Drive unit with coolant flow through a space separating an inverter from a casing housing an electric motor
US6201365A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 26, 2000 |
| Grant date | Mar 13, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 26, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S903/952
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A drive unit which uses an electric motor as a power source and has an integrated inverter, with a cooling circuit for the electric motor and the inverter. The drive unit includes a drive unit case, the electric motor housed within the case, and the inverter fixed to the case. A coolant flow passage is provided between the drive unit case and the inverter. The inverter is fixed to the drive unit case through a panel wall, and a partition divides the coolant flow passage into chambers which are coextensive in parallel. As a result, the coolant which flows through the coolant flow passage acts as a two-stage heat shield, barring the heat generated by the electric motor from being transmitted to the inverter.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.