Electric motor waste heat mode to heat battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11218045-B2
Application number	US-202016813416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2020
Priority date	Jun 7, 2016
Publication date	Jan 4, 2022
Grant date	Jan 4, 2022

Abstract

An electric motor includes a case, a stator that includes end-windings, a rotor coupled to the case via at least one rotor bearing, at least one drive motor fluid pump, and drive motor electronics. The rotor includes a hollow cylindrical body, a first shaft portion, and a second shaft portion, a fluid feed tube having a fluid receive end and a fluid feed end, the fluid feed end extending into the hollow cylindrical body, and a plurality of fluid exit ports. The drive motor electronics power the stator with or without causing rotation of the rotor. The drive motor fluid pump pumps fluid into the hollow cylindrical body via the fluid feed tube, pumps the fluid out of the plurality of fluid ports, and onto the stator end-windings to collect heat from the rotor and the stator. The heated fluid may be used for heating a battery.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric motor, comprising:
a stator; and
a rotor;
a drive motor fluid pump to pump fluid; and
drive motor electronics, wherein in a waste heat mode:
the drive motor fluid pump at least partially fills a portion of the rotor to collect heat from the stator; and
the drive motor fluid pump circulates the fluid to a heat exchanger for heating a battery.

2. The electric motor of claim 1 , wherein in the waste heat mode:
the drive motor electronics power the stator with or without causing rotation of the rotor.

3. The electric motor of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the rotor is a hollow cylindrical body.

4. The electric motor of claim 3 , wherein the rotor comprises a fluid feed tube which extends into the hollow cylindrical body.

5. The electric motor of claim 1 , wherein the rotor comprises a fluid feed tube, and wherein the drive motor fluid pump is configured to pump fluid into the fluid feed tube.

6. The electric motor of claim 5 , wherein the electric motor further comprises:
an output portion coupled between an output of the drive motor fluid pump and the fluid feed tube; and
an input portion coupled between a fluid collection point on the electric motor and an input of the drive motor fluid pump.

7. The electric motor of claim 1 , wherein the stator includes a stator lamination and end-windings.

8. The electric motor of claim 7 , wherein the drive motor fluid pump at least partially fills the portion of the rotor with the fluid to force the fluid from the portion to collect heat from the stator end-windings.

9. The electric motor of claim 7 , further comprising an oil distribution ring coupled to the rotor and configured to deflect fluid from a plurality of fluid exit ports of the rotor to at least one of the stator end-windings or the stator lamination.

10. The electric motor of claim 1 , further comprising a radiator configured to cool the fluid.

11. A system for heating a battery, comprising:
an electric motor, comprising:
a stator; and
a rotor comprising a plurality of fluid exit ports;
drive motor electronics; and
a drive motor fluid pump configured to circulate fluid into a portion of the rotor, out of the plurality of fluid exit ports, and onto a portion of the stator to collect heat from the stator;

a battery; and
heat exchanger in thermal communication with the battery and fluidly connected to the plurality of fluid exit ports to receive heated fluid from the drive motor fluid pump.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the drive motor fluid pump is configured to heat the battery based on a temperature of the battery being below a threshold.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the drive motor fluid pump circulates fluid into a portion of the rotor, out of the plurality of fluid exit ports, and onto a portion of the stator to collect heat from the stator and the rotor.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the electric motor comprises a radiator, and wherein the heat exchanger includes valves to direct the fluid to the battery and/or radiator.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the electric motor comprises a radiator, and wherein the heat exchanger routes the fluid to the radiator for cooling.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the electric motor comprises a fluid reservoir, wherein the drive motor fluid pump is initially submerged in the fluid reservoir and operated to produce heat, and wherein the heat is transferred to the fluid to cause movement of the fluid.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein in the waste heat mode, the drive motor electronics power the stator with or without causing rotation of the rotor.

18. A method for operating an electric motor comprising:
pumping, via a drive motor pump, fluid:
into a portion of a rotor,
out of the portion of the rotor via a plurality of fluid exit ports, and
onto a stator to collect heat from the stator to produce heated fluid; and

pumping the heated fluid to a heat exchanger for heating a battery.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
powering the stator of the electric motor to heat the stator with or without causing the rotor of the electric motor to rotate.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein pumping fluid comprises:
pumping, via the drive motor pump, fluid:
into the portion of a rotor,
out of the portion of the rotor via the plurality of fluid exit ports, and
onto the stator to collect heat from the stator and the rotor to produce heated fluid.

Assignees

• Tesla Inc

Inventors

• Yang Bozhi
• Martins Tomas Vianna
• Graves Scott Michael
• Swint Ethan
• Bellemare Eric
• Fedoseyev Lev
• Dellal Benjamin
• Olsen Leif E
• Hain Alexander

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M10/6567

  Liquids · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title

• H02K7/083

  radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor (H02K7/086, H02K7/09 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02K5/16

  Means for supporting bearings, e.g. insulating supports or means for fitting bearings in the bearing-shields (magnetic bearings H02K7/09) · CPC title