pump housing, coolant pump, cooling system, vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pump housing (1) for at least one coolant pump (100) of a cooling system of a vehicle, comprising: a housing body unit (2) which comprises at least one fluid chamber (3) with at least one inlet (4) and at least one outlet (5). The housing body unit (2) is made of at least one housing material (6), which at least substantially comprises a plastic material (6a), wherein the housing body unit (2) is electrically conductive at least in some regions. The invention further relates to a coolant pump (100) with such a pump housing (1), a coolant system and a vehicle.

Description

The present invention relates to a pump housing for a coolant pump of a cooling system of a vehicle, a coolant pump for a coolant system of a vehicle, a coolant system having such a coolant pump and a vehicle having such a coolant system.In coolant systems for vehicles, such as vehicles with an internal combustion engine or with a fuel cell, vehicles with a hybrid drive or pure electric vehicles, the individual components of the coolant system must meet particular requirements, such as requirements of a vehicle manufacturer. Hitherto, plastics which have a high availability have been used in particular for production. Furthermore, plastic parts are particularly favorable in terms of production.A coolant can be statically charged by friction, for example inside a feed pump with a plastic housing. Damage to the electrical components can thereby arise, in particular if they are to be cooled directly. Devices for grounding the coolant within the plastic housing are expensive to implement.It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a coolant pump which makes it possible in a cost-effective manner to provide a coolant without static charge.The object is achieved by a pump housing for a coolant pump having the features according to claim 1, a coolant pump having the features according to claim 8, by a coolant system having the features according to claim 14 and by a vehicle having the features according to claim 15. Preferred refinements are the subject matter of the dependent claims. Further features and advantages result from the general description and the description of the exemplary embodiment.The pump housing according to the invention for a coolant pump of a cooling system of a vehicle comprises:at least one housing body unit which encloses at least one fluid space with at least one inlet and at least one outlet; and whereinthe housing body unit is produced from at least one housing material which at least substantially comprises a plastic material.The housing body unit is electrically conductive at least in regions. The housing body unit is electrically conductive in particular at least in the region of the inlet and / or the outlet. Preferably, at least a substantial portion of the housing body unit is electrically conductive.The invention has many advantages. A considerable advantage of the invention is that the cooling medium can be grounded directly at the inlet and / or at the outlet by the housing body unit. Preferably, charges can be discharged from the coolant directly into the housing body unit, so that the coolant can emerge from the coolant pump in a substantially grounded manner. As a result, it is also possible to reliably ground non-conductive cooling means such as hydraulic oils, in particular immersion oils, which can also be used for direct cooling of electrical components, at least at the inlet and outlet, At the same time, the advantages of a plastic material, such as moldability and cost-effective production, can be obtained. In particular, a plastic material can comprise different plastic materials.The housing material preferably comprises at least one electrically conductive carbon material, in particular an industrial graphite. In particular, the carbon is present in the housing material in a proportion of up to 5, 10 or 20 percent by mass or volume percent. In particular, even higher proportions are also possible. The carbon material advantageously enables the electrical conductivity of the housing body material, wherein the housing body material can be processed like a plastic material.Particularly preferably, the housing material comprises at least one additive for improving processing properties. In particular, the additive is present in the housing material in a small proportion of less than 5%, 2.5% or 1%. Advantageously, the additive may comprise at least one elastomer material. Advantageously, an elastomer material can improve weldability of the plastic-based housing material. Preferably, other additives may also be present which improve other processing properties, such as castability or the like.Preferably, the housing body unit is produced at least partially by a casting method, in particular by injection molding. In particular, the pump housing is at least partially designed as a cast component. Cast components can advantageously be produced cost-effectively in a series production. In addition, the above material compositions can be produced by a casting method.In particular, the housing body unit comprises at least a plurality of housing body parts. Advantageously, individual housing body parts can be designed to be electrically conductive or non-electrically conductive, thereby saving even more costs.Preferably, at least one material connection is present between at least two adjacent housing parts. The materially bonded connection is preferably designed as a welded connection. Particularly preferably, the welded connection is produced by friction welding, in particular rotary friction welding. Alternatively, the welded connection can also be produced by hot gas welding or the like. Advantageously, a welded connection allows a low contact resistance between housing body parts. As a result, no line bridges are necessary between the components either. In addition, welding methods, preferably friction welding methods, particularly preferably rotary friction welding methods, are cost-effective, especially in series production.Further developments and advantages result from the entire general description and the description of the exemplary embodiment.The coolant pump according to the invention for a cooling system of a vehicle comprises at least one pump housing described above.The coolant pump according to the invention also has many advantages. A considerable advantage of the coolant pump is that the coolant can be grounded by the electrically conductive pump housing, in particular also directly at the inlet and the outlet. This makes it possible to ensure particularly well that the coolant is conveyed into a cooling circuit without charge, i.e. grounded. This can ensure that, in particular, directly cooled electrical components, such as batteries of electric vehicles, are not damaged, wherein the pump housing can furthermore be produced cost-effectively by the production methods for plastic parts.Preferably, at least one electrical connection unit is included, in particular at least for the electrical power supply and / or for the control of the coolant pump. Particularly preferably, the pump housing is in an electrically conductive connection with the electrical connection unit. Advantageously, the pump housing can thereby be directly connected to a ground point, such as from a vehicle, and grounded.Particularly preferably, the electrical connection unit is at least one component of an electric motor device having at least one stator unit, and wherein the stator unit is at least partially accommodated on the housing body unit. In particular, the electric motor device comprises a control unit. Particularly advantageously, an existing connection unit, such as a connector plug, can be used here to establish an electrically conductive connection to a ground point, such as a vehicle.In particular, the pump housing, in particular the housing body unit, is in direct electrically conductive contact at least partially with at least one electrically conductive part of the electric motor device, such as a stator element of the electric motor device. Particularly advantageously, a charge can be discharged from the coolant directly through the electrically conductive part of the electric motor device into the electrical connection unit. Furthermore advantageously, no additional electrically conductive connection, such as a cable bridge, is thereby necessary between the pump housing and the electrically conductive part of the electric motor device.Preferably, the electrically conductive contact is effected via at least one shaped element of the housing body unit, such as a rib. In particular, there is a press contact between the shaped element and the electrically conductive part, i.e. between the shaped element and the part are pressed against one another and a compressive stress is present. In this way, an electrically conductive contact can be produced in a particularly advantageous manner, which has a low contact resistance. Alternatively, the rib can also be adhesively bonded to the electrically conductive element via a conductive adhesive or the molded element is at least partially heated, so that the molded element is adhesively bonded to the electrically conductive element of the electric motor device.Preferably, the shaped element of the pump housing extends substantially in the radial direction or in the axial direction to an axis of rotation of the electric motor device. Advantageously, this makes it possible to make simple electrical contact with the housing body unit, in particular with the stator element, for example during the assembly of the coolant pump. Further advantageous refinements of the coolant pump will become apparent from the entire general description and from the exemplary embodiment.The coolant system according to the invention comprises at least one coolant pump described above. The vehicle according to the invention comprises at least one coolant system having at least one coolant system described above. The coolant system according to the invention and the vehicle according to the invention also have many advantages. In particular, a direct cooling of electrical components and electrical conductors is thus made possible, so that high specific cooling capacities are possible. Weight can also be saved as a result. Advantageous refinements emerge from the entire general description and from the exemplary embodiment.In a production method for at least one pump housing described above or a coolant pump described above, at least partial bodies of the housing body unit of the pump housing are welded to one another, in particular during assembly, so that a cohesive connection with a particularly low contact resistance is present. Preferably, welding is effected by friction welding, in particular rotary friction welding. Further advantageous developments and properties emerge from the entire general description and from the exemplary embodiment.Further features and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are used for the same or similar parts and for parts having the same or similar functions. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a coolant pump according to the invention with a pump housing according to the invention.FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a coolant pump 100 according to the invention of a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle, having a pump housing 1 according to the invention. The pump housing 1 comprises at least one housing body unit 2 which comprises a fluid space 3 having an inlet 4 and an outlet 5. The coolant is here an immersion oil which is conveyed through a cooling system of the vehicle as a cooling medium. The immersion oil is an electrically non-conductive hydraulic oil which statically charges due to friction. In the case of direct cooling of electrical components, such as batteries and power electronics, damage to the electrical components can occur if the charges discharge from the cooling medium into the electrical components. For this purpose, the housing body unit 2 is made here from at least one housing material 6, which substantially comprises a plastic material 6 a. The housing material 6 with the high proportion of plastic material can be processed cost-effectively with a simultaneously high degree of freedom with respect to a mold. The housing body unit 2 is electrically conductive, so that the coolant can be grounded to a wall of the housing body unit 2. Thus, it is possible to provide a coolant without charges at the inlet 4 and the outlet 5 for delivery through the cooling system. In order to improve the discharge of charges from the coolant, metal grids 4 a, 5 aare provided here at the inlet 4 and the outlet 5, so that a grounding of the core phase of a flow directly at the inlet 4 and at the outlet 5 can also be ensured.The housing body material 6 here comprises a carbon material 6 a, here inexpensive industrial graphite, in order to enable the electrical conductivity of the housing material 6. The industrial graphite 7 is present here in a mass fraction of less than 10%. In addition, the housing material 6 here comprises an elastomer material 8 as additive in a low mass fraction of less than 3%. The additive improves the processability of the housing material 6, in this case the elastomer material 8 improves the weldability by friction welding in particular.The pump housing 1 comprises here a plurality of housing body parts 9, which are here all produced by casting methods. During the assembly of the coolant pump 1, the housing parts 9 are connected to one another by friction welding, so that a cohesive connection 10 is present. This results in a low contact resistance and at the same time a fluid-tight connection. Rotationally symmetrical housing body parts 9 can be connected to one another in a particularly cost-effective manner by means of rotational friction welding in a materially integral manner.The pump housing 1 is electrically conductively connected here to an electrical connection unit 101 of the coolant pump 100, with the result that the pump housing 1 is grounded by the connection unit 101. The connection unit 101 is designed here as a connection plug 101 of an electric motor device 102 of the coolant pump 100, so that here a connection unit 101 already present on the coolant pump 100 can be used for grounding the pump housing 1.The electric motor device 100 here comprises a stator unit 103, which is accommodated here on the housing body unit 2. The housing body unit 2 is in direct electrical contact 107 here with an electrically conductive element 104 of the electric motor device 100 and in detail with a stator element 104 of the stator unit 103. For producing the electrically conductive contact 107, a rib 11 of the housing body unit 2 is in contact here with the stator element 104, which rib extends axially along an axis of rotation 105 of a rotor unit 106 of the electric motor device 102 of the coolant pump 100. The dimensions of the rib 11 are selected here such that a press contact occurs between the stator element 104 and the rib 11 during assembly, such that a low contact resistance can be ensured during operation of the coolant pump 100.List of reference characters1 Pump housing 2 Housing body unit 3 Fluid chamber 4 Inlet 4 aMetal grid 5 Outlet 5 aMetal grid 1 6 Housing material 6 aPlastic material 7 Carbon material, industrial graphite 8 Additive, elastomer material 9 Housing body part 10 Cohesive connection, welded connection 11 Shaped element of the housing body unit, rib 100 Coolant pump 101 Connection unit, connection plug 102 Electric motor device 103 Stator unit 104 Electrically conductive element, stator element of the stator unit 105 Axis of rotation of the electric motor device 106 Rotor unit of the electric motor device 107 Electrically conductive contact

Claims

Pump housing (1) at least for a coolant pump (100) of a cooling system of a vehicle, at least comprising: - at least one housing body unit (2) which comprises at least one fluid space (3) having at least one inlet (4) and at least one outlet (5); and wherein - the housing body unit (2) is produced from at least one housing material (6) which comprises at least substantially a plastic material (6a), characterized in that the housing body unit (2) is electrically conductive at least in regions, in particular in the region of the inlet and / or the outlet.Pump housing (1) according to claim 1, wherein the housing material (6) comprises at least one carbon material (7), in particular an industrial graphite (7).Pump housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing material (6) comprises at least one additive (8), in particular an elastomer material (8), for improving processing properties.Pump housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing body unit (2) comprises at least a plurality of housing body parts (9).Pump housing (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein a cohesive connection (10) is present between at least two housing parts (9).Pump housing (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the cohesive connection (10) is formed as a welded connection (10), which is produced in particular by friction welding.Pump housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims, at least partially produced by a casting method, in particular injection moulding.Coolant pump (100) for a cooling system of a vehicle, comprising at least one pump housing (1) according to one of the preceding claims.Coolant pump (100) according to the preceding claim, comprising at least one electrical connection unit (101), and wherein the pump housing (1) is connected to the connection unit (101) in an electrically conductive manner, in particular to at least one connection plug (101).Coolant pump (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein the electrical connection unit (101) is at least one component of an electric motor device (102).Coolant pump (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein the housing body unit (2) is at least partially in direct electrically conductive contact (107) with at least one electrically conductive part (104), such as a stator element (104) of a stator unit (103) of the electric motor device (2).Coolant pump (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein the electrically conductive contact (107) is effected via at least one shaped element (11) of the housing body unit (2), such as a rib (11), and wherein there is a press contact between the shaped element (11) and the electrically conductive part (104).Coolant pump (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein the shaped element (11) extends substantially in the radial direction or in the axial direction to an axis of rotation (105).A coolant system comprising at least one coolant pump (100) according to any one of the six preceding claims.Vehicle comprising a coolant system according to the preceding claim.

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