Housing assembly, electric drive device, and vehicle
The housing assembly for electric drive devices, featuring a common housing with interchangeable electric motor covers, addresses the issue of multiple housing types required for different electric motor outputs, thereby reducing costs and simplifying manufacturing.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024213220
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-12-07
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-06
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing electric drive devices require multiple types of housings to accommodate electric motors with different outputs, leading to increased component costs due to the need for various housing configurations.
A housing assembly for electric drive devices that includes a common housing with interchangeable electric motor covers, allowing the same housing to accommodate electric motors of varying sizes without the need for multiple housing types.
This solution enables the use of a single housing type across different electric motor outputs, reducing component costs and simplifying manufacturing processes while maintaining the integration and efficiency of the electric drive device.
Smart Images
Figure 2025092485000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a housing assembly for an electric drive device. The present disclosure relates to an electric drive device including such a housing assembly, and a vehicle including such an electric drive device.
Background Art
[0002] The electric drive device of a vehicle is used to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy to drive the vehicle, and may include an electric motor, a speed reducer, a power electronics unit, etc. For compactness and transmission efficiency, in an electric drive device, the housings of the electric motor and the speed reducer are generally integrated. That is, a space for accommodating the electric motor and the speed reducer is provided by a common housing. The common housing may also provide a space for accommodating the power electronics unit. Thereby, the degree of integration of the electric drive device is further improved. However, the higher the rated power of the electric motor, the larger its dimensions, especially the dimensions of the electric motor stator. When increasing the output of the electric drive device of a vehicle for application to a high-performance vehicle, it is necessary to increase the dimensions of the electric motor, but the dimensions of the speed reducer and the power electronics unit do not essentially change. In electric drive devices with different outputs, although the dimensions of the speed reducer and the power electronics unit do not essentially change, it is necessary to change the common housing to provide a larger accommodation space for accommodating the electric motor with large dimensions. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare several types of common housings for electric drive devices with different outputs, which increases the component cost of the electric drive device.
[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide an electric drive device in which the output of the electric motor can be changed without changing the common housing.
Summary of the Invention
[0004] Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to solve the above-described problems and has an object of providing a novel housing assembly for an electric drive device, an electric drive device, and a vehicle. With the housing assembly according to the present disclosure, it is not necessary to replace a common housing when accommodating electric motors with different outputs, so that the component cost of the electric drive device can be suppressed.
[0005] The described object is achieved by a housing assembly for an electric drive device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing assembly including a housing and an electric motor cover. The housing includes a first housing portion and a second housing portion located at one end of the first housing portion. The first housing portion at least partially accommodates an electric motor of the electric drive device, and the second housing portion accommodates a speed reducer of the electric drive device. The electric motor cover is assembled to another end of the first housing portion and includes a cover portion and a cavity portion. The cavity portion and the first housing portion together form an electric motor cavity for accommodating the electric motor.
[0006] When the output of the electric drive device is increased, the dimensions of the electric motor increase. In the present disclosure, the electric motor cavity for accommodating the electric motor is formed by the first housing portion of the housing and the cavity portion of the electric motor cover together. By increasing the dimensions of the cavity portion of the electric motor cover, an electric motor having increased dimensions can be accommodated. Even when the output of the electric motor is increased, it is not necessary to replace the housing, and only the electric motor cover needs to be replaced. For this reason, for electric drive devices with different outputs, it is only necessary to prepare electric motor covers with different specifications. Therefore, the component cost of the electric drive device can be suppressed.
[0007] The housing assembly according to the present disclosure may further have one or more of the following features alone or in combination.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the dimensions of the cavity portion are determined according to the output of the electric motor accommodated in the electric drive device. In particular, by increasing the output of the electric motor of the electric drive device, the length of the stator of the electric motor increases. Therefore, the length of the cavity portion of the electric motor cover is determined according to the output of the electric motor accommodated in the electric drive device.
[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housing portion and the second housing portion are integrally formed. That is, the housing for accommodating the electric motor and the speed reducer of the electric drive device is integrally formed. As a result, when assembling, there is no need to reassemble the first housing portion and the second housing portion, so the degree of integration of the electric drive device is improved and the assembly difficulty is suppressed.
[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing further includes a third housing portion disposed adjacent to the first housing portion, and the third housing portion houses the power electronics unit of the electric drive device.
[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electrical connector for the electric motor of the electric drive device extends from the second housing portion into the first housing portion. The electrical connector can be used to connect the electric motor and the power electronics unit of the electric drive device. The electrical connector extends from the end of the first housing portion adjacent to the second housing portion and enters the first housing portion, and does not enter the first housing portion from the other end used for installing the electric motor cover. Therefore, when replacing the electric motor cover of the housing assembly, it is not necessary to consider the influence on the electrical connector, and the replacement of the electric motor cover becomes easy.
[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electrical connector extends from the second housing portion into the third housing portion. That is, the electrical connector can connect an electric motor located in the first housing portion and a power electronics unit located in the third housing portion via the second housing portion.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a cooling circuit is provided in the housing assembly. A cooling medium for cooling an electric motor, a speed reducer, and / or a power electronics unit of the electric drive device circulates through the cooling circuit.
[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cooling circuit includes an oil spray device disposed in the cover portion. The oil spray device is configured to be removably installed in the cover portion of the electric motor cover. For this reason, only the electric motor cover can be replaced without the need to replace the oil spray device. Optionally, it is also possible to replace the electric motor cover and the oil spray device together.
[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housing portion, the second housing portion, and the third housing portion are integrally formed by casting. Due to the above features, the housing forms a common housing for the electric motor, the speed reducer, and the power electronics unit of the electric drive device. Thereby, the degree of integration of the electric drive device can be further improved.
[0016] The present disclosure further relates to an electric drive device including the above-described housing assembly.
[0017] The present disclosure further relates to a vehicle including the above-described electric drive device.
[0018] To more clearly explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings necessary for the description of the embodiments are briefly described below. Of course, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without making inventive efforts. The following drawings are not drawn by precisely reducing or enlarging the actual dimensions in proportion, but focus on showing the essence of the present disclosure.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0019]
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Modes for Carrying Out the Invention
[0020] In all the drawings, the same or similar components are labeled with the same reference numerals.
[0021] To clarify the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0022] Unless otherwise defined, technical or scientific terms used in this specification shall have the ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains. In the description of the patent applications and the claims disclosed herein, words such as "one" ("one", "a", "the"), etc. do not necessarily indicate a limit in quantity, but rather mean that there is at least one. Words such as "comprise" and "include" mean that the element or object before that word includes the elements or objects listed after that word and their equivalents without excluding other elements or objects. The words "first", "second", etc. used in the detailed description and claims of the present application disclosed herein do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Words such as "connected" or "coupled" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. are used only to indicate relative positional relationships, and if the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.
[0023] For ease of explanation, in the drawings of the present disclosure, components generally used in the art, such as external connection lines and other components that are irrelevant to the description of the present disclosure, are simplified or omitted. These omitted or simplified components do not affect the understanding of the content of the present disclosure by those skilled in the art.
[0024] An electric drive device for a vehicle generally includes an electric motor, a speed reducer, and a power electronics unit. The electric motor converts the input electrical energy into rotational mechanical energy. The speed reducer is mechanically connected to the electric motor to adjust the rotational speed and torque generated by the electric motor and transmit them to the vehicle wheels. The power electronics unit may include at least one of an inverter, an on-vehicle charger, and a DC-DC converter. The inverter can be used to invert the DC output by the electrical energy storage means (e.g., a battery or another electrical energy storage means) into AC capable of driving the electric motor. The on-vehicle charger can charge the electrical energy storage means while the vehicle is recovering energy. The DC-DC converter can convert the high-voltage DC output by the electrical energy storage means into low-voltage DC suitable for use in the vehicle's low-voltage system. The electric motor and the speed reducer of the electric drive device are generally arranged adjacent to each other to facilitate the mechanical connection between them. Preferably, the power electronics unit is also arranged adjacent to the electric motor. This purpose is to shorten the length of the electrical connection cable harness between them and to improve the degree of integration of the electric drive device.
[0025] Figures 1 and 2 show an electric drive device 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the electric drive device 100. The electric drive device 100 includes an electric motor 110, a speed reducer 120, and a power electronics unit 130. The electric drive device 100 includes a housing assembly 10. The electric motor 110, the speed reducer 120, and the power electronics unit 130 are all arranged in the housing assembly 10. Specifically, the housing assembly 10 includes a housing 20. The housing 20 includes a first housing portion 21, a second housing 22, and a third housing portion 23. The first housing portion 21 at least partially houses the electric motor 110. The second housing portion 22 houses the speed reducer 120 and is arranged at one end of the first housing portion 21. The third housing portion 23 houses the power electronics unit 130 and is arranged adjacent to the first housing portion 21.
[0026] The electric motor 100 may be a synchronous electric motor or an asynchronous electric motor. In the case of a synchronous electric motor, the electric motor 100 may include a wound rotor or a permanent magnet rotor. The rated power supplied by the electric motor 110 may be in the range of 10 kW to 50 kW, or may be more than that. For example, when the rated power supply voltage is 48V to 350V, or a power supply voltage of up to 800V, the rated power supplied by the electric motor is 10kW to 300kW. The electric motor 110 may include a three-phase winding or a stator having a combination of two three-phase windings or a five-phase winding. In particular, FIG. 3 shows the stator 111 of the electric motor 110 housed in the first housing portion 21.
[0027] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the first housing portion 21, the second housing portion 22, and the third housing portion 23 of the housing 20 are integrally formed to form a common housing for the electric motor 110, the speed reducer 120, and the power electronics unit 130 of the electric drive device 100. Optionally, the first housing portion 21, the second housing portion 22, and the third housing portion 23 of the housing 20 are integrally formed by casting. It is also conceivable that the first housing portion 21, the second housing portion 22, and the third housing portion 23 are formed separately and independently and are integrally mounted to form the housing 20. For example, the first housing portion 21, the second housing portion 22, and the third housing portion 23 are arranged adjacent to each other and are fixedly connected by a fastening tool such as a screw.
[0028] The housing assembly 10 further includes an electric motor cover 30 mounted on another end of the first housing portion 21. The electric motor cover 30 includes a cover portion 31 and a cavity portion 32. The cavity portion 32 and the first housing portion 21 together form an electric motor cavity 24 for accommodating the electric motor 110. Therefore, the dimensions of the electric motor cavity 24 are determined by the combination of the dimensions of the first housing portion 21 and the dimensions of the cavity portion 32. In particular, the length of the electric motor cavity 24 is the sum of the length of the first housing portion 21 and the length of the cavity portion 32.
[0029] In a conventional electric drive device, an electric motor cavity for accommodating an electric motor is generally defined only by a housing, and an electric motor cover only has a cover for closing the cavity and does not have a cavity portion. Since the dimensions of the electric motor cavity are fixed for the same housing, the housing is suitable only for an electric motor of one size. The dimensions of the electric motor are determined by its output. As the output of the electric drive device increases, the output and dimensions of the electric motor will increase accordingly. For this reason, in order to accommodate an electric motor having increased dimensions, a replacement housing that defines a larger electric motor cavity must be provided for the electric drive device. However, even when the output of the electric drive device increases, the dimensions of the speed reducer and the power electronics unit do not essentially change. If the housing is replaced when only the dimensions of the electric motor cavity need to be changed, the component cost of the electric drive device will increase.
[0030] On the other hand, in the housing assembly 10 according to the present disclosure, the dimensions of the electric motor cavity 24 are determined by combining the first housing portion 21 of the housing 20 and the cavity portion 32 of the electric motor cover 30. Therefore, the dimensions of the electric motor cavity 24 can be changed by changing the dimensions of the cavity portion 32 of the electric motor cover 30. Therefore, even when it is necessary to change the dimensions of the electric motor cavity 24, it is not necessary to replace the housing 20, and it is only necessary to replace the electric motor cover 30. In other words, the same housing 20 of the housing assembly 10 can be adapted to various electric motors of different dimensions by replacing the electric motor cap 30.
[0031] In particular, for a higher-output electric motor, a longer electric motor stator is required, so it is necessary to increase the length of the electric motor cavity 24. The length of the electric motor cavity 24 can be increased by increasing the length of the cavity portion 32 of the electric motor cover 30. Thereby, the housing assembly 10 can accommodate a higher-output electric motor. For this reason, for electric drive devices 100 with different outputs, it is only necessary to prepare electric motor covers 30 with different specifications. Therefore, the component cost of the electric drive device 100 can be reduced.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, the electric drive device 100 includes an electric connector 102. A part of the electric connector 102 is disposed in the second housing portion 22, extends from the second housing portion 22 into the first housing portion 21 and is connected to the electric motor, and extends from the second housing portion 22 into the third housing portion 23 and is connected to the power electronics unit. In other words, the electrical connection between the electric motor and the power electronics unit of the electric drive device 100 is not through the electric motor cover 30 of the housing assembly 10, but through the second housing portion 22. Therefore, replacing the electric motor cover 30 of the electric drive device 100 does not affect the electrical connection between the electric motor and the power electronics unit.
[0033] To further suppress the impact of replacing the electric motor cover 30 on the electric drive device 100, the cooling assembly of the electric drive device 100 is also specially designed. In particular, the stator winding of the electric motor is the main heat-generating component of the electric drive device 100, and it extends as a whole along the entire length of the electric motor, including the winding ends that extend to both ends of the electric motor. The cooling assembly of the electric drive device must sufficiently cool the winding ends of the stator winding. In conventional electric drive devices, the stator winding (including the winding ends) of the electric motor is completely housed in the housing of the electric drive device. Therefore, cooling components for cooling the stator winding can be arranged in the housing. However, in the electric drive device 100 according to the present disclosure, the electric motor cavity 24 for housing the electric motor is formed by both the first housing portion 21 of the housing 20 and the cavity portion 32 of the electric motor cover 30. The winding ends of the stator 111 of the electric motor 110 on the electric motor cover 30 side are located outside the first housing portion 21 and cannot be cooled by the cooling components arranged inside it.
[0034] For this reason, a cooling circuit 40 is provided in the housing assembly 10 of the electric drive device 100 according to the present disclosure. And a coolant such as cooling oil circulates in the cooling circuit 40 to cool the electric drive device 100. Referring to FIG. 4, the cooling circuit 40 includes an oil spraying device 41 arranged on the cover portion 31 of the electric motor cover 30. The oil spraying device 41 is fixed to the cover portion 31 and can cool the winding ends by spraying cooling oil toward the winding ends of the electric motor stator on the electric motor cover 30 side. The oil spraying device 41 is removably fixed to the cover portion 31. Also, channels for cooling oil can be arranged on the walls of each of the first housing portion 21 and the cavity portion 32. When the electric motor cover 30 is mounted on the first housing portion 21, the two channels are connected in a sealed manner, and the cooling oil can flow from the housing 20 to the electric motor cover 30, and the cooling oil can be supplied to the oil spraying device 41.
[0035] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle comprising the above-described electric drive device 100 is proposed. The vehicle can be, for example, an electric vehicle such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), an extended-range EV, or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). Further, the vehicle may be a hydrogen fuel vehicle.
[0036] Specific functions, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be appropriately combined.
[0037] The above is the description of the present disclosure and should not be regarded as limiting it. Although a plurality of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art will readily understand that many changes can be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present disclosure. Therefore, all such changes are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. It should be understood that the above is the description of the present disclosure. The present disclosure should not be considered limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and changes to the disclosed embodiments and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.
Claims
1. A housing assembly (10) for an electric drive device (100), comprising: a housing (20) including a first housing part (21) that at least partially accommodates an electric motor (110) of the electric drive device (10) and a second housing part (22) located at one end of the first housing part (21), the second housing part (22) accommodating a reduction gear of the electric drive device (10); and an electric motor cover (30) assembled to another end of the first housing part (21) and comprising a cover part (31) and a cavity part (32), the cavity part (32) and the first housing part (21) together forming an electric motor cavity (24) for accommodating the electric motor (110).
2. The housing assembly (10) of claim 1, wherein the cavity portion (32) has a dimension that depends on the power output of the electric motor housed in the electric drive device (10).
3. 3. The housing assembly (10) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first housing part (21) and the second housing part (22) are integrally formed.
4. 3. The housing assembly (10) of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the housing (20) further comprises a third housing part (23) arranged adjacent to the first housing part (21), the third housing part (23) housing power electronics of the electric drive device (10).
5. 5. The housing assembly (10) of claim 4, wherein an electrical connector (102) for the electric motor of the electric drive (10) extends from the second housing portion (22) into the first housing portion (21).
6. The housing assembly (10) of claim 5, wherein the electrical connector (102) extends from the second housing portion (22) into the third housing portion (23).
7. 3. The housing assembly (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the housing assembly (10) is provided with a cooling circuit (40).
8. 8. The housing assembly (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the cooling circuit (40) comprises an oil spray device (41) arranged in the cover part (31).
9. 5. The housing assembly (10) of claim 4, wherein the first housing portion (21), the second housing portion (22), and the third housing portion (23) are integrally formed by casting.
10. An electric drive (100) comprising a housing assembly (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.
11. A vehicle comprising an electric drive (100) according to claim 10.