Electric Axle Drive Thermal Management via Segmented Housing Partitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electric vehicle axle drive designs require significant resources for liquid cooling, leading to high costs and inflexibility due to the separation of power electronics from the axle drive, resulting in inefficient heat removal and potential damage to components.
Innovation Solution
The integration of an electrical machine, power electronics system, and transmission within a common housing, utilizing thermally insulating and high thermal conductivity materials to create separate compartments for controlled heat management, allowing for air-cooled passive cooling and eliminating the need for liquid cooling systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If liquid cooling systems are used to remove heat from the electrical machine, power electronics system, and transmission, then heat removal effectiveness is improved, but system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple compartments by housing partitions, with each compartment containing specific components (electrical machine, power electronics system, transmission) and equipped with independent air cooling channels. This segmentation allows each component to be cooled independently through air flow, eliminating the need for a complex liquid cooling system while maintaining effective heat removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the liquid cooling system (pumps, hoses, heat exchangers) with an air cooling system using simple housing partitions and cooling channels. This substitution eliminates complex mechanical cooling components while providing sufficient heat removal through passive or active air flow through the segmented housing structure.
2Volume of moving object
If components are integrated into a common housing, then compactness and flexibility are improved, but heat management becomes more difficult due to thermal interference between components
Solution Approach 1:
The common housing is segmented into multiple compartments by housing partitions, creating separate thermal zones for each component. This segmentation maintains compact integration while preventing thermal interference between the electrical machine, power electronics system, and transmission through thermal isolation provided by the partitions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the housing are designed with different thermal characteristics through the use of housing partitions. Each compartment can be optimized for its specific component's thermal requirements, allowing local heat management while maintaining overall system compactness.
3Temperature
If power electronics system is mounted separately from the axle drive, then cooling requirements are reduced, but integration and flexibility are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The power electronics system is integrated into the axle drive housing along with the electrical machine and transmission. The segmented housing design with air cooling channels enables all components to be mounted in a compact, integrated arrangement while each component maintains its own cooling pathway, providing both integration and effective heat management.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces cooling system complexity and costs, prevents component damage, and enables more flexible, compact, and cost-optimized electric vehicle axle drives by effectively managing heat through selective heat transfer and radiation.
Implementation Method 1
a first housing partition (16) is situated between the electrical machine (12) and the power electronics system (13) and a second housing partition (17) is situated between the electrical machine (12) and the transmission (14), wherein the first housing partition (16) consists of a first material M1, and/or the second housing partition (17) consists of a second material M2
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an axle drive for a vehicle, said axle drive comprising at least one electrical machine, at least one power electronics system and at least one transmission, which are arranged in a housing, a first housing partition being situated between the at least one electrical machine and the at least one power electronics system. A further second housing partition is situated between the at least one electrical machine and the at least one transmission. The first housing partition consists of a first material, and/or the second housing partition consists of a second material.