Mounting device for range extender

Abstract

According to the invention, a fastening device for a range extender, consisting of an internal combustion engine and a generator, secures the range extender to the body of a motor vehicle in the front section via bearing points, wherein at least one support bearing for the range extender is supported in the front section of the vehicle by at least one bearing rod located in front of the range extender in the direction of travel on a cross member of the body, wherein the cross member is located in front of the range extender in the direction of travel and the bearing rod extends from its bearing point on the cross member rearward and upward against the direction of travel of the motor vehicle, characterized in that the cross member is an energy-absorbing component when deformed, which as a result of this deformation is displaced rearward against the direction of travel and is thereby pressed downwards by the rearward-rotating bearing rod.that in the event of contact between the cross member and the range extender, its displacement against the direction of travel is minimized.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a fastening device for securing a range extender to a body and / or to a chassis of a motor vehicle, according to the preamble of the first claim.

[0002] Range extenders are additional components in an electric vehicle that increase the vehicle's range. The most commonly used range extenders are combustion engines that drive a generator, which in turn supplies power to the accumulator and electric motor. Due to limited battery capacity and charging speed, electric vehicles today generally have shorter ranges than vehicles with combustion engines. An additional challenge with electric vehicles is that they are only ready for use again after a longer charging time of approximately 1-2 hours, in contrast to the very quick refueling process in conventional vehicles. Range extenders therefore extend the time the vehicle can be used continuously, i.e., the time between charging cycles, and thus the range. For daily commuting, the electric vehicle can certainly be operated without a range extender.

[0003] Mountings for motor vehicles' engines and / or transmissions are available in a wide variety of designs. They can accommodate vibrations or relative movements between the drive unit and the vehicle body. However, these relative movements should not only be dampened but also limited in distance or deflection to prevent parts of the drive unit from undesirably impacting the vehicle body.

[0004] The applicant's subsequently published German patent application with the file number DE 10 2013 222 778 A1 describes a fastening device for the oscillating fastening of a range extender, consisting of an internal combustion engine and generator, by means of vibration-damping elements, to a body and / or to a chassis of a motor vehicle, which reduces the overall load on the chassis by absorbing the introduced forces and vibrations via optimised vibration isolation between the range extender and the body of the vehicle, while at the same time improving comfort in terms of noise and solidity.

[0005] This is achieved, among other things, by a vibration-capable bearing of the range extender around a torque-roll axis, with two bearings located on the torque-roll axis and another bearing spaced apart from the torque-roll axis. One of the bearings on the torque-roll axis serves as a support bearing to absorb the weight of the drive unit. The torque-roll axis is the axis around which a freely mounted unit exhibits a rolling vibration due to the periodic rolling moment excitation from the gas forces of combustion. The additional bearing spaced apart from the torque-roll axis provides additional stabilization via a torque arm.According to this, a fastening device for the oscillating fixing of a range extender, consisting of an internal combustion engine and a generator, to a body and / or to a chassis of a motor vehicle, by means of vibration-damping elements, of which at least two are installed in support bearings and another in a support bearing for torque support, is designed such that the vibration-damping elements of the fastening device are attached at least for the support bearings to the range extender, a first to the internal combustion engine and a second to the generator.

[0006] This improves comfort in terms of noise and solidity. Especially with range extenders, which are often operated independently of the driving task, it is crucial that the acoustics and vibrations of the range extender are designed to be as pleasant as possible for the vehicle occupants.

[0007] If the range extender is installed in the front of a motor vehicle, another aspect must be considered when designing its fastening device: the dissipation of as much collision energy as possible in the event of a frontal impact of the vehicle by effectively deforming its front area. For energy dissipation through deformation, it is known in conventionally powered motor vehicles to provide at least one cross member, in particular fastened between two longitudinal members, on which at least one support bearing of a drive unit is supported. This is described in DE 33 01 708 C2. Further fastening devices are described in US 2002 / 0 096 384 A1.

[0008] The object of the invention is to optimize the suspension of a motor vehicle with a range extender located in the front of the vehicle, both from an acoustic and a collision point of view, in such a way that the greatest possible comfort is provided when driving and, in the event of an accident, good protection is provided for the occupants by means of energy dissipation.

[0009] The object is achieved according to the invention with the characterizing features of claim 1. Further embodiments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims.

[0010] According to the invention, a fastening device for a range extender, consisting of an internal combustion engine and a generator, fixes the latter in the front part of a motor vehicle via bearing points on the body of the vehicle, wherein at least one support bearing for the range extender is supported in the front region of the vehicle via at least one bearing rod located in front of the range extender in the direction of travel on a cross member of the body, wherein the cross member is located in front of the range extender in the direction of travel and the at least one bearing rod extends from its bearing point on the cross member backwards and upwards against the direction of travel of the vehicle, characterized in that the cross member is a component which, upon its deformation, dissipates energy and, as a result of this deformation, is displaced backwards against the direction of travel and is pressed downwards by the at least one bearing rod pivoting backwards in such a way that,In the event of contact between the cross member and the reach extender, its displacement against the direction of travel is minimized, the arrangement being mounted in the direction of travel in front of the reach extender as a transverse floor between two longitudinal members.

[0011] Advantageously, this even prevents contact between the cross member and the reach extender when the impact energy to be dissipated is low. This also makes it easy to ensure the highest possible rigidity of the reach extender's suspension in the longitudinal direction while maintaining a lightweight design. At the same time, in the event of frontal deformation of the front end, an undesirable locking effect between the cross member and the reach extender can be prevented or reduced, depending on the amount of energy to be dissipated by deformation.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the invention provide for the range extender to be mounted in a vibration-damping manner by means of vibration-damping elements. The cross member can be mounted in front of the range extender in the direction of travel as a transverse floor between two longitudinal members and can have a structure for energy dissipation through deformation. Advantageously, at least one of the components (transverse floor, longitudinal member, and at least one bearing rod) can be made of fiber composite material. With such an optimal design, the range extender can be operated completely unobtrusively for the vehicle occupants, enabling comfortable driving and freedom in the operating strategy for optimal efficiency.

[0013] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the at least one bearing rod is part of a framework. Additionally, the range extender can be secured to the body by at least two support bearings and one support bearing, and the vibration-damping elements of the fastening device for the support bearings can be attached to the range extender, a first to the combustion engine and a second to the generator. This has the advantage that the support bearing and the support bearings very smoothly support any transverse rotation of the range extender about the torque-roll axis.

[0014] In the following, the invention is further explained using a preferred embodiment, wherein the attached Fig. 1 to 4 show a range extender and its installation in the front end of a motor vehicle according to the state of the art and in the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 shows a reach extender fastening device according to the invention. In all figures, identical elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and all features described in detail may be essential to the invention. Specifically, the figures show: Fig. 1: a range extender consisting of a combustion engine and generator, with vibration-damping mounts according to the state of the art, in side view, for installation in a motor vehicle with electric drive, Fig. 2: the range extender accordingly Fig. 1 in a spatial view, with a known framework for its attachment in the front of the motor vehicle, Fig. 3: a plan view into the front of a motor vehicle of an arrangement for absorbing frontal impact energy or force acting on it according to the prior art, Fig. 4: a partial longitudinal section through the front end of the Fig. 3, Fig. 5: a simplified spatial representation of a fastening device according to the invention for the range extender from Fig. 1 in the front of a motor vehicle with an arrangement for absorbing frontal impact energy or impact force acting on it, in cross-section through the front of the vehicle and Fig. 6: a central longitudinal section of the fastening device according to Fig. 5 with indicated, schematically drawn movement course for the rod structure according to the invention and its effect due to a deformation by frontal impact energy or force.

[0015] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show a fastening device for a range extender according to the prior art for the oscillating attachment of such a unit, consisting of an internal combustion engine 1 and a generator 2 driven by the latter, to a motor vehicle body. The internal combustion engine 1 is a parallel twin, whose forces in the vertical axis direction are fully compensated by balance shafts. The tilting moments or rolling moments about the longitudinal axis can be converted into the form of free rolling oscillations, which the range extender performs about its torque-roll axis 3. When operating the range extender under a Fig. 4 drawn front hood 26 in the front end 21 of the motor vehicle not shown, no housing torque, also called output torque, is to be supported, apart from the run-up.

[0016] The combustion engine 1 of the range extender is, as shown in the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, via a framework located in front of the front end 21 in the direction of travel 30, consisting of rods 8 and nodes 9, with an arrangement 6 for absorbing impact energy or impact force acting frontally on the front end 21 and thus connected to the body of the motor vehicle. Thus, the framework supports the range extender in a vibration-isolated manner via a particularly rigid connection to a front end structure in the vertical and horizontal directions, since the full dynamic and static loads must be absorbed in these directions. For this purpose, the framework is shown as a triangular support structure, with which the internal combustion engine 1 is attached to a shear field structure 20 in the upper region of the front end 21, to the left and right of a central longitudinal axis L of the motor vehicle.Furthermore, the framework supports the combustion engine 1 on a cross member 18, which is part of the arrangement for absorbing frontal impact energy or force acting on the front end 21. This cross member 18 is in turn connected to two vehicle longitudinal members 112, and the first bearing device of the fastening device for the range extender is supported on this cross member 18, namely the framework consisting of rods 8 and nodes 9, to which the range extender is attached, with the interposition of a vibration-damping element 11, via a second bearing device as an engine-side mount 10, which is directly connected to the combustion engine 1. The engine-side mount 10 and the vibration-damping element 11 together form a first support bearing (10, 11) for the range extender.In this embodiment, the cross member 18 is integrated into the arrangement 6 for absorbing impact energy or force acting frontally on the front end 21 in such a way that both together form a so-called transverse floor, which also includes absorption sections 19 and fastening sections 100.

[0017] The generator 2, which is flanged directly to the combustion engine 1, is supported on a side of the unit extending towards the interior of the motor vehicle (not shown), near a firewall of a body (not shown), via further rods 8', as a further body- or chassis-side first bearing device of the fastening device for the range extender, with the interposition of a further vibration-damping element 11', via a further second bearing device as a further unit-side mount 10', directly on the generator 2. The further unit-side mount 10' and the further vibration-damping element 11' together form a second support bearing (10', 11') for the range extender. The two downward-facing rods 8' are connected to the underbody (not shown) on the vehicle side, and the rearward-facing rod 8' is connected to a body tunnel on the vehicle side.

[0018] The unit-side mount 10, or the further unit-side mount 10', can alternatively be designed in the manner of a rubber-metal mount, integrally with the vibration-damping element 11 or with the further vibration-damping element 11', respectively, as a first and second support mount, in particular made of fiber-reinforced plastic, and the nodes 9 made of light metal. For the body-side attachment of the rods 8, 8' of the first mount device, mounting devices 12 for receiving the rods 8, 8' are provided on the body. The structure of the first mount device for receiving the front engine mount is connected to the longitudinal members 112 and designed as a lightweight, rigid framework in a CFRP-aluminum composite construction. The rigidity of the connection in the longitudinal direction is further increased by support elements from the engine mount mount to the cross member 18.

[0019] A pendulum support bearing 13 for a pendulum support (not shown) for soft, movable support of the range extender in the transverse direction on the body or one of the longitudinal members 112 is attached to the bottom of the combustion engine 1 in the flange area of ​​the generator 2. This allows the range extender to swing around its torque-roll axis 3 using the two unit-side mounts 10, 10' and the soft pendulum support bearing 13. Since the range extender can swing freely around its torque-roll axis 3, constraining forces are avoided. The inertia tensor of the range extender and the axial direction of the installed crankshaft determine the direction of the torque-roll axis 3, which always runs through the center of gravity of the unit consisting of the combustion engine 1 and generator 2.The bearing devices form corresponding connection structures for the two unit-side mounts 10, 10' with the vibration-damping elements 11, 11' as first and second support bearings to the body or the structure of the motor vehicle and, together with the pendulum support bearing 13 and the pendulum support, the fastening device for the range extender.

[0020] An arrangement 6 for absorbing frontal impact energy or force acting on the front of the vehicle 21 is in Fig. 3. Arrows 4 and 5 indicate two load paths, which introduce impact energy or force acting frontally onto the structure of the front end 21 via the essentially parallel longitudinal members 112, thereby causing plastic deformation of the longitudinal members 112. The figure shows a schematic plan view of the front end 21 with an exemplary embodiment of the arrangement 6 for absorbing impact energy or force acting frontally onto it. The front end 21 comprises the two longitudinal members 112, arranged at a distance from one another at the front and extending in the longitudinal direction L of the motor vehicle. Furthermore, the front end 21 comprises the cross member 18 connecting the longitudinal members 112 to one another.By means of the arrangement 6, a central load path indicated by an arrow 7 can be formed for absorbing impact energy or force acting frontally on the motor vehicle by the cross member 18. This then serves the arrangement 6 as an absorption unit fastened to the longitudinal members 112, which is made at least partially from a fiber composite material and which has a central absorption section 19 and two fastening sections 100 arranged laterally on opposite sides of the absorption section 19 with respect to the longitudinal direction L of the front end 21, via which fastening sections the absorption unit or the cross member 18 is fastened to the longitudinal members 112. The absorption section 19 and the fastening sections 100 each have a front-side force introduction end 111 or 212, respectively. Furthermore, the arrangement 6 comprises fastening means (not shown in detail) for fastening the cross member 18 orits fastening sections 100 to the longitudinal members 112. The fastening sections 100 and the fastening means are designed such that when an impact energy or force exceeding a predetermined limit value acts on a force introduction end 212 of a fastening section 100, this fastening section 100 is at least partially destroyed and / or the fastening means interacting with this fastening section 100 at least partially fails. The absorption section 19 is designed such that it is at least partially destroyed when an impact energy or force below the predetermined limit value acts on the force introduction end 111 of the absorption section 19. The force introduction ends 212 of the fastening sections 100 are arranged laterally next to the force introduction end 111 of the absorption section 19 or in a common plane with respect to the longitudinal direction L of the front end 21.

[0021] Fig. Figure 4 shows a schematic longitudinal section of the front end 21 of a motor vehicle with an arrangement 6 for absorbing impact energy or force acting frontally on the motor vehicle according to the prior art. Also shown are a front section 25, a hood 26, and the engine block of the internal combustion engine 1 arranged at the rear behind the arrangement 6. A front end of the cross member 18, which also acts as an absorption unit and is formed by the force introduction ends 111 and 212, comprises a guide surface 28 inclined about a horizontal axis A oriented transversely to the longitudinal direction L of the motor vehicle 1 and oriented obliquely to the horizontal plane E. If the guide surface 28 comes into contact with the front cross member 113 in the event of a collision, the absorption unit is deflected upwards in a front region in order to be able to initiate a corresponding rotation of the absorption unit, which then, as can be seen from the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, is further developed according to the invention. The cross member 18, 18'', which also forms the absorption unit and connects the two longitudinal members 112 to one another in the front end 21, is displaced in the event of a collision as a result of an impact along the direction of travel 30 by a load path symbolically indicated by the arrow 7, while absorbing the impact energy or force acting on the motor vehicle from the front, and is thereby pressed downwards by the two diagonally sloping bearing rods 8''' due to their toggle lever movement during the deformation of the rod structure leading from the cross member-side receiving device 12 to the first support bearing 10, 11, as shown in Fig. 6, the dashed line shows that in the case of a lower impact energy to be dissipated, contact between the cross member 18, 18'' and the range extender is prevented. In the case of a sufficiently large impact energy to be dissipated, which makes contact between the cross member 18, 18'' of arrangement 6 and the range extender unavoidable, its displacement against the direction of travel should be minimized. This minimizes the effect of an undesirable, so-called interlocking of arrangement 6 and the range extender, which increases the dissipated impact energy.

[0022] The rotation and displacement movement of the cross member 18 downwards and backwards into its position 18'', caused by the collision-related displacement of the bearing rods 8''', with their cross member-side receiving devices 12 from their position 12' to their position 8'', 12'', represented by the arrow between the positions, is in Fig. 6 by the dashed end position of the cross member 18'' and arrow 18' for the displacement, indicated without taking into account collision-related deformations in the front section 21. The bearing rods 8''' thus twist further into their Fig. 6 dashed position 8'' and the cross member 18 in its dashed position 18''.

[0023] The arrangement 6 for absorbing frontal impact energy or force acting on the front end 21, as an absorption unit attached to the longitudinal members 112, is made of a fiber composite material, like the longitudinal members 112, and accordingly has Fig.3 a central absorption section 19 and two fastening sections 100 arranged laterally on opposite sides of the absorption section 19 with respect to the longitudinal direction L of the front end 21, on the absorption section 19, via which fastening sections the absorption unit or the cross member 18 is fastened to the longitudinal members 112. The absorption section 19 and the fastening sections 100 each have a front force introduction end 111, 212. The cross member 18, 18'' is mounted as a transverse floor made of fiber composite material between the two longitudinal members 112 and in front of the range extender in the direction of travel 30, so that it has a favorable structure for energy dissipation through deformation, while the range extender is installed on the internal combustion engine 1 in a vibration-capable manner by means of vibration-damping elements 11 via the first support bearing 10 in the motor vehicle.Further vibration damping elements 11', 11'' of the fastening device are installed in the support bearing 10' on the generator 2 and in the support bearing 13.

[0024] The absorption unit is fastened to the body with fastening means according to the prior art, wherein the fastening sections 100 interact with these fastening means in such a way that when an impact energy or force exceeding a predetermined limit value acts on a force introduction end 212 of a fastening section 100, this fastening section 100 is at least partially destroyed and / or the fastening means interacting with this fastening section 100 at least partially fails, and wherein the absorption section 19 is designed in such a way that it is at least partially destroyed when an impact energy or force below the predetermined limit value acts on the force introduction end 111 of the absorption section 19.

Claims

[1] Fastening device for securing a range extender, consisting of an internal combustion engine (1) and a generator (2), in the front part of a motor vehicle via bearing points on the body thereof, wherein at least one support bearing (10, 11) for the range extender is supported in the front region thereof via at least one bearing rod (8''') located in front of the range extender in the direction of travel (30) on a cross member (18, 18'') of the body, which cross member is located in front of the range extender in the direction of travel (30), wherein the at least one bearing rod (8''') extends from its bearing point on the cross member (18, 18'') backwards and upwards against the direction of travel (30) of the motor vehicle, characterized byin that the cross member (18, 18'') is part of an arrangement (6) for absorbing impact energy or force acting frontally on the motor vehicle by deformation, which as a result of an impact is displaced rearwardly against the direction of travel (30) and is pressed downwards by the at least one bearing rod (8''') in such a way that, in the event of contact between the arrangement (6) and the range extender, its displacement against the direction of travel is minimized, the arrangement (6) being mounted in front of the range extender in the direction of travel (30) as a transverse floor between two longitudinal members (112). [2] Fastening device according to claim 1, characterized by that the range extender is installed in the motor vehicle in a vibration-damping manner by means of vibration-damping elements (11, 11', 11''). [3] Fastening device according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized by that the transverse floor has a structure for energy dissipation through deformation. [4] Fastening device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that at least one of the components transverse floor, longitudinal member (112), at least one bearing rod (8''') consists of fiber composite material. [5] Fastening device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the at least one bearing rod (8''') is part of a framework. [6] Fastening device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the range extender is fixed to the body by means of at least two support bearings (10, 11, 10', 11') and one support bearing (13). [7] Fastening device according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized by that the vibration-damping elements (11, 11') of the fastening device for the support bearings (10, 11) on the range extender are attached, a first (11) to the internal combustion engine (1) and a second (11') to the generator (2). [8] Fastening device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by in that the cross member (18, 18'') consists of at least one absorption unit which has a central absorption section (19) and two fastening sections (100) which are arranged on opposite sides of the absorption section (19) laterally on the absorption section (19) with respect to the longitudinal direction (L) of the motor vehicle and via which the absorption unit can be fastened to the body, in particular the longitudinal members (112), wherein the absorption section (19) and the fastening sections (100) each have a front-side force introduction end (111, 212). [9] Fastening device according to claim 8, characterized byin that the absorption unit is fastened to the structure by fastening means, wherein the fastening sections (100) and the fastening means are designed such that when an impact energy or force exceeding a predetermined limit value acts on a force introduction end (212) of a fastening section (100), this fastening section (100) is at least partially destroyed and / or the fastening means respectively cooperating with this fastening section (100) at least partially fails, and wherein the absorption section (19) is designed such that it is at least partially destroyed when an impact energy or force below the predetermined limit value acts on the force introduction end (111) of the absorption section (19).

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