Integrated Capacitor Housing for Inverter Cooling in Electric Drives
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat management in capacitors within electric drive units, particularly in dynamic applications like passenger car inverters, is challenging due to inaccessible hot spots, leading to potential irreversible damage from temperature exceeding the permissible limit, and current cooling methods are inadequate for operating capacitors near power or temperature limits.
Innovation Solution
A housing assembly for electric drive units incorporating a housing with a cooling circuit and an inverter, featuring a capacitor assembly with thermally conductive resin embedded capacitors, directly coupled to the housing, optimizing heat transfer through an integral construction that maximizes cooling fluid contact with capacitors, reducing component count and enhancing reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling methods are used for capacitors, then the capacitor assembly is isolated from the cooling circuit, but heat transfer efficiency is insufficient and capacitors cannot operate near power or temperature limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the capacitor assembly with the cooling circuit by integrating the capacitor housing directly into the cooling circuit housing. This allows the capacitor assembly to be directly coupled to the cooling circuit, enabling efficient heat transfer from the capacitors to the cooling fluid and allowing operation near power and temperature limits while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a thermal conduction element as an intermediary between the capacitors and the cooling circuit. This thermal conduction element facilitates heat transfer from the capacitors to the cooling fluid, solving the problem of insufficient heat transfer efficiency while maintaining capacitor reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components are used for housing and capacitor assembly, then manufacturing and maintenance are complex, but the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the housing and capacitor assembly into a single integrated housing assembly. The capacitor assembly is directly coupled to the housing, forming an integral construction that reduces the number of separate components while simplifying manufacturing and maintenance processes.
3Temperature
If capacitors are embedded in shell with thermal conduction element, then heat transfer from capacitor is optimized, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thermal conduction element that automatically embeds the capacitors in the shell through its own structural design. The thermal conduction element is configured to receive and secure the capacitors, providing self-alignment and self-positioning features that reduce manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining optimized heat transfer.
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
The solution enables efficient heat dissipation from capacitors, reducing the risk of damage and allowing operation closer to power and temperature limits, while simplifying maintenance and reducing the number of components, thus improving the reliability and efficiency of the electric drive unit.
Implementation Method 1
one thermal conduction element, in particular a thermally conductive resin, for embedding the at least one capacitor in the shell
Implementation Method 2
The housing forms a cooling circuit for receiving the cooling fluid
Data Source
AI summary
The invention refers to a housing assembly for an electric drive or an electric drive unit, in particular of a motor vehicle, comprising a housing, a cooling fluid and an inverter, the housing forming a cooling circuit for receiving the cooling fluid with at least one first recess and the inverter having at least one capacitor assembly which is provided for arrangement in the first recess of the housing. The capacitor assembly is formed with at least one capacitor, in particular a wound capacitor, a shell for receiving the capacitor and a thermal conduction element, in particular a thermally conductive resin, for embedding the capacitor in the shell. The capacitor assembly can be coupled directly to the shell. Furthermore, the invention refers to a motor and a vehicle.