Electric drive unit and vehicle

Abstract

This disclosure relates to an electric drive unit (1), the electric drive unit (1) comprising: an inverter; a motor; and a housing assembly including an inverter housing (31) housing the inverter and a motor housing (32) housing the motor, the inverter housing (31) and the motor housing (32) being disposed adjacent to each other. The housing assembly is provided with a heating chamber (34), the heating chamber (34) being provided with a fluid inlet (341) and a fluid outlet (342). The electric drive unit (1) further includes a heating element housed in the heating chamber (34) to heat fluid flowing through the heating chamber. The heating chamber (34) is disposed between the inverter housing (31) and the motor housing (32), and is close to the non-driving end of the motor. This disclosure also proposes a vehicle including the electric drive unit (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an electric drive unit, and also to a vehicle including such an electric drive unit. Background Technology

[0002] As vehicles become increasingly sophisticated and their interior spaces more compact, electric drive systems, as a crucial powertrain, face ever-higher demands for lightweight design, miniaturization, integration, multi-functionality, and cost reduction. An electric drive unit refers to the components in a vehicle, particularly an electrified one, that provide power output and propel the vehicle. These typically include a motor, reducer, and inverter. Electric drive units require a battery to supply electrical energy, which is then converted into the vehicle's kinetic energy.

[0003] Batteries are significantly affected by temperature. For example, in cold environments, the charging and discharging capacity of a vehicle's battery system is insufficient when parked, potentially leading to safety issues. In vehicles being driven, low temperatures can reduce battery range and energy efficiency. Therefore, to ensure system safety and increase range, it is necessary to ensure more complete charging and discharging of the battery system.

[0004] Therefore, a system for regulating the temperature of a vehicle's battery is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, this disclosure aims to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the existing electric drive units, and its purpose is to provide an electric drive unit that includes a heating device integrated in the electric drive unit, has a compact and reasonable structure, and can be manufactured and assembled in a simple and cost-effective manner.

[0006] The objective is achieved by an electric drive unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, comprising: an inverter; a motor; and a housing assembly including an inverter housing housing the inverter and a motor housing housing the motor, the inverter housing and the motor housing being disposed adjacent to each other. The housing assembly includes a heating cavity having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The electric drive unit further includes a heating element housed in the heating cavity to heat the fluid flowing through the heating cavity. The heating cavity is disposed between the inverter housing and the motor housing, and near the non-drive end of the motor.

[0007] According to this disclosure, by integrating the heating cavity and heating element structure and electrical aspects into the electric drive unit, particularly by placing them between the inverter housing and the motor housing, the space utilization can be improved, enabling the electric drive unit to have additional heating functions, thereby achieving battery heating at extremely low cost.

[0008] The electric drive unit according to this disclosure may also have one or more of the following features, individually or in combination.

[0009] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the heating cavity is cylindrical and extends along an axis parallel to the drive shaft of the motor, and the heating element includes a connection pin that extends out of the heating cavity on the side near the non-drive end of the motor.

[0010] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the motor housing includes a motor housing body and a motor end cover disposed at the non-driving end, and the heating cavity is disposed on the motor end cover.

[0011] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the electric drive unit includes a bus, which includes a DC section and a three-phase section that are isolated from each other. The connection pin of the heating element is connected to DC power through the DC section, and the three phases of the motor and the inverter are respectively connected through the three-phase section.

[0012] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the heating element includes two connection pins, the motor is connected in a star configuration, the DC section includes a first DC bus and a second DC bus, the DC voltage terminal and one of the connection pins are connected through the first DC bus, and the neutral point of the motor and the other of the connection pins are connected through the second DC bus.

[0013] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the heating element includes two connection pins, and the DC section includes a first DC bus and a second DC bus, through which the two connection pins are respectively connected to the positive and negative outputs of the circuit board inside the inverter.

[0014] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the electric drive unit further includes a reducer housing and a reducer housed within the reducer housing. The reducer is disposed at the drive end of the motor housing, and the main body of the motor housing and the main body of the reducer housing are integrally formed.

[0015] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the main body of the motor housing, the main body of the reducer housing, and the main body of the inverter housing are integrally formed.

[0016] For example, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electric drive unit includes two heating chambers, each of which is provided with a heating element, and the fluid outlet of one heating chamber is connected to the fluid inlet of the other heating chamber.

[0017] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, two heating elements are connected in parallel via the busbar.

[0018] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the DC section includes a first DC bus and a second DC bus, one of the connection pins of the two heating elements is connected through the first DC bus, and the other of the connection pins of the two heating elements is connected through the second DC bus.

[0019] For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the two heating chambers are cylindrical and extend along an axis parallel to the drive shaft of the motor, and the two heating chambers are arranged opposite each other about the axis of the drive shaft of the motor.

[0020] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a vehicle is also proposed, comprising: a battery for supplying power to the vehicle; a battery heating device for heating the battery and having a heating flow path; and an electric drive unit as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the fluid outlet of the heating chamber is fluidly connected to the heating flow path of the battery heating device to heat the battery. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The above and other features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure in any way. The following drawings are not intentionally drawn to scale with actual dimensions; their focus is on illustrating the gist of this disclosure. In the figures:

[0022] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an electric drive unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, shown from a first-person perspective.

[0023] Figure 2 It is shown from another perspective. Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of part of the electric drive unit.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the motor end cover shown from the side of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 4 From Figure 3 The front of the motor end cover shows a schematic diagram of the connection between the heating element and the busbar.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of a portion of an electrically driven unit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 6 From Figure 5 The rear side of the motor end cover in the embodiment is shown as a perspective view of the motor end cover.

[0028] Figure 7 From Figure 6The front of the motor end cover shows a schematic diagram of the connection between the heating element and the busbar.

[0029] In each figure, identical or similar parts are represented by the same reference numerals.

[0030] List of reference numerals

[0031] 1 Electric drive unit

[0032] 2. Connecting pins

[0033] 31 Inverter Housing

[0034] 32 Motor housing

[0035] 321 Motor end cover

[0036] 33 Gearbox housing

[0037] 34 Heating Chamber

[0038] 341 Fluid inlet

[0039] 342 Fluid Outlet

[0040] 4 busbars

[0041] 41 First DC bus

[0042] 411 First terminal

[0043] 42 Second DC bus

[0044] 412 Second terminal

[0045] 43 Three-phase division

[0046] 5 thermal sensors Detailed Implementation

[0047] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The use of terms such as “a,” “an,” or “the” in this patent application specification and claims does not indicate a limitation of quantity, but rather indicates the presence of at least one. Terms such as “comprising” or “including” mean that an element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects.

[0049] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an electric drive unit 1 is proposed, such as... Figure 1 As shown. The electric drive unit 1 may include an inverter (not shown), a motor (not shown), and a reducer (not shown), and may also include an inverter housing 31 for housing the inverter, a motor housing 32 for housing the motor, and a reducer housing 33 for housing the reducer. In this disclosure, the collection of these housings may be referred to as a housing assembly.

[0050] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the motor housing 32 can be generally cylindrical, such as the cylindrical shape illustrated. The motor housing 32 may include a main body of the motor housing and a motor end cover 321 disposed at one end of the main body of the motor housing. In this disclosure, "main body" refers to the majority of the overall structure; for example, the motor end cover 321 is much smaller in size relative to the main body in the direction of extension of the motor's drive shaft, and most of the motor's components are housed within the main body of the motor housing.

[0051] Furthermore, the motor end cover 321 can be located at the non-driving end (also known as the non-shaft extension end) of the motor, and opposite to the motor end cover 321, the reducer housing 33 can be located at the driving end (also known as the shaft extension end) of the motor, so as to make the electric drive unit 1 more compact.

[0052] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the inverter housing 31 can be approximately flattened cuboid in shape. The inverter housing 31 is positioned adjacent to the cylindrical outer periphery of the motor housing 32, such that the surface of the inverter housing 31 with the largest surface area is parallel to the drive shaft of the motor. Due to the aforementioned flattened cuboid and cylindrical shapes and their relative positions, even if the minimum distance between the motor housing 32 and the inverter housing 31 is very small (in the extreme case, zero, i.e., the surface of the inverter housing 31 is tangent to the outer periphery of the motor housing 32), there is still space between the cylindrical outer periphery of the motor housing 32 (particularly referring to the half of the cylindrical outer periphery near the inverter housing) and the surface of the inverter housing 31 with the largest surface area, particularly on both sides of the point where the distance between the motor housing 32 and the inverter housing 31 is minimal.

[0053] To make full use of the space, this disclosure provides a heating cavity and heating element in the space and structurally integrates the heating cavity and heating element into the electric drive unit. Thus, the battery can be heated and its temperature increased at a very low cost with almost no additional increase in the volume of the electric drive unit, thereby improving the battery's performance.

[0054] Specifically, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, this disclosure provides a heating cavity 34, which can be disposed between the motor housing 32 and the inverter housing 31. Specifically, it is disposed between the columnar outer periphery of the motor housing 32 (especially the half columnar outer periphery near the inverter housing) and the surface of the inverter housing 31 with the largest surface area.

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown, the heating chamber 34 may be provided with a fluid inlet 341 and a fluid outlet 342, and a heating element (not shown, such as a PTC element) is provided in the heating chamber, thereby enabling the fluid flowing through the heating chamber 34 to be heated. Figure 3 The positions of the fluid inlet 341 and fluid outlet 342 shown can be interchanged; that is, the fluid inlet 341 can be located below the fluid outlet 342. The fluid flowing out of the fluid outlet 342 (e.g., heated fluid) flows to the heating path of the battery heating device (not shown) for heating the battery. The fluid to be heated according to this disclosure can be a gas, a liquid, or a mixture of both.

[0056] Furthermore, the heating chamber 34 is located near the non-driving end of the motor because the driving end of the motor is equipped with a reducer, while the non-driving end has sufficient space and is easy to wire the heating element, the motor and the inverter, so as to realize the electrical integration of the heating element in the electric drive unit.

[0057] In particular, such as Figure 2 As shown, the heating cavity 34 can be cylindrical and extend along an axis parallel to the drive shaft of the motor, which better conforms to the shape of the space described above. Furthermore, the heating element may include connection pins 2, for example, as... Figure 4 As shown, the heating element may include two connection pins 2, which are used to connect the heating element to DC power by applying a voltage difference between them. The connection pins 2 may extend from the heating cavity 34 on the side near the non-drive end of the motor, which further facilitates the wiring of the heating element, the motor, and the inverter, thereby enabling the electrical integration of the heating element in the electric drive unit.

[0058] like Figure 3 As shown, the heating cavity 34 according to this disclosure can be provided, for example, on the motor end cover 321 of the motor housing 32, and in particular, integrally formed with the motor end cover 321, thereby further facilitating space compactness, reducing assembly steps, and lowering costs.

[0059] Furthermore, to facilitate the wiring of the heating element, motor, and inverter, and to achieve electrical integration of the heating element in the electric drive unit, this disclosure also proposes a bus 4, such as... Figure 4As shown. The bus 4 can be used to connect the motor to the inverter, and also to connect the heating element to DC power. For example, the bus may include mutually isolated DC and three-phase sections 43. The DC section may include mutually isolated first DC bus 41 and second DC bus 42 to be connected to the two terminals 2 of the heating element, respectively. For example, first terminals 411 and second terminals 412 may be provided on the first DC bus 41 and the second DC bus 42, respectively, so that the first terminals 411 and the second terminals 412 can be connected to different potential points, thereby allowing the connection pins 2 of the heating element to be connected to DC power through the DC section. The three-phase section 43 includes three mutually isolated terminals to correspond to the three phases of the current, and the three phases of the motor and the inverter are connected through the three-phase section 43. In this disclosure, the first DC bus 41 and the second DC bus 42 are used only to refer to two different DC buses, and the two are interchangeable.

[0060] More specifically, this disclosure proposes a wiring method in which the motor is connected in a star configuration, thereby providing a neutral point that can be used as a voltage terminal to connect to a connection pin 2, simplifying wiring and further reducing costs. Specifically, one of the inverter and connection pin 2 can be connected via a first DC bus 41, for example, via a first terminal 411 to the inverter, and the other of the motor's neutral point and connection pin 2 can be connected via a second DC bus 42, for example, via a second terminal 421 to the motor's neutral point.

[0061] Furthermore, this disclosure also proposes another wiring method, in which the two connecting pins 2 can be connected to the positive and negative DC outputs of the circuit board inside the inverter via the first DC bus 41 and the second DC bus 42, respectively. That is, the first terminal 411 and the second terminal 412 are connected to the positive and negative DC outputs of different circuit boards, respectively. This allows the electrical control components of the heating element to be integrated directly onto the inverter's circuit board without the need for a separate controller (e.g., a separate circuit board), thereby reducing components and further lowering costs.

[0062] The heating element according to this disclosure can be controlled by an electronic control element to heat under specific conditions (e.g., when the temperature is below a certain threshold). This electronic control element can be a separate component or a circuit board within the inverter described above.

[0063] Figures 5-7 Another embodiment according to this disclosure is shown, wherein the embodiment is similar to the one described above. Figures 1-4 The illustrated embodiment differs in that it has two heating chambers 34, specifically, the two heating chambers 34 are connected to each other. This improves the heating effect on the fluid, further benefiting the heating of the battery. Specifically, each heating chamber 34 is provided with a heating element, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the fluid outlet 342 of one heating chamber 34 is connected to the fluid inlet 341 of another heating chamber 34, so that the two heating chambers 34 are connected in series, and the fluid undergoes heating by two heating elements, thereby improving the heating effect.

[0064] In particular, such as Figure 5 As shown, both heating chambers 34 are cylindrical and extend along an axis parallel to the drive shaft of the motor. In particular, the two heating chambers 34 are approximately the same in size and shape. Furthermore, the two heating chambers 34 can be arranged opposite each other about the axis of the drive shaft of the motor, that is, the two heating chambers 34 are respectively located on both sides of the minimum distance between the motor housing 32 and the inverter housing 31, so as to further improve the space utilization and make the layout of the electric drive unit 1 more reasonable.

[0065] Furthermore, such as Figure 7 As shown, the two heating elements are connected in parallel via busbar 4, so that a failure of one heating element will not affect the operation of the other, thus improving the stability and service life of the heating system. Specifically, as... Figure 7 As shown, one of the connection pins 2 of the two heating elements can be connected through the first DC bus 41, and the other of the connection pins 2 of the two heating elements can be connected through the second DC bus 42, and then connected to different potential points through the first terminal 411 and the second terminal 412.

[0066] Furthermore, for example, according to embodiments of this disclosure, such as Figure 1 As shown, at least a portion of the reducer housing 33 and the motor housing 32 can be integrally manufactured as a single component. In particular, the main body of the reducer housing 33 and the main body of the motor housing 32 are integrally manufactured as a single component. By using the above-mentioned integral manufacturing method, the structure of the electric drive unit can be made more compact, and the design of fixed connection structure on the separate reducer housing and motor housing, as well as the assembly steps to fix the two relative to each other, can be omitted, thereby further reducing the cost of the electric drive unit.

[0067] Furthermore, at least a portion of the reducer housing 33, motor housing 32, and inverter housing 31 can be integrally manufactured as a single component. In particular, the main body of the reducer housing 33, the main body of the motor housing 32, and the main body of the inverter housing 31 are integrally manufactured as a single component. This integral manufacturing method allows for a more compact structure of the electric drive unit and eliminates the need for fixed connection structures on separate reducer housings, motor housings, and inverter housings, as well as the assembly steps required to fix the three components relative to each other, thereby further reducing the cost of the electric drive unit.

[0068] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a vehicle (not shown) is also proposed, the vehicle including a battery (not shown) and an electric drive unit 1 according to this disclosure, the electric drive unit 1 being usable for converting electrical energy from the battery into kinetic energy for the vehicle. The vehicle of this disclosure may also include a battery heating device (not shown), the battery heating device including a heating flow path, the fluid outlet of the heating chamber 34 in the electric drive unit 1 according to this disclosure being fluidly connected to the heating flow path.

[0069] Heating of the battery can be achieved when a high-temperature fluid flows through the heating flow path. For example, the heating flow path can be in the form of a heating plate adjacent to the battery, with a tortuous flow path inside the heating plate to increase the heat exchange area and improve the heating effect.

[0070] Certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this disclosure may be appropriately combined.

[0071] The foregoing description is illustrative of the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting it. While several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art will readily understand that many modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present disclosure. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the claims. It should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative of the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting it to the specific embodiments disclosed, and modifications to the disclosed embodiments and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An electric drive unit (1), comprising: Inverter motor, The housing assembly includes an inverter housing (31) that houses the inverter and a motor housing (32) that houses the motor, the inverter housing (31) and the motor housing (32) being disposed adjacent to each other. The housing assembly is provided with a heating chamber (34), which has a fluid inlet (341) and a fluid outlet (342). The electric drive unit (1) further includes a heating element housed in the heating chamber (34) to heat the fluid flowing through the heating chamber. The heating chamber (34) is located between the inverter housing (31) and the motor housing (32), and is close to the non-driving end of the motor.

2. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The heating cavity (34) is cylindrical and extends along an axis parallel to the drive shaft of the motor. The heating element includes a connecting pin (2) that extends out of the heating cavity (34) on the side near the non-drive end of the motor.

3. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 2, wherein, The motor housing (32) includes a main body of the motor housing (32) and a motor end cover (321) disposed at the non-driving end, and the heating cavity (34) is disposed on the motor end cover (321).

4. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The electric drive unit (1) includes a bus (4), which includes a DC section and a three-phase section (43) that are isolated from each other. The connection pin (2) of the heating element is connected to the DC power through the DC section, and the three phases of the motor and the inverter are connected through the three-phase section (43).

5. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 4, wherein, The heating element includes two connection pins (2), the motor is connected in a star configuration, the DC section includes a first DC bus (41) and a second DC bus (42), the inverter and one of the connection pins (2) are connected through the first DC bus (41), and the neutral point of the motor and the other of the connection pins (2) are connected through the second DC bus (42).

6. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 4, wherein, The heating element includes two connection pins (2), and the DC section includes a first DC bus (41) and a second DC bus (42). The two connection pins (2) are connected to the positive and negative outputs of the circuit board inside the inverter through the first DC bus (41) and the second DC bus (42).

7. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The electric drive unit (1) also includes a reducer housing and a reducer housed in the reducer housing. The reducer is disposed at the drive end of the motor housing (32), and the main body of the motor housing (32) and the main body of the reducer housing are integrally formed.

8. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 7, wherein, The main body of the motor housing (32), the main body of the reducer housing, and the main body of the inverter housing (31) are integrally formed.

9. The electric drive unit (1) according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The electric drive unit (1) includes two heating chambers (34), each heating chamber (34) is provided with a heating element, and the fluid outlet (342) of one heating chamber (34) is connected to the fluid inlet (341) of the other heating chamber (34).

10. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 9, wherein, The two heating elements are connected in parallel via the busbar (4).

11. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 10, wherein, The DC section includes a first DC bus (41) and a second DC bus (42). One of the connection pins (2) of the two heating elements is connected through the first DC bus (41), and the other of the connection pins (2) of the two heating elements is connected through the second DC bus (42).

12. The electric drive unit (1) according to claim 9, wherein, The two heating chambers (34) are cylindrical and extend along an axis parallel to the drive shaft of the motor, and the two heating chambers (34) are arranged opposite each other about the axis of the drive shaft of the motor.

13. A vehicle, comprising A battery, used to power the vehicle. A battery heating device is provided for heating the battery and has a heating flow path. The electric drive unit (1) according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein the fluid outlet (342) of the heating chamber (34) is fluidly connected to the heating flow path of the battery heating device to heat the battery.

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