CN110784067A

CN110784067A - Coolant guiding element, cooling system and electric machine

Info

Publication number: CN110784067A
Application number: CN201910700464.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M.劳施瓦比; M.霍夫曼
Original assignee: Volkswagen AG
Current assignee: Volkswagen AG
Priority date: 2018-07-31
Filing date: 2019-07-31
Publication date: 2020-02-11
Also published as: DE102018212794A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a coolant guiding element, a cooling system and an electric machine, in particular to a coolant guiding element (100) for a cooling system for cooling an electric machine (300), having a cylindrical base body (10) which in a mounted state surrounds at least one partial section of a housing (31) of the electric machine (300), wherein the cylindrical base body (10) is formed by at least two segment elements (11) which each have at least one latching connection (12) at an end section (13,14) thereof, wherein the segment elements (11) which are arranged adjacent to one another in the mounted state are connected to one another via the respective latching connections (12).

Description

Coolant guiding element, cooling system and electric machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to a coolant guiding element for a cooling system for cooling an electric machine. The invention further relates to a corresponding cooling system and to an electric machine.

Background

DE 102014112223 a1 discloses a cooling device for cooling an electric machine with a liquid. The cooling device comprises a housing, which is made of plastic. A plurality of axially oriented ribs are provided on the inside of the housing. The housing is designed in one piece and has at least one axially extending slot, so that when the housing is mounted on a housing of an electric machine, the housing is expanded to such a large extent that the housing can be pushed in the radial direction on the housing. The slit runs along the rib, which is thereby divided into two rib halves. At least one of the rib halves has two openings, through which a threaded fastener can be threaded in each case, which can be fixed in a self-tapping manner in the other rib half. To install the threaded fastener in the opening, a cutout is provided in the housing.

Disclosure of Invention

The object on which the invention is based is to provide a coolant guiding element and a cooling system for use, by means of which the cooling capacity can be further improved and which is distinguished by a simplified installation and a simplified construction.

The solution of the task according to the invention is achieved with the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments and developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

The coolant guiding element according to the invention has a cylindrical base body which, in the installed state, surrounds at least one partial section of the housing of the electric machine, wherein the cylindrical base body is formed by at least two segment elements which, in each case, have at least one latching connection at their end sections, wherein the segment elements which are arranged next to one another in the installed state are connected to one another via the respective latching connection.

The cylindrical base body is preferably designed to be locked, so that a cooling medium, for example water, can flow or flow along the inner surface of the base body, which is oriented in the direction of the housing of the electric machine. The coolant guiding element guides the cooling medium such that a suitable and efficient cooling of the electric machine can be achieved. The cylindrical base body is not designed in one piece but in multiple pieces in that it has at least two segment elements, wherein the cylindrical base body is designed by assembling or connecting the individual segment elements. The base body can be constructed from two or, however, also from three, four or more segment elements. The sectional elements are preferably each configured to be curved, wherein the curvature of the sectional elements is preferably the same in the case of all sectional elements. The sectional elements constituting the base body preferably have the same shape and/or the same dimensions. The sectional elements form a single piece, which is mounted to each other in order to construct a cylindrical base body. The mounting is effected via snap connections configured at the end sections of the sectional elements. A quick and simple connection of the sectional elements to one another can be achieved via the latching connection. The latching connection preferably provides a form-fitting connection of the sectional elements to one another. The mutual connection of the segment elements can be achieved by the arrangement of the individual segment elements around the housing and the subsequent connection of the segment elements via their snap-in connections. The connection of the segment elements can be realized, for example, via a click connection (sometimes referred to as a snap connection) by means of a snap connection. By means of such a configuration of the columnar base body and the segment elements, the production can be simplified, since they can be easily released from the mold in the case of production from a molding tool. In the case of the production of the sectional element by injection molding, radial ejection of the sectional element from the tool is possible, whereby the ejection can be substantially simplified and the geometry of the sectional element can also be designed variably without making ejection difficult. Furthermore, component tolerances can be reduced by constructing the base body from segmented elements.

The detent connection is preferably designed in such a way that it forms a puzzle-type locking. The puzzle-like locking enables a simple and reliable interlocking of the latching connections, so that a secure fixing of the sectional elements against detachment from one another can be ensured. In the case of a locking of a jigsaw puzzle, for example, one of the latching connections of the segment elements can each have an opening and the latching connections lying opposite one another at the adjacently arranged segment elements can have a round head, wherein the round head can be inserted into the opening in a precisely fitting manner, so that a connection between the segment elements arranged adjacent to one another can be formed. For the locking of the construction puzzle, the head can also have a shape differing from a circle, wherein the opening preferably fits exactly to the shape of the head in the case of every possible design of the head.

Alternatively, it is also possible for the detent connection to be designed as a tongue-and-groove connection. The tongue-and-groove connection also enables a simple and reliable connection of the segment elements by means of which they engage and lock with one another via the tongue-and-groove connection.

Preferably, a plurality of ribs are arranged on the inner face of the cylindrical base body which points in the direction of the housing of the electric machine. Due to the now possible radial demolding of the individual segment elements, the shape of the ribs can be selected at will and thus optimally adapted to the respective application. The ribs can extend the path of the cooling medium in the case of a flow along the inner face of the base body, since the cooling medium can be deflected by the ribs. The cooling capacity and thus the cooling efficiency can be increased by the extended flow path.

Preferably, the rib portions are configured to be straight. The ribs may however also have a curvature along their length. For example, the ribs may be configured in a serpentine shape.

The path of the cooling medium can be optimized in that the ribs are oriented exactly non-axially and thus exactly along the longitudinal axis of the basic body, but the ribs are oriented at an angle α' ≧ 5 ° relative to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical basic body.

The ribs are preferably arranged in at least two rows running parallel in the peripheral direction of the columnar base. The arrangement of the ribs in two rows makes it possible to achieve a more effective deflection of the cooling medium in the case of a flow along the inner surface of the main body, as a result of which an effective use of the cooling power of the cooling medium along the entire circumferential surface of the main body is possible.

Here, it can be provided that the ribs of the first row are oriented at an angle α which is smaller than the angle α' at which the ribs of the second row are oriented.

Alternatively, it is also possible that the angle α of the ribs of the first row is equal to the angle α' of the ribs of the second row.

The coolant guiding element may be constructed from a plastic material or a metal material. If a metallic material is used, it may, for example, comprise aluminium or magnesium. The coolant guide element can be designed, for example, in the form of a plate.

The invention further provides a cooling system for cooling an electric machine, having an inlet opening for conveying a cooling medium, an outlet opening for discharging the cooling medium, a cooling rail along which the cooling medium exiting from the inlet opening flows during a cooling process and along which the cooling medium flows to the outlet opening during the cooling process, wherein a coolant guide element is formed at the cooling rail, which can be embodied or modified as described above.

The solution of the object according to the invention is furthermore achieved by means of an electric machine having a housing, wherein a cooling system is arranged at the outer circumferential surface, which can be configured or modified as described above.

The electric machine can be designed, for example, as an electric motor of a motor vehicle.

Drawings

The following description of a preferred embodiment according to the invention shows further measures for improving the invention in more detail with reference to the following figures.

Wherein:

figure 1 shows a schematic view of a coolant guiding element according to the invention,

figure 2a shows a schematic view of the first sectional element of the coolant guiding element shown in figure 1 from a perspective towards the outside of the first sectional element,

figure 2b shows a schematic view of the second sectional element of the coolant guiding element shown in figure 1 in a view towards the inner face of the second sectional element,

figure 3 shows a schematic view of another coolant guiding element according to the invention,

fig. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a sectional element of the coolant guiding element shown in fig. 3.

List of reference numerals

100 coolant guiding element

10 base body

11 segmented element

12 latch connection

13 end section

14 end section

15 inner face

16 ribs

17 first row

18 second row

L longitudinal axis.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a coolant guiding element 100 according to the invention. It has a cylindrical base body 10 which is locked on the circumferential side in the mounted state as shown in fig. 1.

The cylindrical base body 10 is formed in multiple parts, wherein, in the case of the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the base body 10 is formed from three sectional elements 11. Two of these sectional elements 11 are again shown separately in fig. 2a and 2 b.

All three sectional elements 11 are of curved design, wherein the radius of curvature of the sectional elements 11 is of the same size in the case of all three sectional elements 11.

The segment elements 11 arranged adjacent to one another in each case are connected to one another via a latching connection 12. Each segment element 11 has two latching connections 12 of this type at its

end sections

13, 14.

In the case of the embodiment shown in fig. 1,2a and 2b, the detent connection 12 forms a jigsaw puzzle lock. The locking of the jigsaw puzzle is in each case designed in such a way that the latching connections 12 are in each case formed by openings at the end sections 13 of the sectional elements 11 and in such a way that the latching connections 12 are in each case formed by circular heads at the opposite end sections 14 of the sectional elements 11, wherein, in the installed state, the circular heads of the first sectional element 11 can be inserted with a positive fit into the openings of the second sectional element 11 arranged next to one another, as can be seen in fig. 1, in order to be able to form a positive-locking connection between two sectional elements 11 arranged next to one another.

A plurality of web-shaped ribs 16 are arranged on the inner surface 15 of the cylindrical base body 10. The ribs 16 project from the inner face 15 of the base body 10. The ribs 16 form guide elements for the cooling medium, which flow along the inner face 15 of the main body 10, wherein the flow of the cooling medium is deflected by the ribs 16 and the path of the cooling medium along the inner face 15 of the main body 10 can thereby be extended.

The ribs 16 are oriented at an angle α' ≧ 5 ° relative to the longitudinal axis L of the cylindrical base body 10, the ribs 16 thereby do not run exactly parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the base body 10, but the ribs 16 are set obliquely to the longitudinal axis L of the base body 10.

The ribs 16 are arranged in two

rows

17,18 extending parallel in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical base body 10. The ribs 16 of the

rows

17,18 run parallel to one another and have the same spacing from one another. The ribs 16 of the first row 17 are directed in a different direction than the ribs 16 of the second row 18, so that the ribs 16 of the first row 17 arranged at a height and the ribs 16 of the second row 18 form a V-shaped form.

In the case of the design shown in fig. 1,2a,2b, the ribs 16 of the first row 17 are oriented at an angle α which is smaller than the angle α 'at which the ribs 16 of the second row 18 are oriented, the angle α is for example between 5 ° and 15 °, the angle α' is for example between 20 ° and 45 °.

Fig. 3 and 4 show a configuration in which the detent connection of the segment element 11 is designed as a tongue-and-groove connection, as is recognizable in particular in fig. 4 at the

end sections

13,14 of the exemplary segment element 11. Even in the case of a tongue-and-groove connection, the segment elements 11 can be snapped together (sometimes referred to as snap-together) for the connection, so that a secure fastening of one another can be formed.

In the case of the embodiment shown in fig. 3 and 4, the ribs 16 of the first row 17 are also oriented at an angle α relative to the longitudinal axis L of the main body 10, which is of the same size as the angle α at which the ribs 16 of the second row 18 are oriented relative to the longitudinal axis L of the main body 10.

The invention is not limited in its practice to the preferred embodiments described above. Instead, a plurality of variants is conceivable which utilize the illustrated solution even in the case of embodiments of substantially different forms. All the features and/or advantages which are apparent from the description of the claims or from the drawings, including the design details of the method steps and spatial arrangements, can be essential to the invention both in themselves and in various combinations.

Claims

1. A coolant guide element (100) for a cooling system for cooling an electric machine, having a cylindrical base body (10) which, in a mounted state, surrounds at least one partial section of a housing (31) of the electric machine, wherein the cylindrical base body (10) is formed from at least two segment elements (11) which, at their end sections (13,14), each have at least one latching connection (12), wherein the segment elements (11) which are arranged next to one another in the mounted state are connected to one another via the respective latching connections (12).

2. The coolant guiding element (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the snap-lock connection (12) constitutes a puzzle-like locking.

3. The coolant guiding element (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the detent connection (12) is configured as a tongue-and-groove connection.

4. The coolant guiding element (100) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a plurality of ribs (16) are arranged at an inner face (15) of the cylindrical basic body (10) pointing in the direction of the housing of the electrical machine, wherein the ribs (16) are oriented at an angle α' ≧ 5 ° with respect to the longitudinal axis (L) of the cylindrical basic body (10).

5. The coolant guiding element (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that the ribs (16) are arranged in at least two rows (17,18) running parallel in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical basic body (10).

6. The coolant guiding element (100) of claim 5, characterized in that the ribs (16) of the first row (17) are oriented at an angle α which is smaller than the angle α' at which the ribs (16) of the second row (18) are oriented.

7. A cooling system for cooling an electric machine, with an inlet opening for conveying a cooling medium, an outlet opening for leading out the cooling medium, at least one cooling rail along which the cooling medium exiting from the inlet opening flows to the outlet opening (21) during a cooling process, wherein a coolant guiding element (100) is arranged at the cooling rail, wherein the coolant guiding element (100) is constructed according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An electric machine with a housing, wherein a cooling system is arranged at an outer circumferential face of the housing, which cooling system is constructed according to claim 7.

9. The electric machine of claim 9, wherein the electric machine is configured as an electric motor of a motor vehicle.