# US 12,603,538 B2 · Rotating electric machine system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,603,538 B2 - Document ID: US12603538B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/448,314 - Filed: 2023-08-11 - Published: 2024-02-15 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2022-08-12 - Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Satoshi Ueguchi; Gen Nakamura; Hiroyasu Koen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12603538B2 ## CPC - H02K 5/18: with ribs or fins for improving heat transfer - H02K 9/06: with fans or impellers driven by the machine shaft - H02K 1/32: with channels or ducts for flow of cooling medium - H02K 5/1732: {radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor (H02K5/1737 takes precedence)} - H02K 5/203: {specially adapted for liquids, e.g. cooling jackets} - H02K 5/207: {with openings in the casing specially adapted for ambient air} - H02K 7/1823: {structurally associated with turbines or similar engines} - F02C 6/00: Plural gas-turbine plants; Combinations of gas-turbine plants with other apparatus; Adaptations of gas-turbine plants for special use - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) - F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00) ## Abstract A rotor of a rotating electric machine system is equipped with cooling passages and gas flow passages through which compressed air for cooling flows. The rotating electric machine system is equipped with a rectifying structure having a plurality of fins that are capable of rectifying the flow of the compressed air. The rectifying structure is fixed to a non-rotating portion inside a main housing. The rectifying structure faces toward the cooling passages and the gas flow passages. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rotating electric machine system comprising: a rotor including a magnet; a stator configured to surround the rotor; a housing in which the rotor and the stator are accommodated, and configured to rotatably support the rotor, wherein, on at least one of an interior or an outer circumferential portion of the rotor, a cooling passage is provided through which there flows a cooling gas supplied from a gas supplying mechanism which is provided separately from the rotor; the rotating electric machine system further comprises a rectifying structure including a plurality of fins configured to rectify flow of the gas; the rectifying structure is fixed to a non-rotating portion inside the housing in a manner so as to face toward the cooling passage; the cooling passage includes: a rotor internal cooling passage disposed in the interior of the rotor, and a gas flow passage disposed between the rotor and the stator and through which the gas flows; each of the plurality of fins directly face each of the rotor internal cooling passage and the gas flow passage in an axial direction of the rotor; a first space that is provided on an upstream side of the gas flow passage and the rotor internal cooling passage and communicates with each of the gas flow passage and the rotor internal cooling passage, and a second space that is provided on a downstream side of the gas flow passage and the rotor internal cooling passage and communicates with each of the gas flow passage and the rotor internal cooling passage, wherein the gas supplied to the first space branches and flows into the gas flow passage and the rotor internal cooling passage, the gas flowing through each of the gas flow passage and the rotor internal cooling passage merges at the second space, and each of the plurality of fins is disposed in the first space and the second space. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 1, wherein: the rotor internal cooling passage includes an opening portion configured to open on an outer surface of the rotor; the opening portion is offset in a radial direction from an axial center of rotation of the rotor, and opens on the outer surface of the rotor, and the plurality of fins are arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the rotor in a manner so as to surround the axial center of rotation of the rotor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 2, wherein: the rotor internal cooling passage comprises a plurality of the rotor internal cooling passages, and the plurality of rotor internal cooling passages are arranged in the rotor so as to be equally spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the rotor; and the plurality of fins face toward, in the axial direction of the rotor, a virtual circle connecting a plurality of the opening portions of the rotor internal cooling passages. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 2, wherein: the rotor includes a main body portion supported in the housing, and an enlarged diameter portion arranged at an intermediate portion between one end part and another end part of the main body portion in the axial direction of the rotor, and enlarged in diameter outwardly in the radial direction from the main body portion; the opening portion opens on an end surface of the enlarged diameter portion in the axial direction; and the plurality of fins and the enlarged diameter portion face toward each other in the axial direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 2, wherein: the opening portion includes an inlet and an outlet of the rotor internal cooling passage; and the rectifying structure includes an outlet side rectifying member facing toward the outlet. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 5, wherein the outlet side rectifying member includes a plurality of outlet side fins configured to rectify the flow of the gas flowing out from the outlet, in the axial direction of the rotor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of outlet side fins includes a direction changing portion configured to curve in a manner so as to change a direction in the axial direction of the rotor toward a downstream side. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 2, wherein: the opening portion includes an inlet and an outlet of the rotor internal cooling passage; and the rectifying structure includes an inlet side rectifying member facing toward the inlet. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 8, wherein the inlet side rectifying member includes a plurality of inlet side fins configured to rectify the flow of the gas, in the circumferential direction of the rotor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of inlet side fins includes a direction changing portion configured to curve in a manner so as to change a direction in a direction of rotation of the rotor toward a downstream side. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 2, wherein: the opening portion includes an inlet and an outlet of the rotor internal cooling passage; and the rectifying structure includes an inlet side rectifying member facing toward the inlet; and an outlet side rectifying member facing toward the outlet. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 1, wherein: the plurality of fins of the rectifying structure faces toward at least one of an upstream side or a downstream side of the gas flow passage. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The rotating electric machine system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of fins includes a plurality of inlet side fins that rectify, from the axial direction to a circumferential direction, flow of the gas supplied to the cooling passage, and a plurality of outlet side fins that rectify, in the axial direction, flow of the gas flowing out from an outlet of the cooling passage, wherein each of the plurality of inlet side fins includes a first upstream end that is provided on an upstream side in the axial direction, a first downstream end that is provided on a downstream side in the axial direction, and an inlet side direction changing portion that is curved to face toward a direction of rotation of the rotor from the first upstream end toward the first downstream end in the axial direction, each of the plurality of outlet side fins includes a second upstream end that is provided on an upstream side in the axial direction, a second downstream end that is provided on a downstream side in the axial direction, and an outlet side direction changing portion that is curved to face toward a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the rotor from the second downstream end toward the second upstream end in the axial direction.