Vehicle Thermal Module With Integrated Pump Cooling Passages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal management modules for vehicles fail to effectively cool hydraulic pumps and their electronics due to the inefficiency of heat dissipation from surface ribs, leading to overheating and potential malfunction.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management module with a main body containing channels for fluid paths, a pump with a cooling circuit, and nozzles for direct fluid communication between paths, along with a pump body that encapsulates the rotor and impeller, ensuring efficient cooling of the pump and its electronics through a coolant fluid path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If fins (or ribs) are added to a heat sink that houses an electronic control board, then the heat from the electronics is dissipated from the surface, but the cooling effectiveness is insufficient because the ribs only dissipate heat from the surface and do not cool down the electronics of the pump effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling functions for both the electronics and the pump into a single integrated cooling circuit. The coolant flows through passages that cool the electronic control board and then continues to cool the pump, combining multiple cooling needs into one unified system rather than separate cooling mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling passages are nested within the pump housing structure itself. The housing contains internal channels that guide the coolant through the electronics compartment and then through the pump, nesting the cooling function within the existing structural components rather than adding external cooling elements.
2Power
If a powerful pump is used to meet high-performance fluid circulation requirements, then the pump can handle demanding thermal management needs, but the pump itself generates heat that requires additional cooling mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The pump housing itself serves as the cooling circuit. The housing contains integrated passages that guide coolant through the pump, allowing the pump structure to cool itself rather than requiring separate cooling components. The pump's own housing becomes the heat exchanger.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump housing performs multiple functions: it encloses the pump components, provides structural support, and simultaneously serves as the cooling circuit pathway. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate cooling structures while maintaining high pump performance.
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 module effectively dissipates heat from the pump and its electronics directly, maintaining optimal efficiency and extending service life by utilizing a coolant fluid path for direct cooling, thereby preventing overheating and ensuring reliable vehicle operation.
Implementation Method 1
a pump cooling circuit, said circuit further comprising a pump cooling passage comprising a cooling inlet and cooling outlet, wherein the main body comprises a first passage configured to provide a direct fluidal communication between the first path and pump cooling passage, and a second passage configured to provide a direct fluidal communication between the second path and the pump cooling passage
Data Source
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AI summary
The object of the invention is, inter alia, a thermal management module (1000) for a motor vehicle comprising: a main body (100) configured to transfer at least the first fluid, wherein said main body (100) further comprises at least one channel (110) configured to provide at least a first path (110A) and a second path (110B) for the first fluid, at least one nest (120) being integrally formed in the main body (100), and at least one pump (200) arranged in the nest (120), the pump (200) comprising a first circuit (210) being configured to provide fluidal communication between the first path (110A) and the second path (110B), wherein the pump (200) further comprises a pump cooling circuit (220), said circuit (220) further comprising a pump cooling passage (221) comprising a cooling inlet (222) and cooling outlet (223), wherein the main body (100) comprises a first passage (151) configured to provide a direct fluidal communication between the first path (110A) and pump cooling passage (221), and a second passage (152) configured to provide a direct fluidal communication between the second path (110B) and the pump cooling passage (221).