A rotor for a rotating electric machine, the rotor comprising:
- a hollow cylindrical rotor core having a plurality of pairs of magnet-receiving holes formed therein, each pair of the magnet-receiving holes being arranged in a substantially V-shape that opens toward a radially outer periphery of the rotor core;
- and
- a plurality of permanent magnets each of which is received in a corresponding one of the magnet-receiving holes of the rotor core,
- wherein
- for each pair of the magnet-receiving holes of the rotor core, the two corresponding permanent magnets which are respectively received in the two magnet-receiving holes of the pair are arranged so as to together form one magnetic pole of the rotor, the two corresponding permanent magnets being symmetrically arranged with respect to a magnetic pole centerline C1 which extends in a radial direction of the rotor core so as to circumferentially bisect the magnetic pole formed by the two corresponding permanent magnets,
- the rotor core further has, for each of the magnet-receiving holes, first and second magnetic flux barriers and first and second supporting portions, the first magnetic flux barrier extending on an opposite side of the magnet-receiving hole to the magnetic pole centerline C1, circumferentially outward from the magnet-receiving hole, the second magnetic flux barrier extending on the magnetic pole centerline C1 side of the magnet-receiving hole, radially inward from the magnetic-receiving hole, the first supporting portion abutting and thereby supporting a portion of a first magnet flux barrier-side face of the corresponding permanent magnet received in the magnet-receiving hole, the portion of the first magnet flux barrier-side face being away from both radially inner and outer ends of the first magnetic flux barrier-side face and closer to the radially inner end than to the radially outer end of the first magnetic flux barrier-side face, the second supporting portion abutting and thereby supporting a portion of a second magnetic flux barrier-side face of the corresponding permanent magnet, the portion of the second magnetic flux barrier-side face being away from both radially inner and outer ends of the second magnetic flux barrier-side face and closer to the radially outer end than to the radially inner end of the second magnetic flux barrier-side face, and
- for each of the magnet-receiving holes, a second magnetic flux barrier-side end portion of a radially outer wall surface of the magnet-receiving hole is planar in shape and parallel to a radially outer side face of the corresponding permanent magnet received in the magnet-receiving hole, and a second magnetic flux barrier-side end portion of a radially inner wall surface of the magnet-receiving hole is planar in shape and parallel to a radially inner side face of the corresponding permanent magnet.