Mechatronics unit

Abstract

The mechatronic unit for a vehicle includes: a housing comprising a first chamber and a second chamber located above the first chamber; a first motor disposed in the first chamber; a second motor disposed together with the first motor in the first chamber in a longitudinal direction, at least a portion of the second motor located above the first motor; and a circuit unit disposed in the second chamber and electrically connected to at least one of the first motor or the second motor. A partition wall between the first and second chambers includes a protrusion that extends from a portion outside the protrusion toward the second chamber and is located above the second motor. At least a portion of the circuit unit faces the protrusion in the longitudinal direction or in the left-right direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to mechatronic units for vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-170068 (JP2019-170068A) describes an electromechanical unit for a vehicle. This electromechanical unit includes: a housing having a first chamber and a second chamber located above the first chamber; a mechanical unit having a first motor disposed in the first chamber; and a circuit unit disposed in the second chamber and electrically connected to the first motor. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In the aforementioned mechatronic unit, the mechanical unit is housed in a first chamber of the housing, and the electrical unit is housed in a second chamber, thereby reducing the size of the mechatronic unit. On the other hand, depending on the vehicle in which the mechatronic unit is installed, a mechanical unit having both a first and a second motor can be used instead of a mechanical unit having only a first motor. When the second motor is arranged such that at least a portion of it is located above the first motor, for example, the vertical dimension of the first chamber required to house both motors (and the gear mechanism) increases. In this case, simply arranging the second chamber for housing the electrical unit above the first chamber for housing the mechanical unit would increase the vertical dimension of the mechatronic unit.

[0004] This specification provides techniques for avoiding or suppressing the increase in the vertical dimension of the electromechanical unit when a mechanical unit including two motors is employed.

[0005] The mechatronic unit according to a first aspect of this disclosure includes: a housing comprising a first chamber and a second chamber located above the first chamber in a vertical direction of the vehicle; a first motor disposed in the first chamber; a second motor disposed together with the first motor in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the first chamber, at least a portion of the second motor being located above the first motor in the vertical direction of the vehicle; at least one gear mechanism disposed in the first chamber and connected to at least one of the first motor or the second motor; and a circuit unit disposed in the second chamber and electrically connected to at least one of the first motor or the second motor. A partition wall between the first and second chambers of the housing includes a protrusion that protrudes from a portion of the partition wall other than the protrusion toward the second chamber, the protrusion being located above the second motor in the vertical direction of the vehicle. At least a portion of the circuit unit faces the protrusion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle or in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

[0006] In the aforementioned mechatronic unit, a second motor is arranged in the first chamber of the housing such that at least a portion of it is located above the first motor. Correspondingly, the partition wall between the first and second chambers of the housing includes a protrusion, excluding the protruding portion, projecting towards the second chamber from the partition wall according to the motor layout; this protrusion is located above the second motor. At least a portion of the circuit unit can be arranged to face the protrusion of the partition wall (and the second motor arranged in the first chamber) in the vehicle's longitudinal or lateral direction. According to this configuration, at least a portion of the circuit unit can be arranged in additional space within the second chamber, allowing it to be formed in the layout of the first and second motors in the first chamber. As a result, even when the vertical dimension of the first chamber increases due to the mechanical unit including two motors, the vertical dimension of the mechatronic unit in the vehicle can be reduced by an amount corresponding to the size of the additional space where the circuit unit is housed within the first and second motors. Attached Figure Description

[0007] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals denote similar elements, and wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the mechatronics unit 10; Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 The cross-sectional view taken by line II-II in the diagram; Figure 3 It is along Figure 1 The end view taken by line III-III shows the buck converter 44 of the second circuit unit 32b to illustrate the positional relationship between the second circuit unit 32b and the first motor 18 and the second motor 20; and Figure 4 This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the mechatronics unit 10, which also shows the vehicle's power supply 102 and auxiliary battery 104. Detailed Implementation

[0008] In the mechatronic unit according to the first aspect of this disclosure, the circuit unit may include a first circuit unit and a second circuit unit located below the first circuit unit in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Both the first and second circuit units may be located directly above the first motor in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The first circuit unit may be located directly above the second motor in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the second circuit unit may not be located directly above the second motor. According to this configuration, at least a portion of the circuit unit can be arranged in additional space that can be formed according to the layout of the first and second motors. Therefore, the size of the mechatronic unit in the vertical direction of the vehicle can be reduced by an amount corresponding to the size of the portion of the circuit unit arranged in the additional space that can be formed according to the layout of the first and second motors.

[0009] In the mechatronic unit according to the first aspect of this disclosure, the housing may include a housing body having an opening at the top and a cover plate attached to the opening. A first circuit unit may be fixed to the cover plate. A second circuit unit may be fixed to the housing body. According to this configuration, the portion supporting the first circuit unit can also serve as the cover plate of the housing. This simplifies the construction of the mechatronic unit, and because the circuit unit is attached to the cover plate of the housing during the assembly of the mechatronic unit, the high rigidity of the housing allows the first circuit unit to be securely held.

[0010] In the mechatronic unit according to the first aspect of this disclosure, the second circuit unit may include a buck converter configured to step down DC power from a power source of the vehicle and to supply DC power to the vehicle's auxiliary battery. With this configuration, the buck converter can be placed in the additional space of the mechatronic unit, thereby saving vehicle compartment space.

[0011] In the mechatronic unit according to the first aspect of this disclosure, the second circuit unit may further include a reactor. The reactor and at least a portion of the first circuit unit may be included in a power control circuit configured to control the power supplied to at least one of the first motor or the second motor. With this configuration, the power control circuit and the buck converter can be arranged close to each other, and the power wiring can be simplified.

[0012] In the mechatronic unit according to the first aspect of this disclosure, the power control circuitry may include a boost converter configured to boost DC power from a power source supplied by the vehicle. A reactor may be included in the boost converter. The reactor may be decoupled from the converter circuitry of the boost converter. Accordingly, electromagnetic noise occurring between the reactor and the converter circuitry can be reduced.

[0013] In the mechatronic unit according to the first aspect of this disclosure, the power control circuit may further include an inverter device configured to convert DC power from a boost converter into AC power. The inverter device may be located in the first circuit unit. With this configuration, DC power from the vehicle's power supply can be boosted by the boost converter, converted into AC power by the inverter device, and then supplied to at least one of the first motor and the second motor.

[0014] In the mechatronic unit according to the first aspect of this disclosure, the inverter device may include a first inverter and a second inverter, the first inverter being electrically connected to a first motor and the second inverter being electrically connected to a second motor.

[0015] In the mechatronic unit according to the first aspect of this disclosure, the reactor can be located below the buck converter in the vertical direction of the vehicle in the second circuit unit. With this configuration, the relatively heavy reactor can be located below the relatively light buck converter, and thus the center of gravity of the second circuit unit can be lowered. This can avoid or suppress vibrations occurring in the second circuit unit due to vibrations generated by the engine, vibrations generated by the two motors and gear mechanism in the first chamber, etc.

[0016] In the mechatronic unit according to the first aspect of this disclosure, the first chamber can be configured to circulate lubricating oil. With this configuration, the lubricating oil can cool a first motor and a second motor disposed within the first chamber.

[0017] The mechatronic unit 10 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For example, the mechatronic unit 10 according to this embodiment is installed in a vehicle such as a two-motor hybrid electric vehicle. However, the vehicle is not limited to a hybrid electric vehicle and can be a vehicle with a traction motor, such as a pure electric vehicle, a fuel cell electric vehicle, etc. Some or all of the technology described in this embodiment can be similarly used in vehicles that travel along tracks. The vehicle is not limited to a vehicle driven and operated by a user and can be a vehicle remotely operated by an external device or a vehicle that travels autonomously.

[0018] Now, the orientation of the mechatronics unit 10 in the attached diagram corresponds to its installation orientation in the vehicle, that is, the orientation relative to the vehicle. Therefore, orientation FR represents the front in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, and orientation RR represents the rear in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. Additionally, orientation LH represents the left in the vehicle's left-right direction, and orientation RH represents the right in the vehicle's left-right direction. Furthermore, orientation UP represents the upper in the vehicle's vertical direction, and orientation DW represents the lower in the vehicle's vertical direction.

[0019] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the mechatronic unit 10 includes a housing 12. The housing 12 is an enclosing member. The housing 12 includes a housing body 14 and a cover plate 16. The housing body 14 has a bottom wall 14a and four side walls 14b extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall 14a. The housing body 14 has an opening 14c at its top. The opening 14c of the housing body 14 is defined by the four side walls 14b. The cover plate 16 is attached to the opening 14c. The cover plate 16 closes the opening 14c of the housing body 14. The housing body 14 is made of, for example, a conductive material such as aluminum. The cover plate 16 is a plate-like member, also made of, for example, a conductive material such as aluminum.

[0020] The housing body 14 also has a partition wall 14w. The partition wall 14w is disposed inside the housing 12. The partition wall 14w divides the interior of the housing 12 into a first chamber R1 and a second chamber R2. The second chamber R2 is located above the first chamber R1, and the partition wall 14w separates them. The partition wall 14w between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 of the housing 12 has a protrusion 14s at the portion located above the second motor 20 that protrudes from the other portion of the partition wall 14w toward the second chamber R2.

[0021] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the mechatronic unit 10 includes multiple motors 18 and 20, and multiple gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26, and 28. Motors 18 and 20 include a first motor 18 and a second motor 20. The first motor 18 and the second motor 20 are arranged in a first chamber R1. The second motor 20 is arranged in the first chamber R1 along with the first motor 18 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and at least a portion of the second motor 20 is located above the first motor 18. Gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26, and 28 are arranged in the first chamber R1. Gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26, and 28 include, but are not particularly limited to, a planetary gear mechanism 22, a reduction gear mechanism 24, a motor output gear mechanism 26, and a differential gear mechanism 28. The motor output gear mechanism 26 is connected to the second motor 20, for example, via an axle. Therefore, the vehicle can drive its wheels via the motor output gear mechanism 26 using power from the second motor 20. Furthermore, the number of motors 18 and 20 is not limited to two; it can also be three or more. The number of gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26 and 28 need not be multiple, and at least one is sufficient.

[0022] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the mechatronics unit 10 also includes an oil pump 30. The oil pump 30 is disposed in the first chamber R1. The oil pump 30 is connected to the vehicle's engine (omitted in the figure) and is driven by power from the engine, but is not particularly limited thereto. Therefore, the oil pump 30 is capable of circulating lubricating oil within the first chamber R1 and can cool the first motor 18 and the second motor 20 disposed in the first chamber R1. Note that, as another embodiment, the oil pump 30 may be driven by the output torque from motors 18 and 20 instead of power from the vehicle's engine.

[0023] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the mechatronic unit 10 also includes a circuit unit 32. The circuit unit 32 is disposed in the second chamber R2. The circuit unit 32 is electrically connected to at least one of the first motor 18 and the second motor 20. The circuit unit 32 has a first circuit unit 32a and a second circuit unit 32b. The second circuit unit 32b is located below the first circuit unit 32a. As an example, the first circuit unit 32a is fixed to the cover plate 16 of the housing 12, and the second circuit unit 32b is fixed to the housing body 14. The mechatronic unit 10 may also include a cooler for recovering heat from the circuit unit 32, but is not particularly limited thereto.

[0024] like Figure 3 As shown, the second circuit unit 32b has an approximate L-shape in the plan view. Therefore, the second circuit unit 32b is arranged above the partition wall 14w of the housing 12 to avoid the protrusion 14s. That is, a portion of the second circuit unit 32b is positioned facing the protrusion 14s (and the second motor 20) in the front-rear direction, and another portion of the second circuit unit 32b is positioned facing the protrusion 14s (and the second motor 20) in the left-right direction. Therefore, as... Figure 1 As shown, both the first circuit unit 32a and the second circuit unit 32b are located directly above the first motor 18, while only the first circuit unit 32a is located directly above the second motor 20. That is to say, the second circuit unit 32b is not located directly above the second motor 20.

[0025] The specific construction of the first circuit unit 32a and the second circuit unit 32b described above is not particularly limited. The following will refer to... Figure 4 Examples describing the specific construction of the first circuit unit 32a and the second circuit unit 32b.

[0026] like Figure 4As shown, the first circuit unit 32a includes a DC-DC converter circuit 34, a first inverter 36, a second inverter 38, and a control board 40. The DC-DC converter circuit 34 has two switching devices 34s. The control board 40 has components such as a processor including a CPU and memory, and controls the switching devices 34s and inverters 36 and 38 of the DC-DC converter circuit 34. The DC-DC converter circuit 34, the first inverter 36, and the second inverter 38 are arranged on the lower surface of the cover plate 16, and the control board 40 is arranged on the upper surface of the cover plate 16, but is not particularly limited thereto. A protective cover 50 is provided above the cover plate 16. The protective cover 50 covers the control board 40 located on the upper surface of the cover plate 16.

[0027] like Figure 4 As shown, the second circuit unit 32b includes a reactor 42 and a buck converter 44. In the second circuit unit 32b, the reactor 42 is located below the buck converter 44, but is not particularly limited thereto.

[0028] like Figure 4 As shown, the reactor 42 of the second circuit unit 32b and the DC-DC converter circuit 34 of the first circuit unit 32a constitute a boost converter 46. In the DC-DC converter circuit 34, one end of a switching device 34s is connected to the positive terminal of the first inverter 36 and the positive terminal of the second inverter 38. The other end of this switching device 34s is connected to one end of another switching device 34s and is also connected to the positive terminal of the vehicle's power supply 102 via the reactor 42. The other end of this other switching device 34s is connected to the negative terminal of the vehicle's power supply 102 and is also connected to the negative terminals of the first inverter 36 and the second inverter 38. The control board 40 can boost the DC power from the power supply 102 by selectively switching the switching devices 34s on and off and supply the boosted power to the inverters 36 and 38. As described above, the reactor 42 together with the DC-DC converter circuit 34 of the first circuit unit 32a constitutes the boost converter 46.

[0029] The switching device 34s of the DC-DC converter circuit 34 is a reverse-conducting insulated-gate bipolar transistor (RC-IGBT) device, but is not particularly limited thereto. Note that the switching device 34s is not necessarily an RC-IGBT device, and can be, for example, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) device or some other type of switching device.

[0030] like Figure 4 As shown, the first inverter 36, the second inverter 38, and the boost converter 46 constitute the power control circuit 48. The power control circuit 48 is electrically connected between the vehicle's power supply 102 and the motors 18 and 20. The boost converter 46 boosts the DC power from the power supply 102 and supplies the boosted power to each of the first inverter 36 and the second inverter 38. The first inverter 36 converts the DC power from the boost converter 46 into AC power and supplies the AC power to the first motor 18. Similarly, the second inverter 38 converts the DC power from the boost converter 46 into AC power and supplies the AC power to the second motor 20. As described above, the power control circuit 48 can control the power supplied from the vehicle's power supply 102 to the motors 18 and 20. Note that the power control circuit 48 may also include a smoothing capacitor between the power supply 102 and the boost converter 46, and / or between the boost converter 46 and the inverters 36, 38, but is not particularly limited thereto.

[0031] The boost converter 46 can also function as a buck converter, but is not particularly limited thereto. For example, when the first motor 18 is used as a generator, the AC power from the first motor 18 can be converted to DC power by the first inverter 36 and stepped down by the boost converter 46, and then supplied to the vehicle's power supply 102. In the same manner, when the second motor 20 is used as a generator, the AC power from the second motor 20 can be converted to DC power by the second inverter 38 and stepped down by the boost converter 46, and then supplied to the vehicle's power supply 102.

[0032] like Figure 4 As shown, a step-down converter 44 is electrically connected between the vehicle's power source 102 and auxiliary battery 104. The step-down converter 44 is capable of stepping down the DC power from the power source 102 and supplying the stepped-down power to the auxiliary battery 104. The auxiliary battery 104 is connected to and supplies power to various types of control systems and other accessories of the vehicle. The rated voltage of the auxiliary battery 104 is 12 volts, but it is not particularly limited thereto.

[0033] In the aforementioned mechatronic unit 10, in the first chamber R1 of the housing 12, the second motor 20 is arranged such that at least a portion of it is located above the first motor 18. Correspondingly, the partition wall 14w between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 of the housing 12, according to the arrangement of the motors 18 and 20, has a protrusion 14s above the second motor 20 that protrudes further toward the second chamber R2 than the rest of the partition wall 14w. At least a portion of the second circuit unit 32b is arranged to face the protrusion 14s of the partition wall 14w (and the second motor 20 arranged in the first chamber R1) in the vehicle's longitudinal direction or lateral direction. According to this configuration, at least a portion of the second circuit unit 32b can be arranged in additional space within the second chamber R2, allowing it to be formed in accordance with the arrangement of the first motor 18 and the second motor 20 in the first chamber R1. As a result, even when the vertical dimension of the first chamber R1 increases due to the arrangement of the two motors 18 and 20 in the first chamber R1, the vertical dimension of the mechatronic unit 10 in the vehicle can be reduced by an amount corresponding to the size of the portion of the second circuit unit 32b arranged in the additional space that can be formed according to the arrangement of the first motor 18 and the second motor 20.

[0034] While specific examples have been described in detail above, these examples are merely exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the claims. The technology defined in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples described above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings, individually or in combination, demonstrate their technical usefulness.

Claims

1. A mechatronics unit for vehicles, characterized in that, The mechatronics unit includes: The housing includes a first chamber and a second chamber located above the first chamber in the vertical direction of the vehicle; A first motor is disposed in the first chamber; A second motor, together with the first motor, is arranged in the first chamber along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and at least a portion of the second motor is positioned above the first motor in the vertical direction of the vehicle. At least one gear mechanism disposed in the first chamber and connected to at least one of the first motor or the second motor; and A circuit unit, disposed in the second chamber and electrically connected to at least one of the first motor or the second motor, wherein: The circuit unit includes a first circuit unit and a second circuit unit located below the first circuit unit in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Both the first circuit unit and the second circuit unit are located directly above the first motor in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The first circuit unit is located directly above the second motor in the vertical direction of the vehicle, while the second circuit unit is not located directly above the second motor. The partition wall between the first chamber and the second chamber of the housing includes a protrusion that protrudes from a portion of the partition wall other than the protrusion itself toward the second chamber. This protrusion is positioned above the second motor in the vertical direction of the vehicle. A portion of the second circuit unit faces the protrusion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and another portion of the second circuit unit faces the protrusion in the lateral direction of the vehicle. The second circuit unit includes a buck converter and a reactor, and the reactor is located below the buck converter in the vertical direction of the vehicle within the second circuit unit. The housing includes a housing body having an opening at the top and a cover plate attached to the opening; The first circuit unit is fixed to the cover plate; and The second circuit unit is fixed to the housing body.

2. The mechatronics unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buck converter is configured to step down the DC power from the vehicle's power supply and to supply the DC power to the vehicle's auxiliary battery.

3. The mechatronics unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The reactor and at least a portion of the first circuit unit are included in a power control circuit configured to control the power supplied to at least one of the first motor or the second motor.

4. The mechatronics unit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The power control circuit includes a boost converter configured to boost the DC power from the power source of the vehicle; and The reactor is included in the boost converter.

5. The mechatronics unit according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power control circuit further includes an inverter device configured to convert the DC power from the boost converter into AC power; and The inverter device is located in the first circuit unit.

6. The mechatronics unit according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inverter device includes a first inverter and a second inverter; and The first inverter is electrically connected to the first motor, and the second inverter is electrically connected to the second motor.

7. The mechatronics unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first chamber is configured to allow lubricating oil to circulate.

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