Electrical generator or motor structure – Dynamoelectric – Rotary
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-11
2002-09-10
Mullins, Burton S. (Department: 2834)
Electrical generator or motor structure
Dynamoelectric
Rotary
C310S07500D, C310S091000, C310S112000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06448674
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive system, in particular for a vehicle, comprising an electric machine, by means of which a drive shaft of a drive assembly is capable of being driven in rotation and/or electric energy is capable of being recovered during the rotation of the drive shaft. The electric machine has a stator arrangement and a rotor arrangement connected or connectable to the drive shaft for joint rotation about an axis of rotation.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A drive system of this type, in which the rotor arrangement is excited permanent-magnetically, is known from German reference DE 196 31 384 C1. When drive systems of this type are being assembled or dismantled, there is the problem that, because of the permanent-magnetic excitation of the rotor arrangement and because of the relatively small airgap between the rotor arrangement and the stator arrangement, said airgap then being formed in the assembled state, when a system of this type is being mounted with a high degree of precision, care must be taken to ensure that the rotor arrangement does not come into contact with the stator arrangement, since, because of magnetic attraction, these would then immediately adhere to one another and could ultimately no longer be separated or, if such separation were to take place, there would be a great risk that one of the subassemblies would be damaged. Even in the case of rotor arrangements not excited permanent-magnetically, there is the problem that if there is insufficiently accurate guidance during the axial relative movement between the rotor arrangement and stator arrangement, the various subassemblies may be damaged due to mutual contact and to their sliding on one another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object according to the present invention is, therefore, to design a generic drive system in such a way that, when relative movements between the rotor arrangement and stator arrangement are carried out, for example when the electric machine is assembled or dismantled, mutual contact between these two subassemblies can be avoided.
This object is achieved, according to the present invention, by means of a drive system, in particular for a vehicle, comprising an electric machine, by means of which a drive shaft of a drive assembly is capable of being driven in rotation and/or electric energy is capable of being recovered during the rotation of the drive shaft. The electric machine has a stator arrangement and a rotor arrangement connected or connectable to the drive shaft for joint rotation about an axis of rotation.
Furthermore, in this drive system according to the invention, a positive guidance arrangement is provided, by means of which the rotor arrangement and the stator arrangement are guided relative to one another when a relative axial movement is carried out in order to assemble or dismantle the electric machine.
Care is therefore taken, by the provision of the positive guidance arrangement, to ensure that, when a relative axial movement is carried out between the rotor arrangement and the stator arrangement, mutual contact between these subassemblies in the critical regions, that is to say the region of interaction, is necessarily avoided. As a result, the mounting operation can be carried out in a markedly simpler way, for example even by hand, without the use of precision-guidance machine tools.
According to a first embodiment, the drive system according to the invention may be designed such that the positive guidance arrangement comprises a positive guidance unit and such that positive guidance interaction is generated between the rotor arrangement and the positive guidance unit positioned or positionable in a predetermined position on the drive shaft. At the same time, there may, for example, be provision for the positive guidance unit to be positioned or positionable in the predetermined position before the rotor arrangement is moved axially up to the stator arrangement, and for a guidance portion of the rotor arrangement to be capable of being guided along the positive guidance unit. In order to simplify the mounting operation, but make sure that no unintended rattling noises or unbalances occur during rotary operation, it is proposed that, after the axial guidance of the rotor arrangement relative to the stator arrangement has taken place, the positive guidance unit is held together with or by the rotor arrangement on the drive shaft. Alternatively, however, it is also possible, after axial guidance of the rotor arrangement relative to the stator arrangement has taken place, for the positive guidance unit to be capable of being removed from the region of the rotor arrangement.
The exact positioning of the positive guidance unit relative to the drive shaft and therefore exact positioning of the rotor arrangement relative to the stator arrangement can be obtained by the provision, on the drive shaft, of a positioning arrangement, by means of which the positive guidance unit is positioned or positionable in the predetermined position relative to the drive shaft.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, there may be provision for the positive guidance arrangement to be designed for generating positive guidance interaction between the stator arrangement and the rotor arrangement. This may be implemented in that the positive guidance arrangement comprises a first positive guidance region on the stator arrangement and a second positive guidance region on the rotor arrangement. The second positive guidance region is guided along the first positive guidance region during relative axial movement between the stator arrangement and rotor arrangement. There may be provision, for example, for the first positive guidance region to comprise a first positive guidance portion on the stator arrangement and for the second positive guidance region to comprise a second positive guidance portion on a portion of the rotor arrangement connected or connectable to the drive shaft.
In an arrangement in which positive guidance occurs between components or subassemblies which, during subsequent operation, then have to be movable relative to one another, there is the problem that, because of the low tolerances in the region of positive guidance, abrasion or impact could then occur during rotary operation, even when the unevenness of movement is only minimal. In order to avoid this, it is proposed that, when the electric machine is being assembled, the first and second positive guidance portions provide essentially no positive guidance between the stator arrangement and the rotor arrangement in an end region of the relative axial movement of the rotor arrangement with respect to the stator arrangement.
However, even in an embodiment of this type, care must be taken to ensure that, during the entire axial movement action, mutual contacting between the rotor arrangement and stator arrangement is avoided in the critical regions. This may then be achieved, for example, by the positive guidance arrangement comprising a third positive guidance region and, in the end region of the relative axial movement, by the first positive guidance region and/or the second positive guidance region providing, together with the third positive guidance region, positive guidance of the stator arrangement relative to the rotor arrangement.
A practical embodiment which can be made up in a particularly simple way may be obtained, here, if the third positive guidance region is provided on the drive shaft and comprises a third positive guidance portion, and if the second positive guidance region on the rotor arrangement comprises a fourth positive guidance portion for interaction with the third positive guidance portion. Alternatively or additionally, however, there may be provision for the third positive guidance region on a fixed component, preferably the drive assembly, to comprise a third positive guidance portion, and for the first positive guidance region to comprise a fourth positive guidance portion, preferably formed by
Manger Alexander
Schauder Benedikt
Schierling Bernhard
Cohen & Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
Mannesmann Sachs AG
Mullins Burton S.
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