Rotating Electrical Machine Wedging Element for Sensor Contact

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing rotating electrical machines face challenges in achieving optimal contact between temperature sensors and winding buns, leading to insufficient heat exchange and delayed overheating detection, which can result in damage to the machine.

Innovation Solution

A wedging element is designed to cooperate with the bearing to exert a predetermined pressure on the sensor, ensuring continuous and precise compression against the winding bun, improving heat exchange and response time for thermal protection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a leaf spring is used to press the sensor against the winding bun, then the sensor is continuously pressed against the bun, but the contact surface remains limited and heat exchange is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontinuous contactVSAvoidheat exchange efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the geometric parameters of the wedging element (inclination angle α, length L) to optimize the contact pressure distribution. By adjusting these parameters, the system achieves both continuous contact and sufficient contact surface area for effective heat exchange, resolving the contradiction between reliability and measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The wedging element features a curved inclined surface instead of a flat surface. This curvature allows better adaptation to the cylindrical shape of the winding bun, increasing the actual contact surface area between the sensor assembly and the bun while maintaining continuous pressure, thus improving both reliability and heat exchange efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Strength

If the sensor is positioned between two pins of the winding bun, then the sensor is protected from damage, but the contact surface becomes limited or non-existent

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesensor protectionVSAvoidcontact surface area
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The wedging element acts as an intermediary component between the sensor assembly and the winding bun pins. It transmits the compressive force from the sensor through its inclined surface to the bearing, while its curved geometry ensures that the sensor remains positioned between the pins for protection, yet maintains adequate contact surface area for heat exchange through the improved pressure distribution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If the elastic support is designed to match the shape of the pins, then heat exchange is improved, but the contact remains insufficient and the structure becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat exchangeVSAvoidsupport structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the complex shaping function from the elastic support and transfers it to the rigid wedging element. The wedging element's inclined surface provides the necessary geometric adaptation for improved contact, while the elastic support can remain a simpler component that only needs to provide elastic deformation capability, thus reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining effective heat exchange.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 enhances the contact between the sensor and the winding bun, allowing for faster detection of overheating and quicker power cutoff, thereby protecting the machine's components.

Implementation Method 1

The wedging element 5 adapted to cooperate with the bearing 31 makes it possible to exert a predetermined pressure on the sensor 4

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical Force: Mechanical Force

Implementation Method 2

the sensor 4, for example of temperature... in order to detect the thermal state of the machine 1

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP3662567B1Rotating electrical machine provided with a wedging element
Publication Date: 2021.06.02 VALEO EQUIP ELECTRIC MOTEUR
  • EP3662567B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3662567B1 patent drawingFigure 3a~3b
  • EP3662567B1 patent drawingFigure 4a~4b

AI summary

The invention concerns a rotating electrical machine, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising: - a stator body, - a stator winding carried by the stator body, - a winding lead-out wire (23) protruding with respect to an end (211) of the stator body, - a housing, carrying the stator body, comprising a bearing (31) positioned opposite the winding lead-out wire (23) of the stator, - a sensor (4), - a wedging element (5) positioned on a top portion (311) of the bearing (31), said wedging element (5) being constructed and arranged to compress the sensor (4) against the winding lead-out wire (23).