Driving mechanism

• US 8,018,103 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Tadafumi, Hotta, Yutaka, Yoshino, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tran N
• Application Number:
  US12/598,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20100127583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 310/52, 310/54, 310/58, 310/64, 310/75.R, 903/906, 903951-952
• US Class Current: 310/58
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/05 Rectifiers associated with casings, enclosures or brackets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/19 for machines with closed casing and closed-circuit cooling using a liquid cooling medium, e.g. oil

Abstract

A driving apparatus includes: a rotating electrical machine; an inverter capable of supplying electric power to the rotating electrical machine; an electrical device connected to the inverter; a containing case capable of containing the rotating electrical machine, the inverter, and the electrical device; and a cooling coolant circulation circuit, distributing cooling coolant capable of cooling the inverter and the electrical device, which allows the inverter to be cooled at an upstream side relative to the electrical device in a direction in which the cooling coolant is distributed.

Claims

1. A driving mechanism comprising:

a rotating electrical machine;

an inverter capable of supplying electric power to said rotating electrical machine;

an electrical device connected to said inverter;

a containing case capable of containing said rotating electrical machine, said inverter, and said electrical device; and

a cooling coolant circulation circuit, distributing cooling coolant capable of cooling said inverter and said electrical device, which allows said inverter to be cooled at an upstream side relative to said electrical device in a direction in which said cooling coolant is distributed;

a rotating electrical machine coolant circulation circuit distributing rotating electrical machine coolant for cooling said rotating electrical machine; and

a heat exchange portion capable of exchanging heat between said cooling coolant and said rotating electrical machine coolant,

said rotating electrical machine including a first rotating electrical machine and a second rotating electrical machine,

said rotating electrical machine coolant circulation circuit including a first reservoir storing first rotating electrical machine coolant for cooling said first rotating electrical machine, and a second reservoir storing second rotating electrical machine coolant for cooling said second rotating electrical machine, and

said cooling coolant circulation circuit passing by a perimeter of said first reservoir at an upstream side relative to said second reservoir in the direction in which said cooling coolant is distributed, so as to enable heat exchange between said first rotating electrical machine coolant and said cooling coolant.

2. The driving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said inverter and said electrical device are arranged along a perimeter of said rotating electrical machine.

3. The driving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said electrical device includes at least one of a capacitor and a reactor.

4. The driving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said cooling coolant circulation circuit is provided between said inverter and said rotating electrical machine as well as between said electrical device and said rotating electrical machine.

5. The driving mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said cooling coolant circulation circuit includes:

an inverter heat dissipating unit capable of dissipating heat from said inverter to said cooling coolant, and

a capacitor heat dissipating unit capable of dissipating heat from said capacitor to said cooling coolant.