Abstract: Presented are electric machines with rotor shaft-mounted heat pipes/vapor chambers thermally coupled to endcap-integrated heat sinks, methods for making/using such machines, and vehicles equipped with such machines. An electric machine includes an outer housing, a stator assembly mounted to the housing, and a rotor assembly rotatably mounted adjacent the stator assembly. The stator assembly includes one or more stator windings mounted to an annular stator core. The rotor assembly includes one or more electromagnetic rotor windings mounted to a cylindrical rotor core. A rotor power transfer circuit (PTC) is electrically connected to the rotor assembly to electrify the rotor winding(s). A rotor shaft is attached to the rotor core to rotate in unison therewith. One or more heat pipes are mounted on the rotor shaft's outer surface and project axially between the rotor PTC and rotor core. Each heat pipe passively extracts and transfers thermal energy from the rotor PTC.

Abstract: An electric machine with reconfigurable rotor poles. The machine may include a stator including a plurality of stator windings configured for generating a rotating magnetic field (RMF) and a rotor configured for rotating within the stator according to a torque induced by the RMF. The rotor may include a plurality of rotor windings wrapped around a plurality of circumferentially spaced rotor protrusions. The electric machine may include a rotor power transfer circuit operable for reconfiguring electrical excitation of the rotor windings according to a plurality of excitation modes.

Abstract: An electric machine includes a rotor assembly having a rotor shaft disposed along a central axis. The electric machine includes an inductive position sensor having a sensor target that is operatively connected to the rotor shaft. The sensor target is fixed relative to the rotor shaft such that the sensor target rotates with the rotor shaft. The electric machine includes a stationary member and a rotating member operatively connected to the rotor shaft. The rotating member is spaced from the stationary member by an air gap. The stationary member and the rotating member are configured to enable non-contact power transfer from the stationary member to the rotating member through the air gap. The non-contact power transfer may be an inductive power transfer or a capacitive power.

Abstract: A rotor power transfer circuit for an electric machine. The rotor power transfer circuit may include a multiple leaf direct current (DC)-to-DC (DC-DC) converter having a plurality of branches connected in parallel to a source of DC power. The branches may include a plurality of switches operable for selectively controlling DC power transfer therethrough according to a plurality of rotor winding excitations modes. The rotor power transfer circuit may include an electrical interface configured for electrically connecting each branch with one of a one or more rotor windings wrapped around a plurality of circumferentially spaced rotor protrusions of the electric machine.

Abstract: An electric machine including a stator having a plurality of stator windings configured for generating a magnetic field and a rotor configured for rotating within the stator according to a torque induced by the magnetic field. The rotor includes a plurality of electrically independent rotor winding sets wrapped around each of a plurality of circumferentially spaced rotor protrusions. The electric machine further includes a power transfer circuit operable for independently controlling electrical excitation of the rotor winding sets. The electric machine further includes a cooling system for dissipating heat way from the rotor winding sets.

Abstract: Presented are electric machines with winding-slot embedded heat pipes/vapor chambers and endcap-integrated heat sinks, methods for making/using such machines, and vehicles equipped with such machines. An electric machine, such as a traction motor or electric generator, includes an outer housing, a stator assembly mounted to the housing, and a rotor assembly rotatably mounted adjacent the stator assembly. The stator assembly includes an annular stator core with one or more electromagnetic stator windings mounted on or in the stator core. The rotor assembly includes a cylindrical rotor core and one or more electromagnetic rotor windings mounted in rotor slots of the rotor core. One or more heat pipes are mounted in the rotor slot(s), adjacent the rotor winding(s), and projecting axially from one or both axial ends of the rotor core. Each heat pipe extracts thermal energy from the rotor winding(s) and transfers the thermal energy out from the rotor core.

Abstract: A rotor assembly includes a rotor shaft and a rotor core supported by the rotor shaft and surrounded by a plurality of windings. The rotor assembly also includes a first brush engaging a first slip ring fixed relative to a first distal end of the rotor shaft. The first brush includes one of a first conical projection or a first convex receptacle and the first slip ring includes the other of the first conical projection or the first convex receptacle. A first electrical connection extends between the first slip ring and the plurality of windings. A second brush is configured to engage a second slip ring with the second slip ring fixed relative to the rotor shaft. A second electrical connection extending between the second slip ring and the plurality of windings.

Abstract: A power transfer system for a separately excited machine includes a positive slipring and a negative slipring. One or more positive brushes and one or more negative brushes. A rotor winding attached to rotor laminations and a stator winding attached to stator laminations, such that the stator winding is outside of the rotor winding. The power transfer system may have a hollow shaft. The power transfer system may also have the negative brush and the negative slipring being exterior to the hollow shaft, and one or more position sensors. A shaft ingress separator may be within the hollow shaft and may act as a barrier between wet areas and dry areas. The power transfer system may also include a positive wire and a negative wire, which may be reversed.

Abstract: A power transfer system may include a rotating magnetic core; a rotating high index core winding within the rotating magnetic core; a stationary high index core winding within the rotating high index core winding; and a stator referenced magnetic core within the stationary high index core winding. The power transfer system may include a rotor rectifier mounting plate, operatively attached to the rotating magnetic core, and/or a first and a second stationary high index core winding; and/or the stationary high index core winding and the stator referenced magnetic core do not rotate and/or the rotor rectifier mounting plate includes rectifiers to convert AC to DC; and/or the rotor rectifier mounting plate is further configured as a heat sink; and/or the rotor rectifier mounting plate is operatively attached to the rotating magnetic core via adhesive; and/or cooling fluid is allowed to pass through the power transfer system.

Abstract: Presented are separately excited motor (SEM) drive systems, methods for making/using such systems, and vehicles equipped with such systems. A motor drive system includes a rechargeable battery unit and a multilevel power factor correction (PFC) device interposed between and electrically connecting the battery unit and an electric power source. The battery unit and PFC device are electrically connected via a traction inverter module (TIM) device and a multilevel power transfer circuit (PTC) device. The TIM contains multiple pairs of TIM switches, and the PTC device contains multiple PTC switches. An SEM unit contains a rotor assembly, which includes a rotor core bearing a rotor winding, and a stator assembly, which includes a stator core bearing multiple stator windings electromagnetically paired with the rotor winding. Each stator winding is electrically connected to a respective pair of TIM switches, whereas the rotor winding is electrically connected to the PTC switches.