Multipurpose vehicle

Abstract

To provide an electric multipurpose vehicle that easily runs even on an off-road.SOLUTION: DC power from a battery 14 is converted into AC power by an inverter 13 and supplied to an electric motor 12, and power of the electric motor 12 is input to a mission case 11 and output to a pair of left and right rear wheels 2 from the mission case 11. The battery 14 is disposed below a driver's seat 5. The mission case 11 is disposed between the pair of left and right rear wheels 2. The electric motor 12 is disposed at the vehicle body front side from the mission case 11 between the pair of left and right rear wheels 2. The inverter 13 is disposed in a space within a width of battery 14, which is located at the vehicle body rear side from the battery 14 and at the vehicle body front side from the electric motor 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to utility vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] As shown in Patent Document 1, there is a utility vehicle that is equipped with an electric motor (assist motor), a transmission case that receives power from the electric motor and outputs the input power to a pair of left and right rear wheels, and a battery that supplies power to the electric motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7050421 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a demand for an electric multipurpose vehicle whose wheels are driven by an electric motor. Multipurpose vehicles are used for multiple purposes such as transporting luggage and for recreation, and therefore run on rough terrain. There is a demand for an electric multipurpose vehicle that is easier to drive on rough terrain.

[0005] The present invention provides an electric multi-purpose vehicle that can be easily driven on rough ground. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The multi-purpose vehicle according to the present invention comprises: The vehicle is equipped with a pair of left and right front wheels, a pair of left and right rear wheels, a driver's seat located between the front wheels and the rear wheels in a plan view, an electric motor, a battery, an inverter that converts DC power from the battery into AC power and supplies it to the electric motor, and a transmission case that receives power from the electric motor and outputs the input power to the pair of left and right rear wheels, the transmission case is provided between the pair of left and right rear wheels, the electric motor is provided in the space between the pair of left and right rear wheels further forward of the transmission case, the battery is provided in the space below the driver's seat, and the inverter is provided in a space located rearward of the battery and within the width of the battery further forward of the electric motor.

[0007] According to this configuration, the power of the electric motor is input to the transmission case and output from the transmission case to the rear wheels, so that the rear wheels are driven by the electric motor. Since the battery, inverter, electric motor, and transmission case are all located in the area extending from under the driver's seat to between the pair of left and right rear wheels, the center of gravity of the vehicle can be positioned closer to the center of the vehicle in the longitudinal and lateral directions than before. By positioning the center of gravity closer to the center of the vehicle, the vehicle body becomes more stable even on rough ground, resulting in an electric multipurpose vehicle that is easier to drive on rough ground. By locating the battery, inverter, and electric motor together, the connection structure including the harness that connects them, harness holding members, etc. can be simple and lightweight. The simple and lightweight connection structure can reduce costs and power consumption.

[0008] In the present invention, It is preferable that an on-board charging device capable of charging the battery is provided, and that the on-board charging device is arranged in a space located within the width of the battery, rearward of the battery and forward of the electric motor, aligned in the width direction of the vehicle with the inverter.

[0009] With this configuration, the battery, inverter, electric motor, transmission case and on-board charging device can be arranged together in the area extending from below the driver's seat to the area between the pair of left and right rear wheels.

[0010] In the present invention, The on-board charging device is provided with a charging port that supplies power from a power source external to the vehicle, and it is preferable that the charging port be located on the opposite side of the vehicle width direction from the side on which the inverter is located relative to the on-board charging device, and at a location on the outer lateral side of the vehicle body forward of the rear wheels.

[0011] According to this configuration, since the charging port is located near the on-board charging device, it is easy to connect the charging port to the on-board charging device so that power is supplied from the charging port to the on-board charging device.

[0012] In the present invention, The battery is preferably mounted in a mounting position such that its length in the width direction of the vehicle body is longer than its length in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

[0013] According to this configuration, the battery can be easily disposed below the driver's seat so that the battery does not protrude forward or backward from the driver's seat.

[0014] In the present invention, It is preferable that a second battery is provided which outputs power of a lower voltage than the power output by the battery, and that the second battery is arranged on the opposite side of the vehicle width direction from the side on which the on-board charging device is located relative to the inverter, and located forward of the rear wheels and laterally outboard of the inverter.

[0015] According to this configuration, since the second battery is located near the inverter, it is easy to connect the second battery and the inverter so that control power is supplied from the second battery to the inverter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view of the utility vehicle as seen from the left side. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the utility vehicle as seen from the right side. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a transmission case, an electric motor, an inverter, a first battery, etc. [Figure 4] 4 is a side view of the transmission case, the electric motor, the inverter, and the first battery as viewed from the left side. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the inverter and the on-board charging device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction of arrow F shown in Figures 1 and 2 etc. is the "front side of the vehicle body", the direction of arrow B is the "rear side of the vehicle body", the direction of arrow U is the "upper side of the vehicle body", the direction of arrow D is the "lower side of the vehicle body", the direction of arrow L shown in Figures 3 and 5 etc. is the "left side of the vehicle body", and the direction of arrow R shown in Figures 3 and 5 etc. is the "right side of the vehicle body". The left-right direction of the vehicle body is the width direction of the vehicle body.

[0018] [Overall configuration of multi-purpose vehicle] A utility vehicle shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is used for multiple purposes such as transporting luggage and recreation. The utility vehicle has a traveling body 3 on which a pair of left and right traveling devices, front wheels 1, are provided so as to be steerable and drivable, and a pair of left and right traveling devices, rear wheels 2, are provided so as to be drivable. A driving section 4 on which a driver sits is provided at the front of the traveling body 3. The driving section 4 is provided with a driver's seat 5, a passenger seat 5b aligned with the driver's seat 5, a steering wheel 6 for steering the front wheels 1, a steering wheel 7 surrounding a riding space, and the like. The driver's seat 5 and the passenger seat 5b are located between the front wheels 1 and the rear wheels 2 in a plan view. A cargo bed 8 is provided behind the driving section 4. The loading platform 8 is held on the vehicle body frame 9 in a state in which it can swing up and down around the connecting axis P between the loading platform 8 and the vehicle body frame 9 as a swing axis, and its position can be changed between an upwardly swung dump position and a downwardly swung traveling position by raising and lowering operations using handles 8a provided on both sides of the loading platform 8.

[0019] [Regarding front and rear wheel drive] As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a transmission case 11, an electric motor 12, an inverter 13 and a first battery 14 are provided on a traveling vehicle body 3, and a front wheel 1 and a rear wheel 2 can be driven. An endless rotating body 17 is wound around an output pulley 15 provided on the electric motor 12 and an input pulley 16 provided on the transmission case 11. The output pulley 15 is provided on the right side of the vehicle body of the electric motor 12. The output pulley 15 is provided rotatably with an output shaft core of the electric motor 12 along the vehicle body width direction as a rotation shaft core 15a. The input pulley 16 is provided on the transmission case 11 on the rear side of the vehicle body from the output pulley 15. The input pulley 16 is provided rotatably with an input shaft core of the transmission case 11 as a rotation shaft core 16a. The rotation shaft core 15a of the output pulley 15 and the rotation shaft core 16a of the input pulley 16 are set parallel to each other. The output pulley 15, the input pulley 16 and the endless rotating body 17 are covered by a cover 19. The cover 19 is omitted in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, the endless rotating body 17 is an endless rotating belt. As the endless rotating body 17, an endless rotating chain can be adopted.

[0020] DC power stored in a first battery 14 is supplied to an inverter 13 and converted into AC power, and the AC power is supplied from the inverter 13 to an electric motor 12 to drive the electric motor 12. The power of the electric motor 12 is transmitted from an output pulley 15 to an input pulley 16 by an endless rotating body 17 and input to the transmission case 11, and the speed is changed by a transmission (not shown) provided inside the transmission case 11. The speed-changed power is output to the left and right rear wheels 2 from a rear wheel differential mechanism (not shown) provided in the transmission case 11. The speed-changed power is output to the left and right front wheels 1 from a front output shaft 18 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) provided in the front part of the transmission case 11.

[0021] 1, 2 and 3, the transmission case 11 is provided below the bed 8 between the left and right rear wheels 2. The transmission case 11 is supported by the body frame 9 via suspension mechanisms 20 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) provided between the left and right side portions of the transmission case 11 and the body frame 9.

[0022] As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the left and right suspension mechanisms 20 include an upper arm 22 and a lower arm 23 that extend rearwardly from a front holding portion 9a provided on the body frame 9 below the rear portion of the driver's section 4 so as to be able to swing up and down, and a shock absorber 24 whose upper end is connected to the body frame 9 below the loading platform 8. The shock absorber 24 includes a shock absorber and a coil spring. As shown in Fig. 5, the transmission case 11 has rear axle cases 11a that extend from the left and right lateral sides toward the rear wheels 2, and the left and right rear axle cases 11a are connected to the rear wheel support member 26 by connecting members 25, thereby being held by the rear wheel support member 26. The rear end of the upper arm 22 and the rear end of the lower arm 23 are connected to the rear holding portion 26a provided on the rear wheel support member 26, and are connected to the transmission case 11 via the rear holding portion 26a and the rear wheel support member 26. A lower end of the shock absorber 24 is connected to a rear axle case 11 a of the transmission case 11 .

[0023] 1, 2, and 3, first battery 14 is provided across the space below driver's seat 5 and the space below passenger seat 5a that is aligned alongside driver's seat 5. First battery 14 is provided in a mounting position such that length L1 in the vehicle body width direction is longer than length L2 in the vehicle body front-rear direction.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the electric motor 12 is provided below the cargo bed 8. As shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, the electric motor 12 is provided in a space between a pair of left and right rear wheels 2, rearward of the first battery 14 and forward of the transmission case 11. As shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, one end of the electric motor 12 in the vehicle width direction is attached to a first stay 27 extending from the transmission case 11, and the other end of the electric motor 12 in the vehicle width direction is attached to a second stay 28 rising from the rear wheel support member 26. The electric motor 12 is held by the rear wheel support member 26 via the first stay 27, the transmission case 11 and the second stay 28.

[0025] 1, 3 and 4, the inverter 13 is provided in a space located rearward of the first battery 14 and forward of the electric motor 12, within the lateral width of the first battery 14. As shown in FIG. 6, the inverter 13 is attached to an inverter holder 29 extending rearward from the partition plate 10. The partition plate 10 is configured to separate the passenger space of the driver's section 4 from the space below the cargo bed 8, and is held by the vehicle frame 9. The inverter 13 is held by the vehicle frame 9 via the inverter holder 29 and the partition plate 10.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a cooling fan 30 is provided above the inverter 13. The cooling fan 30 is rotatably held inside a fan case 31 held by a top plate portion 29a of the inverter holder 29. The cooling fan 30 is configured to draw air from the outside to the inside of the fan case 31 through an air intake port 31a opened in the fan case 31 to generate cooling air, and to supply the generated cooling air from a through hole 29b provided in the top plate portion 29a to a heat dissipation fin portion 13a provided on an upper portion of the inverter 13 to cool the heat dissipation fin portion 13a. The cooling fan 30 cools the inverter 13 by cooling the heat dissipation fin portion 13a.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, an on-vehicle charging device 32 is provided in a space located rearward of the first battery 14 and forward of the electric motor 12 within the width of the first battery 14. As shown in Figs. 3 and 6, the on-vehicle charging device 32 is arranged to be aligned with the inverter 13 in the width direction of the vehicle. The on-vehicle charging device 32 includes an on-vehicle charger 32a, a DCDC converter 32b, and a charging case 32c that houses the on-vehicle charger 32a and the DCDC converter 32b. The charging case 32c includes a cooling fan unit 32d that supplies cooling air to the on-vehicle charger 32a and the DCDC converter 32b.

[0028] 3, charging port 33 is provided on the opposite side of on-board charging device 32 from the side where inverter 13 is located in the vehicle width direction, and on the vehicle body forward side of rear wheel 2 and outboard of on-board charging device 32. As shown in FIG. 1, charging port 33 is provided on rear wheel fender 34 and held by holder portion 34a.

[0029] A charging cord from a power source such as a charging stand outside the vehicle is connected to the charging port 33. Then, power from the power source outside the vehicle is supplied to the on-board charger 32a through the charging port 33, and is then supplied from the on-board charger 32a to the first battery 14 for charging. The power supplied to the on-board charger 32a is supplied to the DCDC converter 32b for voltage adjustment, and the voltage-adjusted power is supplied from the DCDC converter 32b to the second battery 35 described below for charging.

[0030] 2 and 3, a second battery 35 is provided on the opposite side of the inverter 13 in the vehicle width direction from the side where the on-board charging device 32 is located, and further forward than the rear wheels 2 and laterally outboard of the inverter 13. The second battery 35 outputs power with a lower voltage than the power output by the first battery 14 for control purposes, etc.

[0031] [Electric motors and inverters] 3, 4, 5, and 6, a terminal portion 36 is formed on the outer periphery of the electric motor 12, and an inverter terminal portion 37 is formed on the outer periphery of the inverter 13. A harness 38 connects a plurality of motor terminals 36a provided on the terminal portion 36 to a predetermined inverter terminal 37a among a plurality of inverter terminals 37a provided on the inverter terminal portion 37, thereby connecting the electric motor 12 to the inverter 13. In the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the terminal portion 36 of the electric motor 12 is configured with a base having a terminal block on which the motor terminals 36a are arranged, but the terminal block may not be provided.

[0032] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the electric motor 12 is held by the rear wheel support member 26 in a mounting position in which the terminal portion 36 provided on the outer periphery is positioned in an inclined position toward the upper part of the outer periphery facing the vehicle body.

[0033] In more detail, when the electric motor 12 is rotated around the rotation axis 15a of the output pulley 15, which is the output shaft of the electric motor 12, and the electric motor 12 is rotated in a rotational position in which the terminal portion 36 is inclined downward toward the rear at a portion of the outer periphery of the electric motor 12 facing upward toward the vehicle body, the electric motor 12 is attached to the first stay 27 and the second stay 28 so that this rotational position becomes the mounting position, and the electric motor 12 is held by the rear wheel support member 26 in a state in which the terminal portion 36 is inclined downward toward the rear at a portion of the outer periphery facing upward toward the vehicle body. The terminal portion 36 is inclined downward toward the rear when viewed in a direction along the rotation axis 15a of the output pulley 15. In this embodiment, the rotation axis 15a of the output pulley 15 is aligned with the vehicle body width direction. In this embodiment, the terminal portion 36 is inclined downward toward the rear, but it is possible to make it inclined downward toward the front by changing the direction in which the electric motor 12 is rotated.

[0034] 1 and 2, the electric motor 12 is provided below the loading platform 8. By putting the loading platform 8 in the dump position, a large working space that can be used for maintenance work is created above the terminals 36, making it easy to perform the work. Even if rainwater or car wash water gets on the terminals 36, it is easy for the water to flow down from the terminals 36 due to the inclined position of the terminals 36.

[0035] 4 and 6, the inverter 13 is attached to the inverter holder 29 in a mounting position in which the inverter terminal portion 37 is located at a portion of the outer periphery facing downwards of the vehicle body. The inverter 13 is held by the vehicle body frame 9 in a mounting position in which the inverter terminal portion 37 is located at a portion of the outer periphery facing downwards of the vehicle body. Even if rainwater or car wash water falls on the inverter 13 from above, it is unlikely to reach the inverter terminal portion 37, and therefore the inverter terminal portion 37 is unlikely to get wet.

[0036] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the on-vehicle charger 32a and the DCDC converter 32b were provided together in the on-vehicle charging device 32, but this is not limited thereto, and the on-vehicle charger 32a and the DCDC converter 32b may be provided separately rather than being provided together in the on-vehicle charging device 32.

[0037] (2) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the front wheels 1 were drivable. However, the front wheels 1 may not be drivable.

[0038] (3) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the vehicle-mounted charging device 32 was provided. However, the vehicle-mounted charging device 32 may not be provided.

[0039] (4) In the above embodiment, the second battery 35 is provided on the opposite side of the inverter 13 in the vehicle width direction from the side on which the on-board charging device 32 is located, and further forward than the rear wheels 2 and laterally outboard of the inverter 13. However, the present invention is not limited to this and the second battery may be provided in any location.

[0040] (5) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the first battery 14 was mounted in a position in which its length in the width direction of the vehicle body was longer than its length in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle body, but this is not limited to the above and the first battery may be mounted in any position.

[0041] (6) In the above embodiment, the electric motor 12 is mounted in such a manner that the terminals 36 are inclined toward the upper portion of the outer periphery of the electric motor 12. Any mounting position may be adopted, such as a mounting position in which the terminal portion 36 is positioned horizontally at a portion of the outer periphery facing downwardly of the vehicle body.

[0042] (7) In the above embodiment, the rotational axis 15a of the output pulley 15 and the rotational axis 16a of the input pulley 16 are aligned along the width direction of the vehicle body, but they may be aligned along the fore-aft direction of the vehicle body.

[0043] (8) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the loading platform 8 can be dumped. However, the loading platform 8 may not be dumpable.

[0044] (9) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the mounting posture of the inverter 13 was such that the inverter terminal portion 37 was located at a portion of the outer periphery facing downward on the vehicle body. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any mounting posture may be adopted, such as a mounting posture in which the inverter terminal portion 37 is located at a portion of the outer periphery facing upward on the vehicle body. [Industrial Applicability]

[0045] The present invention can be applied to a multi-purpose vehicle equipped with a pair of left and right front wheels and a pair of left and right rear wheels. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 Front wheel 2 rear wheels 5 Driver's seat 11 Mission case 12 Electric motor 13 Inverter 14 First Battery (Battery) 32 On-vehicle charging device 33 Charging port 35 Second Battery L1 Length in the width direction of the vehicle L2 Length in the front-rear direction of the vehicle

Claims

1. A pair of front wheels, A pair of rear wheels, A driver's seat provided between the front wheels and the rear wheels in a plan view; An electric motor; Battery and an inverter that converts DC power from the battery into AC power and supplies the AC power to the electric motor; a transmission case to which the power of the electric motor is input and which outputs the input power to the pair of left and right rear wheels, The transmission case is provided between the pair of left and right rear wheels, the electric motor is provided in a space between the pair of left and right rear wheels and further forward of the transmission case, The battery is provided in a space below the driver's seat, The inverter is provided in a space located rearward of the battery and forward of the electric motor within a lateral width of the battery.

2. An on-board charging device capable of charging the battery is provided, 2. The multipurpose vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the on-board charging device is arranged in a space located within the lateral width of the battery, rearward of the vehicle body from the battery and forward of the electric motor, aligned in the lateral width direction of the vehicle body with the inverter.

3. The vehicle-mounted charging device is provided with a charging port for supplying power from a power source outside the vehicle body, 3. The multipurpose vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the charging port is provided on the opposite side of the vehicle width direction from the side on which the inverter is located relative to the on-board charging device, and located forward of the rear wheels and laterally outboard of the on-board charging device.

4. 4. The multi-purpose vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the battery is mounted in a mounting position such that a length in a width direction of the vehicle body is longer than a length in a front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

5. a second battery is provided that outputs power having a lower voltage than the power output by the battery; 3. The multi-purpose vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the second battery is provided on the opposite side of the inverter from the side on which the on-board charging device is located in the vehicle width direction, and further forward than the rear wheels and laterally outboard of the inverter.

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