System, method and apparatus for modular axial field rotary energy device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10141804-B2
Application number	US-201815864709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2018
Priority date	Jan 11, 2017
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A system for an axial field rotary energy device can include modules that each are an axial field rotary energy device. The modules can be connected together for a desired power input or output. Each module can include a housing having an axis. The housing can be mechanically coupled to at least one other module. In addition, the housing can be electrically coupled to one other module. Rotors can be rotatably mounted to the housing. Each rotor can include magnets. The housing also can have stators. Each stator can include a printed circuit board (PCB) having PCB layers comprising coils.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system, comprising:
a support structure; and
a plurality of modules, each module attached to the support structure, each module comprising a respective axial field rotary energy device, and each module respectively comprises:
a housing having a sidewall, the housing fully encloses the module, and the housing includes an electrical connector coupling for electrically coupling the module to another module attached to the support structure;
a shaft rotatably mounted to the housing along an axis thereof, the shaft includes at least one keyed end for mechanically co-axially coupling to a complementary keyed end of a shaft of an adjacent module attached to the support structure;
at least one rotor coupled to the shaft, each rotor comprising magnets; and
at least one stator coupled to the housing, each stator comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) having multiple PCB layers, each PCB layer comprising non-overlapping coils.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the modules are identical to each other.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the modules differ from each other by at least one of: power output, number of rotors, number of magnets, number of stators, number of PCBs, number of PCB layers, number of coils or angular orientation with respect to the axis.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall comprises a plurality of sidewall segments configured to orient each stator at a respective desired angular orientation with respect to the axis.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the sidewall segments include a plurality of slots, each slot configured to receive and hold an outer edge of a stator to maintain the desired angular orientation of the stator with respect to the axis.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein each module comprises latches disposed between its housing and the housing of an adjacent module, for mechanically securing together two adjacent housings, and the latches are symmetrically arrayed with respect to the axis.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein one of the modules comprises a first module that is axially connected to another module, and the first module differs structurally from said another module.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the sidewall comprises a plurality of sidewall segments configured to orient each stator at a respective desired angular orientation with respect to the axis, and wherein the sidewall segments include a plurality of slots, each slot configured to receive and hold an outer edge of a stator to maintain the desired angular orientation of the stator with respect to the axis.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises a frame.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein one of the modules comprises a first module that is axially connected to another module, and the first module differs structurally from said another module.

11. The system of claim 5 , wherein each module comprises a plurality of stators, each stator is configured to operate with a single respective electrical phase, and selected ones of the stators are offset from each other at desired electrical phase angles with respect to the axis.

12. The system of claim 5 , wherein each module comprises a plurality of stators, and each stator is configured to operate with a plurality of electrical phases.

13. The system of claim 5 , wherein each module is configured to operate with a single electrical phase, the system is configured to operate with a plurality of electrical phases, and the modules are angularly offset from each other at desired electrical phase angles with respect to the axis.

14. The system of claim 5 , wherein each module is configured to operate with a plurality of electrical phases.

15. The system of claim 5 , wherein the modules are angularly aligned with each other relative to the axis.

16. An assembly, comprising:
modules comprising axial field rotary energy devices, and each module is configured to operate with a single electrical phase;
an enclosure inside which each module is mounted to the enclosure, and inside which the modules are mechanically and electrically coupled together;
wherein each module respectively comprises:
a housing having a sidewall, the housing fully encloses the module, and the housing includes an electrical connector coupling for electrically coupling the module to another module within the enclosure;
a shaft rotatably mounted to the housing along an axis thereof, the shaft includes at least one keyed end for mechanically coupling to a complementary keyed end of a shaft of an adjacent module within the enclosure;
at least one rotor coupled to the shaft, each rotor comprising magnets; and
at least one stator coupled to the housing, each stator comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) having multiple PCB layers, and each PCB layer comprises non-overlapping coils.

17. The assembly of claim 16 , wherein the modules are identical to each other.

18. The assembly of claim 16 , wherein at least two of the modules differ from each other by at least one of: power output, number of rotors, number of magnets, number of stators, number of PCBs, number of PCB layers, number of coils or angular orientation with respect to the axis.

19. The assembly of claim 16 , wherein the sidewall comprises a plurality of sidewall segments configured to orient each stator at a respective desired angular orientation with respect to the axis.

20. The assembly of claim 19 , wherein the sidewall segments include a plurality of slots, each slot configured to receive and hold an outer edge of a stator to maintain the desired angular orientation of the stator with respect to the axis.

21. The assembly of claim 16 , wherein each module comprises latches disposed between its housing and the housing of an adjacent module, for mechanically securing together two adjacent housings, and the latches are symmetrically arrayed with respect to the axis.

22. The assembly of claim 16 , wherein one of the modules comprises a first module that is axially connected to another module, and the first module differs structurally from said another module.

23. The assembly of claim 16 , wherein the enclosure comprises a plurality of enclosures, each having coupling structures that mechanically couple the enclosure to at least one other enclosure, and electrical elements for electrically coupling the enclosure to said at least one other enclosure.

24. An assembly, comprising:
a plurality of modules comprising axial field rotary energy devices, the modules are identical and interchangeably connectable to each other for a desired power input or output, and the assembly is a generator or a motor, and each module is configured to operate with a single respective electrical phase;
an enclosure inside which each module is mounted to the enclosure, and inside which the modules are coupled together;
wherein each module comprises:
a housing having a sidewall, the housing fully encloses the module and includes coupling structures that mechanically couple the housing to at least one other module, and the housing includes electrical elements for electrically coupling the module to at least one other module within the enclosure;
a shaft rotatably mounted to the housing along an axis thereof, the shaft includes at least one keyed end for mechanically coupling to a complementary keyed end of a shaft of an adjacent module within the enclosure;
a plurality of rotors coupled to the shaft, and each rotor comprisi

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

• H02K3/47

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

• Y02B10/30

  Wind power · CPC title

• H02K2211/03

  Machines characterised by circuit boards, e.g. pcb · CPC title