Modularized motor structure

Abstract

The invention discloses a modularized motor structure. The motor structure comprises a motor outer shell and a motor shaft, a mounting spigot boss is arranged at the front end of the motor shell, a mounting spigot step is arranged at the rear end of the motor shell, the mounting spigot boss and the mounting spigot step are in small clearance fit, and the step can accommodate the boss; one end of the motor shaft is provided with an internal spline and a positioning hole, the other end is provided with an external spline and a positioning boss, the splines can be meshed and matched, and the positioning hole is in small clearance fit with the positioning boss and can accommodate the boss. Platformization, modularization and universalization of single motors are achieved, a multi-specification motor assembly can be combined only by developing one type of motors, various costs are greatly reduced, module splicing is flexible, connection is reliable, cross combination of motors with different powers and parallel application of multiple motors can be expanded, and the multi-scene power requirements of vehicles are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive motor technology, and in particular to a modular motor structure. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the new energy vehicle industry and the increasing variety of vehicle models, the electric motor, as the core power output unit of a vehicle, directly determines its power performance. Vehicles exhibit diverse power requirements in different usage scenarios, such as flat roads, mountainous areas, and slopes, taking into account variations in cargo load and driving speed. To meet these demands, various manufacturers have developed multiple electric motor products. However, the development of each new electric motor requires complex design, simulation, and verification processes, resulting in long development cycles and significant financial and human resource investments. Furthermore, once the motor design is finalized, its performance is fixed, making it unable to adapt to the diverse power needs of different scenarios.

[0003] Meanwhile, the various types of downstream components for different motor models are numerous and lack versatility. When enterprises develop and produce multiple motor models, procurement and production management costs increase exponentially, and the difficulty of quality control for components also increases. When any structure of the motor needs to be optimized or the technology upgraded, design changes, simulations, and verifications must be carried out for all related motor products. Simultaneously, molds must be modified and inventory must be handled, resulting in huge consumption of time, cost, and workload for enterprises.

[0004] To meet the higher power requirements of vehicles, some manufacturers use multiple motors to form a motor assembly. However, the connection and fixing structure between motors in the existing technology is complex, and the connection structure even needs to be redesigned for combination requirements. This further increases the development cost and cycle of motor products. Moreover, due to the limitations of enterprise development costs, the number of motor models that manufacturers can develop is limited, making it difficult to achieve full coverage of various application scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a modular motor structure. Through the function of this invention, the reliability and flexibility of a single motor can be guaranteed. At the same time, this invention adopts a modular assembly method, and a single motor can be used to form a motor assembly with a single motor, a dual motor, a triple motor, or even more motors.

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0007] A modular motor, comprising:

[0008] The motor housing has a mounting boss at the front end and a mounting step at the rear end. The outer diameter of the mounting boss and the inner diameter of the mounting step are in a small clearance fit, and the depth of the mounting step can accommodate the height of the mounting boss. The rear end face of the motor housing has rear end face mounting bolt holes, and the front end face has front end face mounting bolt holes. The center lines of the rear end face mounting bolt holes and the front end face mounting bolt holes are aligned one-to-one.

[0009] The motor shaft has an internal spline and a positioning hole at one end, and an external spline and a positioning boss at the other end. The internal spline and the external spline are meshed and matched. The inner diameter of the positioning hole and the outer diameter of the positioning boss are in a small clearance fit, and the depth of the positioning hole can accommodate the height of the positioning boss.

[0010] Preferably, in the above technical solution, the motor housing has a first coolant inlet, a second coolant inlet, a first coolant outlet, and a second coolant outlet, with the central axes of the first coolant outlet and the first coolant inlet aligned with each other; a cooling cavity is formed inside the motor housing, with a first inlet communicating with the first coolant inlet, a second inlet communicating with the second coolant inlet, a second outlet communicating with the second coolant outlet, and a first outlet communicating with the first coolant outlet at both ends of the cooling cavity, and a cooling channel is formed inside the cooling cavity.

[0011] Preferably, the above technical solution further includes a plug and a connector. The plug is used to selectively block any one or more of the first coolant inlet, the second coolant inlet, the first coolant outlet, and the second coolant outlet. The connector is used to selectively install at an unblocked coolant inlet or coolant outlet for connecting to an external cooling pipeline.

[0012] Preferably, the above technical solution further includes a front cover plate, a rear cover plate, an oil seal, and a motor junction box. The front cover plate is installed at the front end of the motor housing, the rear cover plate is installed at the rear end of the motor housing, the oil seal is sleeved on the motor shaft, and a junction box mounting boss is provided on the motor housing. The motor junction box is fixed to the outside of the motor housing through the junction box mounting boss.

[0013] Preferably, in the above technical solution, the left and right sides of the motor housing are respectively provided with a left suspension boss and a right suspension boss, and a suspension mount is adapted to be installed on the left and right suspension bosses.

[0014] An electric motor assembly includes at least two modular motors connected end-to-end. The mounting boss of the preceding motor is embedded in the mounting step of the following motor and is fixed by bolts passing through aligned mounting bolt holes on the front and rear faces. The external spline of the motor shaft of the preceding motor meshes with the internal spline of the motor shaft of the following motor, and the positioning boss of the preceding motor is embedded in the positioning hole of the following motor. The power of each motor is superimposed through the motor shafts and output to the outside by the external spline of the motor shaft of the last motor.

[0015] Preferably, in the above technical solution, the cooling cavities of each modular motor are connected in series or in parallel, and an integrated suspension structure matching the number of motors is installed on the left and right suspension bosses.

[0016] Preferably, in the above technical solution, the integrated suspension structure includes a dual-motor suspension and a tri-motor suspension. When two motors are combined, a dual-motor suspension is installed; when three motors are combined, a tri-motor suspension is installed.

[0017] Preferably, in the above technical solution, when the cooling cavities are connected in series, the second coolant outlet and the second coolant inlet of the adjacent motors are sealed by plugs, the first coolant inlet of the foremost motor and the first coolant outlet of the last motor are sealed by plugs, and the second coolant inlet of the foremost motor and the second coolant outlet of the last motor are both equipped with connectors, which serve as the total coolant inlet and total coolant outlet of the motor assembly, respectively.

[0018] Preferably, in the above technical solution, when the cooling cavities are connected in parallel, the first coolant inlet and the first coolant outlet of all motors are sealed by plugs, and the second coolant inlet and the second coolant outlet of all motors are equipped with connectors. The cooling cavity of each motor is independently connected to the external cooling pipeline through the corresponding connector.

[0019] Preferably, in the above technical solution, the modular motors that make up the motor assembly have the same power specification or different power specifications, and the connection structure interface parameters of the motor housing and motor shaft of the modular motors with different power specifications are unified.

[0020] The above-described technical solution of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] This invention realizes the platformization, modularization, and universalization of individual motors. A single motor can be mass-produced as a standardized module. Only one motor product and its matching connection structure need to be developed. This module can be combined and assembled. Theoretically, any number of motors can be combined in series, which greatly reduces the types of motor products and significantly reduces the cost of parts, production management, and overall development. Through flexible splicing of modules, motor assemblies that meet different performance requirements can be formed to adapt to the power requirements of different vehicle usage scenarios. Moreover, the connection structure between motors is reasonably designed, making the combination and assembly more reliable and convenient.

[0022] Meanwhile, if multiple motors with different power specifications are developed simultaneously and the interface structure is designed in a unified manner, cross-combinations of different motor models can be achieved, resulting in motor assembly products with more power ranges. Based on the unified interface design and with the addition of an intermediate connection structure, the modular design scheme of this invention can also be extended to the development of motor products applicable to multiple motors in parallel, further enriching product application scenarios and improving product adaptability and flexibility. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0024] Figure 1A is the front view of the motor's three-dimensional outline;

[0025] Figure 1B is the right view of the three-dimensional view of the motor's exterior;

[0026] Figure 1C is the left view of the three-dimensional view of the motor's exterior;

[0027] Figure 2A This is the front view of the motor housing in three directions;

[0028] Figure 2B The right view is a three-dimensional view of the motor housing.

[0029] Figure 2C This is the left view of the three-dimensional view of the motor housing;

[0030] Figure 3A This is an isometric view of the motor housing;

[0031] Figure 3B This is another isometric view of the motor housing;

[0032] Figure 4 This is an isometric view of the cooling cavity;

[0033] Figure 5A This is an isometric view of the motor shaft;

[0034] Figure 5B This is the front view of the motor shaft;

[0035] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the series cooling cavity structure after the two motors are combined;

[0036] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the parallel cooling cavity structure after combining two motors;

[0037] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the cooling cavity connected in series after the three motors are combined.

[0038] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the parallel structure of the cooling cavity after the three motors are combined.

[0039] The diagram is labeled as follows: 1-Block; 2-Motor housing; 21-Left side suspension boss; 22-First coolant outlet; 23-Resolver connector mounting boss; 24-Right side suspension boss; 25-Mounting stop boss; 26-Front end mounting surface; 27-Second coolant inlet; 28-Junction box mounting boss; 29-Second coolant outlet; 210-Rear end mounting surface; 211-First coolant inlet; 212-Rear end mounting bolt hole; 213-Mounting stop step; 214-Front end mounting bolt hole. 215-Cooling cavity; 2151-First inlet; 2152-Second inlet; 2153-Second outlet; 2154-First outlet; 2155-Cooling channel; 3-Rear cover plate; 4-Oil seal; 5-Connector; 6-Motor junction box; 7-Motor shaft; 71-Internal spline; 72-Positioning hole; 73-Front end shoulder; 74-Rear end shoulder; 75-External spline; 76-Positioning boss; 81-Hanging mount; 82-Dual motor mounting mount; 83-Triple motor mounting mount; 9-Front cover plate; 10-Motor. Detailed Implementation

[0040] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0041] Unless otherwise specified, the experimental methods used in the following examples are conventional methods, and the materials and reagents used are commercially available. Unless otherwise specified, the equipment used in the experiments is well known to those skilled in the art.

[0042] This invention discloses a modular motor and a motor assembly composed thereof. The modular motor can be used as a standardized module to realize any number of end-to-end splicing combinations. By combining the modules, motor assemblies with different power outputs can be formed to adapt to the power requirements of different use scenarios of new energy vehicles. The specific structure and assembly method of this invention are described in detail below.

[0043] As shown in Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C, the modular motor 10 includes a plug 1, a motor housing 2, a rear cover 3, an oil seal 4, a connector 5, a motor junction box 6, a motor shaft 7, a suspension 81, and a front cover 9. The front cover 9 is installed at the front end of the motor housing 2, and the rear cover 3 is installed at the rear end of the motor housing 2. The oil seal 4 is sleeved on the motor shaft 7. The motor junction box 6 is fixed to the outside of the motor housing 2 by the junction box mounting boss 28 on the motor housing 2. The suspension 81 is adapted to be installed at the left and right side boss positions of the motor housing 2. The plug 1 and the connector 5 are assembled at the coolant inlet and outlet positions of the motor housing 2 as needed.

[0044] As shown in Figures 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, and 3B, the front end of the motor housing 2 is integrally formed with a mounting stop boss 25, and the rear end is integrally formed with a mounting stop step 213. The outer diameter of the mounting stop boss 25 and the inner diameter of the mounting stop step 213 are fitted with a small clearance, and the depth of the mounting stop step 213 can fully accommodate the height of the mounting stop boss 25, providing a positioning basis for the end-to-end splicing of multiple motor housings 2. The rear end face of the motor housing 2 is provided with a rear end face mounting bolt hole 212, and the front end face is provided with a front end face mounting bolt hole 214. The center lines of the rear end face mounting bolt hole 212 and the front end face mounting bolt hole 214 are aligned one-to-one, and bolts can be passed through the aligned bolt holes to achieve a fixed connection of multiple motor housings 2.

[0045] The motor housing 2 is also provided with a first coolant inlet 211, a second coolant inlet 27, a first coolant outlet 22, and a second coolant outlet 29. The central axis of the first coolant outlet 22 is aligned with that of the first coolant inlet 211 to ensure precise docking of the coolant inlet and outlet after multiple motor housings 2 are spliced ​​together. A cooling cavity 215 is provided inside the motor housing 2. The cooling cavity 215 provides a channel for heat dissipation of the motor. At both ends of the cavity 215, there are corresponding first inlets 2151 connected to the first coolant inlet 211, second inlets 2152 connected to the second coolant inlet 27, second outlets 2153 connected to the second coolant outlet 29, and first outlets 2154 connected to the first coolant outlet 22. A cooling channel 2155 is formed inside the cooling cavity 215. The coolant can flow along the cooling channel 2155 in the cooling cavity 215 to achieve efficient heat dissipation of the motor.

[0046] The left and right sides of the motor housing 2 are integrally formed with a left suspension boss 21 and a right suspension boss 24, respectively, to provide support for the installation of the suspension structure. When a single motor is used, the suspension 81 is installed. When multiple motors are combined into a motor assembly, the suspension structure is replaced with an integral suspension structure that matches the number of motors.

[0047] like Figure 4As shown, the first inlet 2151, the second inlet 2152, the second outlet 2153, and the first outlet 2154 of the cooling cavity 215 are respectively connected to the first coolant inlet 211, the second coolant inlet 27, the second coolant outlet 29, and the first coolant outlet 22 on the motor housing 2. During development and actual use, one of the coolant inlets and one coolant outlet can be selected according to the needs of the external thermal management pipeline, and a connector 5 is installed at the selected position to connect to the external cooling pipeline. The unselected coolant inlet and coolant outlet are sealed by the plug 1 to ensure the sealing performance of the cooling cavity 215.

[0048] like Figure 5A , Figure 5B As shown, one end of the motor shaft 7 is machined with an internal spline 71 and a positioning hole 72, and the other end is machined with an external spline 75 and a positioning boss 76. The design parameters of the internal spline 71 and the external spline 75 are matched to achieve precise meshing. The inner diameter of the positioning hole 72 and the outer diameter of the positioning boss 76 are fitted with a small clearance, and the depth of the positioning hole 72 can fully accommodate the height of the positioning boss 76. This structural design can connect multiple motor shafts 7 end to end. While achieving power transmission through spline meshing, it ensures the coaxiality of the centers of each motor shaft 7 and avoids affecting the power transmission efficiency due to coaxiality deviation.

[0049] The modular motor 10 described in this invention can be used as a power output unit independently, or it can be combined into a multi-motor motor assembly by splicing the ends together. The specific assembly method is as follows: take at least two modular motors 10, embed the mounting stop boss 25 of the previous motor into the mounting stop step 213 of the subsequent motor to achieve the positioning and splicing of the motor housing 2, and then pass bolts through the aligned front end mounting bolt holes 214 and rear end mounting bolt holes 212 to complete the fixing of multiple motor housings 2; at the same time, engage the external spline 75 of the motor shaft 7 of the previous motor with the internal spline 71 of the motor shaft 7 of the subsequent motor, and embed the positioning boss 76 of the previous motor into the positioning hole 72 of the subsequent motor to achieve the coaxial splicing of multiple motor shafts 7.

[0050] After multiple motors 10 are assembled, the power of each motor 10 is sequentially superimposed through the splined motor shaft 7, and finally output to the outside through the external spline 75 of the motor shaft 7 of the last motor 10, thus forming motor assemblies with different power outputs. For example, by developing a 55kW modular motor 10, motor assemblies with power outputs of 55kW, 110kW, and 165kW can be formed by combining one, two, and three motors 10, respectively, to meet different power requirements.

[0051] When multiple motors 10 are combined to form a motor assembly, the cooling cavities 215 of each motor 10 can be freely connected in series or in parallel according to the design requirements of the thermal management system. Furthermore, an integrated suspension structure matching the number of motors must be installed on the left suspension boss 21 and the right suspension boss 24 of the motor housing 2. For example, a dual-motor suspension 82 is installed when two motors are combined, and a three-motor suspension 83 is installed when three motors are combined. This integrated suspension structure can ensure the overall rigidity and strength of the combined motor assembly and improve product quality.

[0052] like Figure 6 As shown, when the cooling cavities 215 are connected in series, the second coolant outlet 29 and the second coolant inlet 27 of the adjacent motors 10 are sealed by plug 1. The first coolant inlet 211 of the frontmost motor 10 and the first coolant outlet 22 of the rearmost motor 10 are also sealed by plug 1. Only the second coolant inlet 27 of the frontmost motor 10 and the second coolant outlet 29 of the rearmost motor 10 are installed with connector 5, which serve as the total coolant inlet and total outlet of the motor assembly, respectively. After entering from the total inlet, the coolant flows in series along the cooling cavities 215 of each motor 10 and is finally discharged from the total outlet, thus realizing the series heat dissipation of the motor assembly.

[0053] like Figure 7 As shown, when the cooling cavities 215 are connected in parallel, the first coolant inlet 211 and the first coolant outlet 22 of all motors 10 are sealed by plugs 1. Connectors 5 are installed at the second coolant inlet 27 and the second coolant outlet 29 of all motors 10. The cooling cavity 215 of each motor 10 is independently connected to the external cooling pipe through the corresponding connector 5. The coolant can enter the cooling cavity 215 of each motor 10 at the same time for heat dissipation and then be discharged separately, realizing the parallel heat dissipation of the motor assembly.

[0054] The modular motor 10 described in this invention can be developed and mass-produced as a single specification product, achieving different power outputs through combination; alternatively, multiple modular motors 10 with different power specifications can be developed. During the design phase, the connection structure interface parameters of the motor housing 2 and motor shaft 7 of each motor 10 are ensured to be uniform, enabling cross-combinations of different models of motors 10 and generating motor assemblies with more power ranges. Furthermore, based on a unified interface design, by adding an intermediate connection structure, the modular design scheme of this invention can also be applied to the development of motor products with multiple motors 10 connected in parallel, further expanding the application scenarios of the products.

[0055] This invention achieves universal assembly of motors through standardized and modular structural design. Only one motor product and its matching connection structure need to be developed to form a motor assembly that meets different performance requirements. This greatly reduces the types of motor products and lowers development, procurement and production management costs. Moreover, the connection structure between motors is reasonably designed, making splicing and assembly more reliable and convenient. The flexible splicing of individual motor modules can fully adapt to the power requirements of different use scenarios of new energy vehicles.

[0056] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make various different choices and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A modular motor, characterized in that, include: The motor housing (2) has a mounting boss (25) at its front end and a mounting step (213) at its rear end. The outer diameter of the mounting boss (25) and the inner diameter of the mounting step (213) are in a small clearance fit, and the depth of the mounting step (213) can accommodate the height of the mounting boss (25). The rear end face of the motor housing (2) has a rear end face mounting bolt hole (212), and the front end face has a front end face mounting bolt hole (214). The center lines of the rear end face mounting bolt hole (212) and the front end face mounting bolt hole (214) are aligned one-to-one. The motor shaft (7) has an internal spline (71) and a positioning hole (72) at one end, and an external spline (75) and a positioning boss (76) at the other end. The internal spline (71) and the external spline (75) mesh and match. The inner diameter of the positioning hole (72) and the outer diameter of the positioning boss (76) are in a small clearance fit, and the depth of the positioning hole (72) can accommodate the height of the positioning boss (76).

2. The modular motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The motor housing (2) is provided with a first coolant inlet (211), a second coolant inlet (27), a first coolant outlet (22), and a second coolant outlet (29). The central axes of the first coolant outlet (22) and the first coolant inlet (211) are aligned with each other. A cooling cavity (215) is provided inside the motor housing (2). At both ends of the cooling cavity (215), there are a first inlet (2151) communicating with the first coolant inlet (211), a second inlet (2152) communicating with the second coolant inlet (27), a second outlet (2153) communicating with the second coolant outlet (29), and a first outlet (2154) communicating with the first coolant outlet (22). A cooling channel (2155) is formed inside the cooling cavity (215).

3. The modular motor according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a plug (1) and a connector (5), wherein the plug (1) is used to selectively block any one or more of the first coolant inlet (211), the second coolant inlet (27), the first coolant outlet (22), and the second coolant outlet (29), and the connector (5) is used to selectively install at an unblocked coolant inlet or coolant outlet for connecting to an external cooling pipeline.

4. The modular motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a front cover plate (9), a rear cover plate (3), an oil seal (4), and a motor junction box (6). The front cover plate (9) is installed at the front end of the motor housing (2), the rear cover plate (3) is installed at the rear end of the motor housing (2), the oil seal (4) is sleeved on the motor shaft (7), and a junction box mounting boss (28) is provided on the motor housing (2). The motor junction box (6) is fixed to the outside of the motor housing (2) by the junction box mounting boss (28).

5. The modular motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The left and right sides of the motor housing (2) are respectively provided with a left suspension boss (21) and a right suspension boss (24), and a suspension (81) is adapted to be installed on the left suspension boss (21) and the right suspension boss (24).

6. A motor assembly, characterized in that, The system includes at least two modular motors (10) as described in any one of claims 1-5. Each modular motor (10) is connected end to end. The mounting stop boss (25) of the preceding motor is embedded in the mounting stop step (213) of the following motor and is fixed by bolts passing through aligned front end mounting bolt holes (214) and rear end mounting bolt holes (212). The external spline (75) of the motor shaft (7) of the preceding motor meshes with the internal spline (71) of the motor shaft (7) of the following motor, and the positioning boss (76) of the preceding motor is embedded in the positioning hole (72) of the following motor. The power of each motor (10) is superimposed through the motor shafts (7) and output to the outside through the external spline (75) of the motor shaft (7) of the last motor (10).

7. The motor assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The cooling cavities (215) of each modular motor (10) are connected in series or in parallel. The left suspension boss (21) and the right suspension boss (24) are equipped with an integrated suspension structure that matches the number of motors (10).

8. The motor assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, The integrated suspension structure includes a dual-motor suspension (82) and a three-motor suspension (83). When two motors (10) are combined, the dual-motor suspension (82) is installed, and when three motors (10) are combined, the three-motor suspension (83) is installed.

9. The motor assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, When each cooling cavity (215) is connected in series, the second coolant outlet (29) and the second coolant inlet (27) of the adjacent motor (10) are blocked by a plug (1), the first coolant inlet (211) of the frontmost motor (10) and the first coolant outlet (22) of the rearmost motor (10) are blocked by a plug (1), and the second coolant inlet (27) of the frontmost motor (10) and the second coolant outlet (29) of the rearmost motor (10) are both equipped with a connector (5), which serves as the total coolant inlet and total outlet of the motor assembly, respectively.

10. The motor assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, When the cooling cavities (215) are connected in parallel, the first coolant inlet (211) and the first coolant outlet (22) of all motors (10) are blocked by plugs (1), and the second coolant inlet (27) and the second coolant outlet (29) of all motors (10) are equipped with connectors (5). The cooling cavity (215) of each motor (10) is independently connected to the external cooling pipeline through the corresponding connectors (5).

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