Electric drive module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11456239-B2
Application number	US-202217691244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2022
Priority date	Apr 25, 2019
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

An electric drive module having a motor and an inverter that are disposed in a housing The motor includes a stator, which has a plurality of sets of windings. The inverter has a plurality of power semiconductors, which are mounted into a retaining member, an end plate, which is sealingly coupled to the retaining member, and an inlet port that extends through the end plate. Sets of the semiconductor devices are electrically coupled to corresponding sets of the windings. Power terminals on the semiconductor devices are coupled to a heat sink. Fins on the heat sinks extend into an annular region that is adjacent to axial ends of the windings. At least one of the retaining member and the end plate is sealingly coupled to the housing assembly. The inlet port, the annular region and cooling passages in the stator are coupled in fluid communication.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric drive module comprising:
a housing assembly;
an electric motor received in the housing assembly and having a stator and a rotor that is rotatable relative to the stator about a rotary axis, the stator having a plurality of sets of field windings and a plurality of phase leads, each of the phase leads being electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the sets of field windings; and
an inverter having a retaining member, an end plate, a circuit board assembly, a plurality of power semiconductor devices, and one or more heat sinks, the retaining member being received between the housing assembly and an axial end of each of the sets of field windings, the end plate being fixedly and sealingly coupled to the retaining member, the circuit board assembly being received in the retaining member on a first side of the end plate, each of the power semiconductor devices having a plurality of device terminals and a power terminal that is electrically coupled to one of the device terminals, the power semiconductor devices being arranged within the retaining member such that the power terminals are disposed on a second side of the end plate that is opposite the first side, wherein the device terminals of the power semiconductor devices extend through the end plate and are electrically coupled to the circuit board assembly, the power terminal of each of the power semiconductor devices being mounted to the one or more heat sinks, each of the one or more heat sinks having a plurality of fins, wherein the fins of the heat sinks are disposed in a region that is adjacent to the axial ends of the sets of field windings, wherein an inlet port is formed through the end plate, the inlet port being adapted to receive a liquid cooling fluid therethrough, the inlet port being coupled in fluid communication to the region.

2. The electric drive module of claim 1 , wherein the inverter comprises a plurality of conductor plates, each of the conductor plates being electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the phase leads and to a corresponding set of the power semiconductor devices.

3. The electric drive module of claim 2 , wherein the inverter further comprises a plurality of current sensors, each of the current sensors having a plurality of C-shaped current sensor laminations and a Hall-effect sensor, each of the C-shaped current sensor laminations having a pair of faces that are separated from and face one another, the Hall-effect sensor being coupled to the circuit board assembly and having a sensor portion that is disposed between the faces of the C-shaped current sensor laminations.

4. The electric drive module of claim 3 , wherein the inverter further comprises a sensor mount that is coupled to the retaining member, the sensor mount having a guide tube into which the sensor portion of the Hall-effect sensor is received.

5. The electric drive module of claim 4 , wherein the sensor mount is unitarily and integrally formed with the retaining member.

6. The electric drive module of claim 4 , wherein the inverter further comprises a plurality of current sensor lamination mounts that are coupled to the retaining member, each of the current sensor lamination mounts being configured to receive thereon the C-shaped current sensor laminations of a corresponding one of the current sensors.

7. The electric drive module of claim 6 , wherein the current sensor lamination mounts are unitarily and integrally formed with the retaining member.

8. The electric drive module of claim 3 , wherein the inverter further comprises a plurality of current sensor lamination mounts that are coupled to the retaining member, each of the current sensor lamination mounts being configured to receive thereon the C-shaped current sensor laminations of a corresponding one of the current sensors.

9. The electric drive module of claim 8 , wherein the current sensor lamination mounts are unitarily and integrally formed with the retaining member.

10. The electric drive module of claim 3 , wherein each of the C-shaped current sensor laminations are disposed along the phase leads between a corresponding one of the sets of field windings and a circuit board of the circuit board assembly.

11. The electric drive module of claim 3 , wherein the Hall-effect sensor of each of the current sensors is mounted directly on a circuit board of the circuit board assembly.

12. The electric drive module of claim 1 , wherein the region is in fluid communication with the electric motor such that cooling fluid that is discharged from the region is employed to cool a portion of the electric motor.

13. The electric drive module of claim 12 , wherein a plurality of stator cooling passages are formed through the stator and wherein the stator cooling passages are in fluid communication with the region.

14. The electric drive module of claim 1 , wherein a magnet is mounted to the rotor for rotation therewith, and wherein the circuit board assembly includes a TMR sensor that senses a rotational position of the magnet.

15. The electric drive module of claim 1 , further comprising a transmission and a first output shaft, the transmission transmitting rotary power between the rotor and the first output shaft.

16. The electric drive module of claim 15 , further comprising a differential assembly and a second output shaft, the differential assembly including a differential input member, which is coupled for rotation with an output gear of the transmission, and a pair of differential output members, each of the first and second output shafts being coupled to an associated one of the differential output members for rotation therewith.

Assignees

• American Axle & Mfg Inc

Inventors

• Downs James P
• Crecelius David
• Ronning Jeffrey J
• Valente Paul J
• Morgante John C

Classifications

• H10W90/755

  between a chip and a laterally-adjacent insulating package substrate, interpose or RDL · CPC title

• H10W72/884

  Die-attach connectors and bond wires · CPC title

• H10W72/075

  of bond wires · CPC title

• H10W72/073

  of die-attach connectors · CPC title

• H10W70/481

  for devices being provided for in groups H10D8/00 - H10D48/00 · CPC title