Thin brushless motor having resin-insulated concentric ring-shaped bus bars

• US 6,856,057 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2002
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Makoto, Fukuda, Kenji, Suzuki, Izumi, Takeuchi, Kazuo, Horie, Tatsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullins, Burton S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuevas, Pedro J.
• Application Number:
  US10/281,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20030094879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 310/66, 310/68.R, 310/71, 310/254
• US Class Current: 310/71
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/0056 Manufacturing winding connections
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/0062 Manufacturing the terminal arrangement per se; Connecting the terminals to an external circuit
• 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 3/522 for generally annular cores with salient poles
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/006 Structural association of a motor or generator with the drive train of a motor vehicle

Abstract

A centralized power distribution unit for a vehicular thin brushless motor includes a plurality of bus bars, a resin insulation layer that covers the bus bars, and an insulating holder having a plurality of holding grooves that hold the bus bars. The bus bars are pre-bent in a thickness direction to be formed into a substantially annular shape. Each of the bus bars is provided correspondingly with a phase of the motor. The holding grooves are formed in parallel extending along a circumferential direction of the centralized power distribution unit. The bus bars are respectively inserted into the holding grooves, and are thus stacked in a radial direction of the centralized power distribution unit. The insulating holder and the bus bars are covered by the resin insulation layer.

Claims

1. A centralized power distribution unit for a vehicular thin brushless motor, wherein said centralized power distribution unit is formed into a ring configuration and can concentratedly distribute current to stator windings of the motor, the centralized power distribution unit comprising:

a plurality of bus bars, each having a terminal portion to be connected to a power source and one or more tabs to be respectively connected to one or more of the stator windings, the bus bars bent in a thickness direction to be formed into a substantially annular shape, each of the bus bars provided correspondingly with a phase of the motor;

a resin insulation layer that covers the bus bars; and

an insulating holder having a plurality of holding grooves that hold the bus bars, the holding grooves formed in parallel extending along a circumferential direction of the centralized power distribution unit;

wherein

the bus bars are respectively inserted into the holding grooves and are thus stacked in a radial direction of the centralized power distribution unit, the bus bars separated from one another by a predetermined gap; and

the insulating holder and the bus bars are covered by the resin insulation layer.

2. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, wherein the insulating holder is configured by a plurality of arcuate resin molded products.

3. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, wherein the insulating holder is formed into a continuous annular shape.

4. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, wherein the insulating holder is completely covered by the resin insulation layer.

5. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, wherein the resin insulation layer is formed by insert molding.

6. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the terminal portions includes a first section extending in a first direction that is a substantially radial direction of the centralized power distribution unit, a second section extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and a ramp section connecting the first and second sections and extending in a third direction that is different from the first and second directions.

7. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, wherein at least one slit is provided in at least one of the terminal portions.

8. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 7, wherein a section of the at least one of the terminal portions is covered by a scaling material, and the at least one slit is provided in the section covered by the sealing material.

9. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 7, wherein the at least one slit extends in a longitudinal direction of the terminal portion.

10. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of reinforcement ribs positioned in portions of the holding grooves that are not occupied by the bus bars.

11. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 10, wherein the reinforcement ribs are integral with bottom surfaces and wall surfaces of the holding grooves.

12. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcement rib provided on an outer periphery of a wall of the holding grooves that are not occupied by the bus bars, extending in a circumferential direction of the insulating holder.

13. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, wherein the insulating holder includes a plurality of walls that define the plurality of holding grooves, further comprising a plurality of projecting pieces extending from a top end of at least one of the walls at positions corresponding to positions of the tabs of one of the bus bars.