Air-Cooled Electric Powertrain With Remote Fan Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric vehicle cooling systems face inefficiencies due to pressure drops in air cooling circuits and vulnerability to dust and moisture, leading to reduced fan reliability and increased dimensions, making them susceptible to frontal impacts.
Innovation Solution
A compact electric powertrain design with a remote fan positioned above the electric motor and speed reducer, featuring a streamlined air cooling circuit with enlarged and flattened conduits, and radially extending air passage openings to minimize pressure drops and enhance cooling efficiency, while eliminating the need for protective devices and reducing vulnerability in frontal impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the fan is integrated with the electric motor (sharing the rotor shaft), then the cooling system is compact, but the fan reliability deteriorates due to dust and water ingress
Solution Approach 1:
The fan is separated from the electric motor and placed in a different location (at a height relative to the motor). This segmentation allows the fan to be positioned where it can draw cool air directly without being integrated with the motor shaft, thereby improving reliability while maintaining a compact overall system through strategic spatial arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
A dedicated air inlet opening is introduced as an intermediary element between the external environment and the fan. This opening is specifically designed to provide clean, cool air to the fan while preventing dust and water from reaching it, thus protecting the fan without requiring direct integration or complex protective structures.
2Device complexity
If the air outlet conduit discharges into the open air in the lower part of the vehicle, then the cooling system is simple, but it becomes obstructed by dust and debris
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discharging air from the lower part of the vehicle (conventional approach), the system draws cool air in from the lower part through a dedicated inlet opening and discharges it after cooling the motor. This inversion of the air flow direction allows the outlet to be positioned away from dust-prone areas while maintaining effective cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The air inlet opening is extracted as a separate, dedicated component with specific design features (positioned to receive cool air, protected from dust and water). This extraction allows the inlet to be optimized independently for its specific function of providing clean air to the fan, rather than being part of a general-purpose outlet structure.
3Reliability
If the fan is placed at a height relative to the electric motor, then fan reliability improves and protective devices are eliminated, but the pressure drops in the air circuit increase
Solution Approach 1:
The air passage openings in the casing wall are designed with radial extension and curved pathways rather than straight or angular transitions. This curvature optimizes air flow from the inlet opening through the motor to the outlet, minimizing turbulence and pressure drops despite the fan's elevated position, thereby reducing energy losses.
4Volume of moving object
If the powertrain dimensions are extended forward into the front compartment, then the cooling system has adequate space, but the powertrain becomes vulnerable to frontal impact
Solution Approach 1:
The fan is positioned in a different vertical dimension (at a height relative to the motor) rather than extending the powertrain forward in the horizontal dimension. This dimensional change allows the cooling system to achieve adequate space for air flow while maintaining a compact forward profile, thereby reducing vulnerability to frontal impacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The casings of the speed reducer and electric motor are joined together with a common casing wall that contains air passage openings. This merging creates a compact integrated unit that achieves adequate cooling space through internal optimization rather than external extension, reducing the powertrain's forward footprint and impact vulnerability.
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 configuration enhances fan reliability, reduces pressure drops, simplifies the cooling system, and creates a more compact, impact-resistant powertrain with improved cooling efficiency and reduced vulnerability to dust and moisture.
Implementation Method 1
a fan placed at a height relative to the speed reducer and the electric motor, an upstream conduit channeling the air from the fan toward the speed reducer
Implementation Method 2
an air cooling circuit for said speed reducer and said electric motor, said cooling circuit comprising an opening for the inlet of air into the casing of the speed reducer
Data Source
AI summary
An electric powertrain includes a speed reducer and an electric motor housed in contiguous casings, together with an air cooling circuit for the speed reducer and the electric motor. The cooling circuit includes an opening for the inlet of air into the casing of the speed reducer, openings for the passage of air in a casing wall separating the speed reducer from the electric motor, and an air outlet opening in the casing of the electric motor. The cooling circuit also includes a fan placed at a height relative to the speed reducer and the electric motor, an upstream conduit that channels the air from the fan toward the speed reducer, and a downstream conduit for the outlet of the air from the electric motor toward the ground.