Synchronous Reluctance Pump Motor for Industrial Trucks

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Solution Overview

Problem

Industrial trucks with battery-powered hydraulics face inefficiencies and high maintenance costs due to the use of DC machines, which are less efficient and more complex than AC machines, and require frequent maintenance of sliding contacts, while AC machines require complex control systems for three-phase rotating fields.

Innovation Solution

An industrial truck with a synchronous reluctance machine as the electric pump motor, featuring a stator with three-phase windings and a rotor of soft magnetic material with low magnetic reluctance, excited by sinusoidal currents to generate a continuous rotating magnetic field, eliminating the need for magnets and reducing material costs, ohmic losses, and maintenance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If DC machines are used as electric pump motor, then low cost is achieved, but efficiency is reduced and maintenance complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovecostVSAvoidefficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical commutator and brush system of DC machines with an AC motor design using sinusoidally excited stator windings. This substitution eliminates sliding contacts while maintaining simplicity, achieving both low cost and high efficiency by using standard AC power supply and eliminating energy losses associated with brush-commutator friction and electrical contact resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the electrical parameter from DC to AC with sinusoidal excitation. By using sinusoidally varying currents in the stator windings, the system achieves continuous rotating magnetic field generation without commutation, improving efficiency while keeping the motor structure simple and cost-effective for industrial truck applications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If DC machines are used as electric pump motor, then low cost is achieved, but device complexity increases due to sliding contacts

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovecostVSAvoidconstruction complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical commutator and brush system of DC machines with an AC motor design using sinusoidally excited stator windings. This substitution eliminates sliding contacts while maintaining simplicity, achieving both low cost and high efficiency by using standard AC power supply and eliminating energy losses associated with brush-commutator friction and electrical contact resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Loss of energy

If AC machines are used as electric pump motor, then efficiency and simplicity are improved, but control complexity increases due to three-phase rotating field requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveefficiencyVSAvoidcontrol complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the electrical parameter from DC to AC with sinusoidal excitation. By using sinusoidally varying currents in the stator windings, the system achieves continuous rotating magnetic field generation without commutation, improving efficiency while keeping the motor structure simple and cost-effective for industrial truck applications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies universal AC motor principles to the hydraulic pump drive, using standard three-phase AC power supply and conventional sinusoidal excitation methods. This approach leverages well-established, simple control techniques that are widely available in industrial trucks, avoiding complex specialized control systems while achieving high efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Ease of manufacture

If sliding contacts are used in DC machines, then low cost is achieved, but maintenance requirements increase due to wear

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovecostVSAvoidmaintenance needs
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical commutator and brush system of DC machines with an AC motor design using sinusoidally excited stator windings. This substitution eliminates sliding contacts while maintaining simplicity, achieving both low cost and high efficiency by using standard AC power supply and eliminating energy losses associated with brush-commutator friction and electrical contact resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 solution provides a cost-effective, robust, and reliable pressure medium supply with reduced material usage, lower maintenance needs, and improved efficiency, allowing for easy adaptation to performance requirements and effective thermal management, while maintaining high operational reliability and simplicity in assembly.

Implementation Method 1

the turning movement is generated by a rotating magnetic field, which the rotor tries to follow

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Implementation Method 2

torque is generated in a reluctance machine due to the action on a soft magnetic material of a rotor Maxwell's force acting in a magnetic field

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMaxwell's force: Lorentz Force

Implementation Method 3

the rotor must have a preferred orientation within the magnetic field and therefore poles... the electric pump motor being designed as a synchronous reluctance machine

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic reluctance: Magnetic Reluctance

Data Source

PatentEP2667495B1Industrial truck with electric pump motor
Publication Date: 2021.06.30 LINDE MATERIAL HANDLING GMBH
  • EP2667495B1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1c
  • EP2667495B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2667495B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In a forklift truck with a working hydraulic system supplied with pressure medium by a hydraulic pump (33), wherein the hydraulic pump (33) is driven by an electric pump motor (32), the electric pump motor (32) has a stator with at least three phase windings for generating a rotating field and a rotor (1) with soft magnetic material of high permeability, wherein the rotor (1) has poles (5) with low magnetic reluctance in the orientation of the poles (5).