Motor-fan assembly comprising a hydraulic heat transfer fluid cooling circuit

Abstract

The invention concerns a motor-fan assembly (3) dedicated to cooling a motor vehicle component (1), the motor-fan assembly (3) comprising an air propelling device (5, 7), characterized in that the air propelling device (5, 7) incorporates a hydraulic circuit (31a, 31b, 31c) through which a heat transfer fluid (Fe) flows.

1 . A motor-fan assembly dedicated to cooling a motor vehicle component, the assembly comprising:
 an air propelling device, wherein the air propelling device incorporates a hydraulic circuit through which a heat transfer fluid flows.   
     
     
         2 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a blower wheel, the blower wheel comprising at least one hub carrying a plurality of blades by their proximal end that are connected together at their distal end by a crown, the blower wheel incorporating the hydraulic circuit through which the heat transfer fluid flows. 
     
     
         3 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the hydraulic circuit travels at least partially through the hub, the blades and the crown. 
     
     
         4 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the hub comprises at least one heat transfer fluid inlet port and at least one heat transfer fluid outlet port. 
     
     
         5 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 4 , in which the inlet port is connected to at least one first channel and the outlet port is connected to at least one last channel extending inside the respective blades. 
     
     
         6 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , in which the at least one first channel and the at least one last channel are connected together by at least one peripheral channel provided at least partially inside the crown. 
     
     
         7 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 6 , in which the at least one first channel and the at least one last channel are connected together by at least one channel provided in an additional blade arranged between a first blade, in which the at least one first channel is provided, and a last blade, in which the at least one last channel is provided. 
     
     
         8 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , in which the hub is arranged as at least two bodies assembled together, between them providing at least one inlet pipe connected to the inlet port and to at least the at least one first channel, and at least one outlet pipe connected to the outlet port and to the at least one last channel. 
     
     
         9 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the hub is provided with a rotating hydraulic connector conveying the heat transfer fluid between the outside of the blower wheel and the hydraulic circuit of the blower wheel. 
     
     
         10 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 8 , in which the hub comprises at least one intermediate channel connecting together at least two channels provided in two immediately adjacent blades. 
     
     
         11 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , in which the intermediate channel forms a cavity that brings at least three channels into communication, each provided in a blade. 
     
     
         12 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 8 , in which at least one peripheral channel is provided inside the crown, connecting together at least two channels provided in two immediately adjacent blades. 
     
     
         13 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the blades are hollow and each comprise, at the proximal end of same, a first mouth that opens on an inlet pipe and, at the distal end of same, a second mouth that opens on a peripheral channel provided at least partially inside the crown, the heat transfer fluid being able to circulate through the blades between the inlet pipe and the peripheral channel. 
     
     
         14 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 2 , in which at least one blade incorporates at least one baffle that extends a part of the hydraulic circuit through which the heat transfer fluid passing through the blade travels. 
     
     
         15 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 2 , in which at least one blade incorporates protrusions for disturbing the flow of the heat transfer fluid passing through the blade. 
     
     
         16 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 8 , in which the blower wheel is constituted by two blower wheel elements assembled together, each of said blower wheel elements incorporating, securely attached to each other, at least one blade portion, one crown portion and one of the bodies constituting the hub. 
     
     
         17 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a system for driving a blower wheel of the motor-fan assembly, the drive system comprising an electric motor comprising a rotor and a stator, the stator incorporating the hydraulic circuit through which the heat transfer fluid flows. 
     
     
         18 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 17 , in which the hydraulic circuit comprises at least one annular channel provided inside at least one component of the stator. 
     
     
         19 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 18 , in which at least one external annular channel is provided inside a peripheral ring of the stator. 
     
     
         20 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 19 , in which the ring comprises a plurality of external annular channels arranged concentrically. 
     
     
         21 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 19 , in which the stator is equipped with a cooling unit extending radially between a shaft for the passage of the rotor through the stator and the ring. 
     
     
         22 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 21 , in which the cooling unit is arranged as a plurality of fins distributed radially between the shaft and the ring. 
     
     
         23 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 22 , in which at least one radial channel extends inside at least one fin constituting the cooling unit. 
     
     
         24 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 21 , in which the hydraulic circuit comprises at least one internal annular channel provided inside the shaft of the stator. 
     
     
         25 . The motor-fan assembly as claimed in  claim 17 , comprising at least one inlet pipe through which the heat transfer fluid can enter the stator and at least one discharge pipe through which the heat transfer fluid exits the stator, the inlet pipe and the discharge pipe being connected, indiscriminately,
 to external annular channels provided inside a peripheral ring of the stator,   to internal annular channels provided inside a shaft of the stator,   to an external annular channel and to an internal annular channel.   
     
     
         26 . A system for cooling a motor vehicle component, comprising:
 at least one circuit for conveying heat transfer fluid between the component and at least one blower wheel as claimed in  claim 2 .   
     
     
         27 . The cooling system as claimed in  claim 26 , comprising at least one heat exchanger arranged in the circuit for conveying the heat transfer fluid between the component and the blower wheel, the heat exchanger being traversed by the air flow generated by the blower wheel. 
     
     
         28 . A system for cooling a motor vehicle component, comprising:
 at least one circuit for conveying heat transfer fluid between the component and at least one stator of a drive system as claimed in  claim 17 .   
     
     
         29 . The cooling system as claimed in  claim 28 , comprising at least one heat exchanger arranged in the circuit for conveying the heat transfer fluid between the component and the stator, the heat exchanger being traversed by the air flow generated by the blower wheel set in rotation by the electric motor equipped with the stator.