Axial flux motor, gear motor, and conveyor

Abstract

The axial flux motor comprises a housing (1) with a base plate (10), a printed circuit board (2), a stator (3), and a rotor (4), the printed circuit board (2) being arranged between the base plate (10) and the stator (3), the rotor (4) having the form of a sleeve and arranged in a receiving part (12) of the housing (1) extending from the base plate (10) coaxially with the stator (3), and extending from the base plate (10) to the free end of the receiving part (12). A slot (120) for receiving the rotor (4) is formed in the receiving part (12), the printed circuit board (2) is provided with an island (21), a reference magnet (43) is arranged at a first free end of the shaft (40) facing the printed circuit board (2), and a sensor (23) is arranged on the island (21) of the printed circuit board (2) facing the shaft (40), the reference magnet (43) and the sensor (23) together forming a position sensor for the rotor (4).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to electric motors, and in particular to axial flux motors. [Background technology]

[0002] A known embodiment of such an axial flux motor comprises a housing in which a stator with coils is disposed concentrically about a rotor shaft rotatably mounted in the housing, and a magnetic disk attached to the shaft, adjacent to the stator, and covering the stator's coils. A printed circuit board (PCB) is disposed adjacent to the stator opposite the magnetic disk. The PCB has the shape of an annular disk through which the shaft protrudes. In such a design, integrating shaft position detection can be complicated to manufacture or complicated to assemble. For example, this requires complex fabrication of the housing or complex wiring. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] It is an object of the present invention to provide shaft position detection for an axial flux motor that avoids the aforementioned drawbacks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] This problem is solved by an axial flux motor with the features of claim 1. Further embodiments of the axial flux motor, of a gear motor with such an axial flux motor and of a transport machine with such an axial flux motor are defined by the features of the further claims.

[0005] The axial flux motor according to the present invention comprises a housing with a base plate, a printed circuit board (PCB), a stator with a coil and a core, and a rotor with a shaft, a disc, and a drive magnet. The PCB is disposed between the base plate and the stator, and the rotor is disposed in a receiving part of the housing, having the form of a sleeve, extending coaxially from the base plate to the stator between the coils. A slot is formed in the receiving part, extending from the base plate to the free end of the receiving part. The PCB comprises a recess through which the receiving part protrudes, an island part disposed in the center of the receiving part, and a connecting bridge part connecting the island part with the rest of the PCB and disposed in the slot in the receiving part. A reference magnet is disposed at a first free end of the shaft facing the PCB, and a sensor is disposed in the island part of the PCB facing the shaft, the reference magnet and the sensor together forming a position sensor for the shaft.

[0006] This design has the advantage that the sensor is integrated into the PCB and no additional wiring is required, allowing for easy assembly of the axial flux motor.

[0007] The stator core may be a sintered core. The receiving part may be integrally formed in a single piece with the base plate of the housing. Alternatively, the receiving part may be a separate part fixed to the base plate. The space between the side wall and the receiving part may be filled with resin, completely enclosing the PCB in this area and enclosing the stator at least laterally. The epoxy resin may include epoxy or the like. The top of the core and coils is free of epoxy resin.

[0008] In one embodiment, the shaft is placed in a receiving part with at least one bearing. The bearing closest to the base plate bears against a shoulder of the receiving part. Depending on the size of the motor, two or more bearings may be placed in the receiving part. The bearings may be any type of rolling element bearing or plain bearing.

[0009] In one embodiment, the shaft comprises an annulus which bears on its side facing the base plate against the bearing furthest from the base plate, and on the side facing away from the base plate a disc bears against the annulus.

[0010] In one embodiment, a first bolt is provided on a side of the second free end of the shaft opposite the first free end and is positioned in a complementary recess in the disc forming a form-fit and / or force-fit connection.

[0011] In one embodiment, the axial flux motor includes a shaft extension that is disposed in a complementary socket formed in the first bolt.

[0012] In one embodiment, a second bolt is provided at the second free end of the shaft.

[0013] In one embodiment, the reference magnet is located in a recess in the front face of the shaft.

[0014] In one embodiment, a third bolt is provided on the side of the disc facing away from the base plate.

[0015] In one embodiment, cooling ribs are provided on the side of the baseplate opposite the PCB.

[0016] In one embodiment, lateral sidewalls extend away from the base plate toward the disks, each in the direction of the PCB. The sidewalls may extend over the stator coils and core. The sidewalls may extend over the disks and / or over the shaft. The sidewalls may be integrally formed with the base plate in a single piece.

[0017] In one embodiment, a cutout is formed in one of the side walls of the housing, and the PCB includes connectors that are accessible through the cutout from the outside.

[0018] For example, the housing may be made from aluminum, the stator core may be made from sintered metal, the coils may be made from copper, the rotor discs may be made from sintered steel, and the rotor shaft may be made from stainless steel.

[0019] The features of the above-described embodiments of the axial flux motor may be used in any combination if they are not inconsistent with each other.

[0020] A gear motor according to the present invention comprises an axial flux motor according to any of the previous embodiments and a gearbox with a drive gear and at least one driven gear, the drive gear being fixed to the shaft.

[0021] A transport machine according to the present invention comprises an axial flux motor according to any of the previous embodiments, or transport means operatively connected to the aforementioned gear motor.

[0022] In one embodiment, the transport machine comprises a power and / or control unit that provides power and / or control signals to the axial flux motor or gear motor. Specifically, the power and / or control unit may receive signals from the axial flux motor, which may be control signals, measurement signals, or other signals.

[0023] Embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below with reference to the figures, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an axial flux motor according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken through the rotation axis of the axial flux motor of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a housing of the axial flux motor of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the PCB of the axial flux motor of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view through the rotation axis of a second embodiment of an axial flux motor according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view of a gear motor according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view through the rotating shaft of the gear motor of FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view of a transporter according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of an axial-flux motor according to the present invention. The motor comprises a housing 1 with a base plate 10 and lateral sidewalls 11 extending from the lateral edges of the base plate 10. The base plate 10 has an essentially square layout. Stiffening or fixing elements are located at the corners of the housing 1. In the depicted housing, these elements are integrally formed with the sidewalls and base plate in a single piece. A stator 3 with coils 30 is located entirely within the housing. The coils are evenly distributed around the rotation axis R. A rotor 4 with a disk 41 is located above the stator 3 and completely covers all coils 30. The rotor 4 is concentric with the rotation axis R and is rotatable about the rotation axis R. A third bolt 410 is located at the center of the disk 41, extending upward from the disk and thereby providing a good connection to the driven element.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the rotation axis R of the axial-flux motor of FIG. 1. The side walls 11 are integrally formed with the base plate 10. The receiving part 12 extends upward from the base plate 10 between the side walls 11. The receiving part 12 is integrally formed with the base plate. On one side, the receiving part 12 has a slot 120 extending from the base plate over its entire height. Through said slot 120, the PCB extends from the outer area of ​​the receiving part to the inside. The receiving part has a shoulder 121 against which the bearing 5 bears. The bearing shown is a double-row ball bearing. A shaft 40 is rotatably mounted in the housing 1 by means of the bearing 5. The shaft 40 has an annulus 44 bearing on one side against the bearing. A disk 41 bears on the other side of the annulus. At the lower, free end of the shaft, a reference magnet 43 is arranged. In the depicted situation, the reference magnet is fixed in a recess in the end face of the shaft 40. The shaft extends beyond the bearing, leaving a small gap between the reference magnet and the PCB 2 on which the sensor 23 is integrated. The reference magnet 43 forms a position sensor together with the sensor 23 for the rotor 4 or the orientation detector for the shaft 40, respectively. At the upper free end of the shaft, a first bolt 400 is arranged in a complementary recess in a disk 41. The disk has a sleeve with said recess, which extends between the coils 30 of the stator 3. A third bolt 410 is arranged on the opposite side of the sleeve, coaxial with the sleeve and the rotation axis R. The core 31 of the stator 3 is arranged on the PCB 2 and extends upward toward the upper opening of the housing 1. The stator core and coils are completely covered by the disk 41. The disk extends outside the housing in the direction of the rotation axis R, i.e., beyond the free upper edge of the side wall 1. On the side of the disc facing the PCB 2, drive magnets 42 are arranged, evenly distributed around the circumference of the disc. On the base plate 10, on the outside of the housing 1, cooling ribs 13 are arranged to provide good cooling for the PCB 2, which is arranged on the base plate 10 inside the housing 1 and throughout the stator. The short distance between the PCB and the cooling ribs 13 and the large contact area of ​​the PCB with the base plate increase the cooling capacity.

[0027] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the housing 1 of the axial flux motor of Figures 1 and 2. The receiving part 12 comprises an outer reinforcing rib 122 on the outside of the receiving part, which extends from the base plate 10 over the entire height of the receiving part and is distributed around the periphery of the base plate, and an inner reinforcing rib 123 on the inside of the receiving part, which extends from the base plate 10 almost to the shoulder 121 and is oriented coaxially with the outer reinforcing rib 122.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of PCB 2 of the axial-flux motor of FIGS. 1 and 2. PCB 2 is disk-shaped, with its outer edge essentially rounded. A C-shaped recess 20 is formed in the PCB coaxially with the outer edge, resulting in an island 21 located at the center of the PCB and a connecting bridge 22 connecting the outer ring of the PCB to the island. A sensor 23 is located in the center of island 21. An outer clearance 25 is located outside recess 20, and an inner clearance 26 is located inside recess 20, which are complementary to the outer and inner reinforcing ribs of the receiving part of the housing, respectively. The outer edge of the PCB has straight sections 24 on two opposite sides that are parallel to the respective side walls of the housing in the assembled state. Soldering pads 27 are located in the edge region of the PCB, evenly distributed around the periphery of the PCB. In the assembled state, the coil is soldered to these pads 27.

[0029] 5 is a cross-sectional view through the rotation axis of a second embodiment of an axial-flux motor according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the coils 30 and core 31 of the rotor 3 do not extend significantly upward, above the upper edge of the side wall 11, and the rotor disk 41 does not extend beyond the upper edge of the side wall. A first bolt 400 of the shaft extends through a complementary through-hole in the disk 41. A socket 401 is formed in the center of the first bolt for receiving a shaft extension 6. The shaft extension can be connected to an element to be driven.

[0030] 6 shows a perspective view of a gear motor according to the invention. In this embodiment, the base plate 10 is essentially square with rounded corners. The gearbox 7 is arranged at the free edge of the side wall 11 of the housing 1 of the axial-flux motor.

[0031] Figure 7 shows a cross-section through the rotation axis R of the gear motor of Figure 6. In this embodiment, the shaft 40 comprises a second bolt 402 arranged concentrically with the first bolt 400. A drive gear 70 of a gearbox 7 is fixed to the second bolt 402. The gearbox 7 comprises a driven gear 71 operatively connected to the drive gear 70, either directly or via some other gear. The rotation axis of the motor is coaxial with the axis of the drive gear and parallel to the driven gear axis G. A notch 14 is formed in one of the side walls 11 of the housing 1, allowing the connector 28 arranged on the PCB 2 to be accessed from outside the housing 1.

[0032] Figure 8 is a perspective view of a transport machine according to the present invention. The transport machine comprises the gear motor of Figures 6 and 7 arranged on a profile 90 on which a roller 91 is rotatably mounted, the roller 91 being operatively connected to a driven gear of the gear motor. In the depicted embodiment, the roller comprises a transverse pulley connected to the gear motor by means of a timing belt. A control unit 8 is arranged next to the gear motor and connected to it by a cable and a plug which is connected to the gear motor's axial flux motor connector 28. The base plate and the ribs of the axial flux motor housing are in contact with the profile 90, thereby transferring heat from the motor to the profile and from the profile to its environment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 chassis 10 Foundation plate 11 Side wall 12 Receiving Department 120 slots 121 Shoulder 122 Outer reinforcing rib 123 Inner reinforcing rib 13 Cooling rib 14 Cutout 2 PCB 20 recess 21 Island 22 Connecting bridge section 23 Sensors 24 straight line area 25 outer clearance 26 Inner clearance 27 solder pads 28 Connector 3 Stator 30 coils 31 cores 4 rotors 40 shaft 400 First Bolt 401 Socket 402 Second Bolt 41 Disc 410 Third Bolt 42 Drive magnet 43 Reference Magnet 44 Ring part 5. Bearings 6 Shaft extension 7 Gearbox 70 Drive Gear 71 Driven gear 8. Control Unit 9. Transporter 90 Profiles 91 Laura R rotation axis G Driven gear shaft

Claims

1. An axial flux motor comprising: a housing (1) with a base plate (10); a printed circuit board (2); a stator (3) with coils (30) and cores (31); and a rotor (4) with a shaft (40), a disk (41), and a drive magnet (42), wherein the printed circuit board (2) is disposed between the base plate (10) and the stator (3), and the rotor (4) has the form of a sleeve and is disposed in a receiving part (12) of the housing (1) extending coaxially from the base plate (10) to the stator (3) between the coils (30); a slot (120) is formed in the receiving part (12) extending from the base plate (10) to a free end of the receiving part (12); the printed circuit board (2) comprises a recess (20) through which the receiving portion (12) protrudes, an island portion (21) arranged in the center of the receiving portion (12), and a connecting bridge portion (22) connecting the island portion (21) with the rest of the printed circuit board (2) and arranged in the slot (120) of the receiving portion; a reference magnet (43) is arranged at a first free end of the shaft (40) facing the printed circuit board (2), a sensor (23) is arranged on the island (21) of the printed circuit board (2) facing the shaft (40), and the reference magnet (43) and the sensor (23) together form a position sensor for the rotor (4); An axial flux motor characterized by:

2. 2. The axial flux motor of claim 1, wherein the shaft (40) is arranged in the receiving part (12) with at least one bearing (5), and the bearing (5) closest to the base plate (10) presses against a shoulder (121) of the receiving part (12).

3. 3. The axial flux motor of claim 2, wherein the shaft (40) has an annular portion (44) that presses against the bearing (5) farthest from the base plate (10) with its side facing the base plate (10), and the disc (41) presses against the annular portion (44) with its side facing away from the base plate (10).

4. 2. An axial flux motor as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first bolt (400) is provided at a side of a second free end of the shaft (40) opposite the first free end, the first bolt (400) being disposed in a complementary recess in the disc (41) forming a form-fit and / or force-fit connection.

5. 5. The axial flux motor of claim 4, comprising a shaft extension (6) disposed in a complementary socket (401) formed in the first bolt (400).

6. 5. The axial flux motor of claim 4, wherein a second bolt (402) is provided at the second free end of the shaft (40).

7. 2. The axial flux motor of claim 1, wherein the reference magnet (43) is disposed in a recess in the front face of the shaft (40).

8. 2. The axial flux motor of claim 1, wherein a third bolt (410) is provided on the side of the disc (41) facing away from the base plate (10).

9. 2. The axial flux motor of claim 1, wherein cooling ribs (13) are provided on a side of the base plate (10) opposite the printed circuit board (2).

10. 2. An axial flux motor according to claim 1, wherein lateral side walls (11) extend away from the base plate (10) in the direction of the disc (10).

11. 11. The axial flux motor of claim 10, wherein a cutout (14) is formed in one of the side walls (11) of the housing (1), and the printed circuit board (2) comprises a connector (28) that is accessible from the outside through the cutout (14).

12. 12. A gear motor comprising an axial flux motor according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and a gearbox (7) with a drive gear (70) and at least one driven gear (71), wherein the drive gear (70) is fixed to the shaft (40).

13. A transport machine (9) comprising a transport means (91) operatively connected to an axial flux motor according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or a gear motor according to claim 12.

14. 14. A transport machine (9) according to claim 13, comprising a power control unit (8) for supplying power and control signals to the axial flux motor according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or the gear motor according to claim 12.

15. 15. A transport machine (9) according to claim 14, wherein the power control unit (8) receives a control signal from the sensor (23).

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