A.o. Smith Corporation

J Herbert Johnson

Timothy H Houle

Ronald P Bartos

An electric vehicle comprising a body, an axle rotatably supported by the body, a rotor supported by the body for rotation about a longitudinal axis, a gearing assembly for selectively drivingly connecting the rotor to the axle, and a stator supported by the body. The stator includes a stator core which has a longitudinal opening housing the rotor and which has an outer surface. The outer surface includes upper and lower longitudinally extending recesses oppositely disposed relative to the axis. The stator also includes upper and lower cleats respectively mounted in the upper and lower recesses, the cleats and the longitudinal axis defining a common vertical plane.

Stator for an electric vehicle and method for producing the stator

Method of manufacturing an electric vehicle

A switched reluctance motor (10) provides position and speed detection without a shaft position sensor. At least one of the stator pole faces (54) and/or at least one of the rotor pole faces (60) has an irregularity such as a notch (52 and/or 58) providing a perturbation or blip (70, 82) in the inductance profile (72, 76, 84) of the motor (10) during rotation of the rotor (14) indicative of the position of the rotor (14) relative to the stator (12). The frequency of the perturbations indicates motor speed.

Switched reluctance motor with sensorless position detection

Retention tang structure (61-64) is provided on the hub (52) of a switched reluctance motor rotor (50) for retaining electrically insulating material (65-68) in gaps (57-60) between the rotor poles (53-56), and minimizing magnetic flux path lines through the tangs. A one-piece unitary harness (92) is also provided and is molded in-situ axially around the laminated rotor stack and further structurally enhances the hold-together strength thereof. The electrically insulating molded material is integrally formed both in the gaps (57-60) between the rotor poles (53-56) and on the axial ends (88, 90) of the laminated stack to provide in combination axial runners (65-68) of molded material extending axially along the gaps (57-60) and integral with annular end rings (94, 96) of molded material on the axial ends (88, 90), which combination structurally enhances the hold-together strength of the laminated stack.

Growing community of inventors

Tipp City, OH, United States of America

J Herbert Johnson