Cooling Module

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0045201, filed Apr. 3, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The following disclosure relates to a cooling module formed by assembling a water pump for circulating coolant in a cooling system of a vehicle into a reservoir tank.

A water pump is a device for circulating a coolant to an engine or a heater in order to cool the engine or heat an interior. Alternatively, the water pump is used in a thermal management system for cooling a battery or a drive motor of an electric vehicle, etc.

is a front cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional water pump.

Referring to, the conventional water pump largely includes a housing, a stator, a can, a rotor, a rotation axis, a lower bearing, an upper bearing, an impeller, and an upper casing.

More specifically, the statoris provided inside a housingin which a concave accommodation space is formed, a protrusion formed convexly downward of the canis inserted so as to pass through a central portion of the stator, and an upper side of the canis coupled to an upper end portion of the housing. In addition, a concave space is formed on the inside of the protrusion portion of the can, and the rotoris disposed inside the space, and both end portions of the rotation axiscoupled to the rotorare coupled to and supported by the lower bearingand the upper bearing. In addition, the upper casingis coupled to the upper side of the can, and the impelleris provided in the internal space formed by the coupling of the canand the upper casing, and the impelleris configured to be coupled to the rotation axisand rotate together with the rotor. Thus, the fluid introduced into the inlet pipeformed in the upper casingby the rotation of the impellermay be pressurized through the impellerand then discharged through an outlet pipeformed in the upper casing. The statormay be electrically connected to the connector.

The conventional water pump directly mounts the water pump on the reservoir tank to form a cooling module, thereby implementing the miniaturization and improving the efficiency of the system.

However, the conventional water pump includes the upper casingthat is coupled to the upper side of the canand forms a space in which the impelleris accommodated inside, and the cooling module is formed by coupling the water pump to the reservoir tank. In this case, parts adjacent to the upper casing of the water pump in the reservoir tank and the upper casing of the water pump are overlapping parts, and one of them has a substantially unnecessary part.

An embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to providing a cooling module formed by assembling a water pump and a reservoir tank, in which a part corresponding to an upper casing of a conventional water pump is integrally formed with a reservoir tank, thereby saving unnecessary materials and implementing a compact configuration.

In one general aspect, a cooling module includes: a water pump including a motor housing that has a stator accommodated therein, and is formed with a rotor accommodation part formed concavely on one surface thereof and formed with a first channel groove formed concavely along a circumference on one surface thereof, an impeller that is disposed on one side of the motor housing, a rotor that is formed integrally with the impeller and rotatably provided inside the rotor accommodation part, and a shaft that is inserted through a through hole formed in a center of the rotor and the impeller, and has one end exposed to one side of the rotor and the other end coupled and fixed to the other side of the rotor accommodation part; and a reservoir tank including a main body in which coolant is stored, a pump mounting part that is formed corresponding to one side of the impeller and motor housing of the water pump and is concavely formed with a second channel groove corresponding to the first channel groove, a communication part that makes the main body and a cooling water inlet side of the impeller communicate with each other, and a pump coupling part that is coupled to the motor housing.

The water pump may further include a thrust member that is coupled to one end of the shaft to limit the impeller and rotor from moving to one side.

The main body, the pump mounting part, the communication part, and the pump coupling part of the reservoir tank may be integrally formed as a single member.

The communication part of the reservoir tank may be formed at a lower end of the main body.

The pump mounting part of the reservoir tank and a portion of the pump coupling part may be disposed below the lower end of the main body.

The pump coupling part of the reservoir tank may be formed to protrude from the main body and the pump mounting part, and one side of the motor housing of the water pump may be inserted into an inside of the pump coupling part.

A fastening part may be formed to protrude from an outer peripheral surface of the motor housing of the water pump, and a separate fastening member may penetrate through the fastening part of the water pump so that one end of the fastening member is coupled to the pump coupling part and the other end is hooked and coupled to the fastening part.

In another general aspect, a cooling module includes: a water pump including a motor housing that has a stator accommodated therein, and is formed with a rotor accommodation part formed concavely on one surface thereof and formed with a first channel groove formed concavely along a circumference on one surface thereof, an impeller that is disposed on one side of the motor housing, a rotor that is formed integrally with the impeller and rotatably provided inside the rotor accommodation part, and a shaft that is coupled to the rotor and has one end exposed to one side of the rotor and the other end rotatably coupled to the motor housing; a reservoir tank including a main body in which coolant is stored, a pump mounting part that is formed corresponding to one side of the impeller and motor housing of the water pump and is concavely formed with a second channel groove corresponding to the first channel groove, a communication part that makes the main body and a fluid inlet side of the impeller communicate with each other, and a pump coupling part that is coupled to the motor housing; and an insert member having one side inserted into and coupled to the communication part of the reservoir tank, the other side rotatably coupled to one end of the shaft, and formed with a communication channel that makes the main body of the reservoir tank and the fluid inlet side of the impeller communicate with each other.

The insert member may include: a body formed in a tubular shape and inserted into the communication part; a rotating support part having one end of the shaft rotatably coupled thereto; and a support connecting the body and the rotating support member.

An opening penetrating through an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface may be formed on one side of the body.

An outer peripheral surface of the body may be in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the communication part, and one end of the body may be in contact with one end of the communication part.

Hereinafter, a cooling module according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

are an assembled perspective view, an exploded perspective view, and a front cross-sectional view illustrating a cooling module according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

As described above, a cooling module according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure may include a water pumpand a reservoir tank, and the water pumpmay be coupled to and communicate with a reservoir tankin which coolant is stored.

The water pumpis a coolant pump that may supply the coolant from the reservoir tankand pump the coolant to a required location. The water pumpmay include a stator, a motor housing, an impeller, a rotor, and a shaft, and may further include a thrust member.

The statormay have, for example, a shape in which a plurality of teeth are formed to protrude radially inward from an inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical core and are disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction, an insulator made of an electrically insulating material surrounds the core and teeth, and coils are wound on an outer side of the teeth surrounded by the insulator. In addition, the statormay be formed in a form in which the central portion is hollow.

The motor housingmay be formed, for example, of a plastic material, and may be formed by insert molding in a form in which the statoris buried inside the motor housing. A rotor accommodation partmay be formed concavely in a central portion of one surface of the motor housing, and a first seating groovemay be formed concavely on one surface of the motor housing. A first channel groovemay be formed concavely along a circumference on one surface of the motor housing. In addition, a connector for electrical connection with the statormay be formed on the other surface of the motor housing.

The impelleris disposed to be spaced apart from one side of the motor housing, and the impellerserves to pump fluid by rotation. The impellermay be formed integrally with the rotor. A central portion of one side of the impellermay be provided with an inlet side where coolant flows in, and a radially outer side may be an outlet side where coolant is discharged. A radially outer end of the impellermay be disposed adjacent to a first channel grooveof the motor housing, and the first channel groovemay be disposed outside the radially outer end of the impeller.

The rotoris inserted into an inner space of the rotor accommodation part, and an outer peripheral surface of the rotoris disposed to be spaced apart from an inner peripheral surface of the rotor accommodation partso that the rotormay rotate smoothly. A through hole that penetrates through one side and the other side may be formed in the center of the rotorand the impeller.

The shaftis inserted by penetrating through the through hole formed in the center of the rotorand the impeller, and one end of the shaftis exposed to one side of the rotorand the other end of the shaftmay be coupled and fixed to the other side of the rotor accommodation part. For example, the shaftmay be integrally formed with the motor housingby insert molding. Therefore, the other end of the shaftmay be fixed to the rotor accommodation part, and one end thereof may be a free end. In addition, a bushing is inserted into and coupled to the through hole of the rotor, and the shaftis inserted into the bushing of the rotorso that the rotormay smoothly rotate around the shaft. In addition, a thrust membermay be coupled to one end of the shaft, and the impellermay be supported by the thrust memberin one side direction. Therefore, the impellerand the rotormay be restricted from moving to one side by the thrust member. For example, the thrust membermay include a washer and a bolt.

The reservoir tankserves to store coolant and supply the coolant to the water pump. The reservoir tankmay include a main body, a pump mounting part, a communication part, and a pump coupling part. For example, the main body, the pump mounting part, the communication part, and the pump coupling partmay be integrally formed as a single integral member by injection molding using a plastic material.

The main bodymay be formed in the form of a hollow container so that coolant may be stored inside, and a pressure capis coupled to an upper surface of the main bodyso that the pressure inside the main bodymay be controlled by the pressure cap. An inlet pipethrough which coolant is introduced from a radiator and a direction change valve, etc., may be formed on a side surface of the main body.

The pump mounting partis formed in a form corresponding to one side of the impellerand the motor housing, and a portion of the impellermay be accommodated in the pump mounting part. A second seating grooveinto which a portion of the impelleris inserted may be concavely formed in the pump mounting part, and a second channel groovemay be concavely formed in the pump mounting partin a shape corresponding to the first channel grooveof the water pump. Here, an outlet pipe through which coolant is discharged may be formed in the pump mounting part, and a discharge channel formed by the first channel grooveand the second channel groovemay communicate with the outlet pipe.

The communication partmay be formed at a lower end of the main body, and the communication partis a part that connects the inside of the main bodyand a coolant inlet side of the impellerto communicate with each other.

The pump coupling partmay be formed to protrude from the main bodyand the pump mounting part, and one side of the motor housingmay be inserted into and coupled to the inside of the pump coupling part. Here, a groove may be formed concavely along a circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of one side of the motor housing, an O-ring may be inserted into this groove, and the O-ring may be pressed by the pump coupling partso that the space between the pump coupling partand the motor housingmay be sealed. For example, a fastening partis formed to protrude on the outer peripheral surface of the motor housing, and a bolt, which is a separate fastening member, penetrates through the fastening partso that one end of the fastening memberis screwed to the pump coupling partand the other end of the fastening memberis hooked and coupled to the fastening part.

According to the cooling module of the present disclosure, there is no unnecessary overlapping part in the adjacent parts of the reservoir tank and the water pump, it is possible to save the materials and implement the compact configuration.

In addition, a portion of the pump mounting partof the reservoir tankand the pump coupling partmay be disposed below a lower end of the main body. That is, as illustrated, the pump mounting partand the pump coupling partof the reservoirmay be formed in a structure that is coupled in the left and right lateral directions of the main body. In this structure, when the communication partis formed at the lower end of the main body, a portion of the pump mounting partand the pump coupling partis disposed below the lower end of the main body. That is, a portion of the pump mounting partand the pump coupling partmay be disposed to be spaced apart from the main bodywithout being adjacent the main body. Therefore, the water pumpmay be firmly coupled and fixed to the reservoir tankeven while deleting some parts.

are exploded perspective views and front cross-sectional views illustrating a cooling module according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, andis a perspective view illustrating an insert member of the cooling module according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated, the cooling module according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure may include a water pump, an insert member, and a reservoir tank. The water pumpmay be coupled to and communicate with the reservoir tankin which coolant is stored. One side of the insert membermay be coupled to the reservoir tankand the other side may be coupled to the water pump.

The water pumpmay include a stator, a motor housing, an impeller, a rotor, and a shaft.

The statorand the motor housingmay be formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above.

The impellerserves to pump a fluid by rotation. The impelleris disposed to be spaced apart from one side of the motor housing, and the impellermay be formed integrally with the rotor. A central portion of one side of the impellermay be provided with an inlet side where coolant flows in, and a radially outer side thereof may be an outlet side where coolant is discharged. In addition, a radially outer end of the impellermay be disposed adjacent to a first channel grooveof the motor housing, and the first channel groovemay be disposed outside the radially outer end of the impeller.

The rotoris inserted into an inner space of the rotor accommodation part, and an outer peripheral surface of the rotoris disposed to be spaced apart from an inner peripheral surface of the rotor accommodation part.

The shaftis coupled to the rotorand the impellerby penetrating through the center of the rotorand the impeller, and the shaftmay be formed integrally with the rotorand the impeller. One end of the shaftis exposed to the inlet side of the impellerby penetrating through the rotor, and the other end of the shaftmay be rotatably coupled to the first support partof the motor housing. In addition, a bushing and a ball are coupled to the first support part, and the other end of the shaftmay be supported radially by the bushing and supported axially by the ball.

The reservoir tankis different from the first embodiment only in the inner shape of the communication part, and the remaining parts except for the communication partmay be formed in the same manner as the first embodiment. The communication partmay be formed with a larger inner diameter than the first embodiment so that the insert membermay be inserted.

One side of the insert membermay be inserted into and coupled to the communication partof the reservoir tank, and the other side of the insert membermay be rotatably coupled to one end of the shaft. In addition, a communication channel may be formed in the insert memberso that coolant may pass from the reservoir tankto the inlet side of the impeller. For example, the insert membermay include a body, a second support part, and a plurality of supports. The bodymay be formed in a tubular shape, and the bodymay be inserted into and coupled to the communication part. The second support partmay be formed in a cup shape, and a bushing and a thrust pin may be coupled to the inside, and one end of the shaftmay be supported radially by the bushing and axially by the thrust pin. In addition, the impellermay have a concave groove formed in the central portion, and the second support partmay be inserted into the groove. The plurality of supportsmay be disposed to be spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction, and one end of the plurality of supportsmay be connected to the bodyand the other end may be connected to the second support part. The coolant may pass through between the plurality of supports.

According to the cooling module of the second embodiment of the present disclosure, since there is no unnecessary overlapping part in the adjacent parts of the reservoir tank and the water pump, it is possible to save the materials and implement the compact configuration. In addition, since both ends of the rotating shaft may be firmly supported, it is possible to improve the stability and durability.

In addition, an openingpenetrating through the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface may be formed in the bodyof the insert member. For example, the openingmay be formed in a concave groove shape from one end of the bodyto the other end. The outer peripheral surface of the bodymay be fitted into the inner side of the communication partto come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the communication part, and one end of the bodymay be inserted to a position where it touches one end of the communication part. Therefore, a gap between the other end of the second support partand the rotormay be accurately aligned, and the inside of the reservoir tankand the inlet side of the impellermay easily communicate with each other by the opening. In addition, the openingmay be formed in plurality, and the plurality of openingsmay be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the insert membermay be assembled to the communication partregardless of the position in which the insert memberrotates in the circumferential direction, and the inside of the reservoir tankand the inlet side of the impellermay easily communicate with each other.

According to the cooling module of the present disclosure, since there is no unnecessary overlapping part in the adjacent parts of the reservoir tank and the water pump, it is possible to save the materials and implement the compact configuration.

The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be applied to various fields. In addition, the present disclosure may be variously modified by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure claimed in the claims.