Axial flux motor with cooling jacket

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12266985-B2
Application number	US-202017783913-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2020
Priority date	Dec 10, 2019
Publication date	Apr 1, 2025
Grant date	Apr 1, 2025

Abstract

A motor assembly can include a motor shaft, a stator assembly, and a rotor assembly, and can include a cooling jacket. The cooling jacket can include an inner wall facing radially inwardly towards the stator assembly and an opposite outer wall facing radially outwardly, a circumferential internal fluid passageway for allowing a cooling fluid to be pumped through an interior of the cooling jacket, the internal fluid passageway being disposed between the inner and outer walls and extending between an inlet and an outlet, a mounting pad receiving, at an opening in the outer wall, a heat generating component associated with the motor assembly, the opening being in fluid communication with the internal fluid passageway such that the cooling fluid can provide cooling to the heat generating component.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electric motor assembly comprising:
a) a motor shaft, a stator assembly, and a rotor assembly; and
b) a cooling jacket surrounding the stator assembly, the cooling jacket including:
(i) an inner wall facing radially inwardly towards the stator assembly and an opposite outer wall facing radially outwardly;
(ii) a circumferential internal fluid passageway for allowing a cooling fluid to be pumped through an interior of the cooling jacket, the internal fluid passageway being disposed between the inner and outer walls and extending between an inlet and an outlet;
(iii) a mounting pad defining an opening in the outer wall; and
(iv) a heat generating component associated with the motor assembly, the heat generating component being mounted to cover the opening such that the heat generating component is in direct fluid communication with the internal fluid passageway such that the cooling fluid can provide cooling to the heat generating component.

2. The electric motor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounting pad includes a plurality of mounting pads, each receiving a heat generating component.

3. The electric motor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the heat generating component is a power electronics module.

4. The electric motor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounting pad includes a top wall and a perimeter wall extending from the top wall to the internal fluid passageway.

5. The electric motor assembly of claim 4 , wherein the perimeter wall is generally rectangular shaped.

6. The electric motor assembly of claim 5 , wherein the perimeter wall has long sides running parallel to a top side and a bottom side of the cooling jacket and short sides running orthogonal to the long sides.

7. The electric motor assembly of claim 6 , wherein the mounting pad includes a plurality of mounting pads arranged such that a short end of the perimeter wall of one mounting pad is proximate the short end of the perimeter wall of another mounting pad.

8. The electric motor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electric motor assembly includes an axial flux electric motor assembly.

9. A cooling jacket for cooling a stator assembly of a motor assembly and at least one heat generating component of a motor assembly, the cooling jacket comprising:
a) an inner wall configured to face radially inwardly towards the stator assembly and an opposite outer wall facing radially outwardly;
b) a circumferential internal fluid passageway for allowing a cooling fluid to be pumped through an interior of the cooling jacket, the internal fluid passageway being disposed between the inner and outer walls and extending between an inlet and an outlet;
c) a mounting pad defining an opening in the outer wall; and
d) the at least one heat generating component mounted to cover the opening such that the heat generating component is in direct fluid communication with the internal fluid passageway such that the cooling fluid can provide cooling to the heat generating component.

10. The cooling jacket of claim 9 , wherein the mounting pad includes a plurality of mounting pads, each configured for receiving a heat generating component.

11. The cooling jacket of claim 9 , wherein the mounting pad includes a top wall and a perimeter wall extending from the top wall to the internal fluid passageway.

12. The cooling jacket of claim 11 , wherein the perimeter wall is generally rectangular shaped.

13. The cooling jacket of claim 12 , wherein the perimeter wall has long sides running parallel to a top side and a bottom side of the cooling jacket and short sides running orthogonal to the long sides.

14. An electric motor assembly comprising:
a) a motor shaft, a stator assembly, and a rotor assembly; and
b) a cooling structure surrounding the stator assembly and retaining a cooling fluid in thermal communication with the stator assembly; the cooling structure including an outer wall and a mounting pad defining an opening in the outer wall, and a heat generating component associated with the motor assembly, the heat generating component covering the opening such that the heat generating component is in direct fluid communication with the cooling fluid such that the cooling fluid can provide cooling to the heat generating component.

15. The electric motor assembly of claim 14 , wherein the stator assembly is a flooded stator assembly such that the cooling fluid is in direct contact with the stator assembly.

16. The electric motor assembly of claim 14 , wherein the mounting pad includes a plurality of mounting pads, each configured for receiving a heat generating component.

17. The electric motor assembly of claim 14 , wherein the mounting pad includes a top wall and a perimeter wall extending from the top wall to an internal fluid passageway of the cooling structure retaining the cooling fluid.

18. The electric motor assembly of claim 14 , wherein the cooling structure is a cooling jacket including:
(i) an inner wall facing radially inwardly towards the stator assembly and an opposite outer wall facing radially outwardly; and
(ii) a circumferential internal fluid passageway for allowing a cooling fluid to be pumped through an interior of the cooling jacket, the internal fluid passageway being disposed between the inner and outer walls and extending between an inlet and an outlet;
iii) wherein the mounting pad opening is in fluid communication with the circumferential internal fluid passageway.

19. The electric motor assembly of claim 14 , wherein the heat generating component is a power electronics module and is provided with cooling fins extending into the mounting pad opening.

20. The electric motor assembly of claim 14 , wherein the electric motor assembly is an axial flux electric motor assembly.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Goykhman Mikhail
• Chui Galen
• Baronian Armen

Classifications

• H02K2213/12

  Machines characterised by the modularity of some components · CPC title

• H02K9/197

  in which the rotor or stator space is fluid-tight, e.g. to provide for different cooling media for rotor and stator · CPC title

• H02K5/203 Primary

  specially adapted for liquids, e.g. cooling jackets · CPC title

• H02K9/223

  Heat bridges · CPC title

• H02K11/33 Primary

  Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics (H02K11/38 takes precedence) · CPC title