Injection Molded Rotor Frame Reducing Weight and Flux Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rotors used in washing machines suffer from magnetic flux leakage, increased weight due to rigid iron plate construction, noise, and vibration issues, limiting their efficiency and output.
Innovation Solution
A rotor design featuring a rotor frame formed by injection molding, with magnets and rotor cores alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, and a coupler connected to a shaft, where the rotor frame is integrally coupled to the rotor cores and magnets, minimizing magnetic flux leakage and enhancing structural rigidity while reducing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rotor frame is made of an iron plate to secure rigidity, then the rigidity of the rotor is improved, but the weight of the rotor is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor frame is constructed using a composite structure combining an iron plate backbone for structural rigidity with plastic material filling the internal cavity. This composite approach allows the thin iron plate (reducing weight) to work together with the plastic material, creating a structure that maintains sufficient rigidity while significantly reducing overall weight compared to a solid iron plate construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a thin iron plate for the rotor frame instead of a thick solid plate. The thin plate provides the necessary structural framework while minimizing weight. The plastic material filling the internal cavity compensates for the reduced structural mass, maintaining rigidity through a distributed composite structure rather than relying on a single thick metal component.
2Strength
If a rotor frame is made of an iron plate to secure rigidity, then the rigidity of the rotor is improved, but the manufacturing complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple manufacturing operations into a single integrated process. The iron plate frame is first formed with its backbone structure, then plastic material is injected into the internal cavity in one continuous operation. This combining of frame formation and material filling into a single manufacturing step simplifies production compared to separate assembly operations, reducing manufacturing complexity while achieving the composite structure needed for rigidity.
3Strength
If the thickness of the iron plate is increased to secure rigidity, then the rigidity of the rotor is improved, but the weight of the rotor is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the need for thick iron plate with a composite structure using a thin iron plate backbone combined with plastic material filling the internal cavity. This composite construction achieves the required rigidity through the combined mechanical properties of both materials, allowing the iron plate thickness to be reduced significantly while maintaining structural performance, thereby reducing overall weight.
4Productivity
If magnets are arranged in the circumferential direction on the rotor frame, then the motor efficiency is improved, but magnetic flux leakage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention addresses magnetic flux leakage by having the plastic material fill the internal cavity of the rotor frame where flux leakage occurs. The plastic acts as a magnetic insulator, blocking the leakage path. By converting the harmful flux leakage into a controlled magnetic circuit through the plastic barrier, the motor efficiency is maintained while energy loss from leakage is eliminated.
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 design achieves high efficiency, reduced weight, minimized noise, and vibration, along with secure coupling of rotor cores and magnets, enabling a more effective and durable motor.
Implementation Method 1
a rotor frame formed by injection molding, the rotor frame being integrally coupled to the rotor cores, the magnets, and the coupler
Implementation Method 2
A motor is a device that drives a rotor using electromagnetic force generated between the rotor and a stator
Implementation Method 3
the magnetic flux from the magnets is concentrated toward the stator in the radial direction via the rotor cores
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a rotor that is capable of more efficiently using magnetic flux from magnets and a motor including the same. The rotor includes a plurality of rotor cores, a plurality of magnets magnetized such that magnetic flux is formed in the circumferential direction, the magnets and the rotor cores being alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, a coupler connected to a shaft, and a rotor frame formed by injection molding, the rotor frame being integrally coupled to the rotor cores, the magnets, and the coupler, wherein each of the rotor cores includes a pole shoe for defining a gap between each of the rotor cores and a stator and a rotor core body having a depression formed in the side opposite to the pole shoe in the radial direction, and portions of side surfaces of corresponding ones of the magnets located at opposite sides of each of the rotor cores are exposed by the depression to define an aperture formed in the circumferential direction.