Seal structure for housing of electric drive motor

Abstract

To develop and form a structure in a motor vehicle for introducing electrical wiring elements into or leading them out from a housing, with particular regard to easy, stable and reliable mounting. [Solution] A sealing structure 1 in a housing of an electric drive motor, which seals a housing penetration and supports a wiring element 2 formed for transmitting electrical energy and having at least one electrical wiring A, B, C, includes a support bellows 5 made of an elastic material having a hollow portion for conducting the wiring element 2 or one hollow portion for conducting each of the electrical wirings A, B, C of the wiring element 2, and an outer fixing hollow portion 15 for oil-tight fixing of the support bellows 5 in the housing 6;4.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing structure in a housing of a motor vehicle, in particular in an electric machine housing, into which at least one wiring element designed for transmitting electrical energy is introduced or led out. [Background technology]

[0002] A holding structure in an electric machine housing for an electric wiring element is known from DE 10 200 03 133 A1. Here, the wiring element is also called, for example, a cable or a voltage cable. In particular, the wiring element is designed for transmitting electric energy with or by high voltage, so that the wiring element is designed as a high-voltage wiring or a high-voltage cable. Generally, a high voltage can be understood as a voltage, preferably of several hundred volts. This makes it possible to realize particularly large powers for electrically driving a hybrid vehicle or a purely electric vehicle. In its fully manufactured state, the motor vehicle contains, for example, at least one electric machine (electric drive motor) which can electrically drive the motor vehicle. The electric machine is also a high-voltage component with a voltage, in particular an electrical operating voltage or a rated voltage of several hundred volts.

[0003] The wiring elements are used, for example, to transfer electrical energy stored in a high-voltage store to an electric machine for driving an electric motor of a vehicle, and the electric machine can transfer electrical energy in the reverse direction to the high-voltage store in generator operation via the wiring elements.

[0004] The housing may in particular be the housing of a stator of an electric machine or of an electric drive motor. The wiring element comprises at least one electrical wire for transmitting electrical energy.

[0005] In particular, the holding structure according to DE 101 10 15 2004 A1 comprises a coupling element formed separately from the wiring element, which is fixed at the wiring element, in particular at the sleeve or via a sleeve at the wiring element. The coupling element comprises a flange arranged on a first side of a wall of the housing. The flange is, for example, a flat element spaced apart from a body of the coupling element, which can be spaced outwardly from the body, for example in the radial direction of the wiring, or formed integrally with the body. The flange is fixed to the housing or to the wall, in particular on the first side of the wall, and thereby to the housing, whereby the coupling element is fixed via the flange and the wiring element is fixed to the housing, in particular on the first side, via the coupling element. The holding structure further comprises a sealing element formed separately from the flange, which extends completely around the through opening in the circumferential direction of the through opening and is preferably formed as an O-ring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] DE 102019132599 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The object of the invention is to develop a structure in a motor vehicle for leading electrical wiring elements into and out of a housing, with particular reference to an easy, stable and reliable installation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] This problem is solved according to the invention by a sealing arrangement having the features of claim 1. Advantageous configurations of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0009] The invention relates to a sealing arrangement in a housing of an electric drive motor, which seals a housing penetration and supports a wiring element with at least one electrical wiring and designed for transmitting electrical energy. The sealing arrangement comprises a supporting bellows made of elastic material, which has a hollow (groove) for conducting the wiring element or a hollow for conducting each electrical wire of the wiring element. Furthermore, the supporting bellows comprises an outer fastening hollow for oil-tight fixing of the supporting bellows in the housing, in particular for a screwed fastening, in particular via an outer ring provided in the housing.

[0010] Preferably, the support bellows also comprises an inner fastening cavity for a connection, in particular a screw connection, of the support bellows with the wiring element, for which the wiring element is provided with a mounting surface for its (screw) connection with the support bellows.

[0011] Furthermore, preferably, a stabilizing inner ring is provided, which has a hollow portion identical to the supporting bellows for conducting wiring elements or electrical wiring, and an inner fixed hollow portion identical to the supporting bellows, which is provided for a (screwed) connection of the inner ring with the supporting bellows and the wiring elements, thereby achieving that the hollow portion for conducting the wiring elements can, but does not necessarily, have a snug fit.

[0012] The present invention is based on the following further considerations:

[0013] In electric machines, the above-mentioned energy supply wiring (electrical cables) must be conducted in an oil-tight manner through the machine housing, in particular through covers, housing walls or separating walls of housing components.

[0014] The large material tolerances of the components involved make simple sealing with O-rings according to the prior art undesirable, since the position of continuity depends on the mounting tolerances and / or processing tolerances. Such tolerances are often in the range of several millimeters, but for O-ring seals only a few deci-millimeters (tenths of a millimeter) are acceptable.

[0015] The basic principle of the invention is a cover as at least part of the sealing structure in the form of a flexible (preferably elastic) element, in particular in the form of a "support bellows", which may also be called an elastic sleeve or diaphragm, which seals on the one hand at the coupling of the coil and on the other hand at the housing cover of the electric machine. This allows large tolerances of the parts, since the flexible element can compensate for these without the need to geometrically fix or orient the parts relative to one another. The cover is called "support bellows" in the following, since on the one hand it seals flexibly like a bellows (preferably with only one fold) and at the same time serves as a holder for the power supply lines.

[0016] The present invention is particularly advantageous for use in vehicles with contact-hazardous voltages of 48V and above, especially 400V and above.

[0017] Further details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of the problem to be solved by the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the principle of the inventive idea in a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4A-4D are perspective views showing possible geometries of a seal arrangement according to the invention in a second embodiment in an exploded and installed state, respectively; [Figure 4]11A-11C are partial perspective views showing possible geometries of a seal arrangement according to the invention in a third embodiment as mounted on the housing of an electric drive motor; [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of a seal structure according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a seal structure according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] In the various figures, identical or functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference numbers.

[0020] In figure 1 the problem to be solved by the invention is shown diagrammatically. The housing 6 of an electric drive motor 13 (see figure 4) is provided with a housing penetration 7 through which a wiring element 2 in the form of at least an electrical wiring or preferably in the form of an element with integrated electrical wiring A, B and C (see figures 2 and 3) can be guided from an oil room 8 of the housing 6 outwards into an air room 9. Between the guide element 2 and the edge of the housing penetration 7 a sealing path 10 is arranged, i.e. a gap to be closed oil-tight.

[0021] Figure 2 shows in schematic view a sealing structure 1 for solving the problem illustrated in Figure 1 in a housing 6 which seals a housing penetration 7 and supports a wiring element 2 formed for the transmission of electrical energy, here comprising, for example, an element having at least one integrated electrical wiring A, B and / or C.

[0022] The sealing arrangement 1 comprises a support bellows 5 made of elastic material with a cavity for conducting the wiring element 2 or with a respective cavity 16, 17, 18 for conducting each of the electrical lines A, B, C of the wiring element 2 (see also the embodiment for the particularly advantageous component geometry according to FIG. 3). Furthermore, the support bellows 5 comprises, in particular at the edge, an outer fastening cavity 15 for a screwed connection 12 of the support bellows 5 with the housing 6 (see also the embodiment for the particularly advantageous component geometry according to FIG. 3). Preferably, the housing 6 further comprises a holder frame 4 reinforced at the edge of the housing pass-through 7, which holder frame is also referred to here as outer ring 4, particularly preferably possibly with respect to the central wiring pass-through or cavity 16, 17, 18.

[0023] In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the supporting bellows 5 also has an inner fastening hollow 14 (see also the embodiment for a particularly advantageous component geometry according to FIG. 3) for a screwed connection 11 of the supporting bellows 5 with the wiring element 2, for which purpose the wiring element 2 again has a mounting surface 19 for its screwed connection 11 with the supporting bellows 5.

[0024] In another advantageous embodiment of the sealing structure 1 according to the invention, a stabilizing inner ring 3 is provided which has hollows 16, 17, 18 identical to the supporting bellows 5 for conducting the wiring element 2 or the electrical wiring A, B, C, and an inner fixed hollow 14 identical to the supporting bellows 5, which is provided for a screwed connection 11 of the inner ring 3 with the supporting bellows 5 and with the wiring element 2.

[0025] A particularly advantageous embodiment is shown in FIG. 3, installed on the right side.

[0026] Furthermore, according to Figures 3 (see shaded areas), 4 and 5, it is advantageously possible to provide circumferential grooves ("S-strands") for forming flexible folds 20 in the edge area of ​​the supporting bellows 5 in the outer fixed hollow part 15.

[0027] 5 and 6, another simplified embodiment according to the invention is shown diagrammatically, which does not have an inner ring 3. This allows the holding device 1 to be mounted more simply, although potentially less stable.

Claims

1. A seal structure (1) in the housing (6) of an electric drive motor (13) that seals a housing through-hole (7) and supports a wiring element (2) formed for transmitting electrical energy and having at least one electrical wiring (A, B, C), the seal structure (1) comprising: a hollow portion for conducting the wiring element (2) or one hollow portion each for conducting the respective electrical wirings (A, B, C) of the wiring element (2); and an outer fixed hollow portion (15) for the oil-tight fixing portion (12) of a support bellows (5) in the housing (6; 4), the seal structure being characterized by including a support bellows (5) made of an elastic material.

2. The seal structure (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the support bellows (5) has an inner fixed hollow portion (14) for the joint portion (11) of the support bellows (5) with the wiring element (2), and the wiring element (2) has, for this purpose, a mounting surface (19) for its joint portion (11) with the support bellows (5).

3. An inner ring (3) for stabilization is provided, the inner ring having the same hollow portions (16, 17, 18) as the support bellows (5) for conducting the wiring element (2) or the electrical wirings (A, B, C), and the same inner fixed hollow portion (14) as the support bellows (5), the inner fixed hollow portion (14) being provided for the joint portion (11) of the inner ring (3) with the support bellows (5) and the wiring element (2). The seal structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2 is characterized by this.

4. The seal structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an outer ring (4) is provided at the edge of the housing through-hole (7) for fixing the support bellows (5) in the housing (6) via the outer fixed hollow portion (15).

5. The seal structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support bellows (5) has a circumferentially provided groove (20) that forms a flexible fold in the edge region.

6. A vehicle with a prime mover having the seal structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2.

7. A support bellows (5) having the seal structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2.

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