Cooling system of electric automobile and electric motor used therefor

• US 5,678,760 A
• Filed: 09/29/1993
• Issued: 10/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Oda, Keiji, Hamano, Hiroshi, Muso, Masanori, Koizumi, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, John K.
• Application Number:
  US08/128,217
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/65.2, 180/65.8, 429/62, 429/120, 165/41, 237/12.3 B, 237/12.3 A, 237/12.3 R, 237/5, 237/2 A, 123/41.31
• US Class Current: 237/2.00A
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/003 with means for cooling the electrical propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/633 characterised by algorithms, flow charts, software details or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/635 based on ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6568 characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/66 Heat-exchange relationships between the cells and other systems, e.g. central heating systems or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/667 the system being an electronic component, e.g. a CPU, an inverter or a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/203 specially adapted for liquids, e.g. cooling jackets
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility

Abstract

A cooling system for an electric automobile is characterized in that a heat source is forcibly cooled with a coolant of non-freeze solution, forcibly recirculated through a pipe.

Claims

1. A cooling system for an electric vehicle, comprising

an electric motor for producing driving force,

a controller for controlling said electric motor,

a battery,

a main cooling circuit including a pump and a radiator for forcibly recirculating coolant by said pump through said controller, said electric motor and said radiator to cool said controller and said electric motor, wherein said controller and said electric motor forms a heat source:

a battery heat retaining circuit fluidly connectable to said main cooling circuit between said heat source and said radiator such that the coolant having passed through said heat source flows to heat said battery;

a by-pass circuit fluidly connectable to said main cooling circuit such that the coolant bypasses said radiator; and

means for selectively effecting connection or disconnection between said main cooling circuit and at least one of said battery heat retaining circuit and said bypass circuit according to outside temperature;

wherein means is provided for changing an operation of said pump to recirculate the coolant at a predetermined minimum flow rate when the coolant, which has passed through said electric motor and said controller and is raised in temperature, is passed through said battery heat retaining circuit to heat said battery.

2. A cooling system according to claim 1, wherein said main cooling circuit includes a coolant recirculation line operatively connected with said controller and said electric motor so that said controller is disposed upstream of said electric motor with respect to a coolant flow in said coolant recirculation line to forcibly cool first said controller and then said electric motor with coolant.

3. A cooling system according to claim 2, wherein said coolant recirculation line includes a battery coolant circuit for recirculating the coolant, after the coolant has cooled said controller and said electric motor, through a battery, a heater coolant circuit for recirculating the coolant, after the coolant has cooled said controller and said electric motor, through a heater, and means for switching said battery coolant circuit and said heater coolant circuit so as to selectively allow the coolant having cooled said controller and said electric motor to recirculate through one of said battery and said heater.