Nidec Motor Corporation

Lunjie Lu

John M Tucker

Keith I Hoemann

Michael W Major

Ryan M Bastien

A rotor includes magnets and a core including arcuately arranged pole segments. Each pole segment includes first and second prongs that extend away from the rotor axis and are at least in part arcuately spaced apart to define a cutout therebetween. Each pair of arcuately adjacent pole segments defines therebetween a respective magnet-receiving slot, with the first prong of one of the pole segments and the second prong of the other of the pole segments defining the slot. The magnets are received in slots, such that each of the magnets is at least in part interposed between one of the pairs of adjacent pole segments. The magnets and the pole segments are dimensioned and configured so that at least one of the first and second prongs is deflected by the magnet received in the respective slot, such that the prongs cooperatively apply a clamping force on the magnet.

Spoked rotor having deflectable magnet-retaining spokes

Spoked rotor

A spoked rotor is rotatable about an axis. The rotor includes a core. The core includes a plurality of pole segments arranged arcuately about the axis. The rotor includes a plurality of arcuately arranged magnets alternating arcuately with the pole segments, such that each of the magnets is at least in part interposed between a pair of adjacent pole segments. Each of the magnets includes a curved section extending arcuately between radially inner and outer curved section ends. An effective rotor pole location is defined on each of the pole segments. Each of the pole segments has an end opposite the effective rotor pole location. A center point is defined at the pole segment end. Each of the effective rotor pole locations is arcuately offset from a corresponding one of the center points by between about five tenths (0.5) rotor poles and about two (2.0) rotor poles.

Rotor with arcuate magnets

An electric motor includes a stator having a stator surface and a rotor rotatable relative to the stator. The rotor includes a plurality of poles, each of which is defined by a pair of magnets positioned in a V-shaped arrangement having a vertex positioned radially inward. The magnets present a mechanical pole angle of the corresponding pole. The rotor also includes a rotor surface that is opposite the stator surface. The rotor surface includes a plurality of circumferentially-spaced pole segments, each of which spans a respective mechanical pole angle. The rotor also includes a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses, each of which is positioned between adjacent pole segments.

Rotor having longitudinal recesses in outer surface between V-slot poles

An electric motor includes a stator and a rotor rotatable relative to the stator. The rotor includes a plurality of poles, each of which is defined by a pair of magnets positioned relative to each other in a V-shaped arrangement having a vertex positioned radially inward. Each of the poles includes a mechanical pole angle defined by the pair of magnets. The mechanical pole angle is about one-half of three hundred and sixty divided by the number of the poles of the rotor.

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Chesterfield, MO, United States of America

Lunjie Lu