Connection of cooling circuit portions for an assembly of two housings

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly of two housings, a first housing comprising a first cooling circuit portion and a second housing comprising a second cooling circuit portion, said of this cooling circuit portions being configured to form a cooling circuit with a fluid, each housing comprising a flat face comprising an opening of a respective cooling circuit portion and defining an interface of said cooling circuit, said cooling circuit portions being configured to be fluidically connected by plane-plane contact between said flat faces, said openings being arranged substantially opposite each other.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising two housings, a first housing comprising a first cooling circuit portion for cooling a first heat load integrated into the first housing and a second housing comprising a second cooling circuit portion for cooling a second heat load integrated into the second housing, said cooling circuit portions being configured to form a cooling circuit with a fluid, the first housing having a first opening, the second housing having a second opening, each housing comprising a flat face defining an interface of said cooling circuit, said cooling circuit portions being configured to be fluidically connected through plane-plane contact between said flat faces, the first opening being arranged on the left side of the assembly, the second opening being arranged on the right side of the assembly, wherein one of said openings forms an inlet of the second cooling circuit portion and the other of said openings forms an outlet of the first cooling circuit portion, wherein a recess extends from at least one of the openings said recess arranged in the corresponding flat face and extending from said at least one of the openings so that the periphery of said recess also encompasses the other of said openings when the flat faces are in plane-plane contact, thereby providing fluidic connection of the two cooling circuit portions, including when the inlet and the outlet are misaligned; wherein the first heat load comprises an inverter and the second heat load comprises an electric motor.

2. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein said recess comprises a section having an area of between 50 mm.sup.2 and 1600 mm.sup.2.

3. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein said recess has at least one rounded edge portion so as to promote fluid flow.

4. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein one of the two housings comprises a DC-DC voltage converter and the other housing comprises an inverter.

5. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein one of the two housings comprises an inverter and the other housing comprises an electric motor.

6. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein each of the faces brought into plane-plane contact respectively comprises said recess configured so that their respective peripheries encompass both of the opening of the first cooling circuit portion and the opening of the second cooling circuit portion.

7. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein each of the faces brought in plane-plane contact has a roughness of less than 6.3 μm.

8. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, further comprising a seal configured to surround said openings and be compressed between said flat faces when said plane faces are brought into plane-plane contact.

9. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein the first and second cooling circuit portions are configured to be fluidically connected only through said plane-plane contact.

10. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein the assembly is configured to be employed in an electric or hybrid motor vehicle.

11. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein the fluid comprises water or a water-based solution.

12. The assembly comprising two housings according to claim 1, wherein an O-ring is configured to be compressed between the first and second housings.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be better understood on reading the description which will follow, given solely by way of example, and referring to the attached drawings given by way of non-limiting examples, in which identical references are given to similar items, and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an embodiment of the invention for the fluidic connection of two integrated cooling circuit portions integrated in contiguous housings;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an O-ring configured to be compressed between two contiguous housings to implement the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a view of a recess made on one face of a housing around a fluid inlet or outlet of a cooling circuit portion integrated in said housing;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a housing with a recess having a rounding configured to optimize fluid flow from one portion of the cooling circuit to the other.

(6) It should be noted that the figures disclose the invention in detail to implement the invention, said figures may of course be used to better define the invention if necessary.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) In the description hereinafter, the invention will be described in its application to an electric or hybrid motor vehicle without this being limiting the scope of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.

(9) A first housing 1, in particular a housing comprising an inverter, and a second housing 2, in particular comprising an electric motor, are brought into plane-plane contact along a respective face forming an interface INT between two portions of a fluid cooling circuit, in particular a water cooling circuit. The fluid cooling circuit partially shown in FIG. 1 is therefore formed of a first portion and a second portion respectively integrated into the first housing 1 and the second housing 2. Each cooling circuit portion is made of ducts arranged in each housing 1, 2, said ducts being able to receive a cooling fluid F. In FIG. 1 is shown in particular the fluidic connection area of the two cooling circuit portions.

(10) The first cooling circuit portion, integrated into the first housing 1, is, according to one embodiment, configured to cool a power module of an integrated inverter to said first housing 1.

(11) The second cooling circuit portion, integrated into the second housing 2, is, according to one embodiment, configured to cool an electric motor integrated into said second housing 2.

(12) The first housing 1 comprises a fluid outlet 11 of the first cooling circuit portion and the second housing 2 comprises a fluid inlet 12 of the second cooling circuit portion.

(13) Said inlet 12 and said outlet 11 are preferably opposite each other when the two housings 1, 2 are contiguous. However, if necessary, said inlet 12 and said outlet 11 may be misaligned when the housings 1, 2 are put in place and contiguous. The present invention notably makes it possible to solve this technical problem.

(14) An O-ring 10, as in FIG. 2, or a circular seal for example, or a seal of any suitable shape, is positioned to surround said inlet 12 and said outlet 11 and is compressed between the two faces of the two contiguous housings 1, 2, so that the first cooling circuit portion and the second cooling circuit portion are fluidically connected in a sealed manner.

(15) With reference to FIG. 3, according to one embodiment, a recess 20 is provided, in particular for cases where the inlet 12 of the cooling circuit portion belonging to the second housing 2 and the outlet 11 of the cooling circuit portion belonging to the first housing 1 are not perfectly aligned when said housings 1, 2 are put in place and contiguous.

(16) As shown in FIG. 3, such a recess 20 is then arranged on at least one of the faces of the two contiguous housings 1, 2. The recess 20 extends from the opening 11, 12 of the cooling circuit portion opening out from the face on which said recess 20 is arranged, said opening 11, 12 forming an inlet 12 or an outlet 11 of said cooling circuit portion.

(17) Said recess 20 is configured so that its periphery encompasses, by construction, besides the inlet 12 or the outlet 11 of the cooling circuit portion of the housing face to which it belongs, also the inlet 12 or the outlet 11 of the other cooling circuit portion, located on the face of the other housing.

(18) Through said recess 20, the fluid F coming from the outlet 11 of the first circuit portion is conveyed, via the recess 20, to the inlet 12 of the second cooling circuit portion, the seal 10 compressed between the two contiguous housings ensuring the sealing.

(19) Such a recess 20 makes it possible to promote the flow of fluid F in the cooling circuit formed by the circuit portions integrated into each of the housings.

(20) Preferably, said recess 20 has a height adapted to promote the flow of fluid from the first cooling circuit portion to the second cooling circuit portion. According to a preferred embodiment, said recess 20 is present on only one of the housings 1, 2 while the other housing 1, 2 has a flatness of high quality. For example, the roughness of the face of the housing 1, 2 comprising no recess is preferably less than 6.3 μm.

(21) Without a recess, the flatness of the faces of the two contiguous housings 1, 2 should preferably be of high quality, with a roughness preferably lower than 6.3 μm.

(22) A recess 20 can also be provided on the two contiguous faces.

(23) According to an embodiment, said recess(es) 20 may comprise a rounded edge portion to promote the fluid flow.

(24) With reference to FIG. 4, a recess 200 is thus arranged, only on one face or on the two contiguous faces, and comprises a rounded edge portion 201, having a radius of curvature adapted to promote the flow of the fluid via said recess 200 during its passage from the first cooling circuit portion to the second cooling circuit portion.

(25) The rounded edge portion 201 promotes the flow of the fluid F and hence the rate at which the fluid F can circulate in the cooling circuit, thereby improving the efficiency of the cooling circuit.

(26) In summary, by means of a plane-plane contact between the faces of two contiguous housings 1, 2 each comprising a portion of a cooling circuit with a fluid F, the present invention makes it possible to ensure the fluidic connection, in a sealed manner, of said two the cooling circuit portions. To this end, the outlet 11 of the first cooling circuit portion, opening out from the face of the first housing 1, and the inlet 12 of the second cooling circuit portion, opening out from the face of the second housing 2, are connected to one another by means of the plane-plane contact established between said two faces and a seal 10, compressed between said two faces, ensuring the sealing of the fluidic connection.

(27) According to a preferred embodiment, at least one of said faces comprises a recess 20, 200, which may have a rounded edge portion 201, the periphery of which encompasses both the inlet 12 or the fluid outlet 11 of the face to which it belongs and the input 12 or the output 11, respectively, belonging to the face of the other housing 1, 2.

(28) In the latter case, the fluid F is conveyed, via the recess 20, 200, from the outlet 11 of the first cooling circuit portion to the inlet 12 of the second cooling circuit portion, in a sealed manner, through the seal 10, and so as to have a minimum bulk, in the absence of any nozzle, sleeve or any pipe.