Flat-Wire Coil Assembly With Spiral Ramp Winding for High Slot Fill
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric machine coil winding methods face challenges in maximizing the slot fill factor, leading to reduced torque output and increased manufacturing complexity, as they struggle to efficiently pack conductive wire into slots while maintaining magnetic flux and manufacturability.
Innovation Solution
The proposed method involves a spiral ramp coil winding process using a mandrel assembly with inward and outward helical ramps to form continuous coils with rectangular cross-sections, allowing for high wire fill factor and efficient magnetic coupling by winding the wire in a continuous direction around the mandrel, which is then tensioned and potted to maintain the coil configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional winding methods are used, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the slot fill factor is reduced and torque output decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mandrel is divided into two separate halves that can be independently positioned and adjusted. This segmentation allows the wire to be wound around both halves simultaneously, creating a coil that spans the entire slot width. The two mandrel halves can be separately adjusted to control wire tension and positioning, enabling high slot fill factor while maintaining manufacturability through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The mandrel structure transitions from a traditional single-axis approach to a three-dimensional configuration where two mandrel halves are positioned at different locations around the slot. The wire is routed through both mandrels in sequence, utilizing spatial arrangement in multiple dimensions to achieve optimal wire packing and maximize the slot fill factor without increasing manufacturing complexity.
2Productivity
If wire is packed more densely to increase slot fill factor, then torque output increases, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mandrels are pre-positioned and pre-adjusted before the wire winding process begins. The mandrel halves are set in their correct positions and orientations, with all alignment features prepared in advance. This preliminary setup ensures that when the wire is wound, it automatically achieves the optimal dense packing configuration without requiring complex real-time adjustments during manufacturing, thus increasing torque output while keeping the manufacturing process straightforward.
3Volume of moving object
If continuous winding in one direction is used, then spatial efficiency increases, but coil configuration maintenance becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The two mandrel halves are merged through a connection mechanism that maintains their relative positions while allowing independent adjustment. The wire is continuously wound around both mandrels in sequence, creating a unified coil structure that spans the entire slot. This merging approach enables continuous winding in one direction for maximum spatial efficiency while the connection mechanism simplifies coil configuration maintenance by providing a stable, integrated structure.
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 approach results in high spatial efficiency and maximal magnetic flux within the motor, achieving higher power density and torque output per unit volume while simplifying the manufacturing process by reducing the need for specialized tools and minimizing gaps between wire turns.
Implementation Method 1
a continuous coil wound from a single length of wire... The set of continuous coils is wound over a stator core... The motor also includes a magnetic toroidal cylinder rotor assembly... having a set of permanent magnets arranged in a Halbach array configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A motor winding includes a wire defining a rectangular cross-section and wound in a continuous direction about a coil axis to form a continuous coil including: a first coil segment spiraling in a first plane, defining a first external terminal, and defining a first interior end inset from the first external terminal and arranged on a first side of a coil axis; a second coil segment spiraling in a second plane parallel and offset from the first plane, defining a second exterior terminal parallel to the first external terminal, and defining a second interior end inset from the second exterior coil end and arranged on a second side of the coil axis opposite the first interior end; and a junction extending between the first plane and the second plane to couple the first interior end of the first coil segment to the second interior end of the second coil segment.