Electric Motor Magnet Layout for Torque Density and Material Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing electric motors with permanent magnets is challenging due to the need for maximizing torque density while minimizing magnet usage, especially with rising rare earth material costs and the complexity of magnetic flux saturation and leakage flux, which often relies on designer intuition and results in high design and manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A multi-material topology optimization method and device that uses a software-designed algorithm to determine the quantity, dimension, and arrangement of permanent magnets in electric motors, expressing finite elements as design variables to maximize torque density and minimize magnet usage, incorporating filtering and clustering to derive optimal structures without prior information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If permanent magnet quantity and arrangement are determined by designer intuition, then design process is simple, but torque density is not maximized and permanent magnet usage is not minimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/designer-intuition-based approach with a computational optimization system. The topology optimization algorithm automatically determines the optimal quantity, dimension, and arrangement of permanent magnets by solving mathematical models, substituting human designer intuition with computer-based automated optimization processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes in the optimization process by adjusting design variables such as material density distribution, permanent magnet dimensions, and arrangement configurations. The topology optimization method iteratively modifies these parameters to achieve the optimal balance between torque density maximization and permanent magnet usage minimization.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple product iterations are manufactured for design optimization, then design accuracy is improved, but design and manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing virtual topology optimization and simulation before actual manufacturing. The optimization algorithm predicts the optimal permanent magnet configuration through computational modeling, allowing designers to identify the best design solution before producing any physical prototypes, thereby eliminating the need for multiple iterative manufacturing cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses virtual copies and digital models instead of physical prototypes for design iteration. The topology optimization process creates digital representations of different design configurations and evaluates their performance through simulation, replacing the need to manufacture multiple physical product iterations for testing and validation.
3Ease of manufacture
If permanent magnet structure is predefined, then manufacturing process is simple, but complex electric motor structures with multiple constraints cannot be optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the rotor domain into discrete finite elements or design domains. This segmentation allows the topology optimization algorithm to independently determine the optimal material distribution and permanent magnet arrangement in each region, enabling the design of complex motor structures with multiple constraints while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through systematic division of the design space.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure proposes a method and device for multi-material topology optimization for optimal arrangement of a permanent magnet in an electric motor. The present disclosure relates to multi-material topology optimization for optimal arrangement of a permanent magnet in an electric motor including a stator, a rotor, and at least one permanent magnet provided to the rotor, and may be configured to express multi-materials of each of a plurality of finite elements divided from at least a partial area of the rotor, as a plurality of design variables defined to express multi-material states; and to derive topology optimization for a structure of the permanent magnet in the rotor using the design variables, for at least one of usage minimization of the permanent magnet and torque density maximization for the electric motor.