Systems and method for an electric motor with pin-fin cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12549070-B2
Application number	US-202318354951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2023
Priority date	Oct 29, 2020
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

Various methods and systems are provided for thermal management of an electric motor via a coolant flow around portions of the electric motor, where the coolant flow is disrupted by an arrangement of pin-fins. In one example, an electric motor comprises: a casing including a coolant inlet arranged opposite to a coolant outlet across a central axis of the electric motor; a stator housed within the casing and forming a plurality of pin-fins extending straight outward radially, relative to the central axis, from outer circumferential surfaces of the stator in a staggered arrangement around an entire perimeter of the stator; and a plurality of clearances formed between adjacent pin-fins of the plurality of pin-fins, the plurality of clearances adapted to flow a coolant from the coolant inlet to the coolant outlet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A cooling system for an electric motor, comprising:
a stator comprising a first annular plate and a second annular plate, the first annular plate including a plurality of pin-fins formed integrally on an outer circumferential surface in a first arrangement and the second annular plate including a plurality of pin-fins formed integrally on an outer circumferential surface in a second arrangement, wherein the first annular plate and the second annular plate are arranged to alternate axially between the first arrangement of the plurality of pin-fins and the second arrangement of the plurality of pin-fins; and a controller with computer-readable instructions stored in non-transitory memory that when executed cause the controller to:
energize a coolant pump; and
flow coolant through an inlet opening of a casing of the electric motor to an area between the casing the and the stator, wherein the plurality of pin-fins are spaced away from an inner circumferential surface of the casing, wherein the inlet opening extends radially through a first exterior surface of the casing, and wherein an outlet opening extends axially through a second exterior surface of the casing, the second exterior surface substantially perpendicular to the first exterior surface.

2 . The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the annular plate is one of a plurality of annular plates, and wherein each of the plurality of annular plates comprises a plurality of inner teeth.

3 . The cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of inner teeth extends in a direction opposite to a direction in which the plurality of pin-fins extends, and wherein the plurality of pin-fins extends toward an inner circumference of the casing.

4 . The cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the area is sealed from the plurality of inner teeth.

5 . The cooling system of claim 2 , wherein gaps between the plurality of pin-fins are greater in size than gaps between the plurality of inner teeth.

6 . The cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the instructions further enable the controller to adjust a flow rate of coolant through the area in response to a temperature of the plurality of inner teeth.

7 . The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein coolant flows through gaps between adjacent pin-fins of the plurality of pin-fins.

8 . A system, comprising:
an electric motor comprising a casing and a stator housed within the casing, wherein the stator comprises a plurality of annular plates, each of the plurality of annular plates comprising a plurality of pin-fins on an outer circumference and a plurality of teeth on an inner circumference, wherein the plurality of pin-fins shapes passages through which coolant flows, wherein a flow of coolant around each pin-fin through axial clearances and circumferential clearances in a same axial row of the plurality of pin-fins is substantially the same, wherein a coolant inlet extends radially through a first exterior surface of the casing, wherein a coolant outlet extends axially through a second exterior surface of the casing, and wherein the first exterior surface of the casing is substantially perpendicular to the second exterior surface of the casing.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of pin-fins extends radially outward into a cavity between the casing and the stator.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of pin-fins is in direct contact with coolant, and wherein the plurality of teeth is sealed from coolant.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of pin-fins is straight and extends along a single axis.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of pin-fins of adjacent plates of the plurality of annular plates is misaligned with one another in a circumferential direction.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of pin-fins are in an overlapping quincunx configuration.

Assignees

• Dana Belgium Nv
• Dana Belgium

Inventors

• Pawar Jaywant S
• Prashant Chetan
• Thakare Amol G
• Vanhee Steven

Classifications

• 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

• B60L58/26

  by cooling · CPC title

• H02K1/12

  Stationary parts of the magnetic circuit · CPC title

• H02K5/22

  Auxiliary parts of casings not covered by groups H02K5/06-H02K5/20, e.g. shaped to form connection boxes or terminal boxes · CPC title

• B60K2001/001

  one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle · CPC title