Patent ID: 8138651
Filing Date: 2012-03-20
Classification: H02K,Y02T,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An interior permanent magnet machine comprising: a wound stator; a rotor configured to magnetically interact with the wound stator, the rotor having an outer surface and a rotational axis extending through a center of the rotor; a pair of cavities provided within the rotor, each cavity having a total volume and a generally rectangular opening having a cavity axis, a width dimension, and a length dimension, wherein the length dimension is greater than the width dimension, the cavity axis lies parallel to the length dimension, and the cavity axes of the pair of cavities together define a plane that is orthogonal to the rotational axis; a pair of magnets provided within respective cavities of the pair of cavities such that the total volume of each cavity is only partially filled by the respective magnet and such that air barriers are formed adjacent to each magnet; wherein the pair of magnets each have top edges parallel to the cavity axis that together define an obtuse angle facing radially outward from the center of the rotor, and wherein the air barriers include a pair of top air barriers adjacent to and extending along substantially the entire length of the top edges of each of the respective magnets.