MOTOR DEVICE WITH A MULTIFUNCTIONAL INTERMEDIATE UNIT ARRANGED BETWEEN A MOTOR UNIT AND A SERVO DRIVE UNIT OF THE MOTOR DEVICE - Patent application

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a motor device (1) comprising a motor unit (2) and a servo drive unit (3) attached to the motor unit (2), the servo drive unit (3) comprising a servo drive housing (3A) and a first printed circuit board (3B) having one or more electronic elements (3C), the motor unit (2) comprising a motor housing (2A) and a rotor, the intermediate unit (4) being disposed between the motor unit (2) and at least a first portion of the servo drive unit (3) and having a main extension surface perpendicular to an axial direction (A) of the rotor, the intermediate unit (4) being a multifunctional intermediate unit (4) comprising an injection molded element (5), the intermediate unit (4) having the following functions: i) a sealing function, where the intermediate unit (4) is configured to seal a body of the motor device against an external environment; ii) a sealing function, where the intermediate unit (4) is configured to seal a body of the motor device against an external environment; the intermediate unit (4) is configured to electromagnetically shield at least a first portion of the servo drive unit (3) from the motor unit (2); iii) a thermal insulation function, where the intermediate unit (4) is configured to thermally insulate at least a first portion of the servo drive unit (3) from the motor unit (2); iv) a light guiding function, where the intermediate unit (4) is configured to guide light emitted inside the motor device (1) to an environment outside the motor device (1); and v) a load-bearing function, where the intermediate unit (4) is configured to be a load-bearing part of the motor device (1) to provide a motor device (1) comprising a motor unit (2) and a servo drive unit (3) attached to the motor unit (2) that can be assembled in a simple and fail-free installation procedure.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a motor device comprising a motor unit and a servo drive unit attached to the motor unit, the servo drive unit comprising a servo drive housing and a first printed circuit board having one or more electronic elements, the motor unit comprising a motor housing and a rotor, an intermediate unit disposed between the motor unit and at least a first portion of the servo drive unit, the intermediate unit having a main extension plane perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotor. [Background technology]

[0002] In some known inverter motor devices, i.e., motor devices having integrated inverter elements and / or other integrated power electronics, an intermediate unit is used as a thermal insulation layer to shield the electronic elements of the servo drive unit from the heat of the motor. This thermal insulation layer or intermediate unit is typically made from a polymer as a single component with the sole purpose of providing thermal isolation.

[0003] Furthermore, known inverter motor devices have several different housing parts that form the housing or body of the complete motor device, i.e. the entire motor device housing. The complete motor device body requires considerable effort to achieve the desired level of ingress protection. To seal the housing of the inverter elements, in particular the servo drive housing and / or the motor housing, gaskets are usually provided between the various body parts (housings of the different units). These gaskets generally consist of cut-out sheets of elastomeric polymers, which are superimposed on top of the insulating layer, i.e. the intermediate unit, during the installation procedure of the motor device. This installation procedure is time-consuming and prone to installation errors that render the gasket ineffective.

[0004] Alternatively, the entire electronics housing, e.g., servo drive housing and / or motor housing, can be placed in the container, but such a process is also time consuming, expensive, and involves the use of dangerous, environmentally harmful materials. Adhesives or liquid gaskets between the different body parts / housings are another option. However, this poses risks during assembly, a time consuming process. Therefore, for low levels of ingress protection, one forgoes any specific measures and simply assembles the various body parts directly together.

[0005] The problem of time-consuming installation procedures that are prone to installation errors and compromise ingress protection is further exacerbated by motor devices that typically have one or several light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that optically indicate the status of the motor device. These LEDs are generally mounted on the rear side of the inverter element, are visible from the outside, i.e., from the external environment of the motor device, and are useful for communicating the status of the device to the user by optical code. However, these LEDs require another opening in the body of the motor device that needs to be sealed, and require additional parts and labor in the installation process of the motor device.

[0006] An exemplary inverter motor device with a thermally insulating intermediate unit is shown in US Pat. No. 5,399,633. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 3183800 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The technical problem that the present invention aims to solve can therefore be seen as providing a motor device comprising a motor unit and a servo drive unit attached to the motor unit, which can be assembled in a simple and fail-safe installation procedure, i.e. an installation procedure that is less time-consuming and less prone to installation failures than known techniques. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are evident from the dependent claims, the description and the figures.

[0010] An embodiment relates to a motor device having a motor unit and a servo drive unit attached to the motor unit. The motor device can be called an inverter motor device since it comprises one or more inverter elements as power electronic elements. The servo drive unit comprises a servo drive housing and a first printed circuit board with one or more electronic elements. These electronic elements can be preferably only control elements, as opposed to power electronic elements. The servo drive housing is part of the housing of the entire motor device in the assembled state of the motor device, i.e. it is part of the entire motor device housing, which is called the body of the motor device in the following, in order to avoid confusion with the housings of the individual units, such as the servo drive unit and the motor unit. The servo drive unit can comprise two parts. In that case, said first printed circuit board with one or more electronic elements is arranged in the first part of the servo drive unit. The second part of the servo drive unit can comprise a second printed circuit board with one or more power electronic elements, such as inverter elements. The first part of the servo drive unit is preferably further from the motor unit than the second part of the servo drive unit.

[0011] The motor unit comprises a motor housing having a stator, as well as a rotor. Optionally, the motor unit can comprise an electromagnetically actuated brake. Similar to the servo drive housing, the motor housing is part of the body of the motor device when the motor device is assembled. As an alternative to having inverter elements in the second part of the servo drive unit, the power electronics, in particular the second printed circuit board having the inverter elements, can be part of the motor unit.

[0012] Between the motor unit and the servo drive unit, i.e. at least a first part of the servo drive unit, an intermediate unit is arranged. This intermediate unit has a main extension surface that extends perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotor. As a result, its extension perpendicular to the axial direction is significantly greater than its extension in the axial direction. For example, the extension perpendicular to the axial direction can be more than twice, preferably more than five times, the axial extension. In particular, the axial extension, i.e. the thickness, of the intermediate unit can be more than 3 mm and / or less than 20 mm. In the main extension surface, the intermediate unit has a size of 50 x 50 mm. 2 and / or 100 x 100 mm 2 The intermediate unit may have a substantially rectangular, e.g. rectangular or square, diameter, resulting in rounded edges, and preferably has sides longer than 50 mm and / or less than 100 mm.

[0013] The intermediate unit can be arranged between the complete servo drive unit and the motor unit, i.e., if available, has the first and second parts of the servo drive unit on one side of the intermediate unit and the motor unit on the other side of the intermediate unit. Alternatively, the intermediate unit can be arranged such that the first part of the servo drive unit is arranged on one side of the intermediate unit and the second part of the servo drive unit as well as the motor unit are arranged on the other side of the intermediate unit. Thus, the intermediate unit can separate the motor unit from the servo drive unit or the first part of the servo drive unit from the motor unit and the second part of the servo drive unit.

[0014] In that regard, the intermediate unit is a multifunctional intermediate unit comprising an injection molded element, the intermediate unit being configured to provide at least two, preferably at least three, more preferably at least four, and most preferably all of the functions described below. - an insulation function, in which the intermediate unit is configured to insulate at least a first part of the servo drive unit from the motor unit, so that the intermediate unit can be configured to insulate the first part of the servo drive unit from both the motor unit and the second part of the servo drive unit, or to insulate the entire servo drive unit, i.e. the first and second parts of the servo drive unit, from the motor unit, for this purpose the material and / or mechanical structure of the intermediate unit can have a lower thermal conductivity than the material and / or mechanical structure of the servo drive unit and / or the motor unit, in particular the motor housing and / or the servo drive housing, respectively. - an electromagnetic shielding function, in which the intermediate unit is configured to electromagnetically shield at least a first part of the servo drive unit from the motor unit. Similar to the thermal insulation function, depending on the configuration of the intermediate unit, this function can be provided between the servo drive unit on one side of the intermediate unit and the motor unit on the other side of the intermediate unit, or between a first part of the servo drive unit on one side of the intermediate unit and a second part of the servo drive unit and the motor unit on the other side of the intermediate unit. a sealing function, in which the intermediate unit is configured to seal the body of the motor device against the external environment, in particular against dust and / or humidity from said external environment. As with the other functions, this function may be provided between the servo drive unit on one side of the intermediate unit and the motor unit on the other side of the intermediate unit, or between a first part of the servo drive unit on one side of the intermediate unit and a second part of the servo drive unit and the motor unit on the other side of the intermediate unit, depending on the configuration of the intermediate unit. - a light guiding function, in which the intermediate unit is configured to guide light emitted from the light source from inside the body of the motor device to the environment outside the motor device. As well as other functions. Depending on the configuration of the intermediate unit, this function can be provided between the servo drive unit on one side of the intermediate unit and the motor unit on the other side of the intermediate unit, or between a first part of the servo drive unit on one side of the intermediate unit and a second part of the servo drive unit and the motor unit on the other side of the intermediate unit. - a load-bearing function, i.e. a supporting function, which contributes to the structural integrity and / or mechanical stability of the body of the motor device, the intermediate unit is configured to be a load-bearing or supporting part of the motor device, in particular of the body of the motor device. As with the other functions, this function can be provided between the servo drive unit on one side of the intermediate unit and the motor unit on the other side of the intermediate unit, or between a first part of the servo drive unit on one side of the intermediate unit and a second part of the servo drive unit and the motor unit on the other side of the intermediate unit, depending on the configuration of the intermediate unit.

[0015] The invention is therefore based on the insight that the intermediate unit, which is generally only a simple, non-translucent, single-component polymer part providing only the thermal insulation function, is in fact well suited to simultaneously provide several other functions, which can be achieved with little effort when manufacturing the motor device, further reducing the number of parts that need to be assembled. Instead of a time-consuming manufacturing process with many different components and parts, the invention allows the additional functions to be performed during the manufacturing process without the need for any additional parts. That is to say, all the additional functions do not require any additional parts or manufacturing steps compared to the manufacturing / installation of conventional motor devices, with respect to the design and manufacturing of the intermediate unit and, if necessary, the servo drive unit and the motor unit, before the installation process. For some functions, the injection molded elements may need to be multi-component injection molded elements, but this does not present any problems, since injection molding is a well-developed technology. The proposed solution therefore saves assembly time and the time required to train the personnel to manufacture. As a result, a motor device is provided with a motor unit and a servo drive unit attached to the motor unit, which can be assembled with a simple and fail-free installation procedure.

[0016] In an advantageous embodiment, to provide the sealing function, the injection molded element is a multi-component injection molded element, which comprises a first soft component, e.g. an elastomer, which is part of or forms a first circumferential seal, a second soft component, e.g. the same or another elastomer, which is part of or forms a second circumferential seal separate from the first circumferential seal, and a hard component, e.g. a polymer or glass, which is part of or forms a circumferential body section of the body of the motor device. The hard component can be referred to as the first hard component or can include one or more (first, second, ...) hard components. Any hard component of the injection molded element can be harder than the soft component. The circumferential section of the body can be ring-like or ring-like in shape, e.g. a rectangular ring with rounded corners. The soft components are softer than the hard components, the first circumferential seal seals the gap between the servo drive housing and the circumferential body section, and the second circumferential seal seals the gap between the circumferential body section and the motor housing. As a result, the body is sealed in the areas between the circumferential body section, which is the intermediate unit, and the servo drive housing and the motor housing, which are the servo drive unit and the motor unit, respectively. The problem of gaskets in multiple parts is overcome by integrating a gasket in the intermediate unit, which is anyway present in some known inverter motor devices (usually providing thermal insulation). The flexible parts, i.e. the soft components, provide the sealing, and the rigid parts, i.e. the hard components, provide support for the sealing. The hard components can also provide one or more other functions without degrading the sealing function, as will be clear from the rest of the description. Also, by sealing the body of the motor device as a whole, it is not necessary to seal the individual units, i.e. the servo drive unit and / or the motor unit.This is particularly advantageous for the B-side of the motor unit, i.e. its "back plate", with all its openings for the motor shaft and electrical connectors; this inside of the motor unit does not now need to be sealed, nor does the surface of the servo drive unit which faces the motor need to be sealed. Thus, again, time is saved and complexity is reduced, making the installation even more foolproof. Thus, the add-on functionality is implemented in a simple and reliable manner.

[0017] In another advantageous embodiment, in order to provide the electromagnetic shielding function, a ferromagnetic shielding element, such as a metal sheet, is partially or completely overmolded by an injection-molded element, which may preferably be, for example, a multi-component injection-molded element, as described in the last paragraph. Thereto, the ferromagnetic shielding element may be overmolded by a rigid component or another rigid component, i.e. by any rigid component part of the injection-molded element. A suitable (preferably rigid) component may be a polymer. Preferably, the ferromagnetic shielding element has a main extension surface that extends perpendicularly to the axial direction of the rotor. This offers two main advantages that are achieved in a simple and effective way. Firstly, ferromagnetic shielding of the electronic elements of the servo drive unit from the motor unit is achieved. This is particularly advantageous when the inverter motor device is equipped with an electromagnetically actuated brake and the servo drive unit is equipped with a magnetic sensor system, for example for angle or current readings. This means that these two systems need to be magnetically shielded from one another in order to avoid disturbances of the sensor caused by stray fields of the magnetic field of the brake. Conventionally, a magnetic insulating layer for shielding against such magnetic fields needs to be attached separately to the housing or, in known solutions, needs to completely cover the housing of the brake, which has a negative impact on the terminal, aesthetically and on the production costs. Secondly, the overmolding prevents the shielding elements from corroding. Treatments of the ferromagnetic shielding elements, such as protective coatings or the like, known from the state of the art, are therefore rendered obsolete. Again, the additional function is implemented in a simple and reliable manner.

[0018] In another advantageous embodiment, in order to provide the thermal insulation function, the injection-molded element comprises a plurality of blind holes, i.e. a plurality of adjacent blind holes, which can be of any shape, separated by walls formed by the injection-molded element, preferably by rigid components of the injection-molded element. Moreover, in this case, the injection-molded element is preferably or comprises the above-mentioned multi-component injection-molded element, which facilitates the integration of different functions. In particular, the blind holes can be arranged in a honeycomb structure, i.e. they can form cavities separated from one another by walls, with their open sides facing in the same direction, like the individual composits in a honeycomb structure. However. It is not necessary to arrange the holes in a hexagonal structure, since the blind holes can be of any shape, for example rectangular. Preferably, the blind hole is open in the direction towards the motor unit, and the housing of the motor unit or the second printed circuit board of the motor unit or the servo drive unit (preferably the second part of the servo drive unit, if the servo drive unit is divided into two parts by the intermediate unit) closes said blind hole in the assembled state of the motor device in order to keep the air exchange between the blind hole low. This results in an insulating intermediate unit that thermally separates the hot and cold zones of the inverter motor device more efficiently without adding significant weight, since the blind hole provides a separate compartment for the air and provides good insulation. The hot zone usually includes the motor unit and the motor itself, and the cold zone usually includes electronic (control) elements such as microcontrollers, encoders or communication devices. The inverter itself can be located in either the hot zone or the cold zone, preferably in the hot zone that is thermally well connected to the motor unit or to a part of the motor unit. Since the air is kept in a separate compartment, it is not exchanged between the different temperature zones and cannot move significantly along the hot and cold parts, i.e. along the parts that belong to the hot or cold zone.

[0019] In another advantageous embodiment, a component of the injection-molded element, preferably an additional (preferably rigid) component, or a rigid component from above, to provide the light-guiding function, is preferably made of a translucent material, such as plastic or glass, and is arranged on the first printed circuit board, i.e. shaped such that the light emitted by at least one light source inside the motor device is guided to the environment outside the motor device. Firstly, this gives the advantage that no additional holes need to be provided by the housing of the servo drive unit, making production and assembly simpler and more efficient. Secondly, the possibilities for designing the amount of light emitted to the external environment are increased, which for example, as described below, allows light to be emitted in more than one direction even when using only one LED as light source, i.e. the size of the area illuminated per LED can be increased. If several LEDs are used, the light of each of them can be guided to different sides of the motor device, which increases both the amount of information that can be transmitted to the environment and the reliability of the information transmission. The latter is for increased visibility, which in the state of the art can only be achieved by several extra LEDs arranged on different sides of the body of the motor device (with the drawbacks mentioned above). The former as a functional redundancy of the available number of LEDs can be reduced, which frees them for the signaling of increased information. As a result, the LEDs can be used for light animations that encode respective information about the state of the device. For example, the LEDs can be configured to show a light pattern that moves in a circumferential direction around the device. The LEDs are preferably mounted on the same printed circuit board.

[0020] Correspondingly, a component made of a translucent material, i.e. a translucent plastic or glass, can form an outer surface of the motor device, i.e. a part of the outer surface of the body of the motor device, which extends at least partially in the circumferential direction around the motor device. The outer surface formed by the translucent material thus extends around the motor device, preferably in a tangential plane perpendicular to the axial direction. In particular, the translucent outer surface can extend around the motor device in the circumferential direction over more than 180°, preferably more than 270°, most preferably more than 350° or 360°. As a result, light can be emitted radially in any desired set of directions, even in all radial directions. The outer surface formed by the translucent material can be ring-shaped in the axial direction, such that a section of the body of the motor device is formed by said translucent material. As a result, the ring-like shape is advantageously adapted to the corresponding cross-sectional shape of the motor housing and / or servo drive housing so that when illuminated by at least one light source on the first printed circuit board, the translucent surface of the housing can reliably transmit status information indicated by the light, which can be seen from almost any angle, even in the case of a single LED light source.

[0021] In particular, the translucent component, which is preferably a rigid component, comprises a first transparent section and a second, preferably opaque (milky) section, the first transparent section being disposed along the light path from the light source to the external environment between the light source and the second, preferably opaque section, and the second, preferably opaque section being disposed between the first transparent section and the external environment. Thus, the translucent component acts as a light guide and reflector, giving a smooth and evenly distributed appearance when lit. The second section can be opaque or transparent.

[0022] Preferably, the at least one light source is several light sources, which in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction are not arranged on a circle and not arranged on a line, or arranged on a circle but not equidistant on the circle. These configurations have proven to be particularly advantageous in the case of a homogeneous light distribution on the outer surface of the motor device, especially when the shape of the outer surface made from translucent plastic is adapted to the shape of the adjacent servo drive housing and / or motor housing, when these housings are not round in cross section perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0023] As a result, in particular the translucent plastic (preferably rigid) component can have a non-circular perimeter, preferably a substantially rectangular perimeter, such as a rectangular perimeter with rounded corners, in which the perimeter confines the translucent plastic of the central component to the external environment.

[0024] In an advantageous embodiment, the injection-molded element is a multi-component injection-molded element, which, in addition to the (preferably rigid) translucent component, comprises a thermal insulation component, which is another (preferably rigid) component, made from a plastic having a lower thermal conductivity than that of the plastic of the translucent component and / or having more stable mechanical properties than the translucent component, especially at high temperatures. This is particularly advantageous, since both the light-guiding function and the thermal insulation function are realized (or, in the latter case, improved) within a single element.

[0025] In another advantageous embodiment, in order to provide a load-bearing or support function, the injection-molded element, preferably at least one of the above-mentioned (preferably rigid) components, features an alignment structure for aligning the intermediate unit with the servo drive unit and / or the motor unit by form-fitting mechanical interaction (i.e. a secure material connection) with the servo drive unit, in particular the servo drive housing and / or the first printed circuit board, and / or the motor unit, in particular the motor housing and / or the second printed circuit board. Such form-fitting mechanical interaction can be realized by one or more protrusions, such as pins, protruding from one of the units into a respective receptacle, such as a hole, of the other unit, and / or by one or more edges of one unit configured for form-fitting into a corresponding groove of the other unit. This gives the advantage of a motor device that is further integrated with a multifunctional intermediate unit, and can reduce the number of connection means, such as screws.

[0026] Other aspects relate to an intermediate unit, and / or a servo drive unit and / or a motor unit for the motor device of any of the described embodiments.

[0027] The features and combinations of features described above and in the general introduction, as well as the features and combinations disclosed in the description of the figures or only in the figures, can be used alone or in the combinations described, but can also be used with other features or without some of the features disclosed, without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, embodiments that are not explicitly shown and described by the figures, but can be generated by separately combining the individual features disclosed in the figures, are also part of the invention. Thus, embodiments and combinations of features that do not include all the features of the originally formulated independent claims should be considered as disclosed. Moreover, embodiments and combinations of features that are different from or go beyond the combinations of features described by the dependent claims should also be considered as disclosed.

[0028] Exemplary embodiments are further explained below with the aid of schematic drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a motor device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary variation of a motor device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary variation of a motor device. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary variation of a motor device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary variation of a motor device. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary variation of a motor device. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary variation of a motor device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an intermediate unit; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] In the drawings, identical or functionally identical features are given the same reference numbers.

[0031] 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a motor device 1 comprising a motor unit 2 and a servo drive unit 3 mounted on the motor unit 2 in an exploded view in the axial direction A of the motor unit 2. Thereby, the servo drive unit 3 comprises a servo drive housing 3A and a first printed circuit board 3B having one or more electronic elements 3C. In this example, the first printed circuit board 3B also features at least one light source 3D, in this case in the form of four LEDs.

[0032] The motor unit 2 comprises a motor housing 2A and a rotor, not shown in the figure, located in the housing 2A. Furthermore, in this example, the motor unit 2 also comprises a second printed circuit board 2B having one or more inverter elements 2C as power electronics. The second printed circuit board 2B is therefore a board dedicated to the inverter elements 2C. In addition, in this example, the motor unit 2 comprises an electromagnetically actuated brake 2D.

[0033] Between the motor unit 2 and at least a first part of the servo drive unit 3, in this example the only part of the servo drive unit 3, i.e. the complete servo drive unit 3, an intermediate unit 4 is arranged. This intermediate unit 4 has a main extension plane in the axial direction A of the rotor, i.e. perpendicular to the axial direction A of the motor unit 2. This intermediate unit 4 is a multifunctional intermediate unit 4. This multifunctional intermediate unit 4 comprises an injection-molded element 5, in this example it is actually made from said injection-molded element 5.

[0034] The intermediate unit 4 is configured to provide at least two, and preferably three or more of the following functions: i) a sealing function; ii) an electromagnetic shielding function; iii) a thermal insulation function; iv) a light guiding function; and v) a load-bearing function.

[0035] In this example, a thermally non-conductive polymer material such as component 5A contributes to the thermal insulation function, the electromagnetic shielding function is provided by a metal sheet 5B such as a ferromagnetic shielding element 4B, and the light guide function is provided by a translucent plastic component 5C.

[0036] The sealing function is provided by a first soft component 5D, in this example part forming the first circumferential seal 4D, and by a second soft component 5D', in this example part forming the second circumferential seal 4D'. The soft components 5D, 5D' contribute to the sealing function since they are pressed against the housing 3A and the housing 2A, respectively, by components 5A, 5C, which are harder than the soft components 5D, 5D' and can therefore be called hard components 5A, 5C.

[0037] The load-bearing function is provided by respective alignment structures 4E, 4E' of the intermediate unit 4 which mechanically interact with corresponding structures of the servo drive unit 3 and / or the motor unit 2, here grooves 2E, 2E' of the motor unit 2.

[0038] Thereto, the intermediate unit 4 with all its components forms an insulating layer I separating the cold zone C from the hot zone H, the servo drive unit 3 is located in the cold zone C and the motor unit 2 including, in the shown example, the second printed circuit board 2B is located in the hot zone H.

[0039] In the following, an exemplary embodiment of an intermediate unit 4 is shown, like or similar to the motor device 1 of FIG. 1, showing exemplary details of the motor device 1 in a corresponding cross-sectional view.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows details of an example providing all of functions i) to v), where the injection molded element 5 is a single-component injection molded element 5 made from a rigid translucent component 5C, and a second printed circuit board 2B is present in the hot zone H as part of the motor unit 2.

[0041] In this embodiment, the soft components 5D, 5D' as seals 4D, 4D' are pressed against the housing 3A of the servo drive unit 3, against the first printed circuit board 3B and against the motor unit 2, respectively, by the hard component 5C. The motor device 1 is thus sealed against the external environment 6. The hard component 5C is here molded on a metal sheet 5B which implements a plate-like ferromagnetic shielding element 4B. The thermal insulation function is here supported by a number of blind holes 4F, in this example, in the hard component 5C, which are separated by walls 5F also formed by the very hard component 5C. The blind holes 4F are open along the axial direction A in the direction of the motor unit 2 and are now closed by the second printed circuit board 2B. The light guiding function is provided by a rigid component 5C, here a transparent rigid component having one or more protrusions 5C', which minimizes the distance between the transparent component 5C and the light source 3D in order to guide as much light as possible from the light source 3D to the outer surface 4G of the intermediate unit 4 formed by the transparent component 5C.

[0042] Figure 3 shows details of an example providing all of functions i) through v) with a single component injection molded element 5 and without the second printed circuit board 2B of Figure 1. Unless otherwise stated, this feature, or any of the following examples, corresponds to one or more of the previous examples.

[0043] As a result of the absence of the second printed circuit board 2B, the blind hole 4F is now closed by the housing 2A of the motor unit 2.

[0044] FIG. 4 shows details of an example providing all of functions i) to v), in which the injection molded element 5 is a multi-component injection molded element 5, which comprises a hard translucent component 5C and another hard component 5A having a lower thermal conductivity than the hard translucent component 5C, and also comprises a second printed circuit board 2B in the hot zone H as part of the motor unit 2.

[0045] Thereby, the translucent component 5C is used in the periphery of the injection-molded element 5, that is the part between the light source 3D and the outer surface 4G, but not in the remaining central part of the injection-molded element 5. As a result, the remaining central part of the injection-molded element 5 is made from other rigid components 5A, in particular from the part with the blind holes 4F and / or from the part molded onto the metal sheet 5B.

[0046] FIG. 5 shows details of an example providing all of functions i) to v) except for the electromagnetic shielding function, and includes a single component injection molded element 5 and a second printed circuit board 2B.

[0047] As a result, the motor unit 2 does not include a brake 2D and the intermediate unit 4 does not include a metal sheet 5B as a ferromagnetic shielding element 4B.

[0048] FIG. 6 shows details of an example providing all of functions i) to v), with the multi-component injection molded element 5 of FIG. 4 comprising a rigid translucent component 5C and another rigid component 5A, as well as a second printed circuit board 2B in the hot zone H as part of the motor unit 2.

[0049] In contrast to the previous example, no blind holes 4F are provided and a robust thermal insulation layer is obtained which is implemented by the other rigid component 5A, which thus now comes into planar contact with the motor unit 2, in this example the second printed circuit board 2B.

[0050] FIG. 7 shows details of another example providing all of functions i) to v), in which the injection molded element 5 is a single-component injection molded element 5 made from a rigid translucent component 5C and has a second printed circuit board 2B as part of the motor unit 2 in the hot zone H.

[0051] Analogously to Fig. 2, the soft components 5D, 5D' as seals 4D, 4D' are pressed against the housing 3A of the servo drive unit 3, the first printed circuit board 3B and the motor unit 2, respectively, by a hard component 5C, which is here moulded onto a metal sheet 5B implementing the plate-like ferromagnetic shielding element 4B. Other features of the example shown here are also similar or identical to those of Fig. 2, the differences being mentioned below.

[0052] In contrast to the example of Fig. 2, the thermal insulation function is supported without the multiple blind holes 4F of Fig. 2. The rigid component 5C can therefore be called a non-porous or large and heavy rigid component 5C. The thermal insulation function is therefore supported by a suitably selected material of the rigid component 5C, here a plastic material, such that its thermal conductivity is lower than that of the material of the servo drive housing 3A and / or the material of the motor housing 2A, which can be made from a metal such as aluminium. Here, the plastic forms a plastic layer with a main extension surface perpendicular to the axial direction A.

[0053] 8 shows a perspective view on an exemplary embodiment of the intermediate unit 4. In particular, an exemplary shape of the outer surface 4G is shown, which has a rectangular perimeter with rounded corners, which allows guiding the light from the light source 3D in all radial directions, i.e. over 360° around the axial direction A, to the environment 6. Furthermore, an exemplary shape for the protrusion 5C' is shown. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 Motor Device 2 Motor unit 2A Motor Housing 2B Second Printed Circuit Board 2C inverter element 2D Brake 2E Groove 2E' Groove 3 Servo Drive Unit 3A servo drive housing 3B First Printed Circuit Board 3C electronic elements 3D light source 4 Intermediate unit 4B Ferromagnetic shielding element 4D First circumferential seal 4D' Second circumferential seal 4E alignment structure 4E' alignment structure 4F blind hole 4G outer surface 5 Injection molded elements 5A Components, Hard Components 5B Metal sheet 5C Translucent plastic components, rigid components 5C' Protrusion 5D First soft component 5D' Second soft component 5F wall 6 External environment A axis direction C Cold Zone H Hot Zone I Thermal insulation layer

Claims

1. A motor device (1) comprising a motor unit (2) and a servo drive unit (3) attached to the motor unit (2), said servo drive unit (3) comprises a servo drive housing (3A) and a first printed circuit board (3B) having one or more electronic elements (3C); the motor unit (2) comprises a motor housing (2A) and a rotor, a motor device (1) in which an intermediate unit (4) is arranged between said motor unit (2) and at least a first part of said servo drive unit (3) and has a main extension plane perpendicular to the axial direction (A) of said rotor, The intermediate unit (4) is a multifunctional intermediate unit (4) comprising an injection moulding element (5), said intermediate unit (4) performing different functions: i) a sealing function, in which the intermediate unit (4) is configured to seal the body of the motor device against the external environment; ii) an electromagnetic shielding function, in which the intermediate unit (4) is configured to electromagnetically shield at least the first part of the servo drive unit (3) from the motor unit (2); iii) an insulation function, wherein the intermediate unit (4) is configured to insulate at least the first part of the servo drive unit (3) from the motor unit (2); iv) a light guiding function, whereby the intermediate unit (4) is configured to guide light emitted inside the motor device (1) to the external environment of the motor device (1); and v) a load-bearing function, in which the intermediate unit (4) is configured to be a load-bearing part of the motor device (1); A motor device (1) configured to provide at least two of:

2. 2. The motor device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate unit (4) is configured to provide at least three of said various functions.

3. To provide said sealing function, said injection-molded element (5) is a multi-component injection-molded element (5) comprising a first soft component (5D) which is part of a first circumferential seal (4D), a second soft component (5D') which is part of a second circumferential seal (4D') and hard components (5A, 5C) which are part of a circumferential body section of the body of the motor device, said soft components (5D, 5D') are softer than said hard components (5A, 5C); - said first circumferential seal (4D) seals the gap between said servo drive housing (3A) and said circumferential body section; The motor device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second circumferential seal (4D') seals a gap between the circumferential body section and the motor housing (2A).

4. A motor device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, in order to provide the electromagnetic shielding function, a ferromagnetic shielding element (4B) is overmolded by the injection molding element (5), preferably with a main extension surface of the ferromagnetic shielding element (4B) extending perpendicular to the axial direction (A).

5. 5. The motor device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, in order to provide the thermal insulation function, the injection-molded element (5) is or comprises a plastic having a lower thermal conductivity than the servo drive housing (3A) and / or the motor housing (2A), in particular wherein the plastic forms a plastic layer having a main extension surface perpendicular to the axial direction (A).

6. 6. The motor device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, in order to provide the thermal insulation function, the injection-molded element (5) comprises a plurality of blind holes (4F), in particular arranged in a honeycomb structure, the open sides of which are oriented in the same direction, in particular towards the motor unit (2), and the motor housing (2A) or the second printed circuit board (2B) closes the blind holes (4F).

7. A motor device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that in order to provide the light guiding function, a component (5C) of the injection molded element (5) is made from a translucent material, preferably plastic or glass, and is shaped such that light emitted by at least one light source (3D) arranged on the first printed circuit board (3B) is guided to the external environment (6) of the motor device (1).

8. The motor device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the translucent material forms an outer surface of the motor device (1) that extends at least partially in a circumferential direction around the motor device (1), in particular over more than 180°, preferably over more than 270°, most preferably over 350° or 360°.

9. The motor device (1) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the component (5C) comprises a first transparent section and a second section, preferably an opaque section, the first transparent section being arranged between the light source and the second section along the light path from the light source to the external environment, and the second section being arranged between the transparent section and the external environment.

10. The motor device (1) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the at least one light source (3D) is a plurality of light sources (3D), the light sources (3D) being arranged neither on a circle nor on a straight line in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction, or arranged on a circle but not equidistantly.

11. A motor device (1) according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that at least one light source (3D), preferably a plurality of light sources, is configured to present an optical pattern that moves circumferentially around the motor device (1).

12. 12. The motor device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the injection-molded element (5) is a multi-component injection-molded element (5) and comprises, in addition to the translucent component (5C), a heat-insulating component (5A) made from a plastic having a lower thermal conductivity than the thermal conductivity of the plastic of the translucent component (5C).

13. A motor device (1) according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that the component (5C) made of translucent plastic has a non-circular periphery, preferably a substantially rectangular periphery.

14. 14. The motor device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that in order to provide the load-bearing function, the injection-molded element (5), preferably at least one of the components (5A, 5C), features alignment structures (4E, 4E') for aligning the intermediate unit (4) with the servo drive unit (3), in particular with the servo drive housing (3A) and / or the first printed circuit board (3B), and / or with the motor unit (2), in particular with the motor housing (2A) and / or the second printed circuit board (2B).

15. An intermediate unit (4), and / or a servo drive unit (3), and / or a motor unit (2) for a motor device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

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