insulating substrate.

11. An electrical machine according to claim 10, in which the substrates comprise, or are in heat-exchange with, heat sinks.

12. An electrical machine according to claim 11, in which the heat-sinks are fluid-cooled through channels provided in the heat-sinks.

13. An electrical machine according to claim 12, provided with toroidal inlet and outlet manifolds surrounding the switch means for conveying coolant fluid to and from the heat-sinks.

14. An electrical machine according to any preceding claim in which the busbars are supported by the stator.

15. An electrical machine according to any preceding claim, in which the field-generating conductors comprise coil windings.

16. An electrical machine according to any one of claims 1 to 14, in which the field-generating conductors comprise straight bars.

2. An electrical machine comprising:

a stator assembly having a plurality of field-generating conductors arranged around an axis of rotation,

a rotor adapted to rotate about the axis of rotation in response to flow of current through the field-generating conductors,

a plurality of switch means provided at angularly spaced-apart locations around the stator assembly, each switch means being connected to an end of at least one of the field-generating conductors; and

a power supply ring assembly comprising at least one ring-shaped busbar for supply of power to the switch means, each of the switch means being effective to selectively control supply of current to at least one of the windings.

3. An electrical machine according to claim 2, wherein control means selectively operates each switch means between a conductive state and a non-conductive state to control current in the field-generating conductors and thereby control operation of the machine.