APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ELECTRICALLY INSULATING END TURNS OF A STATOR ASSEMBLY

• US 20110148244A1
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Discovery Energy LLC
• Original Assignee: Kohler Company
• Inventors: Spangle, James D., Atsinger, Louis M., Dreiling, Paul L., Van Maaren, Richard D., Bliemeister, Allan J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,643,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/215
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/38 around winding heads, equalising connectors, or connections thereto
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/00 Arrangements for cooling or ventilating channels or ducts in parts of the magnetic circuit H02K1/20, H02K1/32; channels or ducts in or between conductors H02K3/22, H02K3/24

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing electrical insulation between adjacent end turns at different phases within a stator assembly. In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a stator assembly comprising: a stator core having a plurality of slots; at least two coils of different phases wound on the stator core through the slots and having an end turn that extends from the stator core; and one or more separator members positioned between adjacent end turns of the coils.

Claims

1. A stator assembly comprising:

a stator core having a plurality of slots;

at least two coils of different phases wound on the stator core through the slots and having an end turn that extends from the stator core; and

one or more separator members positioned between adjacent end turns of the coils and maintaining space between the adjacent end turns, the separator members constructed of a rigid dielectric material.

2. The stator assembly of claim 1 wherein the separator members comprise a head portion, an elongated body portion, and a tip portion inserted within the slots of the stator core.

3. The stator assembly of claim 2 wherein the separator members comprise one or more through holes forming passageways between the sheets and the adjacent end turns.

4. The stator assembly of claim 2 wherein the separator members comprise one or more walls terminating in an undulating edge in which wires of the adjacent end turns nest.

5. The stator assembly of claim 2 wherein the separator members comprise a longitudinal channel.

6. The stator assembly of claim 2 wherein the tip portion is a flat plate and the pair of walls have a tapered height that decreases in a direction from the head portion to the tip portion.

9. The stator assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more electrically insulating sheets comprising a plurality of through holes, the sheets positioned between the adjacent end turns of the coils so that the through holes of the sheets form passageways between the adjacent end turns

wherein the separator members are constructed of a rigid dielectric material and comprise head portions inserted into the through holes of the sheets, a body portion of the separator members protruding from the sheets;

wherein the head portion of the separator members are secured within the through holes of the sheets; and

wherein the head portions of the separator members are sized and shaped so that;

(i) when the head portions are in a first rotational orientation, the head portions can pass through the through holes of the sheets in a substantially unobstructed manner; and

(ii) when the head portions are in a second rotational orientation, the head portions are prohibited from passing through the through holes of the sheets.

7. The stator assembly of claim I further comprising one or more electrically insulating sheets comprising a plurality of through holes, the sheets positioned between the adjacent end turns of the coils so that the through holes of the sheets form passageways between the adjacent end turns.

8. The stator assembly of claim l wherein the separator members are constructed of a thermoplastic blended with glass fibers.

10. A separator member for maintaining separation between adjacent end turns of a multi-phase winding in a stator assembly, the separator member comprising:

a body portion;

a head portion connected to a proximal end of the body portion; and

wherein the separator member is constructed of a rigid dielectric material.

11. The separator member of claim 10 further comprising a tip portion at a distal end of the body portion, the body portion being elongated along an axis extending from the proximal end to the distal end.

12. The separator member of claim 11 wherein the elongated body portion comprises one or more through holes.

13. The separator member of claim 12 wherein the elongated body portion comprises a pair of walls terminating in undulated edges defining a longitudinal channel, the through holes being located on a floor of the channel.

14. The separator member of claim 13 wherein at least a portion of the pair of walls have a tapered height that decreases in a direction toward the distal end.

15. The separator member of claim 10 wherein the body portion comprises an elongated base plate having a pair of spaced-apart walls protruding from a major surface of the elongated base plate, the walls forming a channel therebetween and terminating in undulating edges;

wherein the walls extend from the head portion to a beginning of a distal tip portion of the body portion, the distal tip portion being free of the walls and having a tapered lateral width; and

wherein the elongated base plate comprises a plurality of through holes located between the spaced-apart walls.

16. The separator member of claim IS wherein the head portion comprises a head plate oriented substantially orthogonal to the elongated base plate.

17. A stator assembly comprising:

a stator core having a plurality of slots;

at least two coils of different phases wound on the stator core through the slots and having an end turn that extends from the stator core;

one or more electrically insulating sheets comprising a plurality of through holes, the sheets positioned between adjacent end turns of the coils so that the through holes of the sheets form passageways between the adjacent end turns; and

one or more cords secured to the sheets and wrapped around at least one of the adjacent end tunes.

18. The stator assembly of claim 17 wherein the cords are secured to the sheets by lacing the cords through the through holes of the sheets.

19. The stator assembly of claim 17 wherein the cords secured to different sheets are interlaced together.

20. The stator assembly of claim 17 wherein the cords are wrapped around a plurality of end turns located at different radial distances from an axis of the stator core.