Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an electric machine with integrated electronics to operate as an electric motor and/or generator in electrically powered systems.

Background of the invention

In modern electric drive systems and electric power supply systems high power density motors and generators with integrated electronics are required. In the present context the expression "motor" is used representative for "machine", said machine can be or can be used as a motor or a generator or a motor-generator.

It is a challenge to integrate a three phase inverter together with an electric motor in the same housing, particularly when high power output of the assembly is required. In such systems the winding terminals in the motor part get heavily loaded with high currents, often leading to relatively big dimensions. In relation to this, also the electric current sensors mounted around heavy motor phase connections need to be rather big and need to work and measure high currents in range of possibly several hundred amperes. Connecting motor windings and their coils to power switches like MOSFET transistors, especially when these are connected in parallel, is often not solved symmetrically and consequently all motor coils and all power switches in the inverter part don't get equally loaded. Hence all of them are not used to their full capability. Thus, the problem exists as how to efficiently connect motor windings with the electronics in order to get symmetrical currents in all motor coils and in all power switches or transistors, respectively. A further technical challenge is how to lower several temperature hot spots inside the machine, i.e. the motor and/or the generator, and the electronic parts. Connections between the motor and inverter need also to be designed for heavy currents and are therefore also taking large dimensions. Otherwise these connections would heat up and become thermally critical.

In relation to functional safety, power switches in the power stage of the inverter may fail (go in short), what will in case of paralleled coils introduce that the complete motor windings go in short and cause a large unwanted braking torque of the electric motor and/or generator.

In security sensitive applications the electric machine is expected to have a high reliability. For example such an electrical machine can be a security relevant component within a plant or a building or a vehicle such that a failure of the electric machine can cause high damages. Security relevant components in a vehicle can be part of an electrical power steering, an electrical break system, a pump, a fan and also propelling motors of the vehicle.

The technical problem, with which the present invention deals, is to find such a machine or motor and/or generator, respectively, with integrated electronics which shows increased efficiency. Increased efficiency can e.g. be achieved when the machine could have preferably no winding coils and no power switches connected in parallel. Further it is desirable that the electric current sensors would not be arranged so to measure a complete motor phase currents but rather be designed so, to measure only a portion of the phase current and so become smaller in size. Still it is requested that the motor control algorithms remain within known algorithms like for instance the Field Oriented Control algorithm or FOC- algorithm. Minimizing the parallel connections of motor coils and reducing the need for paralleling the power switching elements, shall reduce the torque ripple and the operational noise of the complete motor generator. Dividing a typical three phase motor windings connection to a three phase inverter outputs with multi connections would further reduce the hot spots in the connections and their mechanical size.

There is a known solution for the electric machine with electronics, which has windings arranged in two groups and has two associated switching circuits in the power electronics. An example is proposed in the patent publication US 6 236 583 B1. The application describes two winding groups wounded in opposite direction and accordingly supplied with the voltage generated by a switching algorithm in two switching circuits which produce generated torque from magnetic field generated from both winding groups. The proposed solution requires drivers to switch the power switches in opposite manner, when observing both switching circuits. Consequently the driving electronics need to provide two times the three phase configuration to switch the two switching circuits with electrical phase shift of 180 degrees.

Other examples are proposed in US 9 059 659 B2 and CN 103 516 265 A. The proposed solutions comprise two independent windings and two three phase controllers, so when the first half of the motor windings and corresponding inverter is faulty the motor can run on the second half. Consequently these proposals need two motor control algorithms to run independently and this involves the need for two independent sets of current sensors.

Both of the above examples need a driving circuitry with twelve drivers to control the power switches of both three phase power sections.

Summary of the invention According to the present invention the motor windings are divided into a plurality of galvanic isolated winding sections. Each winding section has coils so connected, that they form a multi-phase windings, preferably a three-phase windings, while all winding sections are substantially the same to each other at least with regard to the number of turns and the wire lengths in such a way, that the winding sections have the same electrical resistance. Coils in the windings are preferably not connected in parallel, instead each individual coil is connected to power switches independently. The power switches in the inverter part are so arranged, to form a plurality of half bridge legs with preferably only one power switch element in upper side and one in the lower side of the half bridge leg. The number of half bridges is by this proposal preferably equal to number of coils in the motor. Power switches are so dimensioned, that they ideally do not need to be connected in parallel, so each transistor, when switched on, will carry exactly the same current, as it flows through the single coil assigned to this switch or transistor, respectively. Motor coils are substantially identical, so their resistance is substantially the same for all of them and therefore the currents, which flow through motor coils and through each transistor, are correspondingly substantially identical and equalized, when powered with the same voltage. In this context the expression "substantially equal" allows deviations from "exactly equal" of less than 5%, preferably of less than 3%.

According to a preferred embodiment the number of said galvanic isolated winding sections can be equal to the number of pole pairs on the rotor. In this preferred embodiment the number of pole pairs of the rotor can be even or odd. According to another advantageous but less preferred embodiment, the number of pole pairs on the rotor is even and the number of said galvanic isolated winding sections can be half the number of pole pairs on the rotor.

Motor coils which belong to the same motor phase have reduced amount of demanded motor current in direct relation to the motor pole pair number. So for instance a four pole pair motor would have currents in the coils and their terminals reduced four times compared to the current which would flow in one phase of the conventional single three phase motor winding. The terminals and the connection to inverter can therefore be dimensioned for the four times smaller currents. Adequately the current sensors range can be four times smaller and therefore correspondingly smaller in size and will use less volume. The number of current sensors needed to control the motor remains the same as for the conventional solution. By this invention the phase current measurement does not involve a complete motor phase current, but requires the current measurement through only two coils from all coils of the complete stator windings. In particular, the present invention presents a rotary electric machine with integrated power electronics comprising a motor portion and an inverter portion. Said motor portion further comprising a cylindrical stator core, a plurality of coils, circumferentially disposed around in the stator core, said stator coils so connected, that they form plurality of galvanic isolated winding sections, from which each winding section has coils connected in a multi-phase, preferably in a three-phase star configuration, a rotor with Npp number of pole pairs rotatable disposed against the stator magnetic field generated by currents in stator windings. Said inverter portion further comprising a plurality of power switching elements forming a power stage, said power switching elements so connected, that they form a number Nhb of half bridge legs further comprising a high side power switching element and a low side power switching element in each leg. A positive and a negative DC link bus connection, connecting all half bridges to a DC link capacitor bank, a plurality of half bridge output connectors, that are electrically connected to the windings, current sensors for measuring the currents in stator windings. Furthermore, the stator has a number of said galvanic isolated winding sections which is equal to Npp number of pole pairs on the rotor, wherein said winding sections are all electrically identical, their coils connected to power stage, which has a number Nhb of said half bridge legs, where Nhb is equal to number of isolated winding sections Npp multiplied by the number of phases, preferably three, the output connector of each half bridge leg connected to individual coil terminal, and having said current sensors so arranged, to measure the currents in only one from the said number of isolated winding sections.

Preferably, the machine can have a number of said half bridge legs equal to the number of coils in the motor stator.

Preferably, the machine can have Field Oriented Control algorithm for controlling the electric machine operation based on current measurements in one from the plurality of said galvanically isolated winding sections.

Preferably, the machine can have all half bridge legs embodied substantially identical and arranged in circumferential direction.

Preferably, the machine utilizes the half bridge legs which are connected to different winding sections with the same driver elements which utilize the first winding section. Preferably, the machine can have current sensors so arranged to measure the current through only two coils from said plurality of coils in the stator windings.

In particular, the inverter portion can be provided with current sensors for measuring the currents in winding sections assigned to the individual coils. Preferably, the number of current sensors is smaller than the number of sub-sections of the isolated winding sections in order to reduce the manufacturing costs, wherein said sub-sections of the respective winding section are assigned to different coils and phases of the multi-phase configuration.

Preferably, said current sensors can be arranged to measure the currents in only one of the isolated winding sections.

Preferably, said current sensors can be arranged to measure the currents in only two coils of a single winding section. In other words, the current sensors can be arranged to measure the currents in a first winding section in a coil assigned to a first phase of the multi-phase configuration and in a coil assigned to a second phase of the multi-phase configuration.

According to another embodiment, when the number of coil pairs on the rotor is greater than two, said current sensors can be arranged to measure the currents in only two of the isolated winding sections. Such an embodiment has an increased redundancy.

Preferably, said current sensors can be arranged to measure the currents in the respective isolated winding section in only two coils of said isolated winding section, wherein said two coils are assigned to different phases of the multi-phase configuration. In such a case two current sensors are assigned to the same winding section in two coils. This configuration additionally enables a detection failure of the current sensors and failure of the winding sections.

In particular, at least four current sensors can be provided, wherein said four current sensors can be arranged to measure a) the currents in a first isolated winding section in two coils of this first isolated winding section, wherein said two coils are assigned to a first and second phase of the multi-phase configuration, and b) the currents in a second isolated winding section in two coils of this second isolated winding section, wherein said two coils are assigned to the first and second phase of the multi-phase configuration. When the number of coil pairs on the rotor is exactly four, an embodiment is preferred, in which said current sensors can be arranged to measure the currents in all four winding sections. In this case also a failure of both current sensors of the same winding section can be detected.

Preferably, said current sensors can be arranged to measure the currents in the respective isolated winding section in only six coils of said isolated winding section. This configuration increases the redundancy.

More preferably, at least six current sensors can be provided, wherein said current sensors can be arranged to measure a) the currents in a first isolated winding section in two coils of this first isolated winding section, wherein said two coils are assigned to a first and second phase of the multi-phase configuration, b) the currents in a second isolated winding section in two coils of this first isolated winding section, wherein said two coils are assigned to the first and second phase of the multi-phase configuration, c) the currents in a third isolated winding section in a coil assigned to the first phase of the multi-phase configuration, and d) the currents in a fourth isolated winding section in a coil assigned to the first phase of the multi-phase configuration. With this configuration a very high redundancy can be achieved with a relatively small number of sensors. An electric machine with four pole pairs and three phases has preferably twelve winding sections. A conventional detection of all twelve subsections of the windings uses twelve current sensors. The presented configuration uses only six current sensors. In particular, this configuration comprises a first current sensor assigned to a first sub-section of the first winding section in the coil of the first phase, a second current sensor assigned to a first sub-section of a second winding section and the coil of the first phase, a third current sensor assigned a second sub-section of the first winding section in the coil assigned to a second phase, a fourth current sensor assigned to a second subsection of the second winding section in the coil assigned to the second phase, a fifth current sensor assigned to a first sub-section of a third winding section in the coil assigned to the first phase, and a sixth current sensor assigned to a first sub-section of a fourth winding section in the coil of the first phase.

Preferably, said current sensors can be directly connected to the respective isolated winding section or sub-section in the area of the respective terminal. In particular, the respective current sensor is connected between the respective terminal and the switching elements assigned to said isolated winding section or sub-section, respectively. Therefore, the currents in the respective winding section can be detected independently from the operation mode of the machine and independent from the actual state of the switching elements.

Brief description of the drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electric machine with integrated electronics with the connections of motor parts with the inverter parts.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the driver circuitry for driving the power switches, which belong to the same motor phase; example shown is for the phase U.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the motor part of FIG. 1 but in another embodiment. Detailed description of invention

According to FIG. 1 an electric machine 1 , which can be also addressed as "motor", with integrated power electronics comprises a motor portion 1 1 and an inverter portion 2. The motor portion 1 1 comprises a stator 17, which is further comprising a plurality of galvanic isolated winding sections 12. The number of isolated winding sections 12 is so selected that it is equal to a number of pole pairs Npp on the rotor 14. The number of pole pairs Npp can be four for example. Each isolated winding section 12 has coils 10 preferably connected in star connection and forming a three phase winding section 12 essentially similar to another isolated winding section 12. The rotor 14 has said number of pole pairs Npp, which are rotatable disposed against the stator magnetic field generated by currents in the stator windings 12. Power switches 5 an 6 in the inverter part 2 are so arranged to form a plurality, i.e. a number Nhb of half bridge legs 18 with preferably only one power switch element 6 on the upper side and one power switch element 5 on the lower side of the half bridge leg 18 (FIG. 1 ). Output contacts 7 of the half bridge leg 18 are individually connected with coil ends 13 of the winding sections 12. All high side switches 6 are connected with their positive terminal to a DC link buss bar 4 which is essentially connected with a main power terminal B+ of the complete unit. Accordingly, all low side switches 5 are connected with their negative terminal to a negative DC link buss bar 3, which is further connected with the main power terminal B- of the complete unit. Accordingly, all half bridge legs 18 are connected via the positive and negative link bus bars 3 and 4 to a DC link capacitor bank 21 consisting of at least one capacitor Cb Preferably, the DC link capacitor bank 21 consists of several capacitors Cb connected in parallel. The power switches 5 and 6 are excited from the driver circuitry 16 which provides a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signal so, that the coils 10 which belong to the same phase of the motor 1 are having essentially the same voltage within all isolated winding sections 12 at any time.

For the example shown in FIG.1 this means, that the voltage signal applied to winding terminal U1 in the first winding section 12 is significantly the same as the voltage applied to winding terminal U2 in the second winding section 12 and so on the same through all the winding sections 12 in the motor-generator.

According to Fig. 2 a driver circuitry 16 comprises drivers 20 for high side power switches 6 and drivers 19 for the low side power switches 5 so that one high side driver output is connected to half bridge legs which belong to the same phase in the motor 1 through the resistors Rp. By this connection the number of drivers 19, 20 necessary to excite all the power switches 5, 6 is minimized to one for the high side and one for the low side exciting all coils 10 which belong to the same phase U, V, W in the motor 1 and this in all winding sections 12 in the motor 1. Consequently for the three phase motor inverter assembly the necessary numbers of drivers 19, 20 remain only three for the high side and three for the low side.

According to Fig. 1 current sensors 8 and 9 are so arranged that they measure the currents in only one from the plurality of winding sections 12 in the motor 1 . Further it is suggested to measure the current with sensor 8 in only one coil 10 and with sensor 9 the current in a second coil 10 from the plurality of coils 10 in the motor stator 17. Their output values are processed in a control board 15 and the resulted PWM signal is output to the input of the driver circuitry 16. By this proposal the currents through current sensors 8, 9 are Npp times lower than the currents that would flow in the conventional motor configuration with just one winding in the stator. Consequently the size and the measuring range for the current sensors 8, 9 like in this proposal are reduced by Npp times. In a motor control algorithms, e.g. in an FOC (Field Oriented Control) algorithm, the measured values from the current sensors 8, 9 need to be multiplied with Npp in order to scale the motor current with the motor constant and so to control properly the requested motor torque output.

The invention can be summarized as follows. An electric machine 1 is provided which has integrated electronics and operates as an electric motor-generator in electrically powered systems. Said machine 1 has a motor portion 1 1 with a plurality of coils 10 so connected, to form a number of isolated winding sections 12 with multi-phase configuration, which are substantially identical between each other. Said motor portion 1 1 also has a rotor 14 with a number of pole pairs equal to said number of isolated winding sections 12. An inverter portion 2 of the machine 1 has a plurality of power switching elements 5, 6 forming a power stage with a number of half bridge legs 18. Output connectors 7 of said half bridge legs 18 are electrically connected to terminals 13 of individual coils 10. A control board in an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the inverter portion 2 provides such a control algorithm and signals for power switching, that the coils 10, which belong to the same phase of the machine 1 , have the same terminal voltages. Current sensors 8, 9 for measuring the motor phase currents are so arranged to measure the currents through only two coils 10 from the plurality of coils 10 in the stator 17. The size, the measuring range of current sensors 8, 9 and unwanted braking torque during faults in motor windings or in power switches are reduced by the number of isolated winding sections 12. Therefore the motor-generator 1 becomes more compact and has a higher functional safety.

Fig. 3 depicts the motor portion 1 1 with the stator 17 and the rotor 14. In this preferred embodiment the number of pole pairs is greater than two and also greater than three. In the depicted example exactly four pole pairs are provided. To each pole pair a galvanic insulated winding section 12 is assigned, namely a first winding section 12-i , a second winding section 12 ₂ , a third winding section 12 ₃ and a fourth winding section 12 ₄ . The machine 1 , respectively the motor portion 1 1 has a three phase configuration. The three phases are named U, V, and W, or first, second and third phase, respectively. By way of simplification, the phases can be named first phase U, second phase V and third phase W. It is understood that this correlation between the phases U, V, and W, on the one hand, and first, second and third phase, on the other hand, can be different. Each coil 10 comprises a winding for each phase, which are galvanic isolated. Said windings of the coils 10 are formed by sub-sections of the winding section 12. Therefore, twelve sub-sections are defined as follows, namely sub-portions U1 , V1 , W1 for the three phases in the first winding section 12^ U2, V2, W2 for the three phases in the second winding section 12 ₂ , U3, V3, W3 for the three phases in the third winding section 12 ₃ , and U4, V4, W4 for the three phases in the fourth winding section 12 ₄ .

In Fig. 3 the current sensors 8, 9 depicted in Fig. 1 have the reference sign S.

In a first embodiment exactly four current sensors S are provided, namely a first current sensor S1 , a second current sensor S2, a third current sensor S3, and a fourth current sensor S4. Said current sensors S1 , S2, S3, S4 are arranged to measure the currents in only two of the isolated winding sections 12, namely in the first winding section 12-i , and a second winding section 12 ₂ . The first current sensor S1 is assigned to the first sub-section U1 of the first winding section 12-|. The second current sensor S2 is assigned to the first sub-section U2 of the second winding section 12 ₂ . The third current sensor S3 is assigned to the second or third sub-section V1 or W1 of the first winding section 12-|. The fourth current sensor S4 is assigned to the second or third sub-section V2 or W2 of the second winding section 12 ₂ . It is important that the first and second current sensors S1 , S2 are assigned to sub-sections of the same phase, here the first phase U, and that the third and fourth current sensors S3, S4 are assigned to another phase, either both to the second phase V or both to the third phase W, here the third phase W.

These four current sensors S1 , S2, S3, S4 therefore are arranged to measure the currents in the first isolated winding section 12-i in two coils 10 being assigned to the first phase U and to the second or third phase V, W, and the currents in the second isolated winding section 12 ₂ in two coils 10 being assigned to the first phase U and to the second or third phase V, W. In this configuration one of the three phases in not detected, here the second phase V.

In another embodiment, which is depicted in Fig. 3, exactly six current sensors are provided, namely the aforementioned four current sensors S1 , S2, S3, S4, and also a fifth current sensor S5 and a sixth current sensor S6. The fifth current sensor S5 is assigned to the first sub-section U3 of the third winding section 12 ₃ and is thus assigned to the first phase U. The sixth current sensor S6 is assigned to the first sub-section U4 of the fourth winding section 12 ₄ and is thus also assigned to the first phase U.

These six current sensors S1 , S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 are arranged to measure the currents in the first isolated winding section 12-i in two coils 10 assigned to the first and second phase U, V, the currents in the second isolated winding section 12 ₂ in two coils 10 being assigned also to the first and second phase U, V, the currents in the third isolated winding section 12 ₃ in a coil 10 assigned to the first phase U, and the currents in the fourth isolated winding section 12 ₄ in a coil 10 assigned also to the first phase U. Also in this configuration one of the three phases, here the second phase V is not detected.

As can be seen in Fig. 1 and 3 said current sensors 8, 9 or S1 , S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, respectively, are directly connected to the respective isolated winding section 12 or subsection U1 , U2, U3, U4, V1 , V2, V3, V4, W1 , W2, W3, W4, respectively, in the area of the respective terminal 13. In other words, the respective connection is arranged between the respective sub-section and the respective power switching elements 5, 6.