Reconfigurable Electric Machine Windings for Multi-Point Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric machines with fixed stator and rotor configurations lack flexibility and are prone to faults due to being optimized for a single operating point, leading to increased susceptibility to errors and high costs from additional electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
The electric machine is divided into sub-machine systems with separately switchable winding sections, allowing for reconfiguration via a switching element, such as a contact disc, to adapt to varying operating conditions, reducing fault susceptibility and optimizing efficiency across different operating points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the electric machine is optimized for a single operating point with fixed stator and rotor configurations, then the machine achieves maximum efficiency at that specific operating point, but the machine lacks flexibility and cannot adapt to widely varying requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The windings on the stator or rotor are divided into separately switchable winding sections for each phase. These winding sections can be connected together in different configurations to create sub-machine systems, allowing the electric machine to be subdivided into multiple operational units that can be independently controlled and reconfigured based on operating requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The electric machine incorporates dynamic reconfiguration capability through switching elements that allow the winding sections to be connected in different configurations during operation. This enables the machine to adapt its characteristics to match varying operating conditions, transitioning from a static fixed configuration to a dynamic reconfigurable system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If electronic devices are provided in large numbers to increase flexibility, then the electric machine can adapt to varying requirements, but the susceptibility to faults increases due to many additional assemblies
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the switching functionality from complex electronic devices and implements it through simpler mechanical switching elements. By removing the need for numerous electronic components and replacing them with straightforward mechanical switches, the system maintains flexibility while significantly reducing the number of potential failure points.
Solution Approach 2:
The switching elements are designed as simple, robust mechanical components that are easier to manufacture and replace than complex electronic devices. While individual switching elements may have limited lifetimes, their simplicity makes them more reliable in practice and easier to maintain, reducing overall system susceptibility to faults.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the windings are divided into separately switchable winding sections and interconnected via switching elements, then the electric machine achieves high flexibility and can be optimized for different operating points, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple winding sections are merged into sub-machine systems through the switching elements, allowing them to function together as integrated units. This merging approach enables the system to achieve complex functionality through simple combinations of basic components, reducing overall complexity while maintaining flexibility.
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
This configuration enhances flexibility and reduces fault susceptibility by enabling operation at multiple optimized points with efficient switching between winding sections, maintaining high efficiency and adaptability without current or voltage during switching, thus optimizing the electric machine's performance across varying requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a permanent magnet synchronous machine has permanent magnets on the rotor and windings on the stator
Data Source
AI summary
An electric machine having a stator and a rotor is divided into sub-machine systems by winding sections of the stator or rotor that can be switched separately for each phase. A winding section of each phase is assigned to each sub-machine system. Each sub-machine system acts as an electric machine. The sub-machine systems can be operated individually or in combination, depending on the requirements placed on the electric machine; the winding sections are correspondingly switched for this purpose. The switching between the winding sections is advantageously carried out mechanically with a contact disc.