Patent ID: 7244110
Filing Date: 2007-07-17
Classification: F04D,H02K

Abstract:
1. A cooling system for use in a vehicle, comprising: an electric motor comprising a housing and an airflow path through the motor for cooling the motor, said housing comprising a front wall and a generally cylindrical side wall; a fan comprising a hub having a connector for mounting to a shaft of said electric motor, said hub having a planar portion and a generally cylindrical portion, said planar portion lying in a radial plane that is generally parallel to a plane in which said front wall of said housing lies and said generally cylindrical portion lying in a cylindrical plane, comprising at least a portion of said cylindrical portion extending over said generally cylindrical side wall of said housing; a plurality of fan blades extending radially from said hub; a plurality of ribs situated between said connector and said hub; a circumferential flange that extends radially outward from said generally cylindrical side wall; and said planar portion being axially spaced from said front wall by a first dimension and said generally cylindrical portion being spaced from said cylindrical side wall by a second dimension in order to define an airflow path comprising a first pressure area and a second pressure area that is in fluid communication with said first pressure area, said first dimension being smaller than said second dimension; said circumferential flange positioned on said generally cylindrical side wall in opposed relation to said planar portion of said hub and downstream of an edge of said generally cylindrical portion of said hub, said circumferential flange further being adapted and dimensioned to facilitate cooling flow drawn through the electrical motor and the airflow passageway.