Electrical machine

• US 6,700,229 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2002
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Volvo Technology AB (AB Volvo), Sivela Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ABB AB (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Bäckström, Thomas, Arshad, Waqas, Gertmar, Lars, Sadarangani, Chandur
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Nestor
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aguirrechea, Jaydi
• Application Number:
  US10/240,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20030048018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 310/12, 310/14, 310/23, 310/30, 310/34, 310/15, 310/17
• US Class Current: 310/12.12
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 1/12 with compression ignition with fuel-air charge ignited by compression ignition of an additional fuel F02B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 63/041 Linear electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 71/04 Adaptations of such engines for special use; Combinations of such engines with apparatus driven thereby
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/14 Stator cores with salient poles
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 35/02 with moving magnets and stationary coil systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 41/031 of the permanent magnet type
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1884 structurally associated with free piston engines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 99/10 Generators

Abstract

An electrical machine with at least a machine unit. The machine unit includes a stator, which includes a plurality of magnetic flux conductors and an electric conductor forming a winding extending in a substantially closed winding path through each magnetic flux conductor, and a movable element, which includes permanent magnet elements movable in a reciprocating movement in relation to the stator along a movement path. The winding path includes a first current carrying portion, which extends substantially in parallel with the movement path. Each magnetic flux conductor is arranged to form, together with one of the permanent magnet elements, a closed magnetic flux circuit extending around the current carrying portion. The magnetic flux conductors are arranged in an alternating order with respect to the direction of the magnetic flux in relation to the permanent magnet elements in the respective magnetic flux circuit.

Claims

1. An electrical machine operating according to the transversal flux principle and including at least one first machine, which comprises:

a stator, which includes a plurality of magnetic flux conductors and an electric conductor forming a winding extending in a substantially closed winding path through each magnetic flux conductor; and

a movable element, which includes a number of permanent magnet elements provided in a rod-like configuration and which is movable in a reciprocating movement in relation to the stator along a movement path in a space having a finite length and being formed by at least some of said magnetic flux conductors,

wherein the substantially closed winding path includes a first current carrying portion, which extends substantially in parallel with the movement path, and a second current carrying portion, which extends substantially in parallel with the movement path,

wherein the magnetic flux conductors arc arranged in an alternating order with respect to the direction of the magnetic flux in relation to the permanent magnet elements in the respective magnetic flux circuit,

wherein the first current carrying portion of the winding path is associated substantially with a first half of said magnetic flux conductors, and the second current carrying portion of the winding path is associated substantially with a second half of said magnetic flux conductors,

wherein each magnetic flux conductor of said first half and each magnetic flux conductor of said second half are arranged to form, together with one of said permanent magnet elements, a respective closed magnetic flux circuit extending around said first current carrying portion and said second current carrying portion, respectively, and

wherein each magnetic flux circuit includes a first gap between a pole of the permanent magnet element of the circuit and an end surface the magnetic flux conductor of the circuit, and a second gap between a second pole of the permanent magnet element of the circuit and a second end surface of the magnetic flux conductor of the circuit.

2. An electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein each magnetic flux circuit includes a magnetic flux, which is in parallel with a plane extending substantially perpendicularly to the movement path.

3. An electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein a distance between a center point of adjacent permanent magnet elements is substantially equal to a distance between a center point of adjacent magnetic flux conductors.

4. An electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the permanent magnet elements are arranged in an alternating order with respect to a magnetic direction of the permanent magnet elements.

5. An electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic flux conductors are arranged such that the direction of the magnetic flux in relation to the winding is substantially same in each magnetic flux circuit.

6. An electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the movable element is connected to at least one piston, which is movably arranged in a housing.

7. An electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the permanent magnet elements of the movable element are arranged to cooperate with the magnetic flux conductors that are associated with the first current carrying portion, and the magnetic flux conductors that are associated with the second current carrying portion.

8. An electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein adjacent permanent magnet elements of the movable element are separated from each other by an intermediate element, which is substantially magnetically non-conducting.

9. An electrical machine according to claim 8, wherein the permanent magnet elements and the intermediate elements of the movable element are arranged to form a structure that resists forces acting on the movable element during use of the electrical machine.

10. An electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein adjacent magnetic flux conductors of the stator are separated from each other by an intermediate element, which is magnetically isolating.

11. An electrical machine according to claim 1, further including a second machine unit, which comprises:

a second stator, which includes a second plurality of magnetic flux conductors and a second electric conductor forming a second winding extending in a second substantially closed winding path through each second magnetic flux conductor, and

a second movable element, which includes a plurality of second permanent magnet elements and which is movable in a reciprocating movement in relation to the second stator along a second movement path in a space having a finite length and being formed by at least some of said second magnetic flux conductors,

wherein the second substantially closed winding path includes a second current carrying portion, which extends substantially in parallel with the second movement path,

wherein each second magnetic flux conductor is arranged to form, together with one of said second permanent magnet elements, a second closed magnetic flux circuit extending around said second current carrying portion,

wherein the second magnetic flux conductors are arranged in an alternating order with respect to a direction of the magnetic flux in relation to the second permanent magnet elements in the second respective magnetic flux circuit, and

wherein the first machine unit is arranged to operate in a first phase position and the second machine unit is arranged to operate in a second phase position displaced from the first phase position by a phase angle.