US-12627194-B2 - Cooling channel structure of a motor

US12627194B2US 12627194 B2US12627194 B2US 12627194B2US-12627194-B2

Abstract

A channel structure includes a cooling channel continuously formed inside a housing. A coolant is configured to flow in the cooling channel. The cooling channel includes a plurality of channel portions spaced apart from each other and extending in the housing by changing directions.

Inventors

Kam Chun LEE
Jae Young Jeun
Jeong Uk An
Ki Tack Lim
Kyung Jun Lee
Yong Gyu Lee
Sung Min Hong
Hong Wook LEE
Kyung Ku Yeo

Assignees

HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230630
Priority Date: 20221107

Claims (10)

1 . A channel structure of a motor comprising: a cooling channel formed in a housing of the motor, wherein a coolant is configured to flow in the cooling channel, wherein the cooling channel is configured to extend by changing direction within the housing and comprises channel portions spaced apart from each other, and wherein the housing is fabricated by casting, and a core in use for forming the cooling channel during the casting has a shape of the cooling channel and includes core pins disposed on a space arranged between the channel portions to connect the channel portions to each other.
2 . The channel structure of claim 1 , wherein the channel portions of the cooling channel extend in one or more of a circumferential direction and an axial direction of the housing.
3 . The channel structure of claim 1 , wherein the channel portions include outer channel portions and inner channel portions, wherein the outer channel portions include: a first outer channel portion extending in a first side of the housing, and a second outer channel portion extending from the first outer channel portion and in a second side of the housing, wherein the inner channel portions extend from the second outer channel portion and extend between the first outer channel portion and the second outer channel portion.
4 . The channel structure of claim 3 , wherein the outer channel portions and the inner channel portions extend in a circumferential direction of the housing.
5 . The channel structure of claim 4 , wherein the channel portions further comprise: a first connecting portion connecting the first outer channel portion with the second outer channel portion; and a second connecting portion connecting the second outer channel portion with the inner channel portions to each other.
6 . The channel structure of claim 5 , wherein the inner channel portions include: a first inner channel portion extending from the second connecting portion; a second inner channel portion extending from the first inner channel portion; and a third connecting portion connecting the first inner channel portion to the second inner channel portion to each other.
7 . The channel structure of claim 6 , wherein the first connecting portion, the second connecting portion, and the third connecting portion extend in an axial direction of the housing.
8 . The channel structure of claim 6 , wherein the coolant flows through the first outer channel portion and the first inner channel portion in a first direction and through the second outer channel portion and the second inner channel portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
9 . The channel structure of claim 3 , wherein the coolant enters through one of the outer channel portions and the inner channel portions and, after having passed through the cooling channel, the coolant exits through the other one of the outer channel portions and the inner channel portions.
10 . The channel structure of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a stator housing of a motor.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0146702, filed Nov. 7, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND Technical Field The present disclosure relates, generally, to the cooling of a motor and, more particularly, to the cooling of an in-wheel motor. Description of the Related Art The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. Recently, electric vehicles powered by a motor in place of an engine have come into prominence. Although electric vehicles have been configured to be generally powered by one or two large motors, in-wheel motors widely used in small vehicles, such as electric bicycles and scooters, are being introduced to electric vehicles. In-wheel motors are electric motors mounted inside a wheel of a vehicle to directly rotate the wheel. Specifically, in an electric vehicle powered by in-wheel motors, small motors may be mounted inside the wheels, respectively, to independently control and drive the respective wheels. An electric vehicle to which in-wheel motors are applied may be advantageous in terms of space utilization, improved controllability, and the like, compared to conventional electric vehicles using a large motor. However, considering the characteristics of an in-wheel motor electric vehicle provided with in-wheel motors inside the wheels, the electric vehicle driven by the in-wheel motor is required to meet several design requirements different from those of electric vehicles powered by a single large motor. The foregoing is intended merely to aid in understanding the background of the present disclosure. The foregoing is not intended to mean that the present disclosure falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those having ordinary skill in the art. SUMMARY Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art. The present disclosure proposes a cooling structure able to optimize the cooling performance of a motor. The objective of the present disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned description, and other objectives not explicitly disclosed herein should be clearly understood by those having ordinary skill in the art from the description provided hereinafter. In order to achieve at least one of the above objectives and carry out the following characteristic functions of the present disclosure, the present disclosure has the following features. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a channel structure of a motor may include a cooling channel formed in a housing and configured to enable coolant to flow therethrough. The cooling channel extends by changing direction in the housing and includes a plurality of channel portions that are spaced apart from each other. The channel portions are continuously connected to each other to form the cooling channel. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of fabricating a housing may include forming a core of a cooling channel continuously provided inside the housing. The cooling channel includes a plurality of channel portions spaced apart from each other and extending by changing directions. The method of fabricating a housing may further include casting the housing by placing the core inside a mold, and demolding the core. According to the present disclosure, the cooling structure can optimize the cooling performance of a motor. Effects obtainable from the present disclosure are not limited to the aforementioned effects. Furthermore, other effects not explicitly disclosed herein should be clearly understood by those having ordinary skill in the art from the description provided hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objectives, features, and other advantages of the present disclosure should be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an in-wheel motor according to the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the stator housing of the in-wheel motor according to the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a cooling channel defined inside the stator housing of the in-wheel motor according to the embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a cooling channel defined inside the stator housing of the in-wheel motor according to the embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a cooling channel inside the stator housing illustrated in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a casting core for fabricating the cooling channel illustrated in FIG. 5; FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views illustrating a process of fabricating the stator