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US 12,649,574 B2Granted
Electric motor cooling systems and methods
AssigneeFLIR Unmanned Aerial Systems ULC
InventorsDmytro Silin, James Infanti, Albert Pegg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques for cooling electric motors are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system is provided. The system may include a cooling ring configured to couple to an electric motor of a UAV. The cooling ring may have a circular structure comprising a plurality of air ducts disposed therein. The structure may define an interior cavity. The air ducts may be configured to pass heated air from the interior cavity to an external environment to cool the electric motor. Additional systems and methods are also disclosed.
Claims18
A system comprising:
- an inrunner electric motor of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);
- and
- a cooling ring coupled to a rotor of the inrunner electric motor to rotate along with the rotor, the cooling ring comprising:
- a circular structure comprising a plurality of air ducts disposed therein;
- wherein the structure defines an interior cavity;
- and
- wherein the air ducts are configured to pass heated air from the interior cavity to an external environment to cool the electric motor, wherein the air ducts reach radially beyond the rotor;
- wherein the electric motor comprises a housing having a top surface having air vents configured to pass the heated air from inside the housing to the interior cavity;
- wherein the interior cavity defined by the circular structure comprises a cylindrical hollow laterally bounded by the circular structure;
- and
- the cylindrical hollow receives a top portion of a sidewall of the housing of the electric motor, and the air ducts pass through the cooling ring, the cooling ring surrounding the interior cavity and also surrounding the top portion of the sidewall of the housing of the electric motor.
8 more elements
A method comprising:
- installing a cooling ring on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising an electric motor;
- activating the electric motor to generate a thrust for the UAV, wherein the activating the electric motor causes a rotation of a propeller;
- capturing heated air passed by the electric motor using the cooling ring coupled to a rotor of the electric motor and rotating along with the rotor, wherein the cooling ring comprises a circular structure defining an interior cavity and a plurality of air ducts disposed in the structure;
- directing the heated air through the plurality of air ducts and into an external environment of the UAV to cool the electric motor, wherein the air ducts are positioned radially beyond the rotor;
- and then
- removing the cooling ring, and operating the UAV without the cooling ring, wherein operating the UAV without the cooling ring comprises:
- activating the electric motor to generate a thrust for the UAV, wherein the activating the electric motor causes a rotation of the propeller.
4 more elements
A system comprising:
- a removable cooling ring configured to selectively couple to an electric motor of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operable with or without the cooling ring, the electric motor comprising a plurality of cooling vents, the cooling ring comprising:
- a circular structure comprising a plurality of air ducts disposed therein and configured to receive air emerging from the cooling vents of the electric motor;
- wherein the circular structure defines a circular interior cavity comprising a cylindrical hollow laterally bounded by the circular structure, the cylindrical hollow being configured to receive at least a first part of the electric motor when the cooling ring is installed on the electric motor, the first part comprising the cooling vents;
- and
- wherein the air ducts are configured to pass heated air from the cooling vents located in the cylindrical hollow to an external environment to cool the electric motor;
- wherein the system further comprises:
- the electric motor;
- a propeller;
- and
- removable fasteners configured to fasten the propeller to the electric motor;
- wherein the fasteners and the propeller are configured to clamp the cooling ring to a rotor of the electric motor when the first part of the electric motor is in the circular interior cavity;
- and
- wherein the circular interior cavity comprises a hollow bore, and the fasteners are configured to be inserted directly into the electric motor through the hollow bore.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.