Electric water pump

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electric water pump comprising: a housing having a cooling water inlet and a cooling water outlet; the stator assembly is arranged in the shell, and stator coils are arranged on the upper surface and the lower surface of the stator assembly respectively; a rotor assembly including a rotating shaft rotatably supported on the housing, a first magnetic body disposed at an upper portion of the stator assembly, and a second magnetic body disposed at a lower portion of the stator assembly; and an impeller provided to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft of the rotor assembly.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0120238 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on September 11, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to an electric water pump. Background Art

[0004] Generally speaking, the air conditioning system applied to environmentally friendly vehicles is often called a heat pump system.

[0005] The heat pump system is equipped with an electric water pump that pumps cooling water. The electric water pump pumps cooling water when an impeller is rotated by power generated by a drive motor operated by electrical energy.

[0006] In order to ensure that the coil of the drive motor is insulated from the cooling water and to prevent the coil of the drive motor from being corroded by the cooling water, a waterproof cover is provided inside the electric water pump. The waterproof cover prevents the cooling water from being introduced into the coil of the drive motor. The waterproof cover prevents the cooling water from being introduced between the coil wound on the stator of the drive motor and the rotor having a magnetic body.

[0007] However, when the waterproof cover is provided between the stator and the rotor of the driving motor, the air gap between the stator and the rotor increases, and thus there is a problem that the performance of the electric water pump is degraded.

[0008] In addition, due to the presence of the waterproof cover, the axial size and radial size of the electric water pump increase, and there is a problem that it is difficult to ensure a packaging space in the limited space inside the vehicle.

[0009] The above information disclosed in this background section is only for enhancing the understanding of the background of the present disclosure. Therefore, this background section may contain information that does not constitute the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the invention

[0010] The present disclosure is directed to providing an electric water pump in which the size of the electric water pump is reduced to facilitate packaging in a vehicle.

[0011] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electric water pump, which may include a housing having a cooling water inlet and a cooling water outlet, and may include a stator assembly disposed inside the housing. The stator assembly may have stator coils disposed or formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the stator assembly, respectively. The electric water pump may also include a rotor assembly having a rotating shaft rotatably supported on the housing, a first magnetic body disposed on the upper portion of the stator assembly, and a second magnetic body disposed on the lower portion of the stator assembly. The electric water pump may also include an impeller disposed to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft of the rotor assembly.

[0012] In some embodiments, the housing may include an upper housing and a lower housing disposed below the upper housing.

[0013] In some embodiments, the cooling water inlet may be formed or disposed at the upper center of the upper housing, and the cooling water outlet may be formed or disposed at one side of the upper housing.

[0014] In some embodiments, the electric water pump may further include an upper bearing disposed in an upper bearing support, the upper bearing support being formed or disposed below the cooling water inlet of the upper housing. The electric water pump may also include a lower bearing disposed in a lower bearing support, the lower bearing support being formed or disposed at the lower center of the lower housing. The rotating shaft may be rotatably supported by the upper bearing and the lower bearing.

[0015] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electric water pump, which may include a housing having a cooling water inlet formed or arranged at the center of the upper portion and a cooling water outlet formed or arranged on one side of the housing. The electric water pump may also include a waterproof cover that separates the interior of the housing into a wet area and a dry area. The electric water pump may also include a stator assembly that is arranged inside the housing and has stator coils formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the stator assembly, respectively. The electric water pump may also include a rotor assembly that has a first magnetic body arranged to correspond to the upper surface of the stator assembly, a second magnetic body arranged to correspond to the lower surface of the stator assembly, and a rotating shaft rotatably supported on the housing. The electric water pump may also include an impeller arranged to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft of the rotor assembly.

[0016] In some embodiments, the wet area may be formed or disposed at an upper portion of the interior of the housing, and the dry area may be formed at a lower portion of the interior of the housing.

[0017] In some embodiments, the impeller and the first magnetic body may be located in the wet zone, and the stator assembly and the second magnetic body may be located in the dry zone.

[0018] In some embodiments, the housing may include an upper housing and a lower housing disposed below the upper housing.

[0019] In some embodiments, the cooling water inlet may be formed or disposed at the upper center of the upper housing, and the cooling water outlet may be formed or disposed at one side of the upper housing.

[0020] In some embodiments, the rotation shaft may be rotatably disposed in the upper housing, the waterproof cover, and the lower housing.

[0021] In some embodiments, the electric water pump may further include an upper bearing disposed in an upper bearing support, the upper bearing support being formed or disposed below the cooling water inlet of the upper housing. The electric water pump may also include an intermediate bearing disposed in a center hole formed or disposed in the waterproof cover. The electric water pump may also include a lower bearing disposed in a lower bearing support, the lower bearing support being formed or disposed at the lower center of the lower housing. The rotating shaft may be rotatably supported by the upper bearing, the intermediate bearing, and the lower bearing.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an axial flux motor is applied to an electric water pump to reduce an axial size of the electric water pump.

[0023] Additionally, the size of an air gap between the stator assembly and the rotor assembly is minimized to increase the output of the drive motor.

[0024] Effects that can be obtained or predicted by the embodiments of the present disclosure are directly or implicitly disclosed in the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Various effects that can become apparent according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The accompanying drawings are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the technical spirit of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of an electric water pump according to the embodiment.

[0027] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an electric water pump according to an embodiment.

[0028] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an upper case of an electric water pump according to an embodiment.

[0029] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a lower case of an electric water pump according to an embodiment.

[0030] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a stator assembly of an electric water pump according to an embodiment.

[0031] Figure 6 is a sectional view showing the configuration of an electric water pump according to the embodiment.

[0032] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of an electric water pump according to another embodiment.

[0033] Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an electric water pump according to another embodiment.

[0034] Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a waterproof cover of an electric water pump according to another embodiment.

[0035] Fig.10 is a sectional view showing the configuration of an electric water pump according to another embodiment.

[0036] <Description of Reference Numerals>

[0037] 10: Shell 11: Wet area

[0038] 12: Dry area 20: Upper shell

[0039] 21: Cooling water inlet 22: Cooling water outlet

[0040] 23: Upper bearing support 24: Upper bearing

[0041] 25: Support rod 26: Support boss

[0042] 30: Lower housing 31: Lower bearing support

[0043] 32: Lower bearing 34: First sealing groove

[0044] 35: Lower sealing member 40: Driving motor

[0045] 50: stator assembly 51: stator body

[0046] 52: Upper stator coil 53: Lower stator coil

[0047] 60: Rotor assembly 61: Rotating shaft

[0048] 62: first magnetic body 63: second magnetic body

[0049] 70: Impeller 80: Waterproof cover

[0050] 81: Center hole 82: Intermediate bearing

[0051] 83: Second sealing groove 84: Intermediate sealing member

[0052] The above-mentioned drawings are not drawn or shown to scale, and therefore should be understood to present a slightly simplified expression of various features that illustrate the basic principles of the present disclosure. For example, the specific design features of the present disclosure, including specific dimensions, directions, positions, and shapes, will be determined in part by the specific intended application and use environment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form, unless clearly indicated differently by the context. It should be understood that when using terms such as "having", "having", "including", "including", "including" and / or "including" in this specification, these terms are intended to represent the existence of the mentioned features, integers, steps, operations, components and / or parts. These terms do not exclude the existence or increase of one or more other features, integers, operations, components and parts or their groups. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one or all combinations of items that are associated and listed.

[0054] By describing the embodiments of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is possible for those skilled in the art to apply these embodiments. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0055] In order to clearly describe the present disclosure, parts not related to the description have been omitted. Throughout the specification, the same or similar elements are represented by the same reference numerals. When a part, device, element, etc. of the present disclosure is described as having a purpose or performing an operation, function, etc., the part, device or element should be regarded as "configured to" meet the purpose or perform the operation or function in this article.

[0056] In addition, since the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily indicated for convenience of explanation, the present disclosure is not specifically limited to the size and thickness of each component shown. In some cases, in order to clearly express various parts and regions, the thickness may be exaggerated and shown.

[0057] Suffixes such as “module” and / or “unit” of components used in the following description are given or mixed only to simplify the preparation of the present disclosure, and do not have different meanings or roles by themselves.

[0058] Furthermore, in describing the disclosed embodiments, when it is determined that a detailed description of the related known technologies would make the gist of the disclosed embodiments unclear, the detailed description of the related known technologies is omitted.

[0059] In addition, the accompanying drawings are provided to help more easily understand the embodiments disclosed in this specification. The technical spirit disclosed in this specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the present disclosure includes all modifications, equivalents and alternatives contained in the spirit and technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0060] It should be understood that when a component is described as being “connected to,” “contacting” or “connected to” another component, the component may be directly connected to, contacting or connected to the other component or a third component may be present therebetween.

[0061] On the contrary, when a component is described as being “directly connected to,” “directly in contact with,” or “directly connected to” another component, it should be understood that there are no elements between the component and the other component.

[0062] Hereinafter, an electric water pump according to an embodiment is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] Figure 1 : is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of an electric water pump according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the structure of an electric water pump.

[0064] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the electric water pump according to the embodiment may include a housing 10 having a cooling water inlet 21 and a cooling water outlet 22 , an impeller 70 disposed inside the housing 10 , and a driving motor 40 disposed inside the housing 10 .

[0065] The housing 10 may include an upper housing 20 and a lower housing 30. An impeller 70 and a driving motor 40 including a stator assembly 50 and a rotor assembly 60 may be disposed in an inner space formed by coupling the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30, ie, inside the housing 10.

[0066] Reference Figure 3 The upper housing 20 is formed in a generally hollow cylindrical shape and is open at the lower portion. A cooling water inlet 21 may be formed or disposed at the upper center of the upper housing 20, and cooling water is introduced through the cooling water inlet 21. A cooling water outlet 22 may be formed or disposed at one side of the upper housing 20, and cooling water is discharged through the cooling water outlet 22.

[0067] The upper bearing support 23 may be formed or disposed below the cooling water inlet 21 of the upper housing 20. The upper bearing support 23 may include at least one support rod 25 extending from the inner side of the cooling water inlet 21. A support boss 26 may be formed or disposed at an end of the support rod 25. The support boss 26 may be formed in a substantially hollow cylindrical shape, and the upper and lower portions of the support boss 26 may be open. An upper bearing 24 is disposed inside the support boss 26. The upper bearing 24 rotatably supports the upper portion of the rotating shaft 61. In other words, the upper portion of the rotating shaft 61 is rotatably disposed in the upper housing through the upper bearing 24.

[0068] Reference Figure 4 , the lower shell 30 is formed in a substantially hollow cylindrical shape, and the upper portion of the lower shell 30 is open. A lower bearing support 31 may be formed or disposed at the lower center of the lower shell 30. The lower bearing support 31 may be concavely formed or disposed on the bottom surface of the lower shell 30. A lower bearing 32 is disposed in the lower bearing support 31. The lower bearing 32 rotatably supports the lower portion of the rotating shaft 61. In other words, the lower portion of the rotating shaft 61 is rotatably disposed in the lower shell 30 through the lower bearing 32.

[0069] The first sealing groove 34 is formed or disposed radially outward in the circumferential direction on the axial surface of the lower housing 30. A lower sealing member 35 is disposed in the first sealing groove 34. When the upper housing 20 and the lower housing 30 are coupled or engaged, the cooling water can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the housing 10 by the lower sealing member 35.

[0070] Refer again Figure 1 and Figure 2 The driving motor 40 includes a stator assembly 50 and a rotor assembly 60. The stator assembly 50 and the rotor assembly 60 generate power through electromagnetic action to actuate the impeller 70 of the rotor assembly 60.

[0071] The stator coils 52 and 53 may be formed or disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the stator assembly 50, respectively (see Figure 5 ). To this end, the stator assembly 50 may include a stator body 51, an upper stator coil 52 formed on an upper surface of the stator body 51, and a lower stator coil 53 formed on a lower surface of the stator body 51. The stator body 51 is a printed circuit board (PCB). The upper stator coil 52 is wound on the upper surface of the stator body 51 with a very thin thickness, and the lower stator coil 53 is wound on the lower surface of the stator body 51 with a very thin thickness. In other words, the stator assembly 50 may be implemented as a PCB stator form in which the stator coils 52 and 53 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the stator body 51, respectively.

[0072] The rotor assembly 60 may include a rotating shaft 61, and may include a first magnetic body 62 and a second magnetic body 63 respectively disposed at the upper and lower portions of the stator assembly 50. The first magnetic body 62 and the second magnetic body 63 may be permanent magnets. The first magnetic body 62 and the second magnetic body 63 may be formed or disposed in a disk shape with a relatively thin thickness.

[0073] The rotating shaft 61 may be provided to penetrate each of the impeller 70 , the first magnetic body 62 , the stator assembly 50 , and the second magnetic body 63 which are sequentially provided in the up-down direction.

[0074] According to the embodiment, the drive motor 40 is implemented as an axial flux motor (AFM) having a first magnetic body 62 and a second magnetic body 63 respectively disposed at the upper and lower parts of the stator assembly 50. The axial flux motor, which is a motor in which the magnetic flux generated from the magnetic body of the rotor is oriented in the axial direction, has a greater torque and higher efficiency than a radial flux motor (RFM) in which the magnetic flux is oriented in the radial direction. In addition, compared with the radial flux motor, the axial flux motor can be easily modularized, and the effect of being able to reduce the volume of the motor can be obtained.

[0075] Reference Figure 6 , the upper surface of the stator assembly 50 and the lower surface of the first magnetic body 62 are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval to form a 1-1 air gap. The lower surface of the stator assembly 50 and the upper surface of the second magnetic body 63 are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval to form a 2-1 air gap. In the case of the axial flux motor, since the size of the 1-1 air gap between the upper surface of the stator assembly 50 and the first magnetic body 62 and the 2-1 air gap between the lower surface of the stator assembly 50 and the second magnetic body 63 can be minimized, the output of the drive motor 40 can be increased.

[0076] According to an embodiment, an axial flux motor is applied to an electric water pump to minimize the axial size of the electric water pump. In addition, magnetic bodies 62 and 63 are respectively disposed at the upper and lower portions of stator assembly 50 to increase the torque of drive motor 40 in a narrow space within housing 10.

[0077] As described above, the rotating shaft 61 is rotatably supported on the housing 10. In other words, the rotating shaft 61 is rotatably supported on the housing 10 by the upper bearing 24 provided in the upper bearing support 23 of the upper housing 20 and by the lower bearing 32 provided in the lower bearing support 31 of the lower housing 30.

[0078] The impeller 70 is provided on the rotating shaft 61. The impeller 70 is provided to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 61. The impeller 70 pumps cooling water introduced through the cooling water inlet 21 formed in the housing 10. The cooling water pumped by the impeller 70 is discharged to the outside through the cooling water outlet 22.

[0079] According to the embodiment, the drive motor 40 as an axial flux motor is applied to the inside of the electric water pump to minimize the axial size of the electric water pump. In addition, the size of the air gap of the drive motor 40 as an axial flux motor is minimized to increase the output of the drive motor 40.

[0080] The electric water pump according to another embodiment is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 6 A detailed description of the construction of the same electric water pump is described.

[0081] Figure 7 : is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the structure of an electric water pump according to another embodiment. Figure 8 is a diagram showing a method according to another embodiment Figure 7 An exploded perspective view of the structure of an electric water pump.

[0082] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, an electric water pump according to another embodiment may include a housing 10 , an impeller 70 disposed inside the housing 10 , a waterproof cover 80 partitioning the inside of the housing 10 , and a driving motor 40 including a rotor assembly 60 and a stator assembly 50 .

[0083] The waterproof cover 80 is disposed between the upper case 20 and the lower case 30. The waterproof cover 80 partitions the inner space between the upper case 20 and the lower case 30 into a wet area 11 and a dry area 12.

[0084] Reference Fig. 9 The waterproof cover 80 is formed or arranged to have a substantially hollow cylindrical shape, and the upper portion of the waterproof cover 80 is open. A central hole 81 is formed at the center of the waterproof cover 80, and an intermediate bearing 82 is arranged in the central hole 81. A second sealing groove 83 is formed or arranged on the radial outer surface of the waterproof cover 80 in the circumferential direction, and an intermediate sealing member 84 is arranged in the second sealing groove 83.

[0085] Refer again Figure 7 and Figure 8 When the upper housing 20 and the waterproof cover 80 are coupled or engaged, the intermediate sealing member 84 provided on the radially outer surface of the waterproof cover 80 can prevent the cooling water from leaking to the outside of the housing 10. In addition, when the waterproof cover 80 and the lower housing 30 are coupled or engaged, the gap between the waterproof cover 80 and the lower housing 30 is sealed.

[0086] Reference Figure 7 and Fig.10, the wet area 11 separated by the waterproof cover 80 is located in the upper part of the housing 10, and the dry area 12 is located in the lower part of the housing 10. In another embodiment, the impeller 70, the first magnetic body 62, the waterproof cover 80, the stator assembly 50 and the second magnetic body 63 are sequentially arranged in the upper and lower directions in the internal space of the housing 10. Therefore, the impeller 70 and the first magnetic body 62 are located in the wet area 11, and the stator assembly 50 and the second magnetic body 63 are located in the dry area 12.

[0087] The upper surface of the stator assembly 50 and the lower surface of the first magnetic body 62 are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval to form a 1-2 air gap. The lower surface of the stator assembly 50 and the upper surface of the second magnetic body 63 are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval to form a 2-2 air gap. Since the waterproof cover 80 is interposed between the stator assembly 50 and the first magnetic body 62, Figures 7 to 10 The 1st and 2nd air gaps of the electric water pump can be relatively larger than the reference Figures 1 to 6 1-1 air gap of the electric water pump described.

[0088] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure are described above, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, the detailed description of the present disclosure, and the drawings, and these modifications are all within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An electric water pump, comprising: A housing having a cooling water inlet and a cooling water outlet; A stator assembly is arranged inside the housing, and the upper surface and the lower surface of the stator assembly are respectively provided with stator coils; a rotor assembly comprising a rotating shaft rotatably supported on the housing, a first magnetic body disposed on an upper portion of the stator assembly, and a second magnetic body disposed on a lower portion of the stator assembly; and The impeller is configured to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft of the rotor assembly.

2. The electric water pump according to claim 1, wherein: The housing includes an upper housing and a lower housing disposed below the upper housing.

3. The electric water pump according to claim 2, wherein: The cooling water inlet is arranged at the upper center of the upper shell, and The cooling water outlet is arranged on one side of the upper shell.

4. The electric water pump according to claim 2, further comprising: an upper bearing disposed in an upper bearing support, the upper bearing support being disposed below a cooling water inlet of the upper housing; and a lower bearing, arranged in a lower bearing support, wherein the lower bearing support is arranged at the lower center of the lower housing, Wherein, the rotating shaft is rotatably supported by the upper bearing and the lower bearing.

5. An electric water pump comprising: a housing having a cooling water inlet formed at an upper portion and a cooling water outlet formed at a side of the housing; a waterproof cover, which separates the interior of the housing into a wet area and a dry area; A stator assembly is arranged inside the housing, and the upper surface and the lower surface of the stator assembly are respectively provided with stator coils; A rotor assembly, comprising a first magnetic body arranged to correspond to the upper surface of the stator assembly, a second magnetic body arranged to correspond to the lower surface of the stator assembly, and a rotating shaft rotatably supported on the housing; as well as The impeller is configured to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft of the rotor assembly.

6. The electric water pump according to claim 5, wherein: The wet area is disposed at an upper portion of the interior of the housing, and The dry area is disposed at a lower portion of an interior of the housing.

7. The electric water pump according to claim 6, wherein: The impeller and the first magnetic body are located in the wet zone, and The stator assembly and the second magnetic body are located in the dry area.

8. The electric water pump according to claim 5, wherein: The housing includes an upper housing and a lower housing disposed below the upper housing.

9. The electric water pump according to claim 8, wherein: The cooling water inlet is formed at the upper center of the upper shell, and The cooling water outlet is formed at one side of the upper housing.

10. The electric water pump according to claim 8, wherein: The rotating shaft is rotatably provided in the upper housing, the waterproof cover, and the lower housing.

11. The electric water pump according to claim 10, further comprising: an upper bearing disposed in an upper bearing support, wherein the upper bearing support is disposed below a cooling water inlet of the upper housing; an intermediate bearing disposed in a center hole provided in the waterproof cover; as well as a lower bearing, arranged in a lower bearing support, wherein the lower bearing support is arranged at the lower center of the lower housing, Wherein, the rotating shaft is rotatably supported by the upper bearing, the middle bearing and the lower bearing.

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