Patents by Inventor Keith A. Witwer

Keith A. Witwer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220360150
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a coil winding (70) for insertion into radially open slots (82) in a rotor or stator (80) of an electrical machine, wherein the coil winding (70) has a wire pack (60) consisting of a number of wires (32), wherein the wires (32) of the wire pack (60) run parallel to one another and are connected to one another in pairs at one end of the wire pack (60), and wherein the coil winding (70) is formed by a flat winding former which can be rotated about an axis of rotation (26). According to the method, the wire pack (60) is fixed on a winding former (26) and winding heads (42) are produced by displacing fixations of the wire pack (60). The winding shaft (26) can be rotated so that, after carrying out the method, a coil winding (70) is present in the form of a wave winding having wires (32) of the wire pack (60) preconnected in pairs at one end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: Schaeffler ELMOTEC STATOMAT GmbH
    Inventor: Keith A. WITWER
  • Patent number: 11303176
    Abstract: A coil winding (20) that consists of a number of wires (22) braided with one another and bent multiple times in opposite directions such that mutually parallel legs (28, 30) of the wires (22) which are intended to fill the slots (16) are connected by winding overhangs (32, 34) which project from the end face of the stators (10) or rotors. The winding overhangs (32, 34) each have two oblique winding overhang sections (36, 38, 40, 42) having a winding overhang tip (44, 46) in between. The wires (22) are arranged one behind the other in a longitudinal direction (L) of the coil winding (20). The winding overhangs (32, 34), which are distributed in the longitudinal direction (L) over the entire length of the coil winding, of at least one wire (22) protrude transversely to the longitudinal direction (L) beyond the winding overhang (28, 30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Schaeffler ELMOTEC STATOMAT GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith Witwer
  • Patent number: 10992211
    Abstract: A method to produce rotors or stators of electric machines having radial grooves into which webs of flat windings having parallel webs and winding heads connecting said webs being pulled, wherein a winding is produced on a rotating, strip-shaped flat former shorter than the winding such that windings are pulled off the former and transferred into a linear transfer device, which transports the windings to a removal position at which the windings are transferred into radial grooves of a rotor or of the transfer tool for transfer into radial grooves of a stator, wherein the former, the transfer device, and the rotor or the transfer tool being jointly rotated about an axis of rotation of the former when rotated to form windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Schaeffler ELMOTEC STATOMAT GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith Witwer
  • Patent number: 10938282
    Abstract: The method according to the invention is used to produce a coil winding (70) which can be inserted into the grooves of a stator or rotor of an electric machine. While using a winding template (26) and a wire handling device (14), the invention proposes carrying out a displacement process between a first and a second holding region (34, 36) even before the wires (32) are initially wound onto the winding template (26) in order to produce an inclined wire section (40) which is subsequently shaped into winding heads (42) by means of a rotating/winding process. The novel method offers the advantage that all of the wires (32) of a coil winding (70) can be processed simultaneously using a comparably simple winding device (110). The projection of the winding heads (42) over the stator can also be minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Schaeffler ELMOTEC STATOMAT GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith Witwer
  • Patent number: 10615654
    Abstract: The disclosed stator or rotor has a distributed wave winding, in which the wires are associated in pairs lying with straight segments in the same slots. Head portions of two successive straight segments of each wire of a pair protrude from opposite ends of slots. For forming two wire groups, a plurality of coil windings are simultaneously created by winding up n parallel wires with intermediate spacing onto a striplike former that is rotatable about its longitudinal axis. From each of the parallel wires one straight segment and one end turn are doubled by being bent over with the wire length of a head portion, and then head portions are formed and the wires interlaced. Finally, the two wire groups are wound onto one another and thereby intertwined with one another, and then introduced as an entire intertwined wave winding strand into the stator or rotor slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Elmotec Statomat Holding GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith Witwer
  • Publication number: 20190238019
    Abstract: The invention relates to a coil winding (2) for insertion into radially open slots (16) of stators (10) or rotors of electric machines. The coil winding (20) consists of a number of wires (22) braided with one another and bent multiple times in opposite directions such that mutually parallel legs (28, 30) of the wires (22) which are intended to fill the slots (16) are connected by winding overhangs (32, 34) which project from the end face of the stators (10) or rotors. The winding overhangs (32, 34) each have two oblique winding overhang sections (36, 38, 40, 42) having a winding overhang tip (44, 46) in between. The wires (22) are arranged one behind the other in a longitudinal direction (L) of the coil winding (20).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Applicant: Elmotec Statomat Holding GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik SADIKU, Keith WITWER
  • Publication number: 20180367015
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method which is used to produce rotors or stators of electric machines, wherein the rotors or stators have radial grooves, into which the webs of flat windings (26) having parallel webs and having winding heads (92) connecting said webs are pulled, wherein the flat windings (26) are prefabricated on a rotating, strip-shaped flat former (20) and the initially flat windings are pulled into the radial grooves (74) of a stator or of a transfer tool (44) for transfer into the grooves of a rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventors: Sadik SADIKU, Keith WITWER
  • Publication number: 20180331606
    Abstract: The method according to the invention is used to produce a coil winding (70) which can be inserted into the grooves of a stator or rotor of an electric machine. While using a winding template (26) and a wire handling device (14), the invention proposes carrying out a displacement process between a first and a second holding region (34, 36) even before the wires (32) are initially wound onto the winding template (26) in order to produce an inclined wire section (40) which is subsequently shaped into winding heads (42) by means of a rotating/winding process. The novel method offers the advantage that all of the wires (32) of a coil winding (70) can be processed simultaneously using a comparably simple winding device (110). The projection of the winding heads (42) over the stator can also be minimized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2016
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Sadik SADIKU, Keith WITWER
  • Publication number: 20140252908
    Abstract: The disclosed stator or rotor has a distributed wave winding, in which the wires are associated in pairs lying with straight segments in the same slots. Head portions of two successive straight segments of each wire of a pair protrude from opposite ends of slots. For forming two wire groups, a plurality of coil windings are simultaneously created by winding up n parallel wires with intermediate spacing onto a striplike former that is rotatable about its longitudinal axis. From each of the parallel wires one straight segment and one end turn are doubled by being bent over with the wire length of a head portion, and then head portions are formed and the wires interlaced. Finally, the two wire groups are wound onto one another and thereby intertwined with one another, and then introduced as an entire intertwined wave winding strand into the stator or rotor slots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Elmotec Statomat Vertriebs GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik SADIKU, Keith A. WITWER
  • Patent number: 8667666
    Abstract: The disclosed method produces a stator or rotor having a distributed wave winding, in which the wires are associated in pairs lying with straight segments in the same slots. Head portions of two successive straight segments of each wire of a pair protrude from opposite ends of slots. For forming two wire groups, a plurality of coil windings are simultaneously created by winding up n parallel wires with intermediate spacing onto a striplike former that is rotatable about its longitudinal axis. From each of the parallel wires one straight segment and one end turn are doubled by being bent over with the wire length of a head portion, and then head portions are formed and the wires interlaced. Finally, the two wire groups are wound onto one another and thereby intertwined with one another, and then introduced as an entire intertwined wave winding strand into the stator or rotor slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Elmotec Statomat Vertriebs GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith A. Witwer
  • Patent number: 8020282
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing a coil winding for stators is described, in which each coil turn rests, with one fillet (14) each, in two stator slots, and the two fillets (14) are joined by a head portion (16). A plurality of coil turns are made simultaneously by winding up n parallel wires (10) with intermediate spacing onto a rotatable former (20). To obtain small winding heads, alternatingly in a work step A, one fillet (14) and the wire length of one head portion (16) are made from each of the n parallel wires (10) on the former (20). Then in a work step B, the resultant fillets (14) together with the adjoining first end of the respective associated head portions (16), and the wire guide together with the second end of these head portions (16), are displaced relative to one another along the former (20) by n times the intermediate spacing of the wires (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Elmotec Statomat Vertriebs GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith A. Witwer
  • Publication number: 20100180433
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing a coil winding for stators is described, in which each coil turn rests, with one fillet (14) each, in two stator slots, and the two fillets (14) are joined by a head portion (16). A plurality of coil turns are made simultaneously by winding up n parallel wires (10) with intermediate spacing onto a rotatable former (20). To obtain small winding heads, alternatingly in a work step A, one fillet (14) and the wire length of one head portion (16) are made from each of the n parallel wires (10) on the former (20). Then in a work step B, the resultant fillets (14) together with the adjoining first end of the respective associated head portions (16), and the wire guide together with the second end of these head portions (16), are displaced relative to one another along the former (20) by n times the intermediate spacing of the wires (10). After work steps A and B have been repeated multiple times, the fillets (14) for the last n stator slots are then also made on the former (20).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Inventors: Sadik SADIKU, Keith A. Witwer
  • Patent number: 7703192
    Abstract: A method for producing a pattern of coil windings in which each coil turn has one fillet each in two slots, and the two fillets are joined by a head portion. A plurality of coil turns are made simultaneously by winding n parallel wires with intermediate spacing onto a rotatable former. To obtain small winding heads, there is a repeating of: a laying work step where one fillet and the wire length of one head portion are laid on the former; and a displacing work step where the resultant fillets together with the adjoining first end of the respective associated head portions, and the wire guide together with the second end of these head portions, are displaced relative to one another along the former by n times the intermediate spacing of the wires. Next, the winding is removed from the former, and pressed flat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Elmotec Statomat Vertriebs GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith A. Witwer
  • Patent number: 7679254
    Abstract: A method for producing a coil winding for stators is described, in which each coil turn rests, with one fillet (14) each, in two stator slots, and the two fillets (14) are joined by a head portion (16). A plurality of coil turns are made simultaneously by winding up n parallel wires (10) with intermediate spacing onto a rotatable former (20). To obtain small winding heads, alternatingly in a work step A, one fillet (14) and the wire length of one head portion (16) are made from each of the parallel wires (10) on the former (20). Then in a work step B, the resultant fillets (14) together with the adjoining first end of the respective associated head portions (16), and the wire guide together with the second end of these head portions (16), are displaced relative to one another along the former (20) by n times the intermediate spacing of the wires (10). After work steps A and B have been repeated multiple times, the fillets (14) for the last n stator slots are then also made on the former (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Elmotec Statomat Vertriebs GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith A. Witwer
  • Publication number: 20090261683
    Abstract: The method serves to produce a stator or rotor having a distributed wave winding, in which the wires (15) are associated in pairs lying with straight segments (20) in the same slots. Head portions (22) of two successive straight segments of each wire of a pair protrude from opposite ends of slots past the end faces of the stator or rotor. For forming two wire groups (10, 12) in each case a plurality of coil windings are simultaneously created by winding up n parallel wires (15), paid out from a wire guide, with intermediate spacing onto a striplike former that is rotatable about its longitudinal axis. In this process in alternation in a work step A from each of the parallel wires (15) one straight segment (20) and one end turn doubled by being bent over, with the wire length of a head portion (22), are created.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Publication date: October 22, 2009
    Inventors: Sadik SADIKU, Keith A. WITWER
  • Publication number: 20080258575
    Abstract: A method for producing a coil winding for stators is described, in which each coil turn rests, with one fillet (14) each, in two stator slots, and the two fillets (14) are joined by a head portion (16). A plurality of coil turns are made simultaneously by winding up n parallel wires (10) with intermediate spacing onto a rotatable former (20). To obtain small winding heads, alternatingly in a work step A, one fillet (14) and the wire length of one head portion (16) are made from each of the parallel wires (10) on the former (20). Then in a work step B, the resultant fillets (14) together with the adjoining first end of the respective associated head portions (16), and the wire guide together with the second end of these head portions (16), are displaced relative to one another along the former (20) by n times the intermediate spacing of the wires (10). After work steps A and B have been repeated multiple times, the fillets (14) for the last n stator slots are then also made on the former (20).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith A. Witwer
  • Patent number: 7385331
    Abstract: The stator for electrical machines has stator slots that are open radially inward, at least some of which contain coils made from round wire and have side walls (10, 12) of equal length that each extend parallel to their center radial plane. To attain an especially high fill factor, the entrances (16) of the stator slots have a width, measured transversely to their center radial plane, that is slightly greater than the diameter d of the round wire (18). A further condition is that the width of the stator slots, measured between the parallel side walls (10, 12), amounts to (1+cos 30°)d, and the radially outer slot wall (14) forms angles of 60° and 120°, respectively, with each of the two side walls (10, 12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Elmotec Statomat Vertriebs GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith A. Witwer
  • Patent number: 7281312
    Abstract: A method and apparatus in which wave windings, cut from a continuously formed wave winding band, are brought with a defined number of waves essentially tangentially to a rotor or stator lamination packet or a rotorlike transfer tool having radially outwardly open slots. During a rotary motion of the lamination packet or transfer tool and a substantially tangential relative motion, at a speed corresponding to the circumferential speed of the rotary motion, the straight portions of the bandlike wave windings are pressed into the slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Elmotec Statomat Vertriebs GmbH
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith A. Witwer
  • Publication number: 20060022547
    Abstract: A method for producing a coil winding for stators is described, in which each coil turn rests, with one fillet (14) each, in two stator slots, and the two fillets (14) are joined by a head portion (16). A plurality of coil turns are made simultaneously by winding up n parallel wires (10) with intermediate spacing onto a rotatable former (20). To obtain small winding heads, alternatingly in a work step A, one fillet (14) and the wire length of one head portion (16) are made from each of the parallel wires (10) on the former (20). Then in a work step B, the resultant fillets (14) together with the adjoining first end of the respective associated head portions (16), and the wire guide together with the second end of these head portions (16), are displaced relative to one another along the former (20) by n times the intermediate spacing of the wires (10). After work steps A and B have been repeated multiple times, the fillets (14) for the last n stator slots are then also made on the former (20).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2005
    Publication date: February 2, 2006
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith Witwer
  • Publication number: 20060012260
    Abstract: The stator for electrical machines has stator slots that are open radially inward, at least some of which contain coils made from round wire and have side walls (10, 12) of equal length that each extend parallel to their center radial plane. To attain an especially high fill factor, the entrances (16) of the stator slots have a width, measured transversely to their center radial plane, that is slightly greater than the diameter d of the round wire (18). A further condition is that the width of the stator slots, measured between the parallel side walls (10, 12), amounts to (1+cos 30°)d, and the radially outer slot wall (14) forms angles of 60° and 120°, respectively, with each of the two side walls (10, 12).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2005
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Inventors: Sadik Sadiku, Keith Witwer