Brushless DC ring motor cooling system
First Claim
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1. A brushless DC ring motor comprising:
- a stator assembly having an outer surface and a plurality of laminations exposed around the outer surface;
a rotor assembly piloted on the stator assembly, the rotor assembly having a back-iron ring and a plurality of permanent magnets on an inner surface of the back-iron ring confronting the plurality of laminations exposed around the outer surface of the stator assembly;
a shroud attachable to a fixed portion of a vehicle, the shroud including at least one mounting support, wherein the stator assembly is attached to said at least one mounting support and a cooling fan piloted on the stator assembly, the cooling fan including a support ring supporting a plurality of fan blades for sweeping an area inside the shroud.
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Abstract
A cooling system for a vehicle includes a shroud attachable to a fixed portion of the vehicle. A stator assembly for a brushless DC ring motor is attached to at least one mounting support of the shroud. A cooling fan is piloted on the stator assembly, and includes a ring supporting a plurality of fan blades for sweeping an area inside the shroud. A rotor assembly for the brushless DC ring motor is attached to the ring of the cooling fan. The rotor assembly confronts the stator assembly around an outer diameter of the stator assembly. The cooling system is controlled by an electronic controller to rotate the cooling fan to provide appropriate cooling for the vehicle.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A brushless DC ring motor comprising:
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a stator assembly having an outer surface and a plurality of laminations exposed around the outer surface;
a rotor assembly piloted on the stator assembly, the rotor assembly having a back-iron ring and a plurality of permanent magnets on an inner surface of the back-iron ring confronting the plurality of laminations exposed around the outer surface of the stator assembly;
a shroud attachable to a fixed portion of a vehicle, the shroud including at least one mounting support, wherein the stator assembly is attached to said at least one mounting support and a cooling fan piloted on the stator assembly, the cooling fan including a support ring supporting a plurality of fan blades for sweeping an area inside the shroud. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
a control/communications system operatively connected to the ECM of the vehicle;
a DC-to-DC converter operatively connected to a power source; and
a commutation switching segment operatively connected to the DC-to-DC converter and to the control/communications system, the commutation switching segment being connected to provide signals for operating the brushless DC ring motor.
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10. The brushless DC ring motor of claim 9, wherein the control/communications system is operable to receive pulse width modulated (PWM) signals from the ECM of the vehicle to control the brushless DC ring motor.
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11. The brushless DC ring motor of claim 9, wherein the control/communications system is operable to receive digital signals from a serial line of the ECM of the vehicle to control the brushless DC ring motor.
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12. The brushless DC ring motor of claim 9, wherein an output of the DC-to-DC converter is variable for gross adjustment of a speed of the brushless DC ring motor and an output of the commutation switching segment is variable for fine adjustment of the speed of the brushless DC ring motor.
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13. The brushless DC ring motor of claim 9, wherein the power source is a vehicle battery.
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14. The brushless DC ring motor of claim 13, wherein the DC-to-DC converter is operable to selectively draw power from the vehicle battery in demanding cooling conditions.
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15. The brushless DC ring motor of claim 1, wherein the stator assembly is configured in a three phase arrangement.
Specification