Electric drive device for vehicle and vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electric drive device (1) for a vehicle, comprising: a first housing (10) for accommodating a first electronic device; a second housing (20) for accommodating a second electronic device; and the third shell (30) is used for accommodating the motor and / or the gearbox. The second shell (20) is arranged between the first shell (10) and the third shell (30), the second shell (20) is detachably mounted to the third shell (30), and the first shell (10) is detachably mounted to the second shell (20). The first housing (10) is provided so as to be detachable from the second housing (20) when the second housing (20) is attached to the third housing (30). The present disclosure also relates to a vehicle comprising an electric drive (1) as described above.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric drive device for a vehicle and a vehicle comprising such an electric drive device. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the gradual development of vehicles, the space inside the vehicle is becoming more and more compact, and the electric drive device as an important power system of the vehicle has higher and higher requirements for lightweight, miniaturization, integration, multifunction and cost reduction. The electric drive device mainly includes an electric motor, a gear box and an electronic device, wherein the electronic device can include an inverter, a voltage converter, an on-board charger and a power distributor and other motor control devices.

[0003] In the known solutions, the electric drive device is usually integrated together to form a multi-in-one product. Such an integrated electric drive device can realize multifunctionalization in a compact structure, which is convenient for the installation of the electric drive device. However, the compact structure of the electric drive device also causes inconvenience in maintenance and repair. For example, when different motor control devices of the electric drive device can be arranged in different housings, but when one of them needs to be repaired or replaced, all the motor control devices often need to be removed from the housings of the electric motor and the gear box, which not only causes inconvenience for subsequent installation, but also can cause additional damage to the motor control devices. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to solve the above problems, and the purpose is to provide an electric drive device for a vehicle. The electric drive device according to the present disclosure has a compact structure integrated together, and is also suitable for partial disassembly to facilitate maintenance, replacement, etc.

[0005] The object is achieved by an electric drive device for a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, comprising a first housing for accommodating a first electronic device; a second housing for accommodating a second electronic device; a third housing for accommodating an electric motor and / or a gear box; wherein the second housing is arranged between the first housing and the third housing, and wherein the second housing is detachably mounted to the third housing, the first housing is detachably mounted to the second housing, and the first housing is arranged to be detachable from the second housing with the second housing mounted to the third housing.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide an electric drive device with a compact structure integrated together, while being suitable for partial disassembly for maintenance, replacement, etc. The electric drive device according to the present disclosure comprises a first housing, a second housing and a third housing, the second housing is detachably mounted to the third housing, and the first housing is detachably mounted to the second housing. When the first to third housings are mounted together, the electric drive device has a compact structure integrated together, and can be integrally installed in a vehicle. In addition, the first housing of the electric drive device is arranged to be detachable from the second housing in the case where the second housing is mounted to the third housing. When the first electronic device in the first housing needs to be repaired or replaced, the user can only detach the first housing from the electric drive device. After the repair or replacement is completed, only the first housing needs to be mounted to the second housing again. This not only reduces the disassembly steps of the repair or replacement operation, but also reduces the influence of the above operation on the second electronic device arranged in the second housing, especially the influence on the physical and electrical connection of the second electronic device with the motor and / or gear box in the third housing.

[0007] The electric drive device for a vehicle according to the present disclosure can also have one or more of the following features, alone or in combination.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housing comprises a first cooling channel, the second housing comprises a second cooling channel, wherein the first housing is joined with the second housing at a first joint surface, and the first cooling channel is sealingly joined with the second cooling channel at a second joint surface, and wherein the second joint surface is located at a lower level than the first joint surface. When the first housing is detached, the first cooling channel is disconnected from the second cooling channel, and the cooling medium therein can flow out of the first cooling channel. By arranging the second joint surface between the first and second sealing channels to be lower than the second joint surface between the first housing and the second housing, it is possible to avoid the cooling medium dripping on the second joint surface from flowing into the second housing and damaging the second electronic device.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second housing comprises a side wall defining an internal space, a top surface of the side wall defines the first joint surface, and the second cooling channel comprises a first interface open at the second joint surface, and the first cooling channel is sealingly joined with the first interface.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first cooling channel comprises a first plug, and the first plug is inserted into the first interface when the first housing is mounted to the second housing.

[0011] Based on the above features, the connection and disconnection between the first cooling channel and the second cooling channel can be achieved by installing the first housing to the second housing or removing it from the second housing, thus eliminating the extra steps of disassembling and assembling the cooling channel.

[0012] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the electric drive device further includes: one or more first fastening components configured to fasten the first housing and the second housing to the third housing; and one or more second fastening components configured to fasten the second housing to the third housing. The first fastening components enable the fastening of the first housing, the second housing, and the third housing, resulting in an integrated and compact structure for the electric drive device. After the first fastening components are released, the first housing can be removed from the second housing, while the second housing can still be fastened to the third housing via the second fastening components.

[0013] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the first fastening assembly includes a first fastener, a first through hole disposed on the first housing, and a second through hole disposed on the second housing, wherein the first fastener passes through the first through hole and the second through hole and is fastened to the third housing.

[0014] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the first fastening assembly further includes a first threaded hole disposed on the third housing, and the first fastener is screwed into the first threaded hole.

[0015] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the second fastening assembly includes a second fastener and a third through hole disposed on the second housing, the second fastener passing through the third through hole and fastened to the third housing.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second fastening assembly further includes a second threaded hole disposed on the third housing, and the second fastener is screwed into the second threaded hole.

[0017] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the second fastening assembly includes a fastening pin disposed on one of the second housing and the third housing, and the fastening pin is interference-fitted to the other of the second housing and the third housing.

[0018] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the electric drive device further includes one or more third fastening components configured to fasten the first housing to the second housing. That is, in addition to the first fastening component, the third fastening component can enhance the strength of the mounting between the first housing and the second housing.

[0019] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the third fastening assembly includes a third fastener, a fourth through hole disposed on the first housing, and a third threaded hole disposed on the second housing, wherein the third fastener is screwed through the fourth through hole to the third threaded hole.

[0020] This disclosure also relates to a vehicle that includes the electric drive unit described above. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The above and other features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure in any way. The following drawings are not intentionally drawn to scale with actual dimensions; their focus is on illustrating the gist of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 1 An electric drive device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, which includes a first housing, a second housing, and a third housing;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a partially enlarged view of the electric drive device;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the electric drive device, showing a first cooling channel in the first housing and a second cooling channel in the second housing;

[0025] Figure 4 A portion of the second housing is shown in detail;

[0026] Figure 5 The first fastening assembly is shown in a partial cross-sectional view;

[0027] Figure 6 The second fastening assembly is shown in a partial cross-sectional view;

[0028] Figure 7 The first, second, and third fastening components of the electric drive device are shown in a top view.

[0029] In each figure, identical or similar parts are represented by the same reference numerals. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The use of terms such as “a,” “an,” or “the” in this patent application specification and claims does not indicate a limitation of quantity, but rather indicates the presence of at least one. Terms such as “comprising” or “including” mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the element or object listed following the word and its equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Although expressions such as “first” and “second” are used to describe the various elements of this disclosure, they are only used to distinguish one component from another and are not used to define the order or importance of the respective components. Without departing from the scope of this disclosure, “first element” may be written as “second element,” and similarly, “second element” may be written as “first element.” Terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “left,” and “right” are used only to indicate relative positional relationships, which may change accordingly when the absolute position of the described object changes.

[0032] For ease of description, the accompanying drawings of this disclosure have correspondingly simplified or omitted components commonly used in the art, such as external connecting lines and other components unrelated to the description of this disclosure. These omitted or simplified components do not affect a person skilled in the art's understanding of the content of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure 1 An electric drive unit 1 for a vehicle is illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The electric drive unit 1 may include a motor, a gearbox, and electronic devices. The motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy to drive the vehicle. The gearbox is mechanically connected to the motor and converts the high-speed, low-torque rotation generated by the motor into low-speed, high-torque rotation. The electronic devices may include at least one of an inverter, an on-board charger (OBC), a DC-DC converter, and a power divider. The inverter can be used to invert DC power output from an energy storage device (e.g., a battery or other energy storage device) into AC power suitable for driving the motor; the on-board charger can charge the energy storage device when the vehicle performs energy recovery; the DC-DC converter can convert the high-voltage DC power output from the energy storage device into low-voltage DC power suitable for use in the vehicle's low-voltage system; and the power divider can distribute power among different systems of the vehicle.

[0034] As shown in the figure, the electric drive unit 1 has three housings for accommodating the aforementioned motor, gearbox, and electronic devices: a first housing 10, a second housing 20, and a third housing 30. These three housings are arranged adjacently and mounted together, forming the electric drive unit 1 as an integrated, compact assembly. Specifically, the second housing 20 is mounted to the third housing 30, and the first housing 10 is mounted to the second housing 20. The second housing 20 is located between the third housing 30 and the first housing 10.

[0035] As described above, the motor and gearbox are mechanically connected and therefore both are arranged together in the third housing 30. The electronic devices are divided into a first electronic device arranged in the first housing 10 and a second electronic device arranged in the second housing 20. Specifically, the inverter, used to power the motor, can be arranged as a second electronic device in the second housing 20 immediately adjacent to the third housing 30. One or more of the following can be arranged as the first electronic device in the first housing 10: an on-board charger, a DC-DC converter, and a power divider.

[0036] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 5 and Figure 7 The electric drive unit 1 includes four first fastening components 40 generally arranged at the four corners. Each first fastening component 40 includes a threaded first fastener 41, a first through hole 42 in the first housing 10, a second through hole 43 in the second housing 20, and a first threaded hole 44 in the third housing 30. The first through hole 42, the second through hole 43, and the first threaded hole 44 are aligned with each other. In the mounting configuration of the electric drive unit, the threaded first fastener 41 passes through the first through hole 42 and the second through hole 43 and is screwed into the first threaded hole 44, thereby fastening the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 to the third housing 30. Compared to fastening the three housings sequentially, this configuration, which simultaneously fastens two housings to the third housing with a single fastener, enhances the overall structural strength of the electric drive unit 1.

[0037] The above description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes one embodiment of the first fastening assembly 40 of the electric drive device 1. It should be understood that the first fastening assembly 40 may have other embodiments different from the illustrated embodiment. For example, instead of a threaded hole, another through hole aligned with the first through hole 42 and the second through hole 43 may be provided on the third housing 30. A first fastener 41 passes through these three through holes, and a nut is screwed onto the end of the first fastener 41, fastening the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 to the third housing 30.

[0038] When a first electronic device, such as a vehicle charger, DC-DC converter, or power divider, malfunctions, the user needs to remove the first housing 10 from the electric drive unit 1 to repair or replace the first electronic device. To remove the first housing 10, the user needs to loosen the first fastening assembly 40. However, the first fastening assembly 40 also serves to fasten the second housing 20 to the third housing 30. To prevent the second housing 20 from detaching from the third housing 30, the electric drive unit 1 according to this disclosure is also provided with a second fastening assembly 50, which can fasten the second housing 20 to the third housing 30. Therefore, even when the first housing 10 is removed from the electric drive unit 1, the second housing 20 remains securely attached to the third housing 30.

[0039] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The electric drive unit 1 includes four second fastening assemblies 50 arranged approximately at two diagonal points. Each second fastening assembly 50 includes a threaded second fastener 51, a third through hole 52 on the second housing 20, and a second threaded hole 53 on the third housing 30. The third through hole 52 and the second threaded hole 53 are aligned with each other. In the mounting configuration of the electric drive unit, the threaded second fastener 51 passes through the third through hole 52 and is screwed into the second threaded hole 53, thereby fastening the second housing 20 to the third housing 30. Thus, even if the first fastener 40 becomes loose, the second housing 20 can still be held securely mounted to the third housing 30 by the second fastening assemblies 50.

[0040] The above description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes one embodiment of the second fastening assembly 50 of the electric drive device 1. It should be understood that the first fastening assembly 50 may have other embodiments different from the illustrated embodiment. For example, instead of a threaded hole, another through hole aligned with the third through hole 52 may be provided on the third housing 30. A second fastener 51 passes through these two through holes, and a nut is screwed onto the end of the second fastener 51, fastening the second housing 20 to the third housing 30. Further alternatively, the second fastening assembly 50 may not be a threaded fastener, but may include a fastening pin provided on one of the second housing 20 and the third housing 30, which is interference-fitted to the other of the second housing 20 and the third housing 30, mounting and fastening the second housing 20 to the third housing 30.

[0041] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4The electric drive device 1 also includes a plurality of third fastening components 60. Each third fastening component 60 includes a third fastener 61, a fourth through hole 62 on the first housing 10, and a third threaded hole 63 on the second housing 20. The third fastener 61 passes through the fourth through hole 62 and is screwed into the third threaded hole 63, thereby fastening the first housing 10 to the second housing 20. In other words, in addition to the first fastening component 40, the first housing 10 is also mounted to the second housing 20 via the third fastening components 60, enhancing the mounting strength between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20. Optionally, the third fastening component 60 may also provide a through hole in the second housing 20, and the first housing 10 may be fastened to the second housing 20 by a nut screwed into the third fastener 61.

[0042] The electric drive device 1 may also include a cooling system to maintain its temperature within a desired range. Specifically, the first housing 10 includes a first cooling channel 11, and the second housing 20 includes a second cooling channel 21 that is sealingly engaged with the first cooling channel 11. A cooling medium for the cooling system can flow within the first cooling channel 11 and the second cooling channel 21 to cool the first and second electronic devices.

[0043] refer to Figures 2 to 4 The first cooling channel 11 is sealed and engaged with the second cooling channel 21 at the second mating surface P2. Specifically, the first cooling channel 11 includes a first plug 12, and the second cooling channel 21 includes a first interface 24 open at the second mating surface P2. When the first housing 10 is installed onto the second housing 20, the first plug 12 is inserted into the first interface 24, causing the first cooling channel 11 to be sealed and engaged with the first interface 24, and subsequently with the second cooling channel 21.

[0044] However, when the first housing 10 is removed, the sealed connection between the first cooling channel 11 and the second cooling channel 21 will be broken. At this time, the cooling medium present in the first cooling channel 11 can flow out from the first channel 11. For example, the first plug 12 will be removed from the first interface 24, and the cooling medium will flow out from the first plug 12 and drip onto the second mating surface P2. To prevent this cooling medium from flowing into the second housing 20, the electric drive device 1 according to this disclosure sets the second mating surface P2 at a lower level than the first mating surface P1 between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20.

[0045] Specifically, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the second housing 20 includes a sidewall 22 defining an internal space S, and a top surface 23 defining a first mating surface P1. A second mating surface P2 is located outside the internal space S and is lower than the top surface 23. Therefore, when the first housing 10 is removed, cooling medium that may drip from the first cooling channel 11 onto the second mating surface P2 will not cross the first mating surface P1 and flow into the internal space S of the second housing 20.

[0046] An embodiment of the electric drive device 1 has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that the number and position of the first fastening assembly 40, the second fastening assembly 50, and the third fastening assembly 60 in the electric drive device 1 can be adjusted appropriately as needed.

[0047] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a vehicle is proposed that includes the electric drive unit 1 as described above. The vehicle can be an electrified vehicle, such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), a range-extended electric vehicle (REEV), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). The vehicle can also be a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. Based on the above, the vehicle can realize the functions of the electric drive unit 1 as described above and has the advantages described above.

[0048] Certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this disclosure may be appropriately combined.

[0049] The foregoing description is illustrative of the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting it. While several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art will readily understand that many modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present disclosure. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the claims. It should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative of the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting it to the specific embodiments disclosed, and modifications to the disclosed embodiments and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An electric drive arrangement (1) for a vehicle, characterized in that The electric drive device (1) comprises: a first housing (10) for accommodating a first electronic device; a second housing (20) for accommodating a second electronic device; a third housing (30) for accommodating a motor and / or a gear box; wherein the second housing (20) is arranged between the first housing (10) and the third housing (30), and wherein the second housing (20) is detachably mounted to the third housing (30), the first housing (10) is detachably mounted to the second housing (20), and the first housing (10) is arranged to be detachable from the second housing (20) in the case that the second housing (20) is mounted to the third housing (30).

2. The electric drive device according to claim 1, wherein the first housing (10) comprises a first cooling channel (11), and the second housing (20) comprises a second cooling channel (21), wherein the first housing (10) is joined with the second housing (20) at a first joint surface (P1), and the first cooling channel (11) is sealingly joined with the second cooling channel (21) at a second joint surface (P2), and wherein the second joint surface (P2) is located at a lower level than the first joint surface (P1).

3. The electric drive device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the second housing (20) comprises a side wall (22) defining an inner space (S), a top surface (23) of the side wall (22) defining the first joint surface (P1), the second cooling channel (21) comprises a first interface (24) open at the second joint surface (P2), and the first cooling channel (11) is sealingly joined with the first interface (24).

4. The electric drive device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the first cooling channel (11) comprises a first plug (12) inserted into the first interface (24) when the first housing (10) is mounted to the second housing (20).

5. The electric drive arrangement (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The electric drive device further comprises: one or more first fastening assemblies (40) configured to fasten the first housing (10) and the second housing (20) to the third housing (30), one or more second fastening assemblies (50) configured to fasten the second housing (20) to the third housing (30).

6. The electric drive device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the first fastening assembly (40) comprises a first fastener (41), a first through hole (42) provided on the first housing (10), and a second through hole (43) provided on the second housing (20), and the first fastener (41) passes through the first through hole (42) and the second through hole (43) and is fastened to the third housing (30).

7. The electric drive device (1) according to claim 6, wherein The first fastening assembly (40) further comprises a first threaded hole (44) provided on the third housing (30), and the first fastener (41) is screwed into the first threaded hole (44).

8. The electric drive device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second fastening assembly (50) comprises a second fastener (51) and a third through hole (52) provided on the second housing (20), the second fastener (51) passes through the third through hole (52) and is fastened to the third housing (30).

9. The electric drive device (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second fastening assembly (50) further comprises a second threaded hole (53) provided on the third housing (30), and the second fastener (51) is screwed into the second threaded hole (53).

10. The electric drive device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second fastening assembly (50) comprises a fastening pin provided on one of the second housing (20) and the third housing (30), and the fastening pin is interference-fitted to the other of the second housing (20) and the third housing (30).

11. The electric drive apparatus according to claim 5, characterized by The electric drive device further comprises: One or more third fastening assemblies (60) configured to fasten the first housing (10) to the second housing (20).

12. The electric drive device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The third fastening assembly (60) comprises a third fastener (61), a fourth through hole (62) provided on the first housing (20), and a third threaded hole (63) provided on the second housing (20), and the third fastener (62) passes through the fourth through hole (62) and is screwed into the third threaded hole (62).

13. A vehicle characterized by comprising: The vehicle comprises the electric drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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