MACHINE ASSEMBLY, ELECTRIC MACHINE AND VEHICLE

Abstract

The machine assembly includes a plurality of electric machines, wherein rotors and/or stators of the electric machines are mechanically coupled to one another. The electric machine serves, in particular, to constitute a machine assembly and includes a housing for a rotor and/or stator, wherein the housing has a respective first and second mechanical connection element, wherein first and second mechanical connection elements correspond to one another. The vehicle may be an electric and/or hybrid-electric vehicle. The vehicle has a machine assembly and/or at least one electric machine, in particular a drive having the machine assembly or the electric machine.

Claims

1. A machine assembly comprising: a multiplicity of electric machines having machine assembly rotors and stators, wherein the rotors are mechanically coupled to one another, and wherein the stators are mechanically coupled to one another.

2. The machine assembly of claim 1, wherein the electric machines are permanent-magnet-excited machines.

3. The machine assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotors and/or the stators are coupled in series.

4. The machine assembly of claim 1, wherein the coupled rotors are handleable as a single piece and are formed with or on a single-piece shaft or as a single-piece shaft.

5. The machine assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotors are surrounded by the stator or are led through the stator.

6. The machine assembly of claim 1, wherein an operating rotational speed of the machine assembly is in a range of 1000 revolutions per minute and 3000 revolutions per minute.

7. The machine assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotors and/or the stators are coupled to one another in positively locking and/or non-positively locking fashion.

8. The machine assembly of claim 1, wherein each electric machine of the multiplicity of electric machines has an operating power in a range of 30 kilowatts and 2 megawatts.

9. An electric machine for construction of a machine assembly, the electric machine comprising: a rotor; a stator; and a housing for the rotor and/or the stator, wherein the housing has a first mechanical connecting element and a second mechanical connecting element, and wherein the first mechanical connecting element and the second mechanical connecting element correspond with one another.

10. A vehicle comprising: a propulsion unit; and a machine assembly coupled to the propulsion unit, the machine assembly having a plurality of electric machines, wherein the plurality of electric machines has rotors and stators, wherein the rotors are mechanically coupled to one another, and wherein the stators are mechanically coupled to one another.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the vehicle is an electric aerial vehicle or a hybrid-electric aerial vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the electric aerial vehicle or the hybrid-electric aerial vehicle is an aircraft.

13. The machine assembly of claim 2, wherein the permanent-magnet-excited machines are motors and/or generators.

14. The machine assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotors and/or stators are coupled to one another by clamping connections.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The disclosure will be discussed in more detail below on the basis of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

[0026] In the drawings:

[0027] FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of an electric aircraft with an electric motor assembly in a perspective illustration.

[0028] FIG. 2 schematically shows the electric motor assembly of the aircraft as per FIG. 1 in a perspective illustration.

[0029] FIG. 3 schematically shows the electric motor assembly as per FIG. 2 in a longitudinal section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The electric aircraft 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 has a propulsion unit 15 with an electric motor assembly 20. The electric motor assembly 20 is of modular construction, as described below:

[0031] The electric motor assembly 20 is assembled from multiple, in the illustrated case six, electric motors 30, which are formed in a manner known per se with a rotor 50 which is guided, so as to be rotatable about an axis A, within a stator 40.

[0032] In the electric motor assembly 20 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, both the stators 40 and the rotors 50 are mechanically coupled to one another. For this purpose, in an axial direction around which the rotors 50 are arranged so as to be rotatable, the rotors 50 are mechanically connected to one another, and the stators 40 are mechanically connected to one another, by clamping connections. The clamping connections (not explicitly shown in FIG. 2) are formed in each case by axial ends, which bear against one another, of housings 55 of the rotors 50 and housings 56 of the stators 40, wherein the axial ends correspond with one another in terms of their shape. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the individual stators 40 and rotors 50 are of similar form and may be joined together in any desired number in the manner of clamped modules. In this way, a rotor assembly 150 is formed from the individual rotors 50, which rotor assembly substantially has a cylindrical design and consequently forms a shaft, which is handleable as a single piece, of the motor assembly 20. Correspondingly, a stator assembly 140 of the motor assembly is formed from the individual stators 40 owing to their mechanical connection to one another, which stator assembly has a substantially tubular, cylindrical-shell-shaped design.

[0033] The rotor assembly 150 may thus rotate, within the surrounding stator assembly 140, about the axis A.

[0034] In further exemplary embodiments which are not separately illustrated, the rotors 50 and the stators 40 are mechanically connected to one another not by clamping connections but in some other way, for example by detent connections or by positively locking or cohesive connections.

[0035] Stator assembly 140 and rotor assembly 150 are coupled to one another merely by mechanical connection of the individual stators 40 and rotors 50. A direct electrical connection of the stators 40 to one another or of the rotors 50 to one another is not provided. Thus, in terms of electronics, the individual rotors 50 and the stators 40 respectively surrounding these each constitute individual electric motors 60.

[0036] However, the output side of the electric motor assembly 20 is mechanically coupled by the rotors 50 which are mechanically coupled as a rotor assembly 150. The electrical input side of the electric motor assembly 20 is fed from a common electrical source. In this way, the electric motor assembly 20 acts as a single motor, which is made up of the individual electric motors 60 in series.

[0037] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the electric motor assembly 20 is designed for an operating rotational speed of 2250 revolutions per minute. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the individual electric motors 60 are designed for a power of 250 kW. In this way, the electric motor assembly 20 is configured for a power of 1.5 MW. In further exemplary embodiments which are not separately illustrated, the electric motors 60 are designed for other parameters instead of the parameters presented above.

[0038] In a further exemplary embodiment, which otherwise corresponds to the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the electric aircraft 10 has a nacelle in which the electric motor assembly 20 is arranged.

[0039] In further exemplary embodiments which are not separately illustrated, a generator assembly is provided instead of the electric motor assembly 20. Here, instead of individual electric motors 60, individual generators are in each case mechanically coupled to one another.

[0040] Although the disclosure has been illustrated and described in greater detail by the exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is not restricted by these exemplary embodiments. Other variations may be derived herefrom by the person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection of the disclosure. It is therefore intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that all equivalents and/or combinations of embodiments are intended to be included in this description.

[0041] It is to be understood that the elements and features recited in the appended claims may be combined in different ways to produce new claims that likewise fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, whereas the dependent claims appended below depend from only a single independent or dependent claim, it is to be understood that these dependent claims may, alternatively, be made to depend in the alternative from any preceding or following claim, whether independent or dependent, and that such new combinations are to be understood as forming a part of the present specification.