Integrated fan motor and controller housing

A fan motor controller assembly comprises:

• a tubular fan duct with a fan duct casing containing a fan with rotor blades and stator vanes;
• an electronics housing mounted directly on the tubular fan duct, such that the electronics housing and the fan duct casing together enclose an interior space;
• a plurality of inlet holes through the tubular fan duct, fluidly connecting a high-pressure region of the tubular fan duct to the interior space;
• a plurality of bleed holes through the electronics housing, fluidly connecting the interior space to the environment, thereby forming an airflow path from the tubular fan duct, through the inlet holes to the interior space, and out the bleed holes to a surrounding environment;
• and
• a plurality of electronic components disposed within the interior space, the plurality of electronic components comprising:
• a first electronic component mounted on the tubular fan duct, and cooled conductively through the fan duct by utilizing the stator vanes as cooling fins to dissipate heat into a main airflow flow path of the fan;
• and
• a second electronic component mounted on the electronics housing at the location of at least one of the bleed holes, and cooled convectively via airflow through the bleed holes.

A method for cooling electronic components within an interior space formed between an electronics housing and a fan duct carrying rotor blades and stator vanes, the method comprising:

• drawing air into the interior space from the fan duct through an inlet hole, and through a first electronic component mounted on the fan duct and positioned immediately adjacent to the inlet hole;
• expelling air from the interior space into a surrounding environment through a bleed hole, and through a second electronic component mounted on electronics housing and positioned immediately adjacent to the bleed hole;
• and
• conductively cooling a third electronic component mounted on the fan duct and positioned immediately radially outward of the stator vanes, by utilizing the stator vanes as cooling fins to dissipate heat into a main airflow stream through the fan duct.