Abstract:
The invention relates to a rectifier unit comprising one plus cooling body ( 27 ) which supports at least one plus-diode ( 32 ), and one minus cooling body ( 28 ) which supports at least one minus diode ( 31 ). A spacer ( 29 ), which is made of an insulating material ( 70 ), electrically separates the plus cooling body ( 27 ) and the minus cooling body ( 28 ). A wiring plate ( 30 ) comprises at least one conductor element which enables the at least one plus-diode ( 32 ) and the at least one minus-diode ( 31 ) to be wired in a bridge rectifier circuit. Said conductor element is a flat webbed cable ( 33 ). According to the invention, the flat webbed cable ( 33 ) supports a bolt-like connection ( 48 ).

Description:
RELATED ART 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a rectifier and an electric machine with an inventive rectifier according to the general class of the independent claim. Of the known rectifier units, e.g., as made known in European patent EP 0 960 464 B1, no special connectors are known, which are guided away from the wiring plate in an axially outward direction, for example. The disadvantage of these embodiments is that certain voltage signals from the wiring plate can therefore not be sampled directly from the outside. 
       ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The inventive rectifier unit with the features of the main claim has the advantage that, by providing a bolt-type connector on one of the flat webbed cables of the rectifier unit, a connector is provided from which electrical signals can be tapped. 
         [0003]    Advantageous refinements of the rectifier unit are made possible by the measures described in the subclaims. 
         [0004]    Given that the flat webbed cable has a U-shaped bolt receptacle on which the bolt-type connector is mounted, it is possible to provide a suitable holding device for the bolt-type connector in a favorable manner, e.g., using simple wires. 
         [0005]    Given that the bolt-type connector has a receiving neck, which is placed in U-shaped bolt receptacle  1 , good positioning results and, therefore, so does good quality of the connector between the receiving neck and the bolt receptacle. Using a type of fit, it is hereby made possible to accommodate the receiving neck in a form-fit manner. A further advantageous design is given when the bolt-type connector has a bolt section which is located after the receiving neck and on which the U-shaped bolt receptacle is mounted. This design results in a type of step in which the flat webbed cable fits and is accommodated. In addition, the contact surface between the flat webbed cable and the bolt-type connector is at least doubled in size, and contact resistance is therefore particularly low. In addition, the connection point can be designed to be particularly strong, since the contact surfaces are relatively large. 
         [0006]    If the outer circumference of the bolt section located after the receiving neck is designed such that a type of form-fit contour is provided there, a particularly favorable transfer or introduction of force can take place when the conductor element and bolt-type connector are extrusion-coated accordingly. For example, screw forces acting on the bolt-type connector would not be directed only via the bolt receptacle into the wiring plate. Instead, they would be largely directed via the form-fit connector into the jacket made of insulating material, thereby resulting in particularly good force deflection. 
         [0007]    When a collar-type section is located at least immediately after the receiving neck, the diameter of which is greater than that of the receiving neck and/or the bolt section located after the receiving neck, this results in a large contact area on the bolt-type connector for perforated contact tabs, for example. 
         [0008]    To reliably fasten a contact tab, it is provided that a screw thread bolt section be provided on the bolt-type connector. 
         [0009]    Reliable connecting methods between the flat webbed cable and the bolt-type connector are, e.g., welding or soldering. 
         [0010]    According to a further embodiment, it is provided that the electric machine with the inventive rectifier unit includes a protective cap which covers the rectifier unit and extends through the bolt-type connector through an opening in the protective cap. This makes it possible to fasten a tab to this bolt-type connector from outside of the electric machine. 
     
    
     
       DRAWING 
         [0011]    Exemplary embodiments of the inventive rectifier unit are shown in the drawing. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  shows a spacial view of the inventive rectifier unit, 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows a top view of the inventive rectifier unit, 
           [0014]      FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  show two views of a flat webbed cable, 
           [0015]      FIGS. 4   a  through  4   d  show various designs of a connector, 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  shows a connector with flat webbed cables located one on top of the other, 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a protective cap and the connector passing through it, 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a schematic view of an electric machine, 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is an alternative embodiment of the rectifier unit. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    Details of a rectifier unit  10  are shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Rectifier unit  10  is composed of a plate-shaped, positive heat sink  27  and a negative heat sink  28  made of a thermally conductive metal, preferably aluminum. The two stacked heat sinks  27  and  28  are electrically insulated from each other by a spacer  29 , and they are both fastened with a wiring plate  30  located on upper heat sink  27  in a layered manner on an end region of a bearing plate of an electric machine, which forms a not-shown, rear shell half. Several negative diodes  31  are pressed with their anode connection into negative heat sink  27  in preferably ribbed bores. Negative heat sink  28  should be fastened flat on the end face of rear shell half, to direct dissipation heat away from negative diodes  31 . Several positive diodes  32  are pressed with their cathode sides into positive heat sink  27  in the same manner. A series circuit of a negative diode  31  with a positive diode  32  and its wiring with one end of a stator winding is accomplished using a flat webbed cable  33  which is embedded in an insulating material  70 , e.g., plastic, in a wiring plate  30 , except for its terminal ends  33   a  and  33   b . Wiring plate  30 , positive heat sink  27 , spacer  29  and negative heat sink  28  are screwed into position on top of each other on the end face of rear shell half using fastening screws  36 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  shows rectifier unit  10 , in a front view. The three flat webbed cables  33   x ,  33   y , and  33   z  embedded in wiring plate  30  are shown clearly. Axis direction  45  indicated in  FIG. 2  corresponds to the axis of rotation of the electric machine, i.e., its rotor. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , a bridge rectifier circuit is formed between a negative diode  31   x  and a positive diode  32   x , e.g., via flat webbed cable  33   x . In a similar manner, a bridge rectifier circuit is formed between negative diode  31   z  and positive diode  32   z  by flat webbed cable  33   z . In addition, a bridge rectifier circuit is formed between negative diode  31   y  and positive diode  32   y  by flat webbed cable  33   y . All three flat webbed cables are separated from each other electrically in this wiring plate  30 , of course. As shown in  FIG. 2 , it is provided that bolt-type connector  48  is mounted on flat webbed cable  33   y.    
         [0023]    A rectifier unit  10  is therefore provided which has a positive heat sink  27 , on which at least one positive diode  32   x ,  32   y ,  32   z  is mounted, and a negative heat sink  28 , on which at least one negative diode  31   x ,  31   y ,  31   z  is mounted. A spacer  29  made of an insulating material  70  is provided which electrically separates positive heat sink  27  from negative heat sink  28 . Rectifier unit  10  also includes a wiring plate  30  which includes at least one conductor element, via which the at least one positive diode  32   x ,  32   y ,  32   z  is connected with the at least one negative diode  31   x ,  31   y ,  31   z  in a bridge rectifier circuit. Conductor element is a flat webbed cable  33 , which has electrically conductive contact with bolt-type connector  48 , which is mounted on it. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3   a  shows flat webbed cable  33   y  in sections, in a top view. A U-shaped bolt receptacle  50  is shown clearly.  FIG. 3   b  shows flat webbed cable  33   y  in sections, in a side view. Bolt-type connector  48  is accommodated on this U-type bolt receptacle in a manner described below. 
         [0025]    Bolt-type connector  48  can have various designs overall. As shown in  FIG. 4   a , it can include, e.g., a receiving neck  53  which is inserted in U-shaped bolt receptacle  50 ,  FIG. 4   b . A bolt section  55  is preferably located after receiving neck  53 , with which bolt-type connector  48  is mounted on U-shaped bolt receptacle  50 . 
         [0026]    Bolt section  55 , which is located after receiving neck  53 , has a form-fit contour  58  on its outer circumference. Form-fit contour  58  and the at least one conductor element of wiring plate  30  are enclosed by an insulating material  70 , and insulating material  70  encloses form-fit contour  58 ,  FIG. 4   c.    
         [0027]    It is provided that a collar  60  is located at least directly after receiving neck  53 , the outer diameter of which is greater than that of receiving neck  53  and/or of bolt section  55  located after receiving neck  53 . In this case, “at least directly after” means that bolt section  55 , for example, is located between collar  60  and receiving neck  53 . It can also mean that there need not be a section, e.g., bolt section  55 , between receiving neck  53  and collar  60 , i.e., collar  60  is located directly after receiving neck  53 . As shown in  FIG. 4   a , it is provided that a screw thread  62  is part of bolt-type connector  48  in the direction toward an end of bolt-type connector  48  opposite to U-shaped bolt receptacle  50 . 
         [0028]    A variant of bolt-type connector  48  is shown in  FIG. 4   d . It includes bolt section  55 , with which it is fastened on flat webbed cable  33   y . Collar  60  is located after bolt section  55 . Screw thread  62  is located after collar  60 , and this is followed by a cylindrical peg  65  with an outer diameter which is smaller than that of screw thread  62 . Cylindrical peg  65  is provided to accommodate parts which can be inserted in place. As an alternative, peg  65  can also be provided as shown in the exemplary embodiment depicted in  FIG. 4   a.    
         [0029]      FIG. 5  shows an assembly example in which bolt-type connector  48  is connected with a flat webbed cable  33   y  according to the exemplary embodiment depicted in  FIG. 4   d . As shown here, flat webbed cable  33   y  is essentially U-shaped, as mentioned above, and this U shape starts in a first plane  80  and extends into a second plane. As shown in  FIG. 5 , flat webbed cable  33   y  therefore extends in two different planes which are based on an axis of the generator or the rotor. Flat webbed cable  33   y  is located near its receptacle  85  over another flat webbed cable, which is flat webbed cable  33   x  in this example. Flat webbed cables  33   x  and  33   y  from two different bridge rectifier circuits are therefore located in two different planes  80  and  82 . Flat webbed cable  33   y  is bonded with bolt-type connector  48 ; welding or soldering are preferred. As shown in  FIG. 6 , it is provided that a protective cap  90  covers the rectifier unit. Bolt-type connector  48  extends through an opening  92  of protective cap  90 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  shows, in a highly schematized manner, an electric machine  100  on which an inventive rectifier unit  10  is mounted. Rectifier unit  10  is covered with a protective cap  90 . Rectifier unit  10  does not necessarily have to be designed such that spacer  29  and wiring plate  30  are spacially separated. Wiring plate  30  can also serve as a spacer  29 ; it would then be located between negative heat sink  28  and positive heat sink  27 . In this case, wiring plate  30  also includes a bolt-type connector  48  which extends initially through positive heat sink  27 , so that it ultimately—as shown in FIG.  6 —also extends through a protective cap  90 . See also  FIG. 8 . As an alternative to the exemplary embodiments described above, it is also possible for the negative heat sink to be realized by a bearing plate of the electric machine. In this case, the further parts of rectifier unit  10  would be placed on the bearing plate.