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Tesla Filed A Patent 'Cantilever Stator'

Tesla Filed A Patent 'Cantilever Stator'

Featured image: Ingineerix

Electric motors and other electrical drive units are used in a variety of contexts. For example, some vehicles have one or more electric motors used for propelling the vehicle. Such motor (s) can be the vehicle's sole traction mode, as in a pure electric vehicle, or it/they can be used in combination with another traction mode, such as in a hybrid vehicle. In some vehicles, separate electric motors are used for driving respective front and rear axles. 

The electric motor has a rotor and a stator, where the stator can be contained in part of a housing that also encloses a gearbox and in some cases other components. The process of manufacturing such motors can include a stage of closely fitting together a stator and a housing component, such as a cast aluminum part. In order to assemble the stator into its proper location inside the housing, it may be necessary to heat the cast housing so that its dimensions increase, and thereafter relatively quickly insert the stator component. Thereafter, the contraction as the housing cools down creates the close fit between the parts.

Such designs can facilitate a convenient manufacturing process in which the assembly of the housing and stator components is simplified, while allows for adjustments or reassembly of parts if necessary.

Tesla discloses this invention in its new patent 'Cantilever stator'.

Patent Filing Date: November 4, 2019
Patent Publication Date: July 30, 2020


FIG. 1 shows an example of an electric motor with a cantilever stator having a bucket cover.

This patent describes examples of electric motors configured to have a cantilever stator attached to a housing by way of tie bonds.

According to the patent, an electric motor includes: a housing having a first rotor bearing and a stator support surface; a cantilever stator that includes a lamination stack, a first side of the lamination stack abutting the stator support surface and a second side of the lamination stack abutting a stator endbell that has a second rotor bearing, where the cantilever stator is held by way of tie rods attaching the stator endbell to the housing; and a rotor in the cantilever stator, the rotor held by the first and second rotor bearings.

About the Author

Eva Fox

Eva Fox

Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.

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