Tesla, Inc.

Diego Alberto Silva Rodriguez

Scott Michael Graves

Yufei Zhu

Benjamin Dellal

Eric Bellemare

Alexander Hain

Tyler Nils Grendahl

An electric pump system and method of operating the same involves pumping a fluid through a fluid passageway defined in a mechanical pump from a pump inlet to a hollow shaft of a motor, through the hollow shaft to an internal motor cavity defined by a housing of the motor, and through another fluid passageway defined in the motor housing and mechanical pump that leads to a pump outlet. The system and method further involve pumping the fluid through another fluid passageway defined in the mechanical pump from yet another pump inlet to the pump outlet. The temperature of fluid exiting the hollow shaft can be assessed and used by an electronic control unit (ECU) of the electric pump system to control the same. The electric pump system can be part of a cooling and lubrication system for an electric vehicle transmission, gearbox, differential or transfer case, for example.

Electric pump system and method with hollow shaft and temperature sensor

Electric pump system and method

An electric motor includes a case, a stator having stator windings, a rotor having a rotor shaft, and at least one main rotor bearing coupling the rotor shaft to the case. Common mode charge builds up on the rotor due to imbalances of the stator. The at least one main rotor bearing has a first electrical resistance between the rotor shaft and the case. The electric motor further includes a rotor discharge bearing coupling the rotor shaft to the case. The rotor discharge bearing has a second electrical resistance between the rotor shaft and the case that is less than the first electrical resistance, causing the common mode charge to discharge through the rotor discharge bearing. In a differing embodiment, a rotor discharge brush coupled between the case and the rotor shaft along the longitudinal axis of the rotor shaft discharges the common mode charge.

Electric motor rotor discharge protection

A gear box and method of providing oil through the same is provided. The gear box includes a windage tray that includes a tray having a bleed hole therein, and another tray having another second bleed hole therein. Oil is provided through the bleed holes to respective gears situated in the trays. The windage tray may also include a magnet positioned within a magnet slot of the windage tray, for removing debris from the oil. A tube may also be attached to the windage tray, which tube can include a bleed hole therein, for spraying the oil out of the tube and towards a differential, for example. The windage tray and tube can be made from molded plastic, and can be made using the same mold. The gear box housing may further define a drain in an inner side wall to provide oil to a differential bearing, for example.

Windage tray for advanced lubrication and enhanced performance

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Diego Alberto Silva Rodriguez