Electric machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9871425-B2
Application number	US-201214110008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2012
Priority date	Apr 6, 2011
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

An electric machine includes a housing which accommodates a stator and a rotor rotationally supported about an axis of rotation, and has a front/rear air inlet opening on a top face and an air outlet opening therebetween. A front/rear air conveying element draws into the air inlet openings air which is discharged from the air outlet opening during operation. A cooler is mounted on the top face of the housing, covering the air inlet openings and the air outlet opening in a hood-like manner, such that discharged air is fed back to the air inlet openings. The cooler has a front/rear partition arranged between the air outlet opening and the corresponding air inlet opening and extending upward from the top face. Air guiding elements are arranged in the housing and/or in the cooler for feeding discharged air at least partially to the respective other air inlet opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric machine, comprising:
a housing having a front end and a rear end, said housing having a top face provided with a front air inlet opening in a vicinity of the front end, a rear air inlet opening in a vicinity of the rear end, and an air outlet opening extending the front air inlet opening and the rear air inlet opening;
a stator arranged in the housing;
a rotor supported in the housing for rotation about an axis of rotation;
front and rear air conveying elements configured for drawing in air at the front and rear air inlet openings and for discharging air at the air outlet opening during operation of the electric machine;
a cooler mounted on the top face of the housing and having side walls and a top cover that covers the front and rear air inlet openings and the air outlet opening provided between the housing and the cooler, such that air discharged through the air outlet opening from the housing into the cooler is fed back through the front and rear air inlet openings from the cooler into the housing, said cooler including a front partition arranged between the air outlet opening and the front air inlet opening, and a rear partition arranged between the air outlet opening and the rear air inlet opening, said front and rear partitions extending vertically upward from the top face of the housing in the cooler so that air discharged from the air outlet opening must firstly rise upwards between the partitions in the cooler and then it can flow across the partitions in the cooler downwards again to the air inlet openings; and
air delivery elements extending from the partitions in the cooler and configured to feed air discharged at a region of the air outlet opening facing the front air inlet opening to the rear air inlet opening and to feed air discharged at a region of the air outlet opening facing the rear air inlet opening to the front opening, said delivery elements extending from upper ends of the partitions in the cooler, and being inclined at an angle relative to the partitions, wherein the air delivery elements are arranged in a region of upper ends of second regions and configured to deflect the air flowing to the air delivery elements by 45° to 70° or at least part of the air discharged in the region of the air outlet opening facing the front and rear air inlet openings in a direction of first regions of the partitions situated opposite when viewed in the direction of the axis of rotation,
wherein the air delivery elements together with the front and rear partitions form two separate flow channels, wherein air discharged from the air outlet opening in the region of the air outlet opening facing the front air inlet opening is blown into one of the flow channels for feeding to rear air inlet opening, and air discharged from the air outlet opening in the region of the air outlet opening facing the rear air inlet opening is blown into the other one of the flow channels for feeding to the front air inlet opening, and
wherein the air delivery elements comprise a transverse partition which extends at a right angle to the axis of rotation and separates the region of the air outlet opening facing the front air inlet opening and the region of the air outlet opening facing the rear air inlet opening from one another, said air delivery elements having each a separating element between the front and rear partitions and the transverse partition, said separating elements of the front and rear partitions extending, when viewed in the direction of the axis of rotation, from the front and rear partitions to the transverse partition, and, when viewed at a right angle to the axis of rotation, from side wall to side wall of the cooler, wherein the separating elements, when viewed at a right angle to the axis of rotation, are stepped or ramped in opposite directions from bottom to top, and the transverse partition, when viewed in a vertical direction, is interrupted between the separating elements.

2. The electric machine of claim 1 , wherein each of the front and rear partitions has first and second regions when viewed at a right angle to the axis of rotation, with the first regions of the front and rear partitions being spaced from the top cover of the cooler at a distance which is greater than a distance of the second regions to the cover of the cooler, wherein, when viewed in a direction of the axis of rotation, the first region of the front partition is situated opposite the second region of the rear partition, and the first region of the rear partition is situated opposite the second region of the front partition.

3. The electric machine of claim 2 , wherein at least one member selected from the group consisting of the second regions of the front and rear partitions and the air delivery elements arranged in the region of the upper ends of the second regions is sized to extend up to the top cover of the cooler.

4. The electric machine of claim 1 , wherein the air delivery elements comprise a number of axial partitions arranged in the cooler, each said axial partition extending from the front partition to the rear partition.

5. The electric machine of claim 1 , wherein the air delivery elements comprise a housing partition arranged in the housing such as to divide the air outlet opening into first and second cross-sectional regions, wherein air drawn in by way of the front air inlet opening is discharged from the air outlet opening in the first cross-sectional region of the air outlet opening and air drawn in by way of the rear air inlet opening is discharged from the air outlet opening in the second cross-sectional region of the air outlet opening, said first cross-sectional region of the air outlet opening being arranged at least partially in the region of the air outlet opening facing the front air inlet opening, and the second cross-sectional region of the air outlet opening being arranged at least partially in the region of the air outlet opening facing the rear air inlet opening.

6. The electric machine of claim 5 , wherein the housing partition extends essentially at a right angle to the axis of rotation in the region of the air outlet opening.

7. The electric machine of claim 5 , wherein the air delivery elements comprise a transverse partition which extends at a right angle to the axis of rotation and separates the region of the air outlet opening facing the front air inlet opening and the region of the air outlet opening facing the rear air inlet opening from one another, said transverse partition having a profile which corresponds to a profile of the housing partition.

8. The electric machine of claim 1 , wherein when viewed in a vertical direction the flow channels cross beneath tubes for secondary air running in the cooler.

Assignees

• Noack Felix
• Weiss Sebastian
• Willems Patric
• Zwack Josef
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Noack Felix
• Weiss Sebastian
• Willems Patric
• Zwack Josef

Classifications

• H02K9/06

  with fans or impellers driven by the machine shaft · CPC title

• H02K9/18

  wherein the external part of the closed circuit comprises a heat exchanger structurally associated with the machine casing · CPC title

• H02K9/04

  having means for generating a flow of cooling medium · CPC title

• H02K9/10 Primary

  by gaseous cooling medium flowing in closed circuit, a part of which is external to the machine casing · CPC title