Vehicle-mounted construction of inverter

Abstract

The on-board structure of the inverter (2) includes the inverter (2) and a side beam (10). The inverter (2) has a first high-strength busbar (2b) whose position in the vehicle longitudinal direction does not overlap with the low-rigidity part (10a) and overlaps with the high-rigidity part (10b).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an on-board structure for an inverter. Background Technology

[0002] JP2012-96746A discloses a structure in which an inverter is arranged near a side member. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The side beam has low-rigidity sections that attenuate energy by deforming during a vehicle collision. However, if an inverter is located near the side beam, the deformed beam can interfere with the inverter, potentially damaging it. Consequently, the insulation of the inverter's high-voltage terminal connections may be compromised, leading to a short circuit.

[0004] This invention was proposed in view of this problem, and its purpose is to suppress the damage to the inverter insulation caused by interference from the side beam during a vehicle collision.

[0005] An inverter vehicle-mounted structure according to one aspect of the present invention includes: an inverter; and a side beam having a low-rigidity portion and a high-rigidity portion in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, the high-rigidity portion being disposed behind the low-rigidity portion. The inverter has a high-voltage terminal connection portion, the position of which in the vehicle's longitudinal direction does not overlap with the low-rigidity portion but overlaps with the high-rigidity portion. Attached Figure Description

[0006] Figure 1 This is an external view of the electric unit.

[0007] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the fixing method of the electric unit.

[0008] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of the vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter involved in the implementation method.

[0009] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram of the key components inside the inverter.

[0010] Figure 5 This diagram represents a generator as a single unit.

[0011] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the state of the area around the side beam during a vehicle collision. Detailed Implementation

[0012] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 This is an external view of the electric unit 1. Figure 2This is a diagram showing the fixing method of the electric unit 1. Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of the vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter 2 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 In the diagram, for ease of observation, the electric motor unit 1 is represented by a thin line. Figure 3 In this diagram, for ease of observation, the on-board structure of the inverter 2 is shown without showing the mounting method of the electric unit 1.

[0014] like Figure 1 As shown, the electric unit 1 includes an inverter 2, a motor 3, and a generator 4. The electric unit 1 is mounted on a vehicle. This vehicle is configured as a series hybrid vehicle, where the generator 4 generates electricity using the power of an internal combustion engine, and the vehicle uses the generated electricity to drive the motor 3, which constitutes the vehicle's drive source. The inverter 2 is positioned above the motor 3 and is integrally formed with the motor 3. The housing 2a of the inverter 2 is fixed to the housing 3a of the motor 3 by bolts.

[0015] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the electric unit 1, including the inverter 2, is arranged around the side beam 10. The electric unit 1 is tilted forward relative to the vehicle. Figure 3 As shown, inverter 2 is positioned higher than side beam 10, and generator 4 is positioned lower than side beam 10. Generator 4 is positioned in front of motor 3 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. Generator 4 is positioned in the vehicle's longitudinal direction at a position overlapping with the low-rigidity part 10a described later. Motor 3 is equivalent to the first motor, and generator 4 is equivalent to the second motor.

[0016] The electric unit 1 also includes an accelerator reducer 5. The motor 3 and generator 4 are respectively bolted to the housing of the accelerator reducer 5. Thus, the inverter 2 and generator 4 are further integrated into a single unit. The motor 3 transmits power to the output shaft 5a via the reducer of the accelerator reducer 5, and then transmits power to the vehicle's drive wheels via the output shaft 5a. Power from the internal combustion engine is input to the generator 4 via the accelerator reducer 5.

[0017] The side beam 10 is connected to the bumper reinforcement 20 at the front of the vehicle and extends from the bumper reinforcement 20 toward the rear of the vehicle. The side beam 10 has a low-rigidity portion 10a and a high-rigidity portion 10b in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0018] Viewed from the front of the vehicle, the low-rigidity section 10a has a longitudinally elongated cross-sectional shape. Therefore, the low-rigidity section 10a is prone to bending laterally during a vehicle collision. The longitudinally elongated cross-sectional shape helps to ensure a larger space within the vehicle's motor compartment.

[0019] The high-rigidity part 10b is a part with higher rigidity than the low-rigidity part 10a, and is located behind the low-rigidity part 10a. The high-rigidity part 10b is configured to be connected to the low-rigidity part 10a. The high-rigidity part 10b is established, for example, by using a cross-sectional structure larger than that of the low-rigidity part 10a, high-strength materials, and a beam installed on the inner side of the vehicle in the transverse direction, i.e., the inner part of the side beam 10.

[0020] like Figure 2 As shown, the electric unit 1 is fixed to the side beam 10 by the first fixing bracket 11 and the second fixing bracket 12. The first fixing bracket 11 is fixed to the electric unit 1 by bolts, and the second fixing bracket 12 is fixed to the side beam 10 by bolts.

[0021] The protruding connecting portion 11a of the first fixed bracket 11 is pressed into the opening support portion 13a of the fluid device 13 provided on the second fixed bracket 12, thereby connecting the first fixed bracket 11 and the second fixed bracket 12. The fluid device 13 is a fluid damper that suppresses the transmission of vehicle vibrations to the electric unit 1.

[0022] With this configuration, the electric unit 1, including the inverter 2, is mounted on the vehicle in a suspended state on the side beam 10. The electric unit 1 is fixed to the high-rigidity portion 10b of the side beam 10 via the second fixing bracket 12.

[0023] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram of the key components within inverter 2. Figure 4 The side beam 10, the first fixed bracket 11, the second fixed bracket 12, and the bumper reinforcement 20 are shown together with the inverter 2. Figure 4 In the middle, there is an explanatory diagram used to illustrate the configuration, etc. Figures 1 to 3 The inverter 2 is shown enlarged compared to the actual situation. The inverter 2 has a first high-voltage busbar 2b, a second high-voltage busbar 2c, and a structure 2d inside the housing 2a.

[0024] The first high-voltage busbar 2b is connected to the motor 3, which is positioned further rearward than the generator 4. Therefore, the first high-voltage busbar 2b is located within the inverter 2 on the rear side of the vehicle. The first high-voltage busbar 2b is also located within the inverter 2 on the outer side of the vehicle. That is, the first high-voltage busbar 2b is positioned within the inverter 2 close to the side beam 10. The first high-voltage busbar 2b is positioned in the vehicle's longitudinal direction so as not to overlap with the low-rigidity part 10a. The first high-voltage busbar 2b is positioned further rearward than the low-rigidity part 10a. The first high-voltage busbar 2b is positioned in the vehicle's longitudinal direction at a position overlapping with the high-rigidity part 10b.

[0025] The second high-voltage busbar 2c is connected to the generator 4, which is positioned further forward of the vehicle than the motor 3. Therefore, the second high-voltage busbar 2c is located at the front of the vehicle within the inverter 2. The second high-voltage busbar 2c is also located inside the vehicle within the inverter 2. That is, the second high-voltage busbar 2c is positioned away from the side beam 10 within the inverter 2. The second high-voltage busbar 2c is positioned further forward of the vehicle than the high-rigidity component 10b. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the second high-strength busbar 2c can be configured in the vehicle longitudinal direction at a position overlapping with the low-rigidity part 10a.

[0026] The second high-voltage busbar 2c is configured such that a structure 2d is spaced between it and the outer wall of the vehicle, i.e., the wall 2aa, which is the wall of the outer casing 2a. The structure 2d is, for example, a smooth capacitor or a power module component of a semiconductor element, and is configured as a low-exposed structure with fewer exposed electrodes than the second high-voltage busbar 2c.

[0027] In contrast, regarding the second high-voltage busbar 2c, the high-voltage terminals are constructed as a busbar, with insulation only applied locally. Therefore, the second high-voltage busbar 2c is the most crucial component in the inverter 2 for ensuring insulation. This is also true for the first high-voltage busbar 2b. The first high-voltage busbar 2b corresponds to the high-voltage terminal connection. The first high-voltage busbar 2b corresponds to the first high-voltage terminal connection, and the second high-voltage busbar 2c corresponds to the second high-voltage terminal connection.

[0028] Figure 5 This diagram represents generator 4 as a single unit. Figure 5 In the image, generator 4 is shown with the end cover removed. A high-voltage connector 30 is installed on generator 4. Generator 4 is connected to the second high-voltage busbar 2c via high-voltage connector 30.

[0029] The high-voltage connector 30 connects to the generator 4 from the inside of the vehicle. Therefore, the high-voltage connector 30 is located further inside the vehicle than the connection portion 4aa of the high-voltage connector 30 on the housing 4a of the generator 4. The high-voltage connector 30 is located higher than the part of the generator 4 where the rotor and stator are installed, i.e., the motor section 4b.

[0030] The main effects of this embodiment will be explained below.

[0031] Figure 6This diagram shows the state around the side beam 10 during a vehicle collision. The dashed line indicates the state before the collision. In the event of a collision, the low-rigidity portion 10a of the side beam 10 bends laterally across the vehicle to absorb energy. At this time, the portion of the low-rigidity portion 10a on the front side of the vehicle bends inwards, potentially interfering with the inverter 2. Furthermore, if the insulation of the inverter 2 is damaged at this time, a short circuit under high voltage may occur, compromising safety measures against electric shock.

[0032] The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter 2 involved in this embodiment includes the inverter 2 and the side beam 10, as described above. Figure 4 As described above, the inverter 2 is configured such that it has a first high-strength busbar 2b whose position in the vehicle's longitudinal direction does not overlap with the low-rigidity part 10a, but overlaps with the high-rigidity part 10b.

[0033] According to this structure, even if the low-rigidity part 10a bends inward towards the vehicle during a vehicle collision, interference between the low-rigidity part 10a and the first high-voltage busbar 2b, which is an example of a high-voltage terminal connection that is most likely to avoid interference with the side beam 10 from the viewpoint of ensuring insulation, can be prevented. Therefore, according to this structure, the insulation of the inverter 2 can be suppressed from being damaged due to interference from the side beam 10 during a vehicle collision.

[0034] The on-board structure of the inverter 2 in this embodiment also includes a motor 3. The motor 3 and the inverter 2 are integrated into one unit.

[0035] With this structure, the inverter 2 and motor 3 can be compactly and centrally arranged. Therefore, even when there are limitations on the overall layout of the vehicle's motor compartment, it is easy to position the first high-voltage busbar 2b in a location that will not interfere with the low-rigidity part 10a during a vehicle collision.

[0036] In this embodiment, the generator 4 is further formed as an integral structure, and correspondingly, the electric unit 1 is enlarged. In this case, the layout in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is restricted, namely, the possibility that a portion of the electric unit 1 must also be placed at a position where interference occurs at a low-rigidity part 10a that bends inward toward the vehicle when a collision with the vehicle is unavoidable.

[0037] Furthermore, during a vehicle collision, shear forces act on the first fixed bracket 11 and the second fixed bracket 12, causing them to break and the electric unit 1 to become loose. Therefore, even if the vertical position of the motor 3 overlaps with the side beam 10, during a vehicle collision, the electric unit 1, including the motor 3, moves towards the inward side of the vehicle away from the side beam 10. Also, the generator 4 is typically smaller than the motor 3.

[0038] In view of this situation, the vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter 2 according to this embodiment also includes a generator 4, which is integrally formed with the inverter 2. Moreover, the generator 4 is arranged in front of the motor 3 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction.

[0039] With this structure, the generator 4 is positioned in front of the motor 3. Therefore, even if the inverter 2 is further integrated with the generator 4, it is easy to position the first high-voltage busbar 2b in a location that will not interfere with the low-rigidity part 10a during a vehicle collision. In addition, this structure also prevents damage to the motor 3 due to interference from the side beam 10.

[0040] Regarding the vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter 2 involved in this embodiment, the inverter 2 is located above the side beam 10.

[0041] This structure protects the first high-voltage busbar 2b and consequently the second high-voltage busbar 2c from interfering with the side beam 10.

[0042] For example, if the inverter 2 is configured to lean forward relative to the vehicle, the low-rigidity part 10a is likely to interfere with the front part of the inverter 2 in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0043] Regarding the vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter 2 involved in this embodiment, the inverter 2 has a second high-voltage busbar 2c, which is disposed inside the vehicle.

[0044] With this structure, the first high-strength busbar 2b, which overlaps with the low-rigidity part 10a but not with the high-rigidity part 10b in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, ensures that even if the second high-strength busbar 2c is positioned to overlap with the low-rigidity part 10a in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, the second high-strength busbar 2c is positioned where it is less susceptible to loads from the side beam 10. Therefore, insulation of the second high-strength busbar 2c can be ensured, and space saving can be safely achieved. This also applies when the second high-strength busbar 2c is actually positioned to overlap with the low-rigidity part 10a in the vehicle's longitudinal direction.

[0045] In this embodiment, the second high-voltage busbar 2c is disposed in the inverter 2 with a structure 2d spaced between it and the wall portion 2aa.

[0046] According to this structure, the structure 2d prevents the direct interference between the low-rigidity part 10a and the second strong current strip 2c during a vehicle collision, thereby making the second strong current strip 2c less susceptible to damage and thus easily ensuring the insulation of the second strong current strip 2c during a vehicle collision.

[0047] In this embodiment, the generator 4 is located further below the side beam 10.

[0048] With this structure, the generator 4 is positioned in front of the motor 3 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. Therefore, even if the generator 4 is positioned in a position that overlaps with the low-rigidity part 10a in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, it is possible to prevent the load during a vehicle collision from being input to the generator 4 and the high-voltage connector 30.

[0049] The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter 2 involved in this embodiment also has a high-voltage connector 30 that connects to the generator 4 from the inside of the vehicle.

[0050] With this structure, the power connector 30 is positioned on the inner side of the vehicle in the lateral direction, thus preventing direct interference between the side beam 10 and the power connector 30 during a vehicle collision.

[0051] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the above embodiments only illustrate a part of the application examples of the present invention, and their purpose is not to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific structures of the above embodiments.

[0052] For example, in the above embodiment, the first high-voltage busbar 2b was described as a high-voltage terminal connection portion that, from the viewpoint of ensuring insulation, is the part of the high-voltage busbar that is most likely to avoid interference with the side beam 10. However, the high-voltage terminal connection portion may be, for example, a high-voltage busbar connected to the battery, or it may be a second high-voltage busbar 2c that is deformed in the same way as the first high-voltage busbar 2b in the vehicle's longitudinal direction.

[0053] In the above embodiments, the inverter 2 is described as being integrated with the motor 3 and the generator 4. However, the inverter 2 may be configured as a separate unit relative to the motor 3 and the generator 4, or it may be integrated with only one of the motor 3 and the generator 4.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the case where the inverter 2 is configured to be positioned higher than the side beam 10 has been described. However, the inverter 2 may be partially configured to be positioned higher than the side beam 10. In this case, the portion of the inverter 2 positioned higher than the side beam 10 may include the first high-voltage busbar 2b.

[0055] According to this structure, interference can also be avoided between the low-rigidity part 10a and the first high-voltage busbar 2b, which is an example of a high-voltage terminal connection part that is most likely to avoid interference with the side beam 10 from the point of view of ensuring insulation.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted structure for an inverter, wherein, The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter has the following features: Inverter; as well as The side beam has a low-rigidity section and a high-rigidity section in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, with the high-rigidity section located behind the low-rigidity section. A portion of the inverter's position in the vehicle's longitudinal direction overlaps with the low-rigidity component. The inverter has a first high-voltage terminal connection part and a second high-voltage terminal connection part. The first high-voltage terminal connection is configured within the inverter close to the side beam. The position of this first high-voltage terminal connection in the vehicle's longitudinal direction does not overlap with the low-rigidity portion but overlaps with the high-rigidity portion. The second high-voltage terminal connection is positioned in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, overlapping the low-rigidity portion, and is located inside the vehicle within the inverter.

2. The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter according to claim 1, wherein, It also has a motor, The motor includes a first motor and a second motor. The first motor and the inverter are integrated into one unit. The second motor is integrated with the inverter and is positioned in front of the first motor in the vehicle's longitudinal direction.

3. The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter according to claim 2, wherein, The first high-voltage terminal connection is connected to the first motor. The inverter is located in a position that is higher than the side beam in some areas. The portion of the inverter located above the side beam includes the first high-voltage terminal connection.

4. The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter according to claim 3, wherein, The first high-voltage terminal connection is configured to be located further rearward than the low-rigidity portion of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein, The second high-voltage terminal connection is connected to the second motor.

6. The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter according to claim 5, wherein, The second high-voltage terminal connection is configured to be located further forward of the vehicle than the high-rigidity part.

7. The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter according to claim 5, wherein, The second high-voltage terminal connection portion is disposed within the inverter such that it is spaced apart from the outer wall of the vehicle in the transverse direction of the vehicle, which is the wall of the inverter housing, by a structure.

8. The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter according to claim 2, wherein, The second motor is located further below the side beam.

9. The vehicle-mounted structure of the inverter according to claim 2, wherein, It also has a high-voltage connector that connects to the second motor from the inside of the vehicle.

Images