Integrated water pump and thermal management system

Abstract

An integrated water pump and a thermal management system. The integrated water pump comprises: a pump body, the pump body comprising: a housing, the housing having a plurality of chambers located inside the housing, and each chamber having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet; and a plurality of stages of rotating components, each stage of the plurality of stages of rotating components being separately arranged in one chamber, wherein a first stage of rotating component comprises a power receiving portion for receiving power and rotating, and adjacent stages of rotating components are fixedly connected to rotate synchronously. By means of the described arrangement, the integration level of the water pump can be effectively improved, facilitating the modularization, miniaturization, lightweighting, and compactness of the heat pump system. Moreover, one actuator, one driver, and one electrical connection interface can also be used for control, so as to replace a plurality of components such as a plurality of actuators, a plurality of drivers, and a plurality of electrical connection interfaces that need to be used by a plurality of water pumps in the prior art, thereby simplifying the structure of a heat pump system or a heat pump module, facilitating installation, and saving costs.

Description

Integrated water pump and thermal management system Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an integrated water pump and a thermal management system including the integrated water pump, and more particularly to a miniaturized, lightweight and low-cost integrated water pump. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing market penetration of new energy vehicles and the escalating price war, there are growing demands for modularization, lightweighting, standardization, and cost reduction in vehicle thermal management. The market demand for modularization of automotive air conditioning heat pump systems is driving the modularization, miniaturization, lightweighting, and compactness of heat pump integration.

[0003] Heat pump systems or modules typically contain multiple water pumps (e.g., four or more). These multiple water pumps are not conducive to the modularization, miniaturization, lightweighting, and compactness of heat pump systems or modules. Furthermore, the power consumption of the water pumps and the number of drive control wiring are also relatively large.

[0004] Therefore, those skilled in the art are dedicated to developing an integrated water pump and a thermal management system including the integrated water pump to overcome the aforementioned deficiencies of the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an integrated water pump and a thermal management system including the integrated water pump. By arranging each stage of a multi-stage rotating component in a housing with multiple chambers, and the first stage of the multi-stage rotating component having a power receiving part for receiving power and rotating, and the adjacent stages of the rotating components being fixedly connected, the integration of the water pump can be effectively improved, which is conducive to the modularization, miniaturization, lightweighting and compactness of the heat pump system or heat pump module. At the same time, the above arrangement can be controlled by a single actuator, namely a water pump motor, a driver and an electrical connection interface, to replace the multiple actuators, i.e. multiple water pump motors, multiple drivers and multiple electrical connection interfaces required by multiple water pumps in the prior art. This reduces power consumption and the number of drive control wiring, simplifies the structure of the heat pump system or heat pump module, facilitates installation, and saves costs.

[0006] This disclosure provides an integrated water pump, the integrated water pump comprising: a pump body having: a housing having a plurality of chambers located therein, each chamber having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet; and a multi-stage rotating component, each stage of the multi-stage rotating component being disposed in a chamber, wherein the first stage of the multi-stage rotating component has a power receiving part for receiving power and rotating, and adjacent stages of the multi-stage rotating component are fixedly connected to rotate synchronously.

[0007] The heat exchanger according to this disclosure may also have one or more of the following features, individually or in combination.

[0008] In one or more embodiments, the integrated water pump further includes an actuator, the output of which is connected to the power receiving part of the first-stage rotating component.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, the plurality of fluid inlets and the plurality of fluid outlets face the same direction.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the plurality of fluid inlets and the plurality of fluid outlets are located on the same plane.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, each stage of the multi-stage rotating component is an impeller.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, a plurality of the impellers are arranged coaxially.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, adjacent impellers are connected by a spline.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the output shaft of the actuator is coaxially arranged with the first-stage rotating component.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the actuator includes a brushless DC motor.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, a seal is provided inside the housing, and the chambers are separated by partition walls. The seal is disposed between the partition walls and the connection between adjacent rotating components.

[0017] In one or more embodiments, the multi-stage rotating component is a 4-stage rotating component.

[0018] This disclosure provides a thermal management system, wherein the thermal management system includes: a flow channel plate; and the aforementioned integrated water pump, which is installed on the flow channel plate.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the flow channel plate has a first opening and a second opening that are respectively connected to and communicate with the fluid inlet and fluid outlet of the integrated water pump. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an integrated water pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an integrated water pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the pump body in an integrated water pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure from a first perspective.

[0023] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the pump body in an integrated water pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure from a second perspective.

[0024] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the housing in a pump body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a multi-stage rotating component in a pump body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a multi-stage rotating component in a pump body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 8 is a perspective view of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 9 is a perspective view of a flow channel plate in a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 10 is a perspective view of a first sub-shell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 11 is a perspective view of a second sub-shell or a third sub-shell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 12 is a perspective view of a second or third sub-shell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure from another angle;

[0032] Figure 13 is a perspective view of a fourth sub-shell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the pump body in an integrated water pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the arrows indicate the flow direction of the fluid. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this disclosure from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0035] It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the accompanying drawings are merely for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed herein, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this disclosure. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effectiveness and purpose of this disclosure, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed herein. Furthermore, the terms such as "above" and "a" used in this specification are merely for clarity of description and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of this disclosure's implementation.

[0036] This disclosure provides an integrated water pump. Specific embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the integrated water pump 1 includes a pump body 2 and an actuator 3 for driving the pump body 2. The pump body 2 includes a housing 10 and a multi-stage rotating component 20, wherein the housing 10 has multiple chambers located inside it, and each chamber has a fluid inlet 11 for fluid to enter the chamber and a fluid outlet 12 for fluid to flow out of the chamber. The multi-stage rotating component 20 may include first, second, third...nth stage rotating components 21, 22, 23...2n (where n is greater than or equal to 2), that is, the multi-stage rotating component 20 includes at least two stages of rotating components, namely a first stage rotating component and a second stage rotating component. Each of the multi-stage rotating components 20 (i.e., each stage rotating component) is respectively disposed in a chamber, providing power for the fluid flowing through the chambers of the housing 10. The first-stage rotating component 21 in the multi-stage rotating component 20 has a power receiving part 210 for receiving power and rotating (as shown in FIG. 6), and adjacent rotating components in the multi-stage rotating component 20 are fixedly connected so that the multi-stage rotating component 20 can rotate synchronously. The above-mentioned arrangement of this disclosure can be regarded as integrating multiple water pumps into one unit, namely the integrated water pump 1. This not only improves the integration of the water pump, which is conducive to the modularization, miniaturization, lightweighting and compactness of the heat pump system or heat pump module; at the same time, the above-mentioned arrangement can also use a single actuator, such as a water pump motor (or drive motor), a driver (e.g., motor driver) and an electrical connection interface for control, to replace the multiple actuators required for multiple water pumps in the prior art, i.e., multiple water pump motors, multiple drivers and multiple electrical connection interfaces, etc., which reduces power consumption and the number of drive control wiring, simplifies the structure of the heat pump system or heat pump module, facilitates installation, and saves costs.

[0038] Specifically, referring to Figure 5, in one embodiment, the housing 10 includes a first sub-housing 13, a second sub-housing 14, a third sub-housing 15, and a fourth sub-housing 16 that are fixedly fitted / stacked in sequence, and an end cap 17 for sealing the first sub-housing 13. The structures of the first sub-housing 13, the second sub-housing 14, and the third sub-housing 15 are generally similar. Specifically, the first sub-housing 13, the second sub-housing 14, and the third sub-housing 15 can be generally cylindrical, with one end (the left end as shown in Figure 5) open for placing the rotating components of its corresponding level (e.g., first-level, second-level, and third-level rotating components 21, 22, and 23), and the other end (the right end as shown in Figure 5) having a partition wall 18 for separating adjacent chambers. The partition wall 18 has an opening at its center, allowing adjacent rotating components of two levels to be connected through the opening. In other words, the opening can accommodate the connecting portion of adjacent rotating components of two levels. The fourth sub-housing 16 is disposed on the side of the third sub-housing 15 relative to the first sub-housing 13 (the right side as shown in FIG. 5). The fourth sub-housing 16 may also be generally cylindrical, with one end (the left end as shown in FIG. 5) open for housing the fourth-stage rotating component 24, and the other end having an end wall that seals the fourth sub-housing 16 to prevent fluid leakage. An end cap 17 is disposed at one end of the first sub-housing 13 relative to the fourth sub-housing 16, for sealing the first sub-housing 13, thereby defining a chamber for accommodating the first-stage rotating component 21. The end cap 17 has an opening at its center, allowing the output end 31 of the actuator 3 to be connected to the first-stage rotating component 21 through the opening. In this embodiment, the end cap 17 may also include a sleeve portion 170 extending from the edge of the opening away from the first sub-housing 13. This sleeve portion 170 can be used to accommodate the rotor of the actuator 3 and the output end 31, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0039] Referring to Figures 5, 10 to 13, in one embodiment, the partition wall 18 of the first sub-shell 13 may form an annular groove 130 on the side facing the second sub-shell 14 (as shown in Figure 10). Correspondingly, an annular protrusion 141 is formed at the end of the second sub-shell 14 facing the first sub-shell 13 (as shown in Figure 11). The annular protrusion 141 cooperates with the annular groove 130 (that is, the annular protrusion 141 can be inserted into the annular groove 130), and a sealed connection between the first sub-shell 13 and the second sub-shell 14 can be achieved by means of gluing or welding to avoid fluid leakage. Furthermore, the partition wall 18 of the second sub-shell 14 may also form an annular groove 140 on the side facing the third sub-shell 15 (as shown in Figure 12). Correspondingly, an annular protrusion 151 is formed at the end of the third sub-shell 15 facing the second sub-shell 14 (as shown in Figure 11). The annular protrusion 151 can cooperate with the annular groove 140 (that is, the annular protrusion 151 can be inserted into the annular groove 140), and a sealed connection between the second sub-shell 14 and the third sub-shell 15 can be achieved by means of gluing or welding to avoid fluid leakage. Similarly, the partition wall 18 of the third sub-shell 15 may also have an annular groove 150 formed on the side facing the fourth sub-shell 16 (as shown in Figure 12). Correspondingly, the end of the fourth sub-shell 16 facing the third sub-shell 15 has an annular protrusion 161 formed (as shown in Figure 13). The annular protrusion 161 can mate with the annular groove 150 (i.e., the annular protrusion 161 can be inserted into the annular groove 150), and a sealed connection between the third sub-shell 15 and the fourth sub-shell 16 can be achieved by means of adhesive bonding or welding to avoid fluid leakage. This arrangement allows the shell 10 to be modularized, making it easy to expand the number of its chambers (for example, the number of chambers of the shell 10 can be changed by increasing or decreasing the number of second sub-shells 14 and / or second sub-shells 15), and the structure is compact. When the first sub-housing 13 and the second sub-housing 14 are fixed / stacked, the annular protrusion 141 of the second sub-housing 14 is sealed to the annular groove 130 of the first sub-housing 13, and the partition wall 18 of the first sub-housing 13 can serve as an end cap of the second sub-housing 14 to define a chamber for accommodating the second-stage rotating component 22. Furthermore, when the second sub-housing 14 and the third sub-housing 15 are fixed / stacked, the annular protrusion 151 of the third sub-housing 15 is sealed to the annular groove 140 of the second sub-housing 14, and the partition wall 18 of the second sub-housing 14 can serve as an end cap of the third sub-housing 15 to define a chamber for accommodating the third-stage rotating component 23. Similarly, when the third sub-housing 15 and the fourth sub-housing 16 are fixed / stacked, the annular protrusion 161 of the fourth sub-housing 16 is sealed to the annular groove 150 of the third sub-housing 15, and the partition wall 18 of the third sub-housing 15 can serve as the end cap of the fourth sub-housing 16 to define a chamber for accommodating the fourth-stage rotating component 24, as shown in FIG5.Therefore, the same partition wall 18 can be used to define two adjacent chambers at the same time, or in other words, the partition wall 18 of the housing can be used between adjacent chambers, which can make the integrated water pump 1 more compact, lighter, and smaller in size.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 5. Fluids of different temperatures and / or pressures from different fluid circuits can flow through each chamber of the housing 10. To avoid cross-flow of fluids in each chamber and thus affect the temperature and / or pressure of the fluids in different fluid circuits, a seal 19 can be provided inside the housing 10. The seal 19 is provided in the opening of each partition wall 18. When the multi-stage rotating component 20 is installed inside the housing 10, the seal 19 is sandwiched between the partition wall 18 and the connection between the adjacent two stages of rotating components and is squeezed and deformed, thereby effectively preventing cross-flow of fluids in each chamber.

[0041] Referring to Figures 4 and 14, the housing 10 also has multiple pairs of fluid inlets 11 and fluid outlets 12 that connect to each chamber (in this embodiment, four pairs are mainly described, but this disclosure is not limited to this). Fluid can flow into each chamber of the housing 10 through the fluid inlets 11 and flow out through the fluid outlets 12, as shown by the arrows in Figure 14. In one embodiment, both the fluid inlets 11 and fluid outlets 12 are provided with anti-leakage sealing gaskets 30, which are located on the peripheral walls of the fluid inlets 11 and fluid outlets 12 to achieve a sealed connection between the fluid inlets 11 and fluid outlets 12 of the integrated water pump 1 and external components (e.g., flow channel plates). Preferably, the multiple fluid inlets 11 and multiple fluid outlets 12 can be configured to face the same direction, thereby allowing the fluid inlets 11 and fluid outlets 12 of the integrated water pump 1 to directly connect to the flow channel openings on the flow channel plate 5 (as shown in Figures 8 and 9), simplifying the pipeline layout and optimizing the system structure. More preferably, the plurality of fluid inlets 11 and the plurality of fluid outlets 12 may be arranged to be located on the same plane.

[0042] To facilitate the fixed installation of the integrated water pump 1 onto other components (such as a flow channel plate), the housing 10 may also have multiple mounting holes 100 (as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4). In one embodiment, there may be four mounting holes 100, two of which are located at both ends of the bottom of the first sub-housing 13, and the other two are located at both ends of the bottom of the fourth sub-housing 16, so as to securely and stably install the integrated water pump 1 onto other components. Of course, this disclosure is not limited to this; for example, the number of mounting holes 100 may be set to other numbers, as long as it is possible to fix the integrated water pump 1 onto other components.

[0043] Please refer to Figures 6 and 7. In this embodiment, the multi-stage rotating components 20 located in each chamber of the housing 10 can be four-stage rotating components, and each stage of the rotating components can be configured as an impeller. Specifically, the multi-stage rotating components 20 may include a first-stage rotating component 21, a second-stage rotating component 22, a third-stage rotating component 23, and a fourth-stage rotating component 24 arranged concentrically and coaxially in sequence. The first-stage rotating component 21 has a power receiving part 210 at one end along its axial direction, which is used to fixally connect to the output end 31 of the actuator 3 to receive power and rotate. In one embodiment, the power receiving part 210 and the output end 31 can be integrally formed (as shown in Figure 7) to avoid adverse effects caused by installation errors and transmission errors. Of course, this disclosure is not limited to this, as long as the two are fixedly connected. The other end of the first-stage rotating component 21 along its axial direction can be fixedly connected to the second-stage rotating component 22 through an opening in the partition wall 18 of the first sub-housing 13. In one embodiment, the first-stage rotating component 21 and the second-stage rotating component 22 can be splined. For example, the first-stage rotating component 21 has a spline protrusion at one end facing the second-stage rotating component 22, and the second-stage rotating component 22 has a spline groove at one end facing the first-stage rotating component 21. The spline protrusion is inserted into the spline groove, so that the first and second-stage rotating components are fixedly connected.

[0044] One end of the second-stage rotating component 22 along its axial direction is fixedly connected to the first-stage rotating component 21, as described above; and the other end of the second-stage rotating component 22 along its axial direction can pass through an opening in the partition wall 18 of the second sub-housing 14 and be fixedly connected to the third-stage rotating component 23. In one embodiment, the second-stage rotating component 22 and the third-stage rotating component 23 can also be splined. For example, the end of the second-stage rotating component 22 facing the third-stage rotating component 23 is provided with a spline protrusion, and correspondingly, the end of the third-stage rotating component 23 facing the second-stage rotating component 22 is provided with a spline groove. The spline protrusion is inserted into the spline groove, so that the second and third-stage rotating components are fixedly connected.

[0045] One end of the third-stage rotating component 23 along its axial direction is fixedly connected to the second-stage rotating component 22, as described above; and the other end of the third-stage rotating component 23 along its axial direction can pass through an opening in the partition wall 18 of the third sub-housing 15 and be fixedly connected to the fourth-stage rotating component 24. In one embodiment, the third-stage rotating component 23 and the fourth-stage rotating component 24 can also be splined. For example, the end of the third-stage rotating component 23 facing the fourth-stage rotating component 24 is provided with a spline protrusion, and correspondingly, the end of the fourth-stage rotating component 24 facing the third-stage rotating component 23 is provided with a spline groove. The spline protrusion is inserted into the spline groove, so that the third and fourth-stage rotating components are fixedly connected.

[0046] In this embodiment, the fourth-stage rotating component 24 serves as the end of the multi-stage rotating component 20. Therefore, one end of the fourth-stage rotating component 24 along its axial direction is fixedly connected to the third-stage rotating component 23, while the other end along its axial direction can be set as a free end, making its structure simple and easy to manufacture. Of course, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a mounting boss can also be provided at the other end of the fourth-stage rotating component 24 along its axial direction, and a mounting groove can be provided on the end wall of the fourth sub-housing 16 accordingly. The mounting boss is located in the mounting groove to support one end of the multi-stage rotating component 20, which facilitates the installation and positioning of the fourth-stage rotating component 24 and helps the multi-stage rotating component 20 to rotate smoothly. Alternatively, a mounting groove can also be provided at the other end of the fourth-stage rotating component 24 along its axial direction, and a mounting boss can be provided on the end wall of the fourth sub-housing 16 accordingly, with the mounting boss located in the mounting groove. As long as each stage of the multi-stage rotating component 20 can be positioned and installed in the respective cavities of the housing 10, it is acceptable.

[0047] Referring to Figure 6, in this embodiment, the heights of each stage of rotating components 21, 22, 23, and 24 along their axial direction are approximately the same in the multi-stage rotating component 20. This ensures that the flow rates of the fluid circuits corresponding to each stage of rotating components are the same. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. Designers can adjust the heights of each stage of rotating components along their axial direction according to the flow rate requirements in different fluid circuits. A greater height corresponds to a greater flow rate in the fluid circuit corresponding to that stage of rotating component.

[0048] The specific steps for installing the multi-stage rotating component 20 into the housing 10 are as follows: First, place each stage of the multi-stage rotating component 20 into its corresponding sub-housing; then, fix the two adjacent stages of rotating components and the sub-housing; next, fix the end cap 17 to the open end of the first sub-housing 13 (the left end as shown in Figure 5) to complete the installation of the pump body 2. Of course, this disclosure is not limited to the above installation steps. For example, after the first stage rotating component 21 is placed in the first sub-housing 13, the end cap 17 can be fixedly connected to the open end of the first sub-housing 13, and then the two adjacent stages of rotating components and the sub-housing can be fixedly connected.

[0049] Figure 14 shows a cross-sectional view of the pump body 2, where the arrows indicate the direction of fluid flow. As shown, fluid can flow into each chamber of the housing 10 through the fluid inlet 11, and after being powered by the rotating components of each stage (only the first stage rotating component 21 is shown in Figure 14), it flows out of the housing 10 through the fluid outlet 12.

[0050] Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 6, the integrated water pump 1 also includes an actuator 3 that provides power to the pump body 2. The actuator 3 has an output end 31 connected to the power receiving portion 210 of the first-stage rotating component 21, and the output end 31 is coaxially arranged with the first-stage rotating component 21, allowing the actuator 3 to drive the first-stage rotating component 21 to rotate. Simultaneously, the second, third, and fourth-stage rotating components 22, 23, and 24 will also rotate synchronously. In one embodiment, the actuator 30 may include a drive motor / pump motor. Preferably, the drive motor may be a brushless DC motor, but this disclosure is not limited to this; as long as the actuator 30 includes a motor capable of driving the pump body 2, it is acceptable.

[0051] Please continue to refer to Figures 1 and 2. The actuator 3 may also include an electrical connection interface 32 that provides power to it and a driver 33 for driving the water pump motor. This disclosure requires only one actuator 3 to drive the pump body 2. That is, this disclosure uses only one drive motor, one electrical connection interface 32 and one driver 33 to simultaneously drive four impellers (i.e., the first to fourth stage rotating parts 21-24). This effectively improves the integration of the water pump and is conducive to the modularization, miniaturization, lightweighting and compactness of the heat pump system or heat pump module. At the same time, this configuration also simplifies the structure, facilitates installation and saves costs.

[0052] Although the above embodiments of this disclosure are mainly described with the multi-stage rotating component 20 being a four-stage rotating component (i.e., including the first, second, third, and fourth stage rotating components) and the housing 10 having four corresponding chambers, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the multi-stage rotating component 20 can also be an n-stage rotating component (where n≥2), and correspondingly, the housing 10 has n chambers (where n≥2). The specific configuration can be made according to actual needs.

[0053] The above embodiments of this disclosure are mainly illustrated by taking the example of the (n-1)th level rotating component being fixed to the nth level rotating component through the opening of the partition wall 18. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the nth level rotating component can also be fixed to the (n-1)th level rotating component through the opening of the partition wall 18, as long as the adjacent two levels of rotating components can be fixedly connected.

[0054] The above embodiments of this disclosure mainly take the example of the (n-1)th stage rotating component having a spline protrusion and the corresponding nth stage rotating component having a spline groove to fix the two stages of rotating components. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the (n-1)th stage rotating component may also have a spline groove and the corresponding nth stage rotating component may have a spline protrusion, as long as the adjacent two stages of rotating components can be fixedly connected.

[0055] The above embodiments of this disclosure are mainly described by connecting adjacent two-stage rotating components with splines. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, adjacent two-stage rotating components can also be connected with flat keys, as long as the two can be fixedly connected.

[0056] This disclosure also provides a thermal management system including the integrated water pump described in the foregoing embodiments. Specific embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to Figures 8 and 9.

[0057] Please refer to Figures 8 and 9. The thermal management system 4 includes a flow channel plate 5 and the integrated water pump 1 described in the aforementioned embodiment, which is fixedly mounted on the flow channel plate 5. Specifically, the flow channel plate 5 is provided with four first openings 51 and four second openings 52, wherein the first openings 51 are used to connect to the fluid inlet 11 of the integrated water pump 1, and the second openings 52 are used to connect to the fluid outlet 12 of the integrated water pump 1. In this embodiment, since the fluid inlet 11 and fluid outlet 12 of the integrated water pump 1 face the same direction and are located on the same plane, the fluid inlet 11 and fluid outlet 12 of the integrated water pump 1 can be directly connected (e.g., plugged in, but this disclosure is not limited to this) to the first openings 51 and second openings 52 on the flow channel plate 5, simplifying the pipeline layout, optimizing the system structure, improving integration, and facilitating installation. In addition, the flow channel plate 5 of the thermal management system 4 may also be provided with other interfaces to fluidly connect different components such as the multi-way valve 6 and the heat exchanger 7, and together with the integrated water pump 1, complete the power distribution of the fluid loop and the control of the working mode in the heat pump mode of the thermal management system 4.

[0058] The integrated water pump 1 can be applied not only to the thermal management system shown in Figure 8, but also to the thermal management system of energy storage batteries. Typically, energy storage battery thermal management systems require different components such as distributors, battery clusters, and collectors. The distributors distribute fluid evenly to the battery clusters, and the fluid flowing through the clusters is then collected by the collectors. To meet the requirement of even distribution, the dimensions and errors of the distributor's design, structure, manufacturing, and assembly must be strictly controlled. If the distributor cannot achieve even distribution, it must be redesigned, simulated, and manufactured, resulting in a long development cycle. The integrated water pump 1 described in this disclosure can effectively solve the above problems. Specifically, the integrated water pump 1, especially when used in conjunction with a multi-way valve, can achieve uniform flow distribution simply by setting the rotating components of each stage to the same size, eliminating the need for a distributor and effectively avoiding the aforementioned problems.

[0059] In summary, this disclosure provides an integrated water pump and a thermal management system including the integrated water pump. By arranging each stage of a multi-stage rotating component in a housing with multiple chambers, and the first stage of the multi-stage rotating component having a power receiving part for receiving power and rotating, and the adjacent stages of rotating components being fixedly connected, the integration of the water pump can be effectively improved, which is beneficial for the modularization, miniaturization, lightweighting, and compactness of the heat pump system or heat pump module. At the same time, the above arrangement can be controlled by a single actuator, namely a water pump motor, a driver, and an electrical connection interface, to replace the multiple actuators, i.e., multiple water pump motors, multiple drivers, and multiple electrical connection interfaces required by multiple water pumps in the prior art. This reduces power consumption and the number of drive control wiring, simplifies the structure of the heat pump system or heat pump module, facilitates installation, and saves costs.

[0060] The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the integrated water pump and thermal management system provided by this disclosure refers to preferred embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and alterations can be made to the above specific embodiments without departing from the spirit of this disclosure, and various combinations can be made to the various technical features and structures proposed in this disclosure without exceeding the protection scope of this disclosure, which is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An integrated water pump (1), the integrated water pump (1) comprising: Pump body (2), said pump body (2) having: A housing (10) having a plurality of chambers located therein, each chamber having a fluid inlet (11) and a fluid outlet (12); as well as A multi-stage rotating component (20), wherein each stage of the multi-stage rotating component (20) is respectively disposed in a chamber. The first-stage rotating component (21) of the multi-stage rotating component (20) has a power receiving part (210) for receiving power and rotating. Adjacent rotating components in the multi-stage rotating component (20) are fixedly connected to rotate synchronously.

2. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 1, wherein, The integrated water pump (1) also includes an actuator (3), the output end (31) of which is connected to the power receiving part (210) of the first stage rotating component (21).

3. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 1, wherein, The multiple fluid inlets (11) and the multiple fluid outlets (12) are oriented in the same direction.

4. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 3, wherein, The plurality of fluid inlets (11) and the plurality of fluid outlets (12) are located on the same plane.

5. The integrated water pump (1) as described in any one of claims 1-4, wherein, Each stage of the multi-stage rotating component (20) is an impeller.

6. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 5, wherein, Multiple impellers are arranged coaxially.

7. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 6, wherein, The two adjacent impellers are connected by a spline.

8. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 2, wherein, The output shaft (31) of the actuator (3) is coaxially arranged with the first-stage rotating component (21).

9. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 1, wherein, The actuator (3) includes a brushless DC motor.

10. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 1, wherein, A sealing element (19) is provided inside the housing (10), and each of the chambers is separated by a partition wall (18). The sealing element (19) is located between the partition wall (18) and the connection between the adjacent two-stage rotating components.

11. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 1, wherein, The multi-stage rotating component (20) is a 4-stage rotating component.

12. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 1, wherein, The housing (10) includes a plurality of sub-housings, wherein two adjacent sub-housings define a chamber.

13. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 12, wherein, The plurality of sub-shells include a first sub-shell (13), a second sub-shell (14), a third sub-shell (15), and a fourth sub-shell (16) stacked in sequence.

14. The integrated water pump (1) as described in claim 13, wherein, One of the two adjacent sub-shells is provided with an annular groove, and the other is provided with an annular protrusion that mates with the annular groove.

15. A thermal management system (4), wherein, The thermal management system (4) includes: Flow channel plate (5); and The integrated water pump (1) as described in any one of claims 1-14 is mounted on the flow channel plate (5).

16. The thermal management system (4) as described in claim 15, wherein, The flow channel plate (5) has a first opening (51) and a second opening (52) that are respectively connected to and communicate with the fluid inlet (11) and fluid outlet (12) of the integrated water pump (1).

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