Electric water pump

• US 8,562,314 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2010
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amotech Co., Ltd., Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.), Myunghwa Ind. Co Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Amotech Co., Ltd., Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.), Myunghwa Ind. Co Ltd.
• Inventors: Hong, Soon Il, Lee, Seung Yong, Park, Yong Sun, Kim, Gyuhwan, Kim, Yun Seok, Oh, Tae-Sung, Kim, Kyung-Hwan, Lee, Jong-Hoon, Lee, Kwang-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Freay, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): COMLEY, ALEXANDER BRYANT
• Application Number:
  US12/847,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20110116954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 417/423.7, 417/423.12
• US Class Current: 417/423.7
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/064 Details of the magnetic circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/043 Shafts
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/20 Mounting rotors on shafts

Abstract

An electric water pump apparatus may include a body, a stator disposed in the body, a rotor in the stator, a pump cover having an inlet and an outlet, wherein a front surface of the body and the pump cover form a volute chamber, wherein a stator chamber is formed at an outer portion in the body in a radial direction and the stator is mounted in the stator chamber, and wherein a rotor chamber is formed at an inner portion in the body and the rotor is mounted in the rotor chamber, a shaft rotatably coupled to the front surface and fixed into the rotor, and an impeller fixed to a front portion of the shaft, wherein the shaft includes a first shaft connecting the impeller and a front end portion of the rotor and a second shaft connected to a rear end portion of the rotor along the central axis of the shaft.

Claims

1. An electric water pump apparatus comprising:

a body having a hollow cylindrical shape, one end of which opens and the other end of which includes a front surface;

a stator having a hollow cylindrical shape and disposed in the body to generate a magnetic field according to a control signal;

a rotor enclosed in the stator and rotated by the magnetic field generated at the stator, wherein the rotor has a hollow cylindrical shape;

a pump cover having an inlet through which coolant flows in and an outlet through which pressurized coolant flows out;

wherein the front surface of the body and the pump cover form a volute chamber therebetween,

wherein a stator chamber is formed at an outer portion in the body in a radial direction and the stator is mounted in the stator chamber, and

wherein a rotor chamber is formed at an inner portion in the body and the rotor is mounted in the rotor chamber;

a shaft rotatably coupled to the front surface and fixed into the rotor so as to rotate together with the rotor about a central axis of the shaft, and mounted in the rotor chamber; and

an impeller fixed to a front portion of the shaft in the volute chamber so as to rotate together with the shaft, pressurizing the coolant having flowed in through the inlet,

wherein the shaft includes a first shaft connecting the impeller and a front end portion of the rotor and a second shaft connected to a rear end portion of the rotor along the central axis of the shaft, the first shaft being divided and separated from the second shaft by a space that is fluidly closed and sealed from the coolant.

2. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second shafts are disposed with a predetermined distance formed by the space therebetween in the rotor.

3. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 2, wherein the space is fluidly closed and sealed from the rotor chamber.

4. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 2, wherein a first protruding portion is protruded radially at a rear end portion of the first shaft, and a first fitting surface for being inserted in the front end portion of the rotor is extended rearward from the first protruding portion.

5. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 4, wherein a first bearing is disposed on a front end portion of the first shaft between the first protruding portion and the front surface of the body in order to reduce rotational friction of the shaft.

6. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 4, wherein a second protruding portion is protruded radially at a front end portion of the second shaft, and a second fitting surface for being inserted in the rear end portion of the rotor is extended forward from the second protruding portion.

7. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first fitting surface and the second fitting surface are disposed with the predetermined distance to form the space therebetween in the rotor.

8. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 6, wherein a second bearing is disposed between the second protruding portion of the second shaft and a case surface of a driver case in order to reduce the rotational friction of the shaft.

9. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the driver case detachably coupled to a rear end portion of the body and including a driver chamber therein; and

a driver mounted in the driver chamber and applying the control signal to the stator.

10. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 9, wherein the stator is disposed from the body with a predetermined distance along an inner circumference of the body and a rear end portion of the stator is detachably coupled to the case surface of the driver case.

11. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 9, wherein the stator comprises:

a stator core formed by stacking a plurality of pieces made of a magnetic material;

an insulator connecting the plurality of pieces of the stator core to each other;

a coil coiling the stator core so as to form a magnetic path; and

a stator case wrapping and sealing the stator core, the insulator, and the coil.

12. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 11, wherein the stator case is detachably coupled to the case surface of the driver case detachably coupled to the body.

13. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 11, wherein the stator case is made of a bulk mold compound including a potassium family that has a low coefficient of contraction.

14. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 11, wherein the stator further comprises:

a Hall sensor detecting a position of the rotor; and

a Hall sensor board controlling the control signal supplied to the stator according to the position of the rotor detected by the Hall sensor.

15. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 14, wherein the Hall sensor and the Hall sensor board are wrapped and sealed by the stator case to form a single body with the stator.

16. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 6, wherein the rotor comprises:

a rotor core having a hollow cylindrical shape to receive the shaft therein;

a permanent magnet mounted at an exterior circumference of the rotor core;

a rotor cover mounted at both distal ends of the rotor core and the permanent magnet so as to fix the rotor core and the permanent magnet each other; and

a rotor case wrapping an exterior circumference of the rotor core and the permanent magnet so as to fix the rotor core and the permanent magnet in a state that the rotor core and the permanent magnet are mounted at the rotor cover.

17. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 16, wherein the rotor case includes:

a front rotor case fixing the rotor core and the permanent magnet at a front side of the rotor, wherein the first protruding portion supports the front rotor case at the rear end portion of the first shaft in a rearward direction; and

a rear rotor case fixing the rotor core and the permanent magnet at a rear side the rotor, wherein the second protruding portion supports the second rotor case at the front end portion of the second shaft in a forward direction.

18. The electric water pump apparatus of claim 17, wherein the rotor case is made of a bulk mold compound including a potassium family that has a low coefficient of contraction.