US 12,142,992 B2
Noise abatement for electric motors
James E. Petersen, Jr., Houston, TX (US); Michael David Roush, The Woodlands, TX (US); Keith Louis Verspoor, Seabrook, TX (US); and Jose Armando Godinez Rodriguez, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to Gulf Electroquip, LTD., Houston, TX (US)
Filed by James E. Petersen, Jr., Houston, TX (US); Michael David Roush, The Woodlands, TX (US); Keith Louis Verspoor, Seabrook, TX (US); and Jose Armando Godinez Rodriguez, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Nov. 17, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/950,419.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/941,132, filed on Nov. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0159757 A1, May 27, 2021
Int. Cl. H02K 17/16 (2006.01); H02K 1/2706 (2022.01); H02K 1/32 (2006.01); H02K 5/24 (2006.01)
CPC H02K 5/24 (2013.01) [H02K 1/2706 (2013.01); H02K 1/32 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electric motor, the motor comprising:
a stator, the stator including a cavity;
a rotor, the rotor including a rotor core having a first end and a second end, rotor bars extending from the first and second ends of the rotor core, a first end ring coupled with the rotor bars extending from the first end of the rotor core, and a second end ring coupled with the rotor bars extending from the second end of the rotor core;
wherein the rotor is positioned within the cavity of the stator such that an annular space is formed between the outer diameter surface of the rotor and the inner diameter surface of the stator within the cavity, and wherein void spaces are positioned between adjacent rotor bars that extend from the first and second ends of the rotor core, wherein the void spaces define air flow paths into the annular space; and
air flow restrictors attached to the rotor bars that extend from the first and second ends of the rotor core, wherein the air flow restrictors comprise material positioned within a plurality of the void spaces between adjacent rotor bars and attached to the rotor bars to block the air flow paths between the rotor bars that extend into the annular space such that the air flow restrictors eliminate all of the air flow paths between the rotor bars and abate sound emitted by the electric motor.