Stator Annular Seal Structure for Coil End Refrigerant Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing motor designs often insufficiently cool the coil ends due to inadequate refrigerant injection, leading to potential heat damage.
Innovation Solution
The motor design incorporates annular members with holes that have a larger circumferential width than axial width, ensuring a sufficient refrigerant flow and distribution to enhance cooling performance, including elliptical, oval, and polygonal shapes to maintain even cooling across the coil ends.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional circular holes are used in the annular member, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the refrigerant injection amount is insufficient and cooling performance is inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the hole openings from circular to elliptical or oval shapes, where the circumferential width is greater than the axial width. This parameter modification increases the opening area without adding structural complexity, thereby increasing refrigerant injection amount while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from isotropic circular holes to anisotropic elliptical/oval holes by introducing different width dimensions in different directions (circumferential vs. axial). This dimensional differentiation allows the opening area to be enlarged in the circumferential direction where cooling is most needed, while keeping the axial dimension constrained for structural reasons
2Temperature
If the hole openings are enlarged to increase refrigerant flow, then cooling performance improves, but the structural integrity and sealing performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the hole openings elliptical/oval with larger circumferential width specifically at the regions where cooling is most needed, while maintaining smaller axial width to preserve structural integrity. This localized dimensional differentiation optimizes cooling effectiveness without compromising sealing performance in critical areas
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces asymmetry in the hole geometry by using elliptical or oval shapes instead of symmetric circular shapes. The asymmetric distribution of opening area (larger in circumferential direction, smaller in axial direction) allows optimized refrigerant distribution to coil ends while maintaining sufficient material thickness for sealing reliability
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 configuration ensures a sufficient amount of refrigerant is injected, improving cooling performance and preventing heat damage by maintaining even refrigerant distribution across the coil ends.
Implementation Method 1
refrigerant is injected toward the first coil end... the cooling performance for the coil end can be enhanced
Data Source
AI summary
A motor may include a rotor; a stator including a stator core and a coil; a housing that houses the rotor and the stator; and a first annular member that provides a seal between a first end face of the stator core in an axial direction of the stator core and an inner wall surface of the housing. The first annular member may be arranged so as to surround an outer periphery of a first coil end. The first annular member may include first holes through which refrigerant is injected toward the first coil end. At least one opening of the first holes may have a shape in which a maximum value of a first width, which is a dimension in a circumferential direction of the stator core, is greater than a maximum value of a second width, which is a dimension in the axial direction of the stator core.