Automotive alternator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10199908-B2
Application number	US-201415516983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2014
Priority date	Nov 21, 2014
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

In this rectifying apparatus, a circuit board is disposed between a first rectifying element holding portion and a second rectifying element holding portion such that first rectifying element connecting portions are disposed in a loosely fitted state inside a second penetrating aperture that is formed on the second rectifying element holding portion, and second rectifying element connecting portions are disposed in a loosely fitted state inside a first penetrating aperture that is formed on the first rectifying element holding portion; first leading electrodes of a plurality of first rectifying elements respectively extend axially and are connected to each of the first rectifying element connecting portions; and second leading electrodes of a plurality of second rectifying elements respectively extend axially and are connected to each of the second rectifying element connecting portions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An automotive alternator comprising:
a housing;
a rotor that is rotatably disposed inside said housing by being fixed to a shaft that is rotatably supported by means of bearings in bearing mounting portions that are formed on two axial end portions of said housing such that a central axis thereof is aligned with an axial direction of said housing;
a stator that has:
a cylindrical stator core; and
a stator winding that is mounted to said stator core,
said stator being held by said housing so as to be disposed coaxially around an outer circumference of said rotor;

a fan that is fixed to a first axial end surface of said rotor, and that is rotated together with said rotor;
a rectifying apparatus that is disposed outside a first axial end of said housing;
a protective cover that is formed so as to have a cylindrical cup shape, that is disposed on said first axial end of said housing so as to cover said rectifying apparatus, and on a floor portion of which a suction aperture for cooling air is formed in a region that corresponds to said rectifying apparatus;
an air intake aperture that is formed on a wall surface of said housing that faces said first axial end surface of said rotor; and
an air discharge aperture that is formed on a wall surface of said housing that faces a coil end at a first axial end of said stator winding,
a flow channel being configured such that said cooling air flows into said protective cover through said suction aperture due to rotation of said fan, cools said rectifying apparatus, and then flows through said air intake aperture into said housing, is deflected centrifugally by said fan, and is discharged through said air discharge aperture, wherein:
said rectifying apparatus comprises:
a first heatsink that has a flat first rectifying element holding portion that is disposed in a plane that is perpendicular to said axial direction of said housing;
a plurality of first rectifying elements that are held by said first rectifying element holding portion;
a second heatsink that has a flat second rectifying element holding portion that is disposed in a plane that is perpendicular to said axial direction of said housing, said second rectifying element holding portion being spaced apart from said first rectifying element holding portion toward said housing;
a plurality of second rectifying elements that are each held by said second rectifying element holding portion; and
a circuit board that has a stator winding connecting portion, a voltage regulator connecting portion, first rectifying element connecting portions, second rectifying element connecting portions, and a housing linking portion;

said circuit board is disposed between said first rectifying element holding portion and said second rectifying element holding portion such that said first rectifying element connecting portions are disposed in a loosely fitted state inside a second penetrating aperture that is formed on said second rectifying element holding portion, and said second rectifying element connecting portions are disposed in a loosely fitted state inside a first penetrating aperture that is formed on said first rectifying element holding portion;
first leading electrodes of said plurality of first rectifying elements respectively extend axially and are connected to each of said first rectifying element connecting portions; and
second leading electrodes of said plurality of second rectifying elements respectively extend axially and are connected to each of said second rectifying element connecting portions.

2. The automotive alternator according to claim 1 , wherein:
said first rectifying element holding portion is produced so as to have an approximately circular arc belt shape that is disposed in a circular arc shape around a central axis of said shaft;
a plurality of first radially inner fins are formed on a radially inner side of said first rectifying element holding portion so as to form a cooling airflow channel that is parallel to said axial direction of said housing between said first radially inner fins;
said second rectifying element holding portion is produced so as to have an approximately circular arc belt shape that is disposed in a circular arc shape around said central axis of said shaft; and
a plurality of second radially outer fins are formed on a radially outer side of said second rectifying element holding portion so as to form a cooling airflow channel that is parallel to said axial direction of said housing between said second radially outer fins.

3. The automotive alternator according to claim 2 , wherein:
a plurality of second radially inner fins are formed on a radially inner side of said second rectifying element holding portion so as to form a cooling airflow channel that is parallel to said axial direction of said housing between said second radially inner fins; and
radially inner ends of said plurality of first radially inner fins are positioned radially further inward than radially inner ends of said plurality of second radially inner fins.

4. The automotive alternator according to claim 2 , wherein:
a plurality of first radially outer fins are formed on a radially outer side of said first rectifying element holding portion so as to form a cooling airflow channel that is parallel to said axial direction of said housing between said first radially outer fins; and
radially outer ends of said plurality of first radially outer fins are positioned radially further inward than radially outer ends of said plurality of second radially outer fins.

5. The automotive alternator according to claim 1 , wherein said circuit board is disposed so as to be spaced apart from at least one of said first rectifying element holding portion and said second rectifying element holding portion in said axial direction.

6. The automotive alternator according to claim 1 , wherein a guiding groove that guides cooling air that flows out of said first penetrating aperture so as to flow radially inward is formed on a surface of said circuit board that faces said first rectifying element holding portion.

7. The automotive alternator according to claim 1 , wherein:
said first rectifying element holding portion and said second rectifying element holding portion have identical outlines when viewed from said axial direction; and
said circuit board is configured such that only said stator winding connecting portion, said voltage regulator connecting portion, and said housing linking portion protrude from said first rectifying element holding portion and said second rectifying element holding portion when viewed from said axial direction.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Akiyoshi Masao
• Kobayashi Yuzuru
• Higashino Kyoko

Classifications

• H02K9/06 Primary

  with fans or impellers driven by the machine shaft · CPC title

• H02K11/05 Primary

  Rectifiers associated with casings, enclosures or brackets · CPC title

• H02K5/16

  Means for supporting bearings, e.g. insulating supports or means for fitting bearings in the bearing-shields (magnetic bearings H02K7/09) · CPC title

• H02K11/046 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02K11/33

  Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics (H02K11/38 takes precedence) · CPC title