Electric motor for an electric vehicle

• US 5,808,387 A
• Filed: 10/24/1995
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TS Heatronics Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Actronics Co., Ltd., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamashita, Hiroshi, Yamamoto, Tatsuyuki, Akachi, Hisateru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Thomas M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, TIMOTHY A J
• Application Number:
  US08/547,519
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 310/54, 310/55, 310/58, 310/64, 310/60 A, 310/216, 310/65
• US Class Current: 310/54
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/225 Heat pipes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric motor for an electric vehicle with an improved cooling capacity by causing coils wound around a stator to serve as a tubular heat pipe type heat transfer device. An electric motor for an electric vehicle includes a stator 11, coils 12 wound around at least the stator, and a rotor 13 being rotated by an induction field developed around the coils 12. In one embodiment of the invention the coils 12 are formed of a tubular container 121 which is filled with a working fluid which vibrates in an axial direction of a tube by nuclear boiling generated at a high temperature portion of the coils 12. The coils themselves are arranged as a non-looped tubular heat pipe type heat transfer device.

Claims

1. An electric motor for an electric vehicle comprising:

a stator;

coils wound around the stator and extending beyond axial end surfaces of the stator, the coils including an electrically conductive material and generating an induction field, the coils having a heat receiving portion of high temperature and a heat radiating portion of low temperature;

a rotor arranged inside of the stator and rotated by the induction field developed around the coils; and

a cooling device arranged on at least one of said axial end surfaces and under an inner stator portion, said cooling device being in contact with the heat radiating portion of the coils and being further arranged perpendicularly to an axial direction of the coils wound around the stator in plural turns in order that at least one heat radiating portion is arranged in each one turn of the coils;

wherein the coils are made from a pipe providing a tubular container filled with working fluid, the working fluid having vibrating characteristics in an axial direction of the pipe by a nuclear boiling generated at the heat receiving portion of the coils thereby to transfer a heat from the heating receiving portion to the heat radiating portion.

2. An electric motor for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device is of a water cooling type.

4. An electric motor for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the coil is made of oxygen-free copper.

3. An electric motor for an electric vehicle comprising:

a stator;

coils wound around the stator, the coils including an electrically conductive material and generating an induction field, the coils having a heat receiving portion of high temperature and a heat radiating portion of low temperature, wherein the coils are made from a pipe providing a tubular container filled with working fluid, the working fluid having vibrating characteristics in an axial direction of the pipe by a nuclear boiling generated at the heat receiving portion of the coils thereby to transfer a heat from the heating receiving portion to the heat radiating portion;

a rotor arranged inside of the stator and rotated by the induction field developed around the coils; and

a cooling device which is in contact with the heat radiating portion of the coils;

wherein the cooling device is a tubular heat pipe type heat transfer device which includes a tubular container and a working fluid with which the tubular container is filled and which is vibrated in the axial direction of the tube by a nuclear boiling generated in a heat receiving portion being in contact with the coils to transfer the heat to the heat radiating portion.

5. An electric motor for an electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the cooling device is of a water cooling type.

6. An electric motor for an electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the coil is made of oxygen-free copper.