Electric Machine Electrical Buss Parallel Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric machines experience substantial heat generation due to resistive and switching losses, leading to inefficiencies in energy conversion between kinetic and electrical energy, necessitating improvements in design to reduce these losses.
Innovation Solution
An electrical buss with parallel conductive paths and resistive welding capabilities is integrated into the electric machine, allowing for efficient connection of electronic modules to the supply terminal assembly through resistive welding, using a single conductor with two conductive portions and a terminal contact portion, formed from copper or copper alloys, to minimize contact resistance and enhance heat management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional electrical connections are used in electric machines, then manufacturing is simpler, but resistive losses increase and energy efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection system is segmented into multiple parallel conductive paths within the buss structure, allowing current to distribute across multiple routes rather than single high-resistance paths. This segmentation reduces overall resistive losses while maintaining manufacturability through modular buss designs that can be integrated into existing electric machine architectures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the electrical connection system by using buss structures with optimized cross-sectional areas, conductive materials with superior electrical properties, and controlled contact surfaces. These parameter changes reduce contact resistance and bulk resistance, thereby reducing resistive losses without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
2Loss of energy
If electrical connections with higher conductivity are used, then resistive losses decrease, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The buss structures are pre-formed with precision-machined contact surfaces and integrated connection features before installation into the electric machine. This preliminary action ensures that high-precision electrical connections are achieved during manufacturing without requiring excessive precision during final assembly, thus reducing resistive losses while maintaining feasible manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical fastening methods with resistive welding or diffusion bonding processes that create metallurgical joints between the buss and electrical components. This substitution eliminates the need for precise mechanical alignment and fastener tolerance stacking, reducing manufacturing precision requirements while achieving low-resistance electrical connections.
3Loss of energy
If parallel conductive paths are implemented, then current distribution improves and resistive losses reduce, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple parallel conductive paths are merged into a single integrated buss structure rather than using separate parallel conductors. This merging approach provides the current-distribution benefits of parallel paths while simplifying the overall device architecture, reducing the number of discrete components, and easing installation and maintenance compared to multiple separate conductors.
Solution Approach 2:
The buss structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical connections, acts as a structural support element, and functions as a heat dissipation pathway. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity by consolidating multiple components into a single element that achieves current distribution benefits without proportionally increasing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides improved energy efficiency by reducing resistive losses and enhancing manufacturability, allowing for effective heat management and improved functional performance in electric machines by ensuring robust electrical connections and efficient current conduction.
Implementation Method 1
The first conductor portion and the second conductor portion provide parallel paths for conducting current between a terminal of an electronic device and a supply terminal of an electric machine
Implementation Method 2
The resistive welding machine provides electrical energy to or between the weld heads to induce a current to pass through the single conductor and the terminal of the electronic device, and the heat generated by the current forms a first welded joint
Data Source
AI summary
An electric machine including a stator, a rotor surrounded by and rotatable relative to the stator, a supply terminal assembly, and an electronic module electrically connected to the stator. The electronic module includes a terminal having at least one bonding region. An electrical buss is attached to the supply terminal assembly, and includes a first and second conductor portions each having a connection region joined to a bonding region of the terminal of the electronic module. The terminal of the electronic module is electrically connected to the supply terminal assembly by the first and second conductor portions. Also disclosed is a method for manufacturing such an electric machine.