Pumps – Motor driven – Including means for facilitating assembly or disassembly of...
Patent
1999-03-16
2000-12-12
Freay, Charles G.
Pumps
Motor driven
Including means for facilitating assembly or disassembly of...
417367, 417369, 41742315, 165121, 165DIG302, F04B 3902, F04B 3504
Patent
active
061589799
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a device for fixing a motor-fan unit to a component of a motor vehicle, in particular a heat exchanger through which air flows, in particular to a radiator for cooling a motor vehicle internal combustion engine.
The invention is more particularly concerned with a device of the above kind in which the motor-fan unit includes an electric motor having a casing with openings for air to pass through and including ancillary equipment disposed at the periphery of the casing in the flow of air.
Fixing devices of the above type are already known per se and are used for mounting a motor-fan unit, in turn consisting of an electric motor and a fan, in front of the body of the heat exchanger to create a flow of air through the heat exchanger and thereby improve heat exchange between the flow of air and a fluid flowing through the heat exchanger.
The fixing device must not impede the flow of air and it must allow cooling of the electric motor itself and the ancillary equipment of the motor.
This ancillary equipment, or accessory, can in particular be a heatsink for electronics associated with the motor itself.
As the ancillary equipment is disposed at the periphery of the motor casing the air must be able to flow across it without it impeding the flow of air.
The main drawbacks of fixing devices known per se are their complex structure, the fact that they impede the flow of air and the fact that they do not allow optimum cooling of the electric motor and, where applicable, its ancillary equipment.
An aim of the invention is to overcome the above drawbacks.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To this end it proposes a device for fixing a motor-fan unit to a component of a motor vehicle, in particular to a heat exchanger through which flows a flow of air, wherein the motor-fan unit includes an electric motor having a casing with air openings and ancillary equipment at the periphery of the casing and adapted to have the flow of air pass over it, characterised in that it includes an inner support forming a housing for fixing the casing of the motor and having a lateral opening providing a passage for the ancillary equipment of the motor, an outer support surrounding the inner support and adapted to be fixed to the component of the vehicle, and connecting armatures joining the inner support and the outer support.
This provides a fixing device with a simple structure enabling secure fixing of the motor-fan unit and optimum cooling of the motor and its ancillary equipment.
The inner support is preferably in the general form of a circular ring adapted to receive a circular flange forming part of the casing of the motor, the circular ring being interrupted to provide the opening providing a passage for the ancillary equipment of the motor.
The invention applies in particular to the situation in which the motor casing has a cylindrical lateral wall with air inlet openings. In this case the inner support includes air collecting means adapted to channel a portion of the flow of air towards the air inlet openings.
In one embodiment of the invention the air collecting means include scoop-shaped cavities in the inner support adapted to deflect the flow of air radially towards the air inlet openings of the casing.
When the inner support is a circular ring, the scoop-shaped cavities are in the circular ring at the junction of a cylindrical wall and an annular face thereof.
In another embodiment of the invention the air collecting means comprise gaps between the inner support and the cylindrical motor casing.
When the inner support is a circular ring, the gaps are circular arc-shaped and between the cylindrical wall of the casing and an inner cylindrical wall of the inner ring.
In accordance with another feature of the invention the motor casing is fixed to the inside support by lugs.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the outer support is in the general form of a circular ring.
In this case the outer support in the form of a circular ring is concentric with the inner support in t
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International Search Report dated Sep. 25, 1998.
Chanfreau Mathieu
Couetoux Herve
Moreau Stephane
Freay Charles G.
Valeo Climatisation and Valeo Thermique Moteur
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