Rotating electrical machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10211705-B2
Application number	US-201615001639-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2016
Priority date	Jan 26, 2015
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A stator is fixed to a frame of an electric motor. A rotor is rotatably mounted to the frame to face the stator in a radial direction. A heat sink, to which a control substrate is attached, is mounted in one end of the frame. A heat transfer plate is interposed between heat-generating elements formed on the control substrate and the heat sink to absorb variations in a distance therebetween, the heat transfer plate allow heat to be transmitted from the heat-generating elements to the heat sink. The heat transfer plate includes a frame body mounted to the heat sink and a plurality of contact strips that flexibly protrude from the frame body and that abut the heat-generating elements.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rotating electrical machine, comprising:
a housing having at least one end in an axis of rotation direction that is open, the housing being cylindrical;
a stator fixed to an inner circumferential surface of the housing;
a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing to face the stator in a radial direction;
a heat sink disposed in an opening of the housing;
a control substrate connected to the heat sink, the control substrate including a heat-generating circuit element that controls a supply of electric power to the stator; and
a heat transfer member interposed between the circuit element and the heat sink to absorb variations in a distance between the circuit element and the heat sink, the heat transfer member being configured to allow heat transfer from the circuit element to the heat sink, wherein
the heat transfer member includes
a sink mount portion that abuts the heat sink, and
one or more element contact strips that flexibly protrudes from the sink mount portion, a tip of the one or more element contact strips abutting the circuit element over a fixed surface area, and

the heat transfer member is formed from a multilayer metal plate including at least two different material types of metal plates that are joined together.

2. The rotating electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein
the heat transfer member is clamped and elastically retained between the circuit element and the heat sink.

3. The rotating electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein
the heat sink includes a positioning recess portion that fits with the heat transfer member to position the heat transfer member.

4. The rotating electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein
one of the metal plates forming the multilayer metal plate is formed from copper or aluminum, and
an other metal plates forming the multilayer metal plate is formed from a spring material.

5. The rotating electrical machine of claim 4 , wherein
the one or more element contact strips of the heat transfer member is press formed by cutting and raising the multilayer metal plate.

6. The rotating electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein
the housing includes
a cylinder portion, the stator being mounted to the cylinder portion, and
a bottom portion that extends inward in the radial direction, the bottom portion being connected to an other end of the cylinder portion in the axis of rotation direction,

a first bearing is mounted at an inner periphery edge of the bottom portion,
a second bearing is mounted at an inner periphery portion of the heat sink,
a shaft is rotatably mounted in the housing and the heat sink through the first bearing and the second bearing, and
the rotor is fixed to the shaft.

7. The rotating electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein
the rotating electrical machine is included in an electric power steering device, and
the rotating electrical machine provides assisting steering force to wheels of a vehicle.

8. The rotating electrical machine of claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of inverter circuits that include the circuit element are formed on the control substrate.

9. A rotating electrical machine, comprising:
a housing having at least one end in an axis of rotation direction that is open, the housing being cylindrical;
a stator fixed to an inner circumferential surface of the housing;
a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing to face the stator in a radial direction;
a heat sink disposed in an opening of the housing;
a control substrate connected to the heat sink, the control substrate including a heat-generating circuit element that controls a supply of electric power to the stator; and
a heat transfer member interposed between the circuit element and the heat sink to absorb variations in a distance between the circuit element and the heat sink, the heat transfer member being configured to allow heat transfer from the circuit element to the heat sink, wherein
the heat transfer member is formed from a multilayer metal plate including at least two different material types of metal plates that are joined together,
one of the metal plates forming the multilayer metal plate is formed from copper or aluminum, and
an other of the metal plates forming the multilayer metal plate is formed from a spring material.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Hayashi Jirou

Classifications

• H02K11/33 Primary

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

• H02K9/22 Primary

  by solid heat conducting material embedded in, or arranged in contact with, the stator or rotor, e.g. heat bridges · CPC title

• B62D5/046

  Controlling the motor · CPC title

• H02K5/161

  radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor (H02K5/165, H02K5/167, H02K5/173 take precedence) · CPC title

• B62D5/04

  electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear · CPC title