Single-Tooth Electric Drive Modules for Fault-Tolerant Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electric drives face challenges in achieving high operational reliability against environmental influences and mechanical failures, particularly in maintaining torque and preventing damage from faults like short circuits and explosions.

Innovation Solution

The electric drive is designed with hermetically sealed, individually secured single-tooth modules using tooth coil technology, featuring a shielding device made of sheet steel and casting compound with soft magnetic particles, integrated safety elements, and redundant connections for enhanced reliability and protection against faults.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single-tooth module fails, then operational reliability deteriorates with traditional designs, but with hermetically sealed individual modules, torque loss is minimized and continued operation is ensured

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational reliabilityVSAvoidenvironmental influences
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The stator is divided into multiple independent tooth modules, each hermetically sealed and capable of operating independently. This segmentation isolates faults to individual modules, preventing environmental influences and failures from affecting the entire system, thus improving operational reliability while minimizing torque loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The hermetic sealing is implemented in advance to protect components from environmental influences before failures can occur. This preventive measure cushions against moisture, dust, and other environmental factors that could degrade reliability over time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If shielding device provides complete hermetic seal, then protection against environmental influences improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection against environmental influencesVSAvoidshielding device structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of one large complex hermetic seal for the entire stator, the shielding is segmented into multiple smaller hermetic seals around individual tooth modules. This reduces the complexity of each seal while maintaining overall protection, as smaller seals are easier to manufacture and assemble.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The shielding device employs a nested structure where individual tooth modules are housed within hermetic seals, which are themselves part of the larger stator assembly. This nesting approach organizes complexity hierarchically, making the system more manageable and manufacturable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Reliability

If integrated safety elements are added to each module, then fault prevention improves, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefault preventionVSAvoidmanufacturing process
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Safety elements are integrated directly into each tooth module during the manufacturing process, merging the protection function with the module itself. This eliminates the need for separate safety components and reduces assembly steps, thereby improving fault prevention without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If hermetic sealing is implemented, then protection against liquid ingress and explosions improves, but cost of manufacturing increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection against explosions and liquid ingressVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The hermetic sealing is applied to individual tooth modules rather than the entire motor, reducing the total volume requiring sealing. This segmentation lowers material costs and manufacturing complexity while maintaining protection against explosions and liquid ingress where it is most critical.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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 design significantly reduces torque loss in case of module failure, prevents damage from faults, and ensures continued operation even under adverse conditions such as explosions or liquid ingress, enhancing operational safety and reliability.

Implementation Method 1

The shielding device has or is a housing, in particular made of sheet steel, with the housing completely surrounding the stator winding and the control device. The shielding device is additionally formed from casting compound which contains soft magnetic particles, the casting compound completely surrounding the stator winding and the control device.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHermetic sealing:

Implementation Method 2

The hermetic seal can be designed in such a way that it ensures electromagnetic shielding of the enclosed electronics. It therefore acts as EMC shielding between the enclosed components and the environment.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic shielding: Faraday Cage

Implementation Method 3

The electric drive has a rotor (60) and a stator (70) using toothed coil technology. The single tooth module has a stator winding (2).

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP3363098B1Electric drive
Publication Date: 2023.12.06 LENZE DRIVES
  • EP3363098B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3363098B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3363098B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to an electric drive, having a rotor and a stator using tooth-wound technology, wherein the stator has a number of individual tooth modules (1), wherein a respective individual tooth module (1) has a stator winding (2) which is wound around an associated tooth (11), a control device (3) which is designed to generate an activation signal for the stator winding (2), and a shielding device (4, 10) which surrounds the stator winding (2) and the control device (3).