Abstract: A method for constructing a lamination for a rotary electric machine includes forming an annular lamination from a ferrous core material having a first relative magnetic permeability. The lamination defines through-openings, e.g., for permanent magnets or conductors. Peripheral bridges of the core material extend between the through-openings and an outer or inner diameter surface of the lamination. The method includes diffusing an alloy material having a second relative magnetic permeability into the bridges to form austenitic bridges, with the second relative magnetic permeability being less than the first relative magnetic permeability. A rotary electric machine includes a stator and rotor. A vehicle includes a rotary electric machine connected to the battery pack and to road wheels, and having a rotor and/or a stator constructed in accordance with the method.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a vehicle propulsion system. The vehicle propulsion system includes a first electric machine including a first set of machine windings that are configured to cause a rotor to rotate about an axis to selectively drive a transmission during a first vehicle operating state and a second electric machine including a second set of machine windings that are configured to cause a rotor to rotate about an axis selectively drive the transmission during at least one of the first vehicle operating state or a second vehicle operating state. The second vehicle operating state different from the first operating state, and a number of series turns per phase for the first set of machine windings is different from a number of series turns per phase for the second set of machine windings.

Abstract: A rotor of an electric machine includes: N pole pieces, each of the N pole pieces including two half pole pieces, where N is an integer greater than 2; apertures through the half pole pieces, respectively; permanent magnets disposed within the apertures, respectively, the permanent magnets including, in each of the N pole pieces, a first permanent magnet of a first magnetic polarity and a second permanent magnet of a second magnetic polarity; and structural non-magnetic portions disposed in gaps of the half pole pieces, respectively, and configured to magnetically disconnect a rotor web from a q-axis flux guide.

Abstract: A rotor core for an electric machine of an automobile includes a core stack including a plurality of lamination plates. Each lamination plate includes a plurality of apertures formed therein. The plurality of apertures of each of the lamination plates are axially aligned and define and a slot extending through the core stack and shaped to receive a corresponding insert. The rotor core also includes at least one insert received by the slot that provides radial structural stability to the plurality of lamination plates to prevent portions of the plurality of lamination plates adjacent the plurality of magnet slots from flexing due to radial forces exerted on the plurality of lamination plates during operation of the rotor core. The rotor core includes a load bearing polymer disposed within the aperture of the rotor core that provides contact between and the insert and the lamination plates.

Abstract: A motor stator includes a stator core having a plurality of stator teeth on an inner diameter thereof and defining a respective plurality of slots between the plurality of stator teeth. A plurality of windings are disposed in the slots. A heat pipe network includes a plurality of evaporator portions including a hollow structure disposed in at least a portion of the plurality of slots and including an interior having a wick extending along the interior of the hollow structure. A condenser portion has an interior portion in communication with the plurality of evaporator portions and is located at an end of the stator core. The wick of each of the plurality of evaporator portions extend into the condenser portion.

Abstract: A rotor for an electric machine includes strengthened structural elements effected through surface alloying and heating via an induction heating fixture. A rotor includes laminations formed to have internal cavities and structural members adjacent the cavities. A number of the laminations are stacked to form a lamination stack. An alloying material is applied to the lamination stack at the structural members. The lamination stack is placed in a fixture so that an inductor extends along the structural members and cooling elements extend through the cavities. A current is applied to the inductor to heat the structural members, alloying the alloying material into the structural members.

Abstract: A stator assembly for an electric machine includes stator teeth connected to a stator yoke to form a stator core. Adjacent teeth define a stator slot. Stator windings are disposed within the slot. A molding material fills the slot around the windings, providing a desired thermoelectrical performance level at different slot regions, including electrical insulation, thermal conductivity, and/or electrostatic shielding levels. A method insulates the stator assembly by inserting a molding tool(s) into the slot to define a void volume, filling the void volume with the dielectric molding material, and curing the dielectric molding material to form a slot liner layer adjacent to the tooth walls. A slot opening between adjacent teeth is filled with an electrically-conductive resin to form an electrostatic shielding layer. An electrical system includes an AC voltage bus connected to a power inverter module and to the electric machine having the above-described stator assembly.

Abstract: A hybrid powertrain for an automobile includes a transmission adapted to provide power to wheels of the automobile, an engine adapted to provide power to an input shaft of the transmission, and an electric motor-generator unit adapted to provide power to the input shaft of the transmission, wherein the electric motor-generator is positioned within the transmission, coaxial with the transmission input shaft, the electric motor-generator being supported by and enclosed within a pump support of the transmission.

Abstract: A synchronous machine having a hybrid rotor excitation. The synchronous machine includes a rotor having a plurality of permanent magnets and electromagnets embedded within a rotor body. The permanent magnets produces a constant magnet field having a magnetic axis along a direct axis (D-axis). The electromagnets produces a variable magnetic field along a magnetic axis offset from the D-axis, preferable substantially orthogonal to the D-axis. The plurality of permanent magnets are separated from the electromagnets by a rotor air-gap. The plurality of permanent magnets includes inner pairs and outer pairs of permanent magnets nested in a V-shaped configuration. In another embodiment, the outer pairs of permanent magnets are replaced with outer radius electromagnets.

Abstract: A method to make a stator lamination of an axial flux motor for an automobile vehicle includes: constructing a stator having multiple stator stack members, including: providing a stator lamination with individual ones of the stator stack members; forming the stator lamination from a single lamination sheet of steel defining a sinuous-shaped assembly having multiple bends; compressing the stator lamination; and machining the stator lamination to create a first edge by removing a first portion of the multiple bends and to create a second edge opposite to the first edge by removing a second portion of the multiple bends.

Abstract: An electric motor drive unit including an electric motor having an output shaft and a plurality of gears in driving engagement with the output shaft. The plurality of gears being supported by a plurality of laterally spaced bearings. A composite housing member includes a structural support skeleton supporting multiple ones of the plurality of laterally spaced bearings and a composite shell molded to the structural support skeleton.

Abstract: An electric machine includes a stator with stator slots securing therein electrically conductive windings. A rotor is rotatably mounted adjacent the stator and includes a stack of rotor laminates. Each laminate includes circumferentially spaced poles, each of which includes a magnet slot spaced from an insert slot. These laminate magnet slots cooperatively define the rotor's magnet slots. Likewise, the laminates' insert slots cooperatively define the rotor's insert slots. Magnets are mounted inside the rotor's magnet slots, and non-magnetic inserts are mounted inside the rotor's insert slots. One or more poles of each laminate includes a structural web that extends radially through the magnet and insert slots of that pole. Multiple poles of each rotor laminate lack a radially extending structural web. Each rotor laminate is rotated with respect to a neighboring rotor laminate such that each pole with a structural web axially aligns with a pole without a structural web.

Abstract: An electric machine disposed within a housing includes a stator, a rotor, and one or more point field detectors. The stator receives current from an inverter. The rotor is connected to and rotating a shaft based on a magnetic field generated by the stator. The one or more point field detectors are configured to detect leakage flux within the housing. The stator, the rotor and the one or more point field detectors are disposed within the housing.

Abstract: A rotor for an electric machine includes a heat pipe cooling system. A rotor core has a number of cavities internal to the rotor core. The cavities are surrounded by a wall defined by the rotor core. A magnetic element disposed in the at least one cavity leaving a void in the at least one cavity between the magnetic element and the wall. A heat pipe evaporator is disposed in the void and conforms to the available space, contacting the magnetic element and the wall to remove heat from the rotor core.

Abstract: An adhesive-reinforced rotor for a rotary electric machine includes rotor lamination layers (“rotor lams”) having axial inner surfaces collectively defining rotor openings through the rotor lams. The rotor also includes reinforcement blocks disposed within a respective one of the rotor openings. A polymer primer/adhesive layer of the rotor having a bond line thickness of less than 1 mm is disposed between the one or more reinforcement blocks and the axial inner surfaces of the rotor lams. The reinforcement blocks and the primer/adhesive layer each have a tensile strength of at least 50 MPa. A modulus of elasticity of the reinforcement blocks is at least three times greater than that of the materials of the polymer primer/adhesive layer. A method of constructing an adhesive-reinforced rotor is also described herein.

Abstract: A current source inverter includes a first phase leg including a plurality of switching devices, a second phase leg including a plurality of switching devices, and a third phase leg including a plurality of switching devices. The current source inverter also includes a zero-state phase leg including at least one switching device, wherein the zero-state phase leg is configured to transition from an open state to prevent current flow to a closed state to allow current flow between a positive and negative terminal during a dead-band time.

Abstract: A rotor assembly for a permanent magnet motor includes a first assembly including a first plurality of laminations and a second assembly including a second plurality of laminations. The first assembly is located radially inside of the second assembly. The first assembly and the second assembly define a first opening therebetween. First and second permanent magnets are located in the first opening. Polymeric material surrounds the first and second permanent magnets in the first opening. An outer layer surrounds the rotor assembly.

Abstract: A rotor for an electric machine includes a rotor assembly having an outer surface and including a plurality of poles with permanent magnets. A solid layer is formed on the outer surface of the rotor assembly and has an outer surface with a first coefficient of friction that is lower than a second coefficient of friction of the outer surface of the rotor assembly. The rotor includes an outer sleeve. The rotor assembly is press-fit into the outer sleeve.

Abstract: An electric motor assembly includes a housing having a generally cylindrical inner surface defining a generally cylindrical cavity within the housing, a stator operatively disposed within the generally cylindrical cavity, the stator including a plurality of stacked laminations wherein each lamination has an outer circumferential edge and a plurality of finger elements extending inward, and a layer of polymer disposed between a generally cylindrical outer surface of the stator and the generally cylindrical inner surface of the housing, such that the stator is fastened to the housing by the polymer. A method of manufacturing the electric motor assembly includes disposing a stator within a housing such that a gap is defined between the stator and the housing and the stator is not directly connected to the housing, and substantially filling the gap with a polymer capable of fastening the stator to the housing by only the polymer.

Abstract: An axial flux motor includes: a stator having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the stator including: N stator core components on the first side, where N is an integer greater than two; and pole shoes attached to radial sides of the N stator core components, N slot openings between adjacent ones of the pole shoes, where each of the N slot openings extends in at least one direction non-radially on the first side; and a rotor including a third side and M permanent magnets on the third side, where the first side is parallel to the third side, and where M is an integer greater than two.