Bus bar and EPS motor having the same

• US 8,816,550 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Byungyong
• Primary Examiner(s): Lam, Thanh
• Application Number:
  US13/289,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20120112582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 310/43, 310/71
• US Class Current: 310/71
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0403 characterised by constructional features, e.g. common housing for motor and gear box
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/12 Impregnating, heating or drying of windings, stators, rotors or machines
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed is a bus bar of an EPS motor configured to improve a terminal structure of a bus bar to enable an easy assembly between a stator and the bus bar, whereby assemblage and operational reliability can be enhanced, the bus bar that is connected to a stator coil of the EPS motor, the bus bar including: an insulator made of insulation materials that forms a body of the bus bar; a lower terminal protrusively formed at a lower side of a periphery of the insulator, and connected to the stator coil; and an upper terminal protrusively formed at an upper side of the periphery of the insulator, and connected to the stator coil, whereby the terminals of the bus bar are divided to an upper terminal and a lower terminal to enhance assemblage and operational reliability by further obtaining a broader mutually discrete gap.

Claims

1. A bus bar of an EPS motor, the bus bar comprising:

an insulator made of insulation material and configured to form a body of the bus bar for supplying an electric power with at least three or more different polarities to a coil wound on a stator of the motor, the insulator being coupled to an upper side of the stator;

a first terminal having a plurality of first coil terminal connectors protrusively formed to a circumferential direction at a first height of a periphery of the insulator;

a second terminal having a plurality of second coil terminal connectors protrusively formed at the periphery of the insulator to a circumferential direction at a second height higher than the first height; and

a fixing unit interposed between the first and second terminals in the insulator to fix an arrangement position of the first and second terminals arranged inside the insulator;

wherein the first terminal includes a ring-shaped first body arranged inside the insulator and formed by bending a plate material of a predetermined thickness and connecting both distal ends of the plate material, and wherein the plurality of first coil terminal connectors is bent at both distal ends by being extended from the first body;

wherein the second terminal includes ring-shaped second to fourth bodies in the form of a partial round bent section, wherein both distal ends of each of the ring-shaped second to fourth bodies are mutually distanced inside the insulator such that each of the ring-shaped second to fourth bodies is opened, and wherein the plurality of second coil terminal connectors is bent at a distal end by being extended from the second to fourth bodies; and

wherein the first and second coil terminal connectors are alternately formed so as not to face each other.

2. The bus bar of claim 1, wherein the insulator takes a ring shape with a hollow hole formed at a center, wherein an inner diameter of the insulator corresponds to a diameter of a rotor coupled to a center of the stator, and wherein an outer diameter of the insulator corresponds to an external diameter of the stator.

3. The bus bar of claim 1, wherein the first terminal is arranged at a position higher than a floor surface of the insulator and the second terminal is arranged at a position lower than an upper surface of the insulator.

4. The bus bar of claim 1, wherein distal ends of the first and second coil terminal connectors are spaced apart from the periphery of the insulator, each at a same distance.

5. The bus bar of claim 1, wherein the insulator is injection molded of resin material along with the first and second terminals.

6. The bus bar of claim 1, wherein the fixing unit includes a plurality of pin holes formed at the insulator, wherein the pin holes are formed by a plurality of pins provided at a mold injection-molding the insulator to fix an inner position of the insulator of the first to fourth bodies.

7. The bus bar of claim 6, wherein the pin holes are formed by passing through the upper surface and the lower surface of the insulator.

8. The bus bar of claim 1, wherein the second body is applied with an electric power of first polarity, the third body is applied with an electric power of second polarity, and each diameter of the second to fourth bodies is differently formed.

9. The bus bar of claim 8, wherein a diameter of the third body is the largest while a diameter of the first body is the smallest.

10. The bus bar of claim 8, wherein the first body is bent at least thrice to form the first coil terminal connector, and the second and third bodies are bent at least twice to form the second coil terminal connector.

11. An EPS motor, comprising:

a stator wound with a coil;

a rotor installed at a space centrally formed at the stator, and rotating inside a space by an electrical interaction between a plurality of magnets and the coil of the stator; and

a bus bar coupled to an upper side of the stator, and supplying an electric power having at least three or more mutually different polarities to the coil wound on the stator,

wherein the bus bar comprises;

an insulator made of insulation material and configured to form a body of the bus bar for supplying an electric power with at least three or more different polarities to the coil wound on the stator, the insulator being coupled to an upper side of the stator;

a first terminal having a plurality of first coil terminal connectors protrusively formed to a circumferential direction at a first height of a periphery of the insulator;

a second terminal having a plurality of second coil terminal connectors protrusively formed at the periphery of the insulator to a circumferential direction at a second height higher than the first height; and

a fixing unit interposed between the first and second terminals in the insulator to fix an arrangement position of the first and second terminals arranged inside the insulator;

wherein the first terminal includes a ring-shaped first body arranged inside the insulator and formed by bending a plate material of a predetermined thickness and connecting both distal ends of the plate material, and wherein the plurality of first coil terminal connectors is bent at both distal ends by being extended from the first body;

wherein the second terminal includes ring-shaped second to fourth bodies in the form of a partial round bent section, wherein both distal ends of each of the ring-shaped second to fourth bodies are mutually distanced inside the insulator such that each of the ring-shaped second to fourth bodies is opened, and wherein the plurality of second coil terminal connectors is bent at a distal end by being extended from the second to fourth bodies; and

wherein the first and second coil terminal connectors are alternately formed so as not to face each other.

12. The EPS motor of claim 11, wherein the insulator takes a ring shape with a hollow hole formed at a center, wherein an inner diameter of the insulator corresponds to a diameter of a rotor coupled to a center of the stator, and wherein an outer diameter of the insulator corresponds to an external diameter of the stator.

13. The EPS motor of claim 11, wherein the first terminal is arranged at a position higher than a floor surface of the insulator and the second terminal is arranged at a position lower than an upper surface of the insulator.

14. The EPS motor of claim 11, wherein distal ends of the first and second coil terminal connectors are spaced apart from the periphery of the insulator, each at a same distance.

15. The EPS motor of claim 11, wherein the insulator is injection molded of resin material along with the first and second terminals.

16. The EPS motor of claim 11, wherein the fixing unit includes a plurality of pin holes formed at the insulator, wherein the pin holes are formed by a plurality of pins provided at a mold injection-molding the insulator to fix an inner position of the insulator of the first to fourth bodies.

17. The EPS motor of claim 16, wherein the pin holes are formed by passing through the upper surface and the lower surface of the insulator.

18. The EPS motor of claim 11, wherein the second body is applied with an electric power of first polarity, the third body is applied with an electric power of second polarity, and each diameter of the second to fourth bodies is differently formed.

19. The EPS motor of claim 16, wherein a diameter of the third body is the largest, while a diameter of the first body is the smallest.

20. The EPS motor of claim 16, wherein the first body is bent at least thrice to form the first coil terminal connector, and the second and third bodies are bent at least twice to form the second coil terminal connector.