Electric Pump Gear Integration and Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric oil pumps face issues with increased axial length due to mechanically separate gear and motor parts, and thermal deformation of plastic housings leads to efficiency degradation and axial clearance between housing and gear parts.
Innovation Solution
The electric pump design includes a housing with a gear part and a stator, and a support member between the gear part and the housing, which is formed of a metal material and includes regions that pass through the gear part to stabilize its rotation and reduce axial clearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gear part and motor part are mechanically separate, then the motor can drive the gear part reliably, but the axial length of the pump is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the motor part and gear part into an integrated structure where the motor stator is directly coupled with the gear housing. The motor rotor and gear shaft are merged as a single rotating component, eliminating the need for separate mechanical coupling mechanisms. This integration reduces the axial length while maintaining the driving reliability through direct magnetic coupling between the stator and rotor.
2Ease of manufacture
If the housing is formed of plastic material, then the manufacturing cost is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but thermal deformation occurs due to heat from the gear part
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite material structure where the housing is made of plastic material but incorporates metal reinforcement elements such as metal inserts or metal-braided structures in critical thermal zones. These metal components provide thermal stability and structural support to prevent deformation caused by gear part heat, while the majority of the housing retains plastic material for cost-effective manufacturing.
3Temperature
If thermal deformation occurs in the housing, then the housing expands or contracts, but clearance appears between the housing and gear part
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the housing and gear part interfaces to accommodate thermal expansion differences. This includes providing expansion compensation mechanisms such as flexible mounting brackets, adjustable positioning features, or clearance zones that allow the housing to expand or contract thermally without creating harmful clearances or binding the gear part. The support member structure is designed to maintain precise positioning despite thermal dimensional changes.
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 design allows for stable operation of the electric pump by inhibiting axial clearance due to thermal deformation and reducing the axial length by eliminating the separate motor part, thereby enabling miniaturization while maintaining pumping efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
thermal deformation may occur due to heat generated from the gear part during operation. Accordingly, there is a problem that an efficiency of the electric oil pump is degraded because a clearance is present between the housing and the gear part
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an electric pump including a housing, a gear part disposed in the housing, a stator disposed to correspond to the gear part, and a support member disposed between the gear part and the housing, wherein the gear part includes a first gear, a second gear disposed to correspond to the first gear, and a magnet disposed on the second gear, and the support member includes a first region supporting the first gear and a second region protruding from the first region and inserted into the first gear.