Electric machine for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11728703-B2
Application number	US-202016892255-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2020
Priority date	Dec 4, 2017
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

An electric machine includes a rotor, rotatable about an axis of rotation defining an axial direction, and a stator having stator windings, a coolant distribution chamber and a coolant collection chamber arranged axially at a distance thereto. The coolant distribution chamber fluidically communicates with the coolant collection chamber with a cooling channel through which a coolant can flow. The cooling channel and the stator winding are embedded in a plastic mass made of a plastic for thermal coupling to the coolant. The stator has stator teeth extending along the axial direction and spaced apart from one another along a circumferential direction and carrying the stator windings. The plastic mass is arranged together with the cooling channel and the stator winding in an intermediate space formed between two stator teeth arranged adjacent in the circumferential direction and sections of cooling channel are configured as a tube body within the intermediate space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric machine for a vehicle, the electrical machine comprising:
a rotor, which can be rotated about an axis of rotation, which defines an axial direction of the electric machine;
a stator, which has several stator windings;
a coolant distribution chamber; and
a coolant collection chamber, which is arranged axially at a distance thereto,
wherein the coolant distribution chamber communicates fluidically with the coolant collection chamber with at least one cooling channel, through which a coolant can flow,
wherein the at least one cooling channel and the at least one stator winding are embedded in a plastic mass made of a plastic for thermal coupling to the coolant,
wherein the stator has stator teeth, which extend along the axial direction and which are arranged spaced apart from one another along a circumferential direction and which carry the stator windings,
wherein the at least one plastic mass is arranged together with the at least one cooling channel and with the at least one stator winding in an intermediate space, which is formed between two stator teeth, which are adjacent in the circumferential direction,
wherein, within the intermediate space, the at least one cooling channel is formed at least section by section as a tube body, which has two broad sides in a cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction,
wherein the two broad sides are located opposite one another in the circumferential direction,
wherein the tube body divides the intermediate space, which is limited by a first and a second stator tooth in the circumferential direction, into a first and a second partial space along the circumferential direction,
wherein a first stator winding, which is wound onto the first stator tooth, is arranged in the first partial space,
wherein a second stator winding, which is wound onto the second stator tooth, is arranged in the second partial space,
wherein the tube body surrounds a tube body interior,
wherein at least one separating element, which divides the tube body interior into at least two partial cooling channels, which are fluidically separated from one another, is integrally molded on the tube body,
wherein a first entire side of the two broad sides is arranged next to the first stator winding, and
wherein a second entire side of the two broad sides is arranged next to the second stator winding.

2. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein a first plastic mass made of a first plastic material and a second plastic mass, which differs therefrom, made of a second plastic material is arranged in the intermediate space.

3. The electric machine according to claim 2 , wherein the two plastic masses have different thermal conductivities.

4. The electric machine according to claim 2 , wherein the two plastic masses have the same thermal conductivity.

5. The electric machine according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one stator winding in the intermediate space is embedded in the first plastic mass made of the first plastic material, the first plastic mass together with the stator winding embedded therein and the at least one cooling channel are embedded in the second plastic mass made of the second plastic material and/or are limited by the latter, the thermal conductivity of which is smaller than the thermal conductivity of the first plastic material.

6. The electric machine according to claim 2 , wherein the first plastic material of the first plastic mass and/or the second plastic material of the second plastic mass comprises a thermosetting plastic or is a thermosetting plastic.

7. The electric machine according to claim 2 , wherein the first plastic material of the first plastic mass and/or the second plastic material of the second plastic mass comprises a thermoplastic or is a thermoplastic.

8. The electric machine according to claim 2 , wherein the first plastic material of the first plastic mass is a thermoplastic or a thermosetting plastic, and the second plastic material of the second plastic mass is a thermosetting plastic.

9. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein the tube body has two narrow sides, which are located opposite one another in a radial direction.

10. The electric machine according to claim 9 , wherein the radially outer narrow side of the tube body touches the second plastic mass or protrudes into the latter in the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction.

11. The electric machine according to claim 10 , wherein the radially outer one of the two narrow sides has a larger lateral length than the radially inner narrow side in the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction.

12. The electric machine according to claim 9 , wherein the radially inner narrow side as well as the two broad sides of the tube body are covered or coated with the second plastic mass in the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction.

13. The electric machine according to claim 9 , wherein the lateral length of at least one of the two narrow sides is maximally one fourth of a lateral length of at least one of the broad sides in the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction, such that the tube body forms a flat tube.

14. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein:
the tube body has the geometry of a rectangle or of a trapezoid in the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction, and/or
the tube body tapers radially to the inside in the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction.

15. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein the coolant distribution chamber and/or the coolant collection chamber are at least partially arranged in the at least one plastic mass and are limited by the latter for thermal coupling to the at least one stator winding.

16. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein the coolant distribution chamber and/or the coolant collection chamber is formed by a cavity, which is present at least partially, or completely, in the plastic mass.

17. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one plastic mass, or the first and/or second plastic mass, at least partially limits the coolant distribution chamber and/or the coolant collection chamber.

18. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein the coolant distribution chamber and/or the coolant collection chamber has a ring-shaped geometric shape in a cross section perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotor.

19. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein the coolant distribution chamber and/or the coolant collection chamber is arranged radially on the outside and/or radially on the inside of the first or second end portion, respectively, of the at least one stator winding.

20. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein the coolant distribution chamber and/or the coolant collection chamber each form an axial extension of the stator winding and/or are each arranged in an axial extension of the stator winding.

21. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein the coolant distribution chamber and/or the coolant collection chamber connect axially to the at least one stator winding, or on the first or second axial end portion thereof, respectively.

22. The electric machine according to claim 1 , wherein the coolant distribution chamber and/or the coolant collection chamber connect radially on the outside and/or radially on the inside as well as axially on the end side to the at least one stator winding, or to the first or

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Grabherr Philip
• Hoerz Mirko
• Licen Andrej
• Markic Stojan
• Medvescek Aleks
• Sever Peter
• Sonntag Josef
• Steurer Hans-Ulrich

Classifications

• H02K3/24 Primary

  with channels or ducts for cooling medium between the conductors · CPC title

• H02K5/15

  Mounting arrangements for bearing-shields or end plates · CPC title

• B60K1/00

  Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) · CPC title

• H02K9/227

  Heat sinks · CPC title

• H02K5/08

  Insulating casings · CPC title