System and apparatus for modular axial field rotary energy device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10135310-B2
Application number	US-201815864663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2018
Priority date	Jan 11, 2017
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An axial field rotary energy device can include a housing having coupling structures configured to mechanically couple the housing to a second housing of a second module. In addition, the housing can include electrical elements configured to electrically couple the housing to the second housing. A rotor can be rotatably mounted to the housing. The rotor can include an axis and a magnet. A stator can be mounted to the housing coaxially with the rotor. The stator can include a printed circuit board (PCB) having a PCB layer comprising a coil.

First claim

We claim:

1. A module for an axial field rotary energy device, comprising:
a housing having coupling structures configured to mechanically couple the housing to a second housing of a second module, and electrical elements configured to electrically couple the housing to the second housing;
a plurality of rotors rotatably mounted to the housing, and the rotors comprise an axis and a plurality of magnets; and
a plurality of stators mounted to the housing coaxially with the rotors, each of the stators comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) having a plurality of PCB layers, each PCB layer comprising a respective plurality of coils that are co-planar and angularly and symmetrically spaced apart from each other relative to the axis, each coil on a given PCB layer is entirely non-overlapping with other coils on the given PCB layer, each coil is continuous and concentric in a single plane from an outermost coil portion to a concentric innermost coil portion, and the coils in adjacent PCB layers are circumferentially aligned with each other relative to the axis to define symmetric stacks of coils in an axial direction.

2. The module of claim 1 , wherein the rotors and the stators are located inside and surrounded by the housing, wherein no two adjacent coils on a given PCB layer are directly connected, but rather the adjacent coils of every pair of adjacent coils on the given PCB layer are coupled together through one or more coils on one or more other PCB layers, so that a current flowing through a given coil on a given PCB layer flows through at least one coil on another PCB layer before flowing through an adjacent coil on the given PCB layer; and wherein
a current flowing in a given rotational direction around a first coil on a given PCB layer likewise flows in the given rotational direction around a second coil adjacent to the first coil and disposed on the given PCB layer, so that the direction of current flow in an outermost radial trace of the first coil is opposite the direction of current flow in an adjacent outermost radial trace of the adjacent second coil.

3. The module of claim 2 , wherein each coil has only two terminals, each coil is continuous and uninterrupted between its only two terminals, the current flowing in the given rotational direction around the first coil on the given PCB layer likewise flows in the same rotational direction around every other coil disposed on the given PCB layer.

4. The module of claim 2 , wherein the coils are series-connected within each layer pair, with no coil pair having both coils on the same PCB layer.

5. The module of claim 4 , wherein all series pairs of coils are disposed on two different PCB layers, and are connected together by one or more vias on the PCB rather than a connection external to the PCB.

6. The module of claim 4 , wherein each coil forms a complete coil on a single PCB layer without intervening traces on another PCB layer.

7. The module of claim 1 , wherein the module and the second module are configured to be directly coupled to a frame, and the module is configured to be indirectly coupled to the second module via the frame.

8. The module of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a side wall that orients the stators at respective angular orientations with respect to the axis.

9. The module of claim 8 , wherein the side wall comprises a perimeter formed by a plurality of side wall segments that each form a portion of the perimeter of the side wall, the side wall segments circumferentially assemble at the perimeter of the housing, and the side wall segments angularly offset respective ones of the plurality of stators at desired angular orientations with respect to the axis.

10. The module of claim 9 , wherein each side wall segment comprises a radial inner surface having radial slots formed therein perpendicular to the axis, the radial slots receive outer perimeter edges of respective stators and maintain the desired angular orientation of the respective stators with respect to the axis, and the radial slots, collectively, hold the stators at desired, axial air gap spacings relative to the rotors.

11. The module of claim 10 , wherein the stator is air cooled and is not liquid cooled.

12. The module of claim 1 , wherein each stator comprises a plurality of stator segments, and each stator segment comprises a respective PCB.

13. The module of claim 12 , wherein each of the stators consists of only one electrical phase.

14. The module of claim 12 , wherein each of the stators comprises a plurality of electrical phases.

15. A module for an axial field rotary energy device, comprising:
a housing having coupling structures configured to mechanically couple the housing to a second housing of a second module, and electrical elements configured to electrically couple the housing to the second housing;
a plurality of rotors rotatably mounted to the housing, and the rotors comprise an axis and magnets;
a plurality of stators mounted to the housing coaxially with the rotors, each stator comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) having a plurality of PCB layers, each PCB layer comprising a respective plurality of coils that are co-planar and angularly and symmetrically spaced apart from each other relative to the axis, each coil on a given PCB layer is entirely non-overlapping with other coils on the given PCB layer, each coil is continuous and concentric in a single plane from an outermost coil portion to a concentric innermost coil portion, the coils in adjacent PCB layers are circumferentially aligned with each other relative to the axis to define symmetric stacks of coils in an axial direction, the stators are electrically coupled together inside the housing;
each coil has only two terminals for electrical connections, each coil on a given PCB layer is continuous and uninterrupted between its only two terminals, wherein no two adjacent coils on a given PCB layer are directly connected, but rather the adjacent coils of every pair of adjacent coils on the given PCB layer are coupled together through one or more coils on one or more other PCB layers, so that a current flowing through a given coil on a given PCB layer flows through at least one coil on another PCB layer before flowing through an adjacent coil on the given PCB layer; wherein
the coils are series-connected within each layer pair, with no coil pair having both coils on the same PCB layer; and
the layer pairs are series-connected.

16. A module for an axial field rotary energy device, comprising:
a housing having coupling structures configured to mechanically couple the housing to a second housing of a second module, and electrical elements configured to electrically couple the housing to the second housing;
a plurality of rotors rotatably mounted to the housing relative to an axis, and each the rotor comprises magnets;
a plurality of stators mounted to the housing coaxially with the rotors, each of the stators comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) having a plurality of PCB layers, each PCB layer comprises a respective plurality of coils that are co-planar and angularly and symmetrically spaced apart from each other relative to the axis, each coil on a given PCB layer is entirely non-overlapping with other coils on the given PCB layer, each coil is continuous and concentric in a single plane from an outermost coil portion to a concentric innermost coil portion, the coils in adjacent PCB layers are circumferentially aligned with each other relative to the axis to define symmetric stacks of coils in an axial direction; and
a current flowing in a given rotational direction around a first c

Assignees

• Infinitum Electric Inc

Inventors

• Schuler Bernhard L
• Lee Rich
• Rasmussen Jorgen

Classifications

• H02K3/26 Primary

  consisting of printed conductors · CPC title

• H02K21/24

  with magnets axially facing the armatures, e.g. hub-type cycle dynamos · CPC title

• H02K3/28

  Layout of windings or of connections between windings (windings for pole-changing H02K17/06, H02K17/14, H02K19/12, H02K19/32) · CPC title

• Y02B10/30

  Wind power · CPC title

• H02K3/47

  Air-gap windings, i.e. iron-free windings · CPC title