Vehicle inverter assembly with cooling channels

• US 7,710,723 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2008
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Triantos, Konstantinos, Selogie, Mark L., Korich, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHERVINSKY, BORIS LEO
• Application Number:
  US12/171,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20090021971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 361/699
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

An inverter assembly for a vehicle includes a housing, a first inverter, and a second inverter. The housing comprises a plurality of walls. The plurality of walls form an inlet for cooling fluid to enter the housing, an outlet for the cooling fluid to exit the housing, and a channel, and a channel for the cooling fluid to flow therebetween. The first inverter is disposed within the housing proximate the channel, and is configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the channel. The second inverter is also disposed within the housing proximate the channel, and is also configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the channel.

Claims

1. An inverter assembly for a vehicle, the inverter assembly comprising:

a housing comprising a plurality of walls and a plurality of protrusions extending from a first wall of the plurality of walls, the plurality of walls and the plurality of protrusions at least partially forming an inlet for cooling fluid to enter the housing, an outlet for the cooling fluid to exit the housing, and a channel for the cooling fluid to flow therebetween;

a first inverter disposed within the housing proximate a first portion of the channel along a second wall of the plurality of walls and configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the first portion of the channel;

a second inverter disposed within the housing proximate the first portion of the channel and configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the first portion of the channel; and

a third inverter disposed within the housing proximate a second portion of the channel along a third wall of the plurality of walls, perpendicular to the second wall, and configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the second portion of the channel.

2. The inverter assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of walls form a plurality of exterior surfaces of the housing, each of the plurality of exterior surfaces being at least substantially flat.

3. The inverter assembly of claim 1, wherein the inlet and the outlet are formed at least partially within respective protrusions of the plurality of protrusions.

4. The inverter assembly of claim 3, wherein the first and second inverters are disposed within a first portion of the housing proximate the second wall and the third inverter is disposed within a second portion of the housing proximate the third wall.

5. The inverter assembly of claim 4, further comprising:

a first connector disposed along the second wall and coupled to the first inverter;

a second connector disposed along the second wall and coupled to the second inverter; and

a third connector disposed along the third wall and coupled to the third inverter.

6. The inverter assembly of claim 5, wherein the first and second connectors are configured to be further coupled to a first motor and a second motor, respectively, and the third connector is configured to be further coupled to a pump wall.

7. The inverter assembly of claim 4, further comprising:

a cast heat sink disposed within the housing along the third wall and configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the second portion of the channel.

8. The inverter assembly of claim 7, wherein the third wall is adjacent to the second wall.

9. The inverter assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

an EMI filtering device housed within the housing proximate the channel and configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the channel.

10. An inverter assembly for a vehicle, the inverter assembly comprising:

a housing having a first side wall, a first protrusion extending from the first side wall, a second protrusion extending from the second side wall, a second side wall, a first end wall, a second end wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall, the first end wall and the first protrusion at least partially forming an inlet for cooling fluid to enter the housing, the first end wall and the second protrusion at least partially forming an outlet for the cooling fluid to exit the housing, and wherein a channel for cooling fluid to flow therethrough extends between the inlet and the outlet;

a first inverter disposed within the housing proximate a first potion of the channel along the top wall and configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the first portion of the channel;

a second inverter disposed within the housing proximate the first portion of the channel and configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the first portion of the channel; and

a third inverter disposed within the housing proximate a second portion of the channel at least substantially perpendicular to the first portion of the channel, the third inverter configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the second portion of the channel.

11. The inverter assembly of claim 10, wherein the first side wall, the second side wall, the first end wall, the second end wall, the top wall, and the bottom wall form a plurality of exterior surfaces of the housing, each of the plurality of exterior surfaces being at least substantially flat.

12. The inverter assembly of claim 11, wherein the first and second inverters are disposed within a first portion of the housing along the top wall, and the third inverter is disposed within a second portion of the housing along the second end wall.

13. The inverter assembly of claim 12, further comprising:

a first connector housed along the top wall and coupled to the first inverter;

a second connector housed along the top wall and coupled to the second inverter and

a third connector housed along the second end wall and coupled to the third inverter.

14. The inverter assembly of claim 13, wherein the first connector is configured to be coupled between the first inverter and a first motor, the second connector is configured to be coupled between the second inverter and a second motor, and the third connector is configured to be coupled between the third inverter and a pump.

15. An inverter assembly for a vehicle, the inverter assembly comprising:

a housing comprising a plurality of walls;

a first inverter disposed within a first portion of the housing along a first wall of the plurality of walls;

a second inverter disposed within the first portion of the housing; and

a third inverter disposed within a second portion of the housing along a second wall of the plurality of walls, the second wall being perpendicular to the first wall.

16. The inverter assembly of claim 15, wherein the first wall is adjacent to the second wall.

17. The inverter assembly of claim 16, wherein:

the housing further comprises a plurality of protrusions extending from a third wall of the plurality of walls that at least partially form an inlet for cooling fluid to enter the housing, an outlet for the cooling fluid to exit the housing, and a channel for the cooling fluid to flow therebetween; and

the first, second, and third inverters are configured to be cooled by the cooling fluid flowing through the channel.

18. The inverter assembly of claim 17, wherein the inlet is also formed at least partially within the third wall.

19. The inverter assembly of claim 18, further comprising:

a first connector disposed along the first wall and coupled to the first inverter;

a second connector disposed along the first wall and coupled to the second inverter; and

a third connector disposed along the second wall and coupled to the third inverter.

20. The inverter assembly of claim 16, wherein the plurality of walls form a plurality of exterior surfaces of the housing, each of the plurality of exterior surfaces being at least substantially flat.