Funding role and funding system

Abstract

The invention relates to a drive arrangement for driving a rotating body, comprising a drive unit (10) and a body driven in a rotational movement by means of the drive unit (10), in particular a wheel or a roller. The drive unit (10) has a sleeve (12) which is connected to and surrounded by the body in a rotationally fixed manner and an external rotor motor arranged inside the sleeve (12) as well as an inverter arranged inside the sleeve (12) for supplying the external rotor motor with electrical energy, wherein the external rotor motor has a rotor connected to the sleeve (12) in a rotationally fixed manner and a stator (20) surrounded by the rotor.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a drive arrangement with a drive unit and a rotating body driven by means of the drive unit, in particular a wheel or a roller, a conveyor roller and a conveyor system with a plurality of conveyor rollers.

[0002] Drive units of the type in question are primarily used to drive a rotating body in its rotational motion. In many technical applications where rotating bodies are driven, there is a desire to integrate the electric drive unit into the body itself. This allows for a compact design and eliminates the need for mechanical transmission means to transfer motion from an external drive unit to the rotating body.

[0003] The drive assembly, consisting of the rotating body and the drive unit, can be used in a wide variety of technical fields. The rotating bodies driven by the drive unit are typically wheels or rollers. One field particularly well-suited for the use of such drive assemblies due to its technical requirements is conveyor technology. There, drive units of this type are used especially to drive conveyor rollers.

[0004] Conveyor rollers of the type in question have an integrated electric drive for powering the roller. These types of conveyor rollers are also known as "active conveyor rollers." This allows them to be used in conveyor systems to actively move objects within the system. The advantage is that the conveyor rollers do not require external drives, which significantly simplifies the design of the conveyor system. Furthermore, eliminating external drives for the conveyor rollers offers additional benefits. For example, mechanical transmission elements, such as drive belts, that connect the conveyor rollers to external drives are no longer necessary.

[0005] A common problem with such drive arrangements, however, is the limited installation space inside the conveyor roller. This results in two main issues: firstly, mechanical problems. It is challenging to accommodate all the necessary components within the rotating body, especially when the rotating body needs to be driven with a sufficiently high torque. Secondly, thermal challenges arise. Heat dissipation from the interior of the rotating body is often difficult, so the continuous power outputs achievable with such drive arrangements, particularly with active conveyor rollers, are limited in practice.

[0006] The problem is solved by a drive arrangement, a conveyor roller, and a conveying system with the features of the independent claims. The features of the dependent claims relate to advantageous embodiments.

[0007] The drive arrangement for powering a rotating body comprises a drive unit and a body driven in a rotational motion by the drive unit. The body is, in particular, a wheel or a roller. Accordingly, the drive unit can be, in particular, a drum motor and / or a hub motor.

[0008] The drive unit further comprises a sleeve that is non-rotatably connected to and surrounded by the body, and an external rotor motor arranged inside the sleeve. The sleeve may, in particular, have a circular cylindrical shape. The sleeve may be pressed into the body. The material of the sleeve may, in particular, be a metallic material.

[0009] The external rotor motor has, in particular, a shaft that is non-rotatably connected to the stator. The shaft of the external rotor motor can be rotatably mounted in the sleeve. Such a rotatable mounting of the shaft of the external rotor motor makes it possible, in particular, to use the shaft of the external rotor motor as the shaft of the wheel or roller of which the drive assembly is a component. Accordingly, the shaft of the external rotor motor is also, in particular, the shaft of the rotating body.

[0010] Furthermore, the drive unit features an inverter located within the housing to supply the external rotor motor with electrical energy. By relocating the inverter to the drive unit, the supply of electrical energy to the external rotor motor is simplified. To supply the external rotor motor with electrical energy, it is then only necessary to provide a DC power supply to the inverter. In other words, the inverter and external rotor motor are located together within a housing, which in turn is enclosed by the housing and connected to it in a rotationally fixed manner. It is therefore a drive unit integrated into the housing.

[0011] Especially when the body is a conveyor roller, the sleeve can be a conveyor cartridge. A conveyor cartridge is understood to be, in particular, an insert that houses the motor, inverter, and especially the bearings.

[0012] This design of the drive unit, with a housing that integrates the inverter and external rotor motor, offers the particular advantage that the housing design can be varied simply by fitting the drive unit to a different housing. In this way, a standardized drive unit can be combined with different housings, and / or a specific housing can be combined with different drive units, similar to a modular system. In practice, this allows for variations in the dimensions, shape, coating, and / or surface finish of the housing.

[0013] The external rotor motor of the drive unit comprises a stator and a rotor surrounding the stator. The rotor is fixed to the housing to prevent rotation. The problem is solved, in particular, by the fact that the electric drive is a gearless direct drive with an external rotor motor. For the design of the drive arrangement, this means, in particular, that the drive arrangement is designed such that the body moves with the same angular velocity and / or rotational speed as the rotor of the external rotor motor. Specifically, this means that the rotor is fixed within the body around the axis of the external rotor motor to prevent rotation relative to the surface of the body.

[0014] Within the scope of the present invention, it has been shown that, even and especially in high-performance drive arrangements, the advantages of a gearless design can outweigh the disadvantages that can arise from omitting the gearbox.

[0015] The drive assembly can, in particular, include control electronics located within the sleeve. These control electronics can be, in particular, control electronics located within the sleeve for controlling the inverter. In other words, control electronics, especially control electronics for controlling the inverter, can be integrated into the sleeve. Integrating the control electronics into the sleeve can, in particular, reduce the effort required for connecting the drive unit to an external control unit. For example, control electronics for controlling the inverter integrated into the conveyor roller make it possible to regulate the speed of the conveyor roller using such control electronics. Accordingly, the control electronics can, in particular, include control electronics.

[0016] The drive assembly, in particular the drive unit, may have an interface for connecting the inverter integrated into the drive unit to a power supply line. The interface for connecting to the power supply line may, in particular, include electrical connection elements for a DC power supply to the inverter.

[0017] The drive assembly, in particular the drive unit, can have an interface for connecting the control electronics integrated into the conveyor roller to an external control unit. This interface can be, in particular, a combined interface for connecting the inverter integrated into the drive unit to a power supply line and the control electronics integrated into the drive unit to an external control unit. In particular, such an interface can enable the drive unit to be connected using a single cable with multiple conductors. This allows for a simple and, in particular, space-saving connection of the drive assembly.

[0018] The interface for connecting the control electronics integrated into the drive unit to an external control unit can be digital and / or analog. The drive unit, in particular its control electronics, can be configured to transmit actual values ​​to an external control unit and / or receive setpoint values ​​from an external control unit via this interface. The actual values ​​and / or setpoint values ​​can, in particular, relate to position, rotational speed, torque, and / or acceleration, and / or values ​​of a quantity that is dependent on at least one of the aforementioned quantities, especially linearly.

[0019] Alternatively and / or additionally, the drive unit, in particular the control electronics, can be configured to transmit and / or receive further parameters and / or process data, for example for limiting and / or controlling current, position and / or torque, to an external control unit via this interface. Especially when a digital interface is used, complex control functions can be implemented with minimal wiring effort.

[0020] The rotor can incorporate polymer-bonded magnets. In connection with the present invention, it has been shown that polymer-bonded magnets enable the construction of efficient drive arrangements. This is particularly due to the comparatively low eddy current losses compared to other magnets. Polymer-bonded magnets are understood to be, in particular, those magnets that contain a magnetic powder bound in a polymer. Such magnets are also referred to as composite magnets.

[0021] The polymer-bonded magnets can be designed, in particular, as magnetized areas of a ring-shaped body made of magnetic powder bound in polymer. In other words, the rotor can be designed as a ring-shaped body that has multiple magnets in the form of magnetized areas. The rotor can be designed in this way, particularly as a single-piece component.

[0022] The annular body can have a wall thickness of at least 1 mm and / or at most 5 mm. Annular bodies with a wall thickness of 2 mm have proven particularly advantageous. The wall thickness refers specifically to the thickness of the annular body in the radial direction.

[0023] The rotor can be partially laminated. The laminated section of the rotor can be, at least substantially, hollow cylindrical with an annular cross-section. In particular, annular laminations can be stacked along the axis of the external rotor motor to form the laminated section of the rotor. The laminated rotor design also reduces eddy currents and the associated losses. The rotor can have a lamination thickness of no more than 2 mm, and in particular no more than 0.5 mm. Using correspondingly thin laminations reduces eddy current losses more effectively.

[0024] The laminated section can surround the magnets, particularly the polymer-bonded magnets. The laminated section of the rotor can, in particular, surround the body made of polymer-bonded magnetic powder. Such a rotor design serves, in particular, to guide the magnetic flux with minimal loss. Especially in conjunction with a sleeve made of a metallic material, eddy current losses that can arise from eddy currents generated in the sleeve can thus be avoided or at least reduced.

[0025] The external rotor motor can be built according to the Vernier principle. Electric drives built according to the Vernier principle have proven particularly suitable for use in conveyor rollers. In particular, losses in the drive unit can be further minimized by external rotor motors built according to the Vernier principle. A number of stator slots of twelve and a number of rotor poles of 22 or 26 have proven particularly advantageous.

[0026] The drive unit can have a drive power of at least 70 W, and in particular at least 85 W. It has been shown that the specific advantages of the described drive arrangement are particularly pronounced in high-power drives.

[0027] The external rotor motor can have a mechanical air gap between the rotor and stator of at least 0.1 mm, and in particular at least 0.3 mm. It has been shown that larger air gaps result in better decoupling of the rotor and stator with regard to eddy currents.

[0028] The conveyor roller comprises a described drive arrangement. It has been shown that conveyor rollers, in particular, can be advantageously implemented using the described drive arrangements. Specifically, the conveyor roller is a described drive arrangement.

[0029] The conveying system comprises a plurality of conveying rollers, wherein the conveying system has a first conveying roller as described above and at least one second conveying roller, in particular a plurality of second conveying rollers. The at least one second conveying roller is driven by the first conveying roller. In particular, the conveying system comprises a plurality of second conveying rollers that are driven by the first conveying roller.

[0030] The first conveyor roller can be connected to at least one other conveyor roller by a mechanical transmission means, in particular by a drive belt. In this way, conveyor systems with multiple driven conveyor rollers can be implemented cost-effectively.

[0031] The use of the conveyor roller described above as the first conveyor roller in such a conveyor system is particularly advantageous because high drive power can be achieved using a conveyor roller as described above, which makes the conveyor roller with integrated electric drive ideal for driving further conveyor rollers.

[0032] Further practical embodiments and advantages of the invention are described below in connection with the drawing. Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a cutaway drive unit.

[0033] The drive arrangement for driving a rotating body includes a drive unit 10, in particular a drive unit 10 as exemplified in the Fig. Figure 1 shows the drive unit 10 being non-rotatably connected to the body and having a sleeve 12 that is surrounded by the body of the drive assembly. For the purpose of better illustration, the body surrounding the drive unit 10 is shown in Fig. 1. Not shown in the image. However, the object could be, in particular, a wheel or a roller.

[0034] The drive unit 10 comprises an external rotor motor arranged within the sleeve 12. The external rotor motor, in turn, has a rotor that is connected to the sleeve 12 in a rotationally fixed manner. As in the example shown, the rotor can have a laminated section 14 that surrounds the magnets 16 of the rotor. The magnets 16 can, in particular, as in the example shown, be formed as bodies made of magnetic powder bound in plastic. As illustrated by way of example, the laminated section 14 and the body made of magnetic powder bound in plastic can be hollow cylindrical with an annular cross-section.

[0035] Furthermore, as in the example shown, the external rotor motor can have a stator 20 that is non-rotatably connected to an axle 18 of the external rotor motor. The axle 18 of the external rotor motor can be rotatably mounted in the sleeve 12 and thus form the axle 18 of the drive unit 10 and therefore of the body non-rotatably connected to the drive unit 10.

[0036] The drive unit 10 further comprises an inverter arranged within the sleeve 12 for supplying the external rotor motor with electrical energy. For illustrative purposes, the inverter itself is shown in Fig. 1 not shown. It is in Fig.However, it can be seen that the stator does not extend over the entire length of the axis 18. Accordingly, a free space is formed within the sleeve 12, in which the inverter and, in particular, control electronics, which can serve especially for controlling the inverter, can be accommodated. As in the example shown, an arrangement can result in which the inverter and stator 20 are arranged one behind the other along the axis 18 of the external rotor motor. Such a spatial arrangement of the inverter and external rotor motor within the sleeve 12 enables a space-saving and, with regard to the achievable performance parameters, in particular a low-loss design of the drive arrangement.

[0037] The features of the invention disclosed in this description and in the claims can be essential for realizing the invention in its various embodiments, both individually and in any combination. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments. It can be varied within the scope of the claims and taking into account the knowledge of the person skilled in the art. Reference symbol list 10 Drive unit 12 sleeve 14 laminated area 16 magnets 18 axle 20 Stator

Claims

[1] Drive arrangement for driving a rotating body, comprising a drive unit (10) and a body driven in a rotational motion by means of the drive unit (10), in particular a wheel or a roller, wherein the drive unit (10) has a sleeve (12) connected to and surrounded by the body in a rotationally fixed manner and an external rotor motor arranged inside the sleeve (12) and an inverter arranged inside the sleeve (12) for supplying the external rotor motor with electrical energy, wherein the external rotor motor has a rotor connected to the sleeve (12) in a rotationally fixed manner and a stator (20) surrounded by the rotor. [2] Drive arrangement according to claim 1, characterized by , that the drive unit (10) has control electronics arranged inside the sleeve (12), in particular control electronics arranged inside the sleeve (12) for controlling the inverter. [3] Drive arrangement according to claim 2, characterized by , that the drive unit (10) has an interface for connecting the inverter arranged inside the sleeve (12) to a supply line and / or the control electronics integrated into the sleeve (12) to an external control unit. [4] Drive arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the rotor of the external rotor motor has plastic-bonded magnets. [5] Drive arrangement according to claim 4, characterized by , that the plastic-bonded magnets are formed as magnetized areas of a body surrounding the stator (20), in particular at least substantially hollow cylindrical with annular cross-section, made of magnetic powder bound in plastic. [6] Drive arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the rotor is, at least in some areas, laminated and in particular has a sheet thickness of no more than 0.5 mm. [7] Drive arrangement according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by , that the laminated area (14) of the rotor, which is designed in particular at least substantially as a hollow cylindrical with an annular cross-section, surrounds the plastic-bonded magnets, in particular the body made of magnetic powder bound in plastic. [8] Drive arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the external rotor motor is built according to the Vernier principle. [9] Drive arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the electric drive has a drive power of at least 70W, in particular at least 85W. [10] Drive arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the electric drive has a mechanical air gap between rotor and stator (20) of at least 0.1 mm, in particular of at least 0.3 mm. [11] Supporting role, characterized by that the conveyor roller comprises a drive arrangement according to one of the preceding claims. [12] Conveyor system with a plurality of conveying rollers, wherein the conveying system has a first conveying roller according to claim 11 and at least one second conveying roller, in particular a plurality of second conveying rollers, wherein the at least one second conveying roller can be driven by the first conveying roller, in particular wherein the conveying system has a plurality of second conveying rollers that can be driven by the first conveying roller.

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