Drive module with spray cooling of electric motor

摘要

A drive module with a housing, an electric motor, a coolant sump, an inlet pipe and a transmission and differential assembly that is driven by the electric motor to drive a pair of output members. The electric motor is coupled to the housing and has a stator, which is fixedly coupled to the housing, and a rotor that is rotatable within the stator. The rotor has a coolant passage, which extends parallel to a rotational axis of the rotor, and a nozzle passage that intersects the coolant passage and extends radially outwardly therefrom. The coolant sump is configured to hold a coolant fluid. The inlet pipe is in fluid communication with the coolant sump and is received into the coolant passage. The inlet pipe is configured to feed the coolant fluid from the coolant sump into the coolant passage. The coolant fluid is gravity fed into the inlet pipe.

主权项

1. A drive module comprising:
a housing; an electric motor coupled to the housing, the electric motor having a stator, which is fixedly coupled to the housing, and a rotor that is rotatable within the stator, a pair of output members; and a transmission and differential assembly driven by the rotor of the electric motor to correspondingly drive the output members; and a cooling system that includes:
a coolant passage formed in the rotor, the coolant passage extending parallel to a rotational axis of the rotor;a nozzle passage formed in the rotor, the nozzle passage intersecting the coolant passage and extending radially outwardly therefrom;a coolant sump that is configured to hold a coolant fluid, the coolant comprising an oil; andan inlet pipe that is in fluid communication with the coolant sump and received into the coolant passage, the inlet pipe being configured to feed the coolant fluid from the coolant sump into the coolant passage; wherein the coolant fluid is gravity fed into the inlet pipe; wherein the housing comprises a coolant drain that permits the cooling fluid to drain from the stator into a gear lubrication sump; and wherein the transmission comprises a plurality of gears and wherein at least one of the plurality of gears is configured to rotate in the coolant fluid in the gear lubricant sump and to sling a portion of the coolant fluid into the coolant sump.