Injection Molded Rotor Frame With Crossing Ribs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rotors used in washing machines suffer from magnetic flux leakage, increased weight due to rigid iron plates, and generate noise and vibration, making them inefficient and costly to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
A rotor design featuring a plastic 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 with the coupler, rotor cores, and magnets, and includes a heat dissipation zone and reinforcement zone for enhanced strength and reduced weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional iron plate rotor frame is used to secure rigidity, then the rotor can transmit strong force to the drum, but the weight of the rotor is increased and magnetic flux leaks from the rotor frame
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining plastic material for the rotor frame with metal inserts (such as aluminum or steel reinforcement ribs) strategically positioned to provide mechanical strength. This composite approach allows the rotor to achieve the required rigidity for transmitting drum forces while significantly reducing overall weight compared to a solid iron plate construction. The plastic matrix provides magnetic flux isolation properties while the metal reinforcements provide structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a uniformly thick iron plate throughout the rotor frame, the patent implements variable thickness design with localized reinforcement zones. Metal reinforcement ribs or inserts are positioned only in areas requiring high strength (such as mounting zones for magnets and structural support areas), while other areas use thinner plastic material. This local quality approach optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio and prevents unnecessary weight in non-critical areas.
2Ease of manufacture
If a conventional iron plate rotor frame is used, then the rotor can be manufactured with simple structure, but magnetic flux leaks outward in the radial direction reducing motor efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs plastic material for the rotor frame which inherently provides magnetic flux isolation properties that prevent radial leakage. The plastic acts as a magnetic insulator, directing flux through intended paths via integrated metal components rather than allowing it to leak outward. This composite material selection simultaneously addresses manufacturing simplicity (through injection molding capabilities) and energy efficiency (by eliminating flux leakage).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces metal inserts or reinforcement ribs as intermediary elements within the plastic rotor frame structure. These intermediaries serve dual functions: providing necessary mechanical strength and creating controlled magnetic flux paths. The metal components act as mediators that guide magnetic flux through intended routes while the plastic matrix isolates and prevents unwanted radial leakage, thereby improving motor efficiency without complicating manufacturing.
3Strength
If the thickness of the iron plate is increased to secure rotor frame rigidity, then the rotor can transmit stronger force, but the weight of the rotor is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional thick iron plate with a composite construction using plastic as the base material and metal reinforcements as structural enhancers. The plastic provides lightweight properties and magnetic isolation, while strategically positioned metal ribs or inserts provide the necessary rigidity for force transmission. This composite approach achieves equivalent or superior strength to thick iron plates while dramatically reducing rotor weight.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a single thick iron plate, the patent segments the rotor frame into multiple components: a thin-walled plastic structure combined with discrete metal reinforcement elements positioned at specific locations. This segmentation allows each material to be optimized for its specific function (plastic for weight reduction and magnetic isolation, metal for localized strength) while achieving overall structural integrity without the weight penalty of a uniformly thick plate.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional separate manufacturing processes are used for rotor frame, magnets, and rotor cores, then each component can be manufactured independently, but the manufacturing efficiency is reduced and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the manufacturing of the rotor frame, magnets, and rotor cores into a single injection molding process. The rotor frame is molded with built-in features such as recesses, protrusions, and attachment mechanisms that directly accommodate and secure the magnets and rotor cores during the same manufacturing cycle. This merging of previously separate manufacturing steps into one unified process dramatically improves productivity, reduces assembly costs, and eliminates the need for separate handling and assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor frame design incorporates multiple functions within a single component: structural support, magnetic flux isolation, magnet mounting, and rotor core positioning. The injection-molded frame includes integrated features such as recesses for holding magnets, attachment points for rotor cores, and reinforcement ribs for structural integrity. This multi-functional design allows a single manufacturing process to produce a component that performs multiple roles, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing the need for separate parts and assembly operations.
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 minimizes magnetic flux leakage, reduces weight while maintaining rigidity, and enhances manufacturing efficiency, achieving high efficiency and output with reduced material costs and noise.
Implementation Method 1
magnets magnetized such that magnetic flux is formed in the circumferential direction
Implementation Method 2
the coupler base, the extension base, and the rotary base are integrally formed by injection molding
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 including a coupler base connected to the coupler, an extension base extending from the coupler base in the radial direction, and a rotary base extending from the extension base in the axial direction of the shaft for supporting the rotor cores and the magnets while surrounding the rotor cores and the magnets, wherein the coupler base, the extension base, and the rotary base are integrally formed by injection molding, and the rotor frame is coupled to the coupler, the rotor cores, and the magnets, and wherein the extension base is provided with crossing ribs that cross in the radial direction.