Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Brushless Machine

• US 20120146445A1
• Filed: 12/12/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: ENOMOTO, Yuji, TOKOI, Hirooki
• Application Number:
  US13/323,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20120146445A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/156.37
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 21/026 Axial air gap machines

Abstract

An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to the present invention includes: a housing; a stator comprising a stator core and a coil; two rotors each including a permanent magnet, and positioned so as to sandwich the stator in the axial direction with air gaps being left between the rotors and the stator; and a variable gap mechanism for changing distances of the air gaps; wherein the variable gap mechanism operates from a power source that supplies other rotational power than a rotational power of the axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine, and changes the distances of the air gaps by shifting the rotors in the axial direction.

Claims

1. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine comprising:

a housing;

a stator comprising a stator core and a coil;

two rotors each including a permanent magnet, and positioned so as to sandwich the stator in the axial direction with air gaps being left between the rotors and the stator; and

a variable gap mechanism for changing distances of the air gaps;

wherein the variable gap mechanism operates from a power source that supplies other rotational power than a rotational power of the axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine, and changes the distances of the air gaps by shifting the rotors in the axial direction.

2. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine comprising:

a housing;

a stator comprising a stator core and a coil;

two rotors each including a output shaft and a permanent magnet, and positioned so as to sandwich the stator in the axial direction with air gaps being left between the rotors and the stator;

a variable gap mechanism for changing distances of the air gaps; and

a power source that supplies other rotational power than a rotational power of the axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine, and drives the variable gap mechanism;

wherein the variable gap mechanism comprises two shifting shafts each with a screw portion and a gear portion and two nut portions each supporting the screw portion, and the screw portion is connected to the power source, and the variable gap mechanism shift the rotors due to movement of the shifting shafts each by rotation of the screw portion by the power source.

3. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 2, wherein:

the rotors comprise connection portions that are connected with the shifting shafts; and

the connecting portions include thrust bearings provided on a surface to which the shifting shafts are connected, so that the rotors can rotate assuming the output shaft as its rotation axis.

4. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 3, wherein the engagement portions include bearings provided on the sides of the shifting shafts towards the rotors, so that the rotors can rotate assuming the output shaft as its rotation axis.

5. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 2, wherein the variable gap mechanism is disposed at the external periphery of the stator, and the screw portion of one the two shifting shafts is reverse threaded against the screw portion of the other one of the two shifting shafts, and the two nut portions are fixed to the stator.

6. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 2, wherein the variable gap mechanism is disposed at the internal periphery of the stator, and the screw portion of one the two shifting shafts is reverse threaded against the screw portion of the other one of the two shifting shafts, and the two nut portions are fixed to the stator.

7. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 6, wherein:

the output shaft comprises two output shafts each provided to respective rotors, each of the two output shafts is connected via a ball spline mechanisms to the respective rotor, and in the interiors of the two output shafts, power transmission mechanisms that transmit power from the power source to the screw portion of the shifting shaft.

8. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 7, wherein the power transmission mechanism comprises a first gear that is connected to the power source and a second gear that is the gear portion of the shifting shaft, and power of the power source is transmitted by engaging the first gear and the second gear.

9. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 6, wherein the two output shafts are coupled to a single external output shaft exterior to the housing.

10. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 6, wherein a rotor coupling mechanism is provided between the two rotors and mechanically fixes their relative position in the rotational direction.

11. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 10, wherein the rotor coupling mechanism is a cylinder.

12. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 2, wherein the rotor core is made from magnetic steel sheet, amorphous metal, or electromagnetic stainless steel.

13. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 2, wherein the permanent magnet is an annular polar anisotropy magnetized magnet.

14. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 2, wherein the stator core is made from magnetic steel sheet, amorphous metal, or electromagnetic stainless steel.

15. An axial flux permanent magnet brushless machine according to claim 2, wherein the power source is a servomotor.