Protective Cover for Rotating Electric Machine Thermal Decoupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems for motor vehicle alternator-starters lack thermal decoupling between power and filtering components, leading to potential damage from high operating temperatures of power components to filtering components.
Innovation Solution
A protective cover with specific openings and heatsinks is designed to create separate cooling air flows for power, control, and filtering blocks, optimizing heat dissipation and providing thermal decoupling between these components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single cooling system is used for all electronic components, then the cooling system is simple and compact, but thermal decoupling between power and filtering components is insufficient, leading to potential damage from high operating temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into multiple sections with distinct opening patterns for different electronic blocks. The power block receives cooling air through first and second openings, while the filtering block receives cooling air through third and fourth openings, creating segregated cooling pathways that prevent thermal interference between components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the protective cover are designed with different opening configurations tailored to the specific thermal needs of each electronic block. The power block area has openings optimized for high-heat dissipation, while the filtering block area has openings suited for its lower thermal requirements, achieving localized thermal management.
2Reliability
If cooling air flows are not separated for different blocks, then the cooling system is simpler, but power components can overheat and damage filtering components
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover incorporates distinct sets of openings (first, second, third, and fourth openings) that segment the cooling air flow paths. This segmentation ensures that cooling air for the power block does not directly contact the filtering block, protecting sensitive filtering components from excessive heat while maintaining system reliability.
3Reliability
If targeted cooling air flows are created for each block, then thermal decoupling and component protection are improved, but the protective cover design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover performs multiple functions simultaneously: it protects electronic components, distributes targeted cooling air flows to different blocks, and maintains structural integrity. By integrating these functions into a single component with strategically placed openings, the design achieves efficient thermal management without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
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 effectively cools each block with targeted air flows, preventing overheating and damage to filtering components while maintaining efficient heat dissipation, thus enhancing the reliability and performance of the alternator-starter system.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat sink (101) equipped with a plurality of fins (1011) coupled to said power block (100)
Implementation Method 2
the first airflow (F1) flowing radially through said first set of openings (401) and resting on said heat sink elements, namely said fins (1011) of said first heat sink (101)
Implementation Method 3
the second airflow (F2) flowing through said second set of openings (402) and passing radially under said control block (300)
Implementation Method 4
a second heat sink (201) equipped with a plurality of fins (2011) coupled to capacitors (202) of said filter block (200)
Implementation Method 5
the third airflow (F3) flowing radially through said third set of openings (403) and resting on said heat sink elements, namely said fins (2011) of said second heat sink (201)
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2~3b
AI summary
The present invention concerns a protective cover (400) designed to cover power, filtering and control modules of an electronic assembly for a rotating electric machine for a motor vehicle. Said protective cover (400) is characterised in that it comprises: - openings (401, 402, 403, 404) designed to generate different cooling air streams (F1, F2, F3, F4) for heat dissipation requirements of each of the power, control and filtering modules; - the openings of the protective cover (400) being distributed into: a first set of openings (401) designed to be positioned facing the fins of a first heat sink coupled to the power module; a second set of openings (402) designed to be positioned facing the control module; the two sets of openings (401, 402) being separated by a barrier wall (405) so as to create a first radial cooling air stream (F1) for said power module and a second radial cooling air stream (F2) for said control module; and a third set of openings (403) designed to be positioned facing the fins of a second heat sink coupled to condensers of the filtering module so as to create a third radial cooling air stream (F3) for said filtering module.