WO-2026096672-A1 - MOTOR POWER MODULE CLAMPING ARRANGEMENT, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MAINTAINING SPACING BETWEEN MOTOR BOARD AND INTERCHANGEABLE POWER MODULES, AND MOTOR CONTROLLER POTTING SHIELD

Abstract

A motor includes a controller can including a heatsink, a controller including an electronics board and a potting shield, a heat-generating component mounted to the electronics board, and a clamping assembly. The clamping assembly includes an insert disposed between the electronics board and the heat-generating component and a fixation element extending through the insert and securing the heat-generating component in thermal communication with the heatsink. The heat¬ generating component may be interchangeable with other components, and the insert may be interchangeable with other variable thickness inserts. The thickness of each insert corresponds to the thickness of a respective one of the interchangeable heat-generating components to facilitate positioning of the component relative to the heatsink. The controller can and the potting shield at least in part define a controller chamber including a primary chamber portion and a secondary chamber portion. The potting shield is disposed between the primary and secondary chamber portions.

Inventors

• BAILEY, DANIEL E.
• Dos Santos, Victor Hugo
• RIXON, WARREN
• Sherman, Jeffrey Scott
• MODI, CHETAN O.
• FAUST, STEVEN

Assignees

• NIDEC MOTOR CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251029

Priority Date

20241031

Claims (20)

1. 1. A motor comprising: a heatsink; an electronics board; a heat-generating component mounted to the electronics board; and a clamping assembly including - an insert at least in part disposed between said electronics board and said heatgenerating component, said insert defining a fixation element-receiving opening, and a fixation element at least in part received in the fixation element-receiving opening, such that the insert at least in part positions and supports the fixation element, said fixation element securing the heat-generating component relative to the heatsink such that the heat-generating component is secured in thermal communication with the heatsink.
2. 2. The motor of claim 1, said fixation element defining a pair of opposed clamping surfaces, said clamping surfaces clamping said heat-generating component and at least a portion of said heatsink therebetween.
3. 3. The motor of claim 2, said fixation element including a rotating portion defining a first one of said clamping surfaces, and a shifting portion mounted to the rotating portion and defining a second one of said clamping surfaces, said fixation element-receiving opening receiving the shifting portion such that rotation of the shifting portion within the fixation element-receiving opening is at least substantially restricted and such that rotation of the rotating portion about an axis results in axial shifting of the shifting portion within the fixation elementreceiving opening and along the rotating portion, said clamping surfaces thereby being axially shiftable toward and away from each other.
4. 4. The motor of claim 3, said rotating portion comprising a bolt, said shifting portion comprising a nut, said bolt including a head and a shaft extending from the head, said head defining the first one said clamping surfaces, said nut including a nut body and a flange extending from the nut body, said flange defining the second one of said clamping surfaces, said nut body being shiftable along the shaft toward and away from the head.
5. 5. The motor of claim 3, said insert including a plurality of ribs at least in part defining the fixation elementreceiving opening and engaging the shifting portion.
6. 6. The motor of claim 3, said shifting portion and said fixation-receiving opening being complementarily sized and shaped.
7. 7. The motor of claim 1, said insert being mounted to the electronics board.
8. 8. The motor of claim 7, said heat-generating component including a component body, said insert including an insert body spaced from the component body and a projection extending from the insert body and engaging the component body.
9. 9. The motor of claim 8, said insert including a plurality of said projections, adjacent ones of said projections defining flow-through gaps therebetween.
10. 10. The motor of claim 1, said insert comprising a synthetic resin.
11. 11. The motor of claim 1 , said motor further comprising a main electronics board, said electronics board being a daughter board mounted generally orthogonally to said main electronics board.
12. 12. A clamping assembly for positioning and securing a heat-generating component in a motor having an electronics board and a heatsink, said clamping assembly comprising: an insert configured to be at least in part disposed between said electronics board and said heat-generating component, said insert defining a fixation element-receiving opening, and a fixation element at least in part received in the fixation element-receiving opening, such that the insert at least in part positions and supports the fixation element, said fixation element configured to secure the heat-generating component relative to the heatsink such that the heat-generating component is secured in thermal communication with the heatsink.
13. 13. The motor of claim 12, said fixation element defining a pair of opposed clamping surfaces, said clamping surfaces configured to clamp said heat-generating component and at least a portion of said heatsink therebetween.
14. 14. The motor of claim 13, said fixation element including a rotating portion defining a first one of said clamping surfaces, and a shifting portion mounted to the rotating portion and defining a second one of said clamping surfaces, said fixation element-receiving opening receiving the shifting portion such that rotation of the shifting portion within the fixation element-receiving opening is at least substantially restricted and such that rotation of the rotating portion about an axis results in axial shifting of the shifting portion within the fixation elementreceiving opening and along the rotating portion, said clamping surfaces thereby being axially shiftable toward and away from each other.
15. 15. The motor of claim 14, said rotating portion comprising a bolt including a head and a shaft extending from the head, said shifting portion comprising a nut including a nut body and a flange extending from the nut body, said head defining the first one said clamping surfaces, said flange defining the second one of said clamping surfaces, said nut body being shiftable along the shaft toward and away from the head.
16. 16. The motor of claim 14, said insert including a plurality of ribs at least in part defining the fixation elementreceiving opening and engaging the shifting portion.
17. 17. The motor of claim 14, said shifting portion and said fixation-receiving opening being complementarily sized and shaped.
18. 18. The motor of claim 12, said insert including an insert body configured to be mounted to the electronics board and spaced from the heat-generating component, said insert including a projection extending from the insert body and configured to engage the heat-generating component.
19. 19. The motor of claim 18, said insert including a plurality of said projections, adjacent ones of said projections defining flow-through gaps therebetween.
20. 20. The motor of claim 12, said insert comprising a synthetic resin.

Description

MOTOR POWER MODULE CLAMPING ARRANGEMENT, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MAINTAINING SPACING BETWEEN MOTOR BOARD AND INTERCHANGEABLE POWER MODULES, AND MOTOR CONTROLLER POTTING SHIELD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates generally to a clamping and spacing assembly and method for positioning and securing a heat-generating component relative to a heatsink and an electronics board. [0003] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art [0004] Electric motors conventionally include a controller including a printed circuit board and electronics components mounted thereto. Such components may include one or more switches, sensors, additional circuit boards, power modules, and more. Because controllers typically generate substantial heat, they are often positioned in the motor assembly to facilitate transfer of thermal energy. For instance, the power module of a controller might be mounted directly to a heatsink to aid in thermal management. Various mounting techniques are conventionally used to secure power modules relative to heatsinks. Power modules are also conventionally connected to associated electronics boards, such as printed circuit boards. SUMMARY [0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a motor comprises a heatsink, an electronics board, a heat-generating component mounted to the electronics board, and a clamping assembly. The clamping assembly includes an insert at least in part disposed between the electronics board and the heat-generating component. The insert defines a fixation elementreceiving opening. The clamping assembly further includes a fixation element at least in part received in the fixation element-receiving opening, such that the insert at least in part positions and supports the fixation element. The fixation element secures the heat-generating component relative to the heatsink such that the heat-generating component is secured in thermal communication with the heatsink. [0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, a clamping assembly is provided for positioning and securing a heat-generating component in a motor having an electronics board and a heatsink. The clamping assembly comprises an insert configured to be at least in part disposed between said electronics board and said heat-generating component. The insert defines a fixation element-receiving opening. The clamping assembly further comprises a fixation element at least in part received in the fixation element-receiving opening, such that the insert at least in part positions and supports the fixation element. The fixation element is configured to secure the heat-generating component relative to the heatsink such that the heatgenerating component is secured in thermal communication with the heatsink. [0007] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a motor comprises a heatsink, an electronics board presenting a board surface facing the heatsink, an interchangeable heatgenerating component mounted to the electronics board and presenting a board-facing surface and a heatsink-facing surface, and an interchangeable spacing insert at least in part disposed between the electronics board and the interchangeable heat-generating component. The board-facing surface is spaced from the board surface by an offset distance. The interchangeable spacing insert engages each of the board surface and the board-facing surface to maintain the offset distance therebetween and position the heatsink-facing surface relative to the heat sink. [0008] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of maintaining spacing between a motor board and an interchangeable heat-generating component having a component thickness comprises the steps of (a) determining a desired spacing insert thickness corresponding to the component thickness, wherein the desired spacing insert thickness facilitates positioning of the interchangeable heat-generating component relative to the heatsink; (b) selecting an interchangeable spacing insert having a spacing insert thickness at least substantially equal to the desired spacing insert thickness, from a group of spacing inserts having various thicknesses; (c) mounting the interchangeable spacing insert to the motor board; and (d) mounting the interchangeable heat-generating component to the motor board such that the interchangeable spacing insert is at least in part disposed between and in contact with each of the motor board and the interchangeable heat-generating component. [0009] According to a still further aspect of the present invention, a motor comprises a controller can, a controller, and potting material encasing at least a portion of the controller. The controller includes a primary electronics board, a plurality of primary electronics components mounted to the primary electronics board, a plurality of secondary electronics components, and a potting shield. The controller can and the potting shield at least in part