JP2009278810A - Motor assembly and pump apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a motor assembly having a protection structure for protecting an inverter and a motor from rain and wind or sunshine, and a pump apparatus equipped with the motor assembly. <P>SOLUTION: This motor assembly includes: a motor 5 coupled to a pump 1; an inverter 6 disposed on the end of the motor 5 which is opposite to the pump; a cooling fan 9 coupled to a rotating shaft 10 of the motor 5; an inner cover 7 for covering the side surface of the motor 5; and an outer cover 8 for covering the at least one part of the inner cover 7 and the inverter 6. The inner cover 7 has a first opening portion 7a formed on the end of opposite pump side, and a second opening portion 7b formed on the pump side end. A gap is formed between the inner cover 7 and the motor 5, and a gap is formed between the inner cover 7 and the outer cover 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a motor assembly and a pump device, and more particularly to a motor assembly having a protective structure that protects an inverter and a motor from wind and rain and sunlight.

  A motor is widely used as a drive source for driving the pump. Recently, an inverter-integrated pump motor in which an inverter is attached to a motor is becoming mainstream. The inverter includes a power switching element (for example, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a power MOS FET, etc.), and the power switching element can be used to change the input power supply of the motor so that the motor can be operated at a variable speed. .

Pumps are used in various places and may be installed outdoors. In such a case, the motor and the inverter are exposed to wind and rain, and there is a risk that they will break down. Further, when the inverter and the motor are exposed to direct sunlight, they become high temperature and cause a failure. In particular, since the power switching element of the inverter generates heat, the temperature of the inverter may exceed its heat resistance temperature.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-115778 JP 2000-116059 A Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-162997

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a motor assembly having a protection structure for preventing an inverter and a motor from wind and rain and sunlight, and a pump device including the motor assembly.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a motor connected to a pump, an inverter disposed at a non-pump side end of the motor, and a cooling fan connected to a rotation shaft of the motor. And an inner cover that covers a side surface of the motor, and an outer cover that covers at least a part of the inner cover and the inverter, and the inner cover has a first opening formed at an end portion on a side opposite to the pump. And a second opening formed at the pump side end, a gap is formed between the inner cover and the motor, and between the inner cover and the outer cover. Is a motor assembly characterized in that a gap is formed.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the cooling fan is disposed between the inverter and the motor, the inverter has a cooling fin protruding toward the motor, and the cooling fin is The first cover is in contact with the inner cover so as to cover the first opening.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the inverter includes a power switching element and a box that houses the power switching element, the power switching element is in contact with an inner surface of the box, and the cooling fins are: It is provided in the outer surface located in the opposite side to the inner surface of the said box which the said power switching element contacts.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the cooling fan is disposed between the inverter and the motor, the inverter is disposed so as to seal the first opening, and the inverter includes: It has the through-hole which connects the internal space and external space of the said inner cover.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the inverter is disposed between the cooling fan and the motor, the inverter is disposed so as to seal the first opening, and the inverter includes: It has the through-hole which connects the internal space and external space of the said inner cover.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the inverter includes a power switching element and a box that houses the power switching element, the power switching element is in contact with an inner surface of the box, and the power switching element is A cooling jacket through which the liquid supplied from the pump flows is attached to an outer surface located on the opposite side of the inner surface of the box that comes into contact.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the cooling fan is disposed between the motor and the pump, and the inverter has cooling fins protruding toward the motor,
The cooling fin is in contact with the inner cover so as to cover the first opening.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, a sound absorbing material or a vibration damping material is attached to the inner surface of the inner cover.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a pump device comprising the motor assembly and a pump driven by the motor assembly.

  According to the present invention, since the motor is covered by the inner cover and the inverter is covered by the outer cover, the inverter and the motor can be protected from wind and rain and sunlight, and weather resistance is improved. Therefore, a motor assembly that can withstand outdoor use can be provided.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pump device including a motor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The pump device includes a pump 1 that transfers liquid and a motor assembly 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention that drives the pump 1. The motor assembly 2 includes a motor 5 connected to the pump 1, an inverter 6 that controls the rotational speed of the motor 5, an inner cover 7 that covers the side surface of the motor 5, and an outer cover 8 that covers the inverter 6 and the inner cover 7. And. As the motor 5, a synchronous motor using a permanent magnet as a rotor is used. This type of motor (Permanent Magnet motor) has a feature that it is more efficient than a general motor and therefore generates less heat. However, it goes without saying that other types of motors may be used. The inner cover 7 is connected to the motor 5 by a support member (not shown).

  A bracket 14 is disposed between the pump 1 and the motor assembly 2, and the pump 1 and the motor assembly 2 are fixed to each other via the bracket 14. The pump 1 is connected to the motor assembly 2 through a rotating shaft 10. With such a configuration, the pump 1 is driven by the motor assembly 2 and sucks liquid from the suction port 1a, pressurizes it, and discharges it from the discharge port 1b. An example of the pump 1 is a multi-stage centrifugal pump, but other types of pumps may be used.

  A cooling fan 9 is arranged on the upper part (the end on the side opposite to the pump) of the motor 5, and this cooling fan 9 is connected to the rotating shaft 10 of the motor 5. Therefore, the cooling fan 9 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 10 of the motor 5. The inverter 6, the cooling fan 9 and the motor 5 are arranged on the same axis, and the cooling fan 9 is arranged between the inverter 6 and the motor 5.

  The motor 5 and the cooling fan 9 are surrounded by the inner cover 7. That is, the inner cover 7 has a shape that covers the entire side surface of the motor 5, and further covers the entire cooling fan 9. A gap is formed between the inner surface of the inner cover 7 and the side surface of the motor 5. Cooling fins 13 are provided on the side surface of the motor 5, and these cooling fins 13 are disposed between the inner surface of the inner cover 7 and the side surface of the motor 5. A sound absorbing material 11 is attached to the inner surface of the inner cover 7. The sound absorbing material 11 is disposed so as to surround the side surface of the motor 5.

  Here, the sound absorbing material refers to a member that absorbs sound by taking sound inside and converting sound energy into heat energy. Examples of the sound absorbing material include sponge and urethane foam. A vibration damping material may be attached instead of the sound absorbing material. A damping material refers to a member that reduces solid vibration by converting solid vibration energy into thermal energy. Examples of the damping material include a rubber plate and a plastic plate.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of the motor assembly shown in FIG. FIG. 2B is a plan view showing the relationship between the cooling fins of the inverter and the air intake holes.
As shown in FIG. 2A, a first opening 7 a that functions as an air intake hole is formed at the upper end (the end on the side opposite to the pump) of the inner cover 7. The first opening 7 a is located between the inverter 6 and the cooling fan 9.

  The inverter 6 includes a power switching element 15, a control board 16 that controls the operation of the power switching element 15, and a box 17 that houses the power switching element 15 and the control board 16. The power switching element 15 is fixed to the box 17 in contact with the inner surface of the bottom of the box 17. The bottom of the inverter 6 faces the motor 5, and cooling fins 18 that protrude toward the motor 5 are provided on the entire outer surface of the bottom. These cooling fins 18 are in contact with the upper part of the inner cover 7 and are arranged so as to cover the first opening 7a as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lower end (end part on the pump side) of the inner cover 7 is open, and constitutes a second opening 7b. The outer cover 8 has a shape that covers the upper half of the inner cover 7 and the entire inverter 6. More specifically, the outer cover 8 includes a first wall portion (peripheral wall) 8A surrounding the upper half of the inner cover 7 and the inverter 6, and an upper end side opening (anti-pump side opening) of the first wall portion 8A. And a second wall portion 8B for closing. The first wall portion 8A and the second wall portion 8B may be formed integrally or may be formed by separate members. A gap is formed between the inner cover 7 and the outer cover 8, and a gap is also formed between the inverter 6 and the outer cover 8. The outer cover 8 is connected to the inner cover 7 by a support member (not shown). The lower end (pump side end) of the outer cover 8 is open.

  FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams for explaining the flow of air formed by the rotation of the cooling fan. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the cooling fan 9 is rotated, air (ambient gas) passes through the gap between the outer cover 8 and the inner cover 7 and passes through the first opening 7 a of the inner cover 7. It flows into the inner cover 7. When air flows into the first opening 7a, the air flow comes into contact with the cooling fins 18 of the inverter 6, and thereby the inverter 6 is cooled. The air further flows toward the pump 1 through a gap between the inner cover 7 and the motor 5. At this time, the air flow comes into contact with the cooling fins 13 of the motor 5, thereby cooling the motor 5. Thereafter, the air is discharged to the outside from the second opening 7 b of the inner cover 7.

  On the other hand, when the cooling fan 9 is rotated in the reverse direction, air flows into the inner cover 7 from the second opening 7b of the inner cover 7 as shown in FIG. It flows toward the inverter 6 through the gap therebetween. The air flows out from the first opening 7 a of the inner cover 7 and contacts the cooling fins 18 of the inverter 6. Thereafter, the air passes through the gap between the inner cover 7 and the outer cover 8, and is discharged to the outside from the lower end opening of the outer cover 8. Thus, even if the cooling fan 9 is rotated in any direction, an air flow that contacts the cooling fins 13 and 18 is formed, so that the inverter 6 and the motor 5 can be cooled.

  Since the outer cover 8 completely covers the inverter 6, the inverter 6 can be protected from direct sunlight. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inverter 6 from becoming excessively hot. In order to enhance the heat resistance effect, a heat resistant paint may be applied to the outer surface of the outer cover 8. Moreover, since the inverter 6 can be protected from wind and rain by the outer cover 8, the failure of the inverter 6 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the motor 5 is covered with the inner cover 7, the motor 5 can be protected from wind and rain and sunlight, and weather resistance is improved.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are partially enlarged views showing a modification of the motor assembly of this embodiment.
In this example, the cooling fins 18 are provided only on part of the outer surface of the bottom of the box 17. More specifically, the power switching element 15 is in contact with the inner surface of the box 17, the cooling fin 18 is provided on the outer surface of the box 17, and the power switching element 15 and the cooling fin 18 are located at positions corresponding to each other (opposite positions). )It is in. The installation area of the cooling fin 18 is substantially the same as the contact area between the power switching element 15 and the box 17.

  Also in this example, the cooling fin 18 is arrange | positioned so that the 1st opening part 7a of the inner cover 7 may be covered. Therefore, the rotation of the cooling fan 9 causes the air flow to concentrate on the cooling fins 18, and the wind hits the cooling fins 18 intensively, increasing the flow velocity of the wind, improving heat transfer and promoting cooling. . Therefore, the power switching element 15 that generates the largest amount of heat can be efficiently cooled.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, since the structure of this embodiment which is not demonstrated in particular is the same as that of embodiment mentioned above, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.
FIG. 5 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pump device provided with a motor assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 (b) shows one of the motor assemblies shown in FIG. 5 (a). It is an expanded sectional view which shows a part.

  The inverter 6 is disposed so as to close the first opening 7 a of the inner cover 7. The inverter 6 is formed with a through hole 6 a that communicates the internal space of the inner cover 7 and the external space. In the present embodiment, the through hole 6a functions as an air intake hole or an air discharge hole. The bottom surface (outer surface of the bottom portion) of the inverter 6 is located inside the inner cover 7, and cooling fins 18 are provided on the entire bottom surface as in the above-described embodiment. These cooling fins 18 are close to the cooling fan 9.

  FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are diagrams for explaining the flow of air formed by the rotation of the cooling fan. As shown in FIG. 6A, when the cooling fan 9 is rotated, the air flows through the through-hole 6a of the inverter 6 and contacts the cooling fin 18, whereby the inverter 6 is cooled. The air flow contacts the cooling fins 13 of the motor 5 to cool the motor 5.

  On the other hand, when the cooling fan 9 is rotated in the reverse direction, as shown in FIG. 6B, the air flows into the inner cover 7 from the second opening 7b, contacts the cooling fins 13 and 18, and then the inverter 6 It is discharged from the through hole 6a. Thus, even if the cooling fan 9 is rotated in any direction, an air flow that contacts the cooling fins 13 and 18 is formed, so that the inverter 6 and the motor 5 can be cooled.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the configuration of the present embodiment that is not particularly described is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and thus redundant description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 7 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pump device provided with a motor assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 (b) is one of the motor assemblies shown in FIG. 7 (a). It is an expanded sectional view which shows a part.

  The inverter 6 is disposed between the cooling fan 9 and the motor 5. That is, the cooling fan 9 is disposed outside the inner cover 7 and inside the outer cover 8. The inverter 6 is disposed so as to close the first opening 7 a of the inner cover 7. The inverter 6 is formed with a through hole 6 a that communicates the internal space of the inner cover 7 and the external space. The bottom surface of the inverter 6 is located inside the inner cover 7, and cooling fins 18 are provided on the entire bottom surface. These cooling fins 18 are arranged close to the top of the motor 5. The rotating shaft 10 extends through the through hole 6 a of the inverter 6, and the cooling fan 9 is connected to the end of the rotating shaft 10.

  FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are diagrams for explaining the flow of air formed by the rotation of the cooling fan. As shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b), an air flow that contacts the cooling fins 13 and 18 is formed when the cooling fan 9 is rotated in any direction. 5 can be cooled.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the present embodiment that is not specifically described is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pump device provided with a motor assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 (b) shows one of the motor assemblies shown in FIG. 9 (a). It is an expanded sectional view which shows a part.

  A cooling jacket 24 is fixed to the inverter 6. The cooling jacket 24 is connected to the pump 1 via an inflow line 25 and an outflow line 26 through which liquid flows. The end of the inflow line 25 is connected to the discharge side flow path of the pump 1, and the end of the outflow line 26 is connected to the suction side flow path of the pump 1. When the pump 1 is driven, a differential pressure is generated between the discharge-side flow path and the suction-side flow path of the pump 1, and part of the liquid transferred to the pump 1 passes through the inflow line 25 due to this differential pressure. Then, it flows into the cooling jacket 24, passes through the cooling jacket 24, and returns to the pump 1.

  The cooling jacket 24 is attached to the outer surface located on the opposite side to the inner surface of the box 15 with which the power switching element 15 contacts. That is, the power switching element 15 is in contact with the inner surface of the box 17, the cooling jacket 24 is in contact with the outer surface of the box 17, and the power switching element 15 and the cooling jacket 24 are in positions corresponding to each other (opposite positions).

  Usually, the liquid transferred by the pump 1 has a temperature lower than the temperature of the inverter 6. Therefore, while the liquid passes through the cooling jacket 24, heat exchange is performed between the inverter 6 and the liquid, thereby cooling the inverter 6. Further, the air flow formed by the rotation of the cooling fan 9 contacts the cooling jacket 24 and cools the cooling jacket 24. Therefore, the inverter 6 can be cooled more efficiently.

FIG. 10A is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the above embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a plan view showing the relationship between the cooling fin and the first opening shown in FIG. is there.
In this example, the cooling fin 18 is provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the box 17 of the inverter 6 except for the portion where the cooling jacket 24 is attached. The cooling jacket 24 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b). The cooling fin 18 is disposed so as to close the first opening 7 a of the inner cover 7. According to this configuration example, the entire inverter 6 can be cooled by the air sent by the cooling fan 9, and at the same time, the power switching element 15 can be cooled by the cooling jacket 24.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the present embodiment that is not specifically described is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pump device including a motor assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention. 12 (a) and 12 (b) are enlarged sectional views schematically showing a part of the motor assembly shown in FIG.

  In this embodiment, the cooling fan 9 is disposed between the motor 5 and the pump 1. That is, the cooling fan 9 is disposed at the lower part (pump side end part) of the motor 5 and is fixed to the rotating shaft 10. The cooling fin 18 of the inverter 6 is disposed so as to cover the first opening 7 a of the inner cover 7. The cooling fan 9 is disposed inside the inner cover 7, and the second opening 7 b of the inner cover 7 is located below the cooling fan 9. A bracket 14 is fixed to the lower portion of the inner cover 7.

  When the cooling fan 9 is rotated, air is taken in from the second opening 7 b, and the air flows toward the inverter 6 through the gap between the motor 5 and the inner cover 7. At this time, the air flow contacts the cooling fins 13, thereby cooling the motor 5. The air flows out from the first opening 7 a and contacts the cooling fins 18 of the inverter 6, thereby cooling the inverter 6. Further, the air flows between the inner cover 7 and the outer cover 8 and is discharged to the outside from the lower end opening of the outer cover 8.

  The pump device described above is a so-called vertical pump device in which the rotation shaft of the pump extends in the vertical direction. This type of pump device has the advantage of a smaller footprint and footprint. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may be a horizontally installed pump device.

  The embodiment described above is described for the purpose of enabling the person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs to implement the present invention. Various modifications of the above embodiment can be naturally made by those skilled in the art, and the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be the widest scope according to the technical idea defined by the claims.

It is a longitudinal section showing a pump device provided with a motor assembly concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of the motor assembly shown in FIG. FIG. 2B is a plan view showing the relationship between the cooling fins of the inverter and the air intake holes. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams for explaining the flow of air formed by the rotation of the cooling fan. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are partially enlarged views showing modifications of the motor assembly of the above embodiment. FIG. 5 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pump device provided with a motor assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 (b) shows one of the motor assemblies shown in FIG. 5 (a). It is an expanded sectional view which shows a part. FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are diagrams for explaining the flow of air formed by the rotation of the cooling fan. FIG. 7 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pump device provided with a motor assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 (b) is one of the motor assemblies shown in FIG. 7 (a). It is an expanded sectional view which shows a part. FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are diagrams for explaining the flow of air formed by the rotation of the cooling fan. FIG. 9 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a pump device provided with a motor assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 (b) shows one of the motor assemblies shown in FIG. 9 (a). It is an expanded sectional view which shows a part. FIG. 10A is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the above embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a plan view showing the relationship between the cooling fin and the first opening shown in FIG. is there. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the pump apparatus provided with the motor assembly which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. 12 (a) and 12 (b) are enlarged sectional views schematically showing a part of the motor assembly shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pump 2 Motor assembly 5 Motor 6 Inverter 7 Inner cover 8 Outer cover 9 Cooling fan 10 Rotating shaft 11 Sound absorbing material or damping material 13 Cooling fin 14 Bracket 15 Power switching element 16 Control board 17 Box 18 Cooling fin 24 Cooling jacket 25 Inflow line 26 Outflow line

Claims (9)

A motor coupled to the pump;
An inverter disposed at the end of the motor opposite to the pump;
A cooling fan connected to the rotating shaft of the motor;
An inner cover that covers a side surface of the motor;
An outer cover that covers at least a part of the inner cover and the inverter;
The inner cover has a first opening formed at the non-pump side end, and a second opening formed at the pump side end,
A gap is formed between the inner cover and the motor,
A motor assembly, wherein a gap is formed between the inner cover and the outer cover. The cooling fan is disposed between the inverter and the motor;
The inverter has cooling fins protruding toward the motor,
The motor assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fin is in contact with the inner cover so as to cover the first opening. The inverter includes a power switching element and a box that houses the power switching element,
The power switching element is in contact with the inner surface of the box;
The motor assembly according to claim 2, wherein the cooling fin is provided on an outer surface located opposite to an inner surface of the box with which the power switching element contacts. The cooling fan is disposed between the inverter and the motor;
The inverter is arranged to seal the first opening;
2. The motor assembly according to claim 1, wherein the inverter has a through hole that communicates an internal space and an external space of the inner cover. The inverter is disposed between the cooling fan and the motor;
The inverter is arranged to seal the first opening;
2. The motor assembly according to claim 1, wherein the inverter has a through hole that communicates an internal space and an external space of the inner cover. The inverter includes a power switching element and a box that houses the power switching element,
The power switching element is in contact with the inner surface of the box;
2. The motor set according to claim 1, wherein a cooling jacket through which a liquid supplied from the pump flows is attached to an outer surface located opposite to an inner surface of the box with which the power switching element contacts. Solid. The cooling fan is disposed between the motor and the pump;
The inverter has cooling fins protruding toward the motor,
The motor assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fin is in contact with the inner cover so as to cover the first opening.   The motor assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a sound absorbing material or a vibration damping material is attached to an inner surface of the inner cover. A motor assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
And a pump driven by the motor assembly.

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