# US 10,770,936 B2 · Modular permanent magnet rotor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,770,936 B2 - Document ID: US10770936B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/673,472 - Filed: 2017-08-10 - Published: 2019-02-14 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-10 - Assignees: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation - Applicants: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation - Inventors: Jacek F. Gieras - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10770936B2 ## CPC - H02K 1/27: Rotor cores with permanent magnets - H02K 1/02: characterised by the magnetic material - H02K 1/278: Surface mounted magnets; Inset magnets - H02K 1/28: Means for mounting or fastening rotating magnetic parts on to, or to, the rotor structures - H02K 7/1807: {Rotary generators (H02K7/006 takes precedence)} - H02K 15/03: having permanent magnets - H02K 21/16: having annular armature cores with salient poles (with homopolar co-operation H02K21/20) - H02K 2201/06: Magnetic cores, or permanent magnets characterised by their skew - H02K 2213/12: Machines characterised by the modularity of some components - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) ## Abstract A rotor includes a shaft. A plurality of rotor modules are disposed about the shaft. Each of the rotor modules includes a cylindrical support ring, a ferromagnetic core radially outward of the support ring, at least one PM arc arranged in a first ring and at least one PM arc arranged in a second ring, the first and second ring being radially outward of the ferromagnetic core, and a retainer having a first wall disposed radially outward of the first ring and the second ring and a second wall defining an axial boundary between the first ring and the second ring. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rotor comprising: a shaft; a plurality of rotor modules disposed about said shaft, each of said rotor modules comprising: a cylindrical support ring; a ferromagnetic core radially outward of the support ring; a first permanent magnet (PM) ring including a first at least one PM arc and a second PM ring including a second at least one PM arc, the first PM ring and the second PM ring being radially outward of the ferromagnetic core; and a retainer having a first wall disposed radially outward of the first PM ring and the second PM ring and a second wall defining an axial boundary between the first PM ring and the second PM ring. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The rotor of claim 1, wherein each of the rotor modules is approximately identical. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The rotor of claim 1, wherein each of the rotor modules is rotated relative to each axially adjacent motor module by an offset angle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The rotor of claim 3, wherein the offset angle is in the range of 1°-3°. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The rotor of claim 1, wherein each PM arc of said first at least one PM arc is offset from each circumferentially adjacent PM arc in the first at least one PM arc by an air gap and each PM arc of said second at least one PM arc is offset from each circumferentially adjacent PM arc in the second at least one PM arc said second PM arc by an air gap. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The rotor of claim 5, wherein each of said air gaps has an arc length of at least 1 mm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The rotor of claim 1, wherein each of the rotor modules includes a first disk shaped cover on a first axial end of the rotor module and a second disk shaped cover on a second axial end of the module opposite the first axial end. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The rotor of claim 7, wherein each of the retainer, the first disk shaped cover and the second disk shaped cover are non-ferromagnetic. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The rotor of claim 1, further comprising a first mounting feature disposed on said shaft axially adjacent said plurality of rotor modules and a second mounting feature disposed on said shaft adjacent said plurality of rotor modules and axially opposite the first mounting feature. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The rotor of claim 9, wherein the first mounting feature is removable. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The rotor of claim 1, further comprising a single can disposed about said rotor modules. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The rotor of claim 1, wherein the rotor is further configured to operate as a generator in at least one mode of operations. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The rotor of claim 1, wherein the plurality of PM arcs in each rotor module in said plurality of rotor modules is magnetically aligned with the plurality of PM arcs in each other rotor module in the plurality of rotor modules. ### Claim 14 A permanent magnet (PM) rotor module comprising: a cylindrical support ring; a ferromagnetic core radially outward of the support ring; a first permanent magnet (PM) ring including a first at least one PM arc and a second PM ring including a second at least one PM arc, the first PM ring and the second PM ring being radially outward of the ferromagnetic core; and a retainer having a first wall disposed radially outward of the first ring and the second ring and a second wall defining an axial boundary between the first ring and the second ring. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The PM rotor module of claim 14, wherein the first at least one PM arc comprises a plurality of PM arcs, the first PM ring further comprising a first plurality of air gaps, and the second at least one PM arc comprises a plurality of PM arcs, the second PM ring further comprising a second plurality of air gaps. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The PM rotor module of claim 14, wherein the first at least one PM arc consists of a single PM arc of three hundred and sixty degrees, and the second at least one PM arc arranged consists of a single PM arc of three hundred and sixty degrees. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The PM rotor module of claim 14, wherein the second wall extends radially inward from the first wall. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The PM rotor module of claim 14, wherein the cylindrical support ring includes an alignment notch intruding radially outward from a radially inner surface of the cylindrical support ring. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The PM rotor module of claim 14, wherein each PM arc of said first at least one PM arc is radially polarized and said second at least one PM arc arranged in the second ring is radially polarized. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The PM rotor module of claim 19, wherein each PM arc of said first at least one PM arc and each PM arc of said second at least one PM arc has a polarity aligned with an axially adjacent PM arc of said first at least one PM arc and said second at least one PM arc and the polarity is opposite a polarity of each circumferentially adjacent PM arc of said first at least one PM arc and said second at least one PM arc. ### Claim 21 (depends on 14) The PM rotor module of claim 14, further comprising a first disk shaped cover on a first axial end and a second disk shaped cover on a second axial end opposite the first axial end, each of the first and second disk shaped covers interfacing with the retainer. ### Claim 22 (depends on 14) The PM rotor module of claim 14, wherein the first wall of the retainer defines a radially outward housing portion of the rotor module.