Hybrid-secondary uncluttered permanent magnet machine and method

• US 6,977,454 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: Hsu, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schuberg, Darren
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, LEDA T
• Application Number:
  US10/706,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20050218738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 310/114, 310/171, 310/105, 310/106, 310/107, 310/210, 310/256, 310/266, 310/268, 310/166, 310/168, 310/68.B
• US Class Current: 310/171
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/607 Axial flux machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 16/00 Machines with more than one rotor or stator machines for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; permanent magnet machines with multiple rotors or stators relatively rotated for vectorially combining the excitation fields or the armature voltages H02K21/029
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 19/06 Motors having windings on the stator and a variable-reluctance soft-iron rotor without windings, e.g. inductor motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 19/103 Motors having windings on the stator and a variable reluctance soft-iron rotor without windings
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 21/24 with magnets axially facing the armatures, e.g. hub-type cycle dynamos
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 51/00 Dynamo-electric gears, i.e. dynamo-electric means for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 99/10 Generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 99/20 Motors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 Dynamoelectric machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49012 Rotor

Abstract

An electric machine (40) has a stator (43), a permanent magnet rotor (38) with permanent magnets (39) and a magnetic coupling uncluttered rotor (46) for inducing a slip energy current in secondary coils (47). A dc flux can be produced in the uncluttered rotor when the secondary coils are fed with dc currents. The magnetic coupling uncluttered rotor (46) has magnetic brushes (A, B, C, D) which couple flux in through the rotor (46) to the secondary coils (47c, 47d) without inducing a current in the rotor (46) and without coupling a stator rotational energy component to the secondary coils (47c, 47d). The machine can be operated as a motor or a generator in multi-phase or single-phase embodiments and is applicable to the hybrid electric vehicle. A method of providing a slip energy controller is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A hybrid-secondary uncluttered permanent magnet machine, comprising:

a stator having coils for receiving ac electrical power to provide a magnetic field;

a permanent magnet rotor spaced from the stator to define a first air gap relative to an axis of rotation for the permanent magnet rotor;

a magnetic coupling uncluttered rotor spaced from the permanent magnet rotor to define a second air gap relative to an axis of rotation for the permanent magnet rotor;

at least one stationary core and secondary coil spaced from the magnetic coupling uncluttered rotor by a third air gap;

wherein the magnetic coupling uncluttered rotor is provided with a plurality of magnetic elements for coupling flux to the secondary coil; and

wherein the secondary coil is disposed around an axis of rotation for the rotor to allow induction of a slip energy current in the coil without inducing a rotational energy current.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein the first air gap is an axial air gap disposed along the axis of rotation of the rotor, wherein the second air gap is an axial air gap disposed along the axis of rotation of the rotor, and wherein the third air gap is an axial air gap disposed along the axis of rotation of the rotor.

3. The machine of claim 1, wherein the magnetic elements are provided in pairs for each electrical phase of power supplied to the stator coils.

4. The machine of claim 2, wherein each pair of magnetic elements is spaced apart in a radial direction by a non-magnetic ring on a side of the rotor facing the least one stationary, secondary core and coil.

5. The machine of claim 1, wherein the magnetic elements are magnetic brushes made of stacked metal laminations.

6. The machine of claim 1, wherein the magnetic elements are magnetic brushes made of a compressed powder material having ferromagnetic properties.

7. The machine of claim 1 wherein the magnetic elements are magnetic brushes made of ferromagnetic wires.

8. The machine of claim 1 wherein the magnetic coupling uncluttered rotor is made of electrically conducting non-magnetic material in portions which support and separate the magnetic elements.

9. The machine of claim 1, wherein the permanent magnet rotor has permanent magnets positioned to provide alternating polarity, said permanent magnets being aligned along radii of the permanent magnet rotor.

10. The machine of claim 9, wherein the said permanent magnets are in a round shape.

11. The machine of claim 1, wherein the machine is an ac induction machine.

12. The machine of claim 1, wherein the machine is a motor.

13. The machine of claim 12, wherein the machine is a synchronous motor.

14. The machine of claim 12, wherein the machine is a brushless dc motor.

15. The machine of claim 1, wherein the machine is a generator.

16. The machine of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of stationary, secondary cores with secondary coils spaced from the rotor by the secondary air gap and disposed around the axis of rotation for the rotor.

17. The machine of claim 16, wherein the secondary coils are adapted to be connected to supply slip energy to a resistive load.