Electric vehicle

Abstract

To provide an electric vehicle which efficiently mounts high-capacity batteries on a machine body.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle comprises: a traveling vehicle body; an electric motor 12; front wheels and rear wheels 2 which are driven by power transmitted from the electric motor 12; and a plurality of batteries 14 which supplies the electric motor 12 with electric power. At least two of the plurality of batteries 14 are arranged in right and left sandwiching the electric motor 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric vehicle that is driven and travels by an electric motor that is operated by power supplied from a battery. [Background technology]

[0002] An electric multi-purpose vehicle is driven by an electric motor, which operates by receiving power from a battery. As disclosed in Patent Document 1, the battery is generally arranged horizontally under the seat. In a multi-purpose vehicle (electric vehicle), there is a demand for a larger battery charge capacity (larger capacity) to extend the driving range, and therefore a large battery needs to be installed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-154191 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, since the axles of a multi-purpose vehicle extend in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle body (airframe), it is difficult to place a large battery horizontally under the seats. Also, while it is possible to place the batteries by laying the cells on the floor, multi-purpose vehicles may travel off-road, so placing the batteries on the floor increases the possibility of them being damaged.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to efficiently mount a large-capacity battery on an aircraft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a running body, an electric motor, front and rear wheels driven by power transmitted from the electric motor, and a plurality of batteries that supply power to the electric motor, with at least two of the batteries being arranged side by side on either side of the electric motor.

[0007] In order to extend the driving range of electric vehicles, it is necessary to increase the charging capacity of the battery. In order to increase the charging capacity of the battery, the battery must be physically larger. However, the vehicle is equipped with many devices such as an electric motor and axles in addition to the battery, making it difficult to install a large battery on the vehicle.

[0008] According to the above configuration, by providing multiple batteries, it is possible to increase the charging capacity (large capacity) of the entire battery system while suppressing the size of each battery. Furthermore, since the size of each battery is suppressed, they can be efficiently arranged on the aircraft. As a result, batteries with large charging capacity can be efficiently mounted on the aircraft.

[0009] Since the electric motor supplies power in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft, it is often disposed near the central region in the lateral direction of the aircraft, and the electric motor is relatively large in size.

[0010] According to the above configuration, it is possible to secure the space for arranging the electric motor and arrange the electric motor in an appropriate position. Also, it is possible to arrange the battery so as to avoid the arrangement position of the electric motor. As a result, it is possible to efficiently mount a battery with a large charging capacity on the aircraft.

[0011] The batteries sandwiching the electric motor may be disposed symmetrically with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle body.

[0012] Since the electric motor supplies power in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft, it is often disposed near the central region in the lateral direction of the aircraft, and the electric motor is relatively large in size.

[0013] According to the above configuration, the electric motor can be disposed in a suitable position, and the batteries can be disposed in a well-balanced manner on the vehicle body, so that batteries with large charging capacities can be efficiently mounted on the vehicle body.

[0014] Also, two identical batteries may be disposed on either side of the electric motor.

[0015] In this way, by arranging the two batteries symmetrically on the left and right sides of the aircraft, the weight balance of the aircraft can be optimized.

[0016] The vehicle may also be provided with a front axle extending forward from the electric motor to transmit power to the front wheels, and a rear axle extending rearward from the electric motor to transmit power to the rear wheels, and at least one of the front axle and the rear axle may be positioned between the batteries which in turn sandwich the electric motor.

[0017] This configuration allows the battery to be efficiently arranged while still ensuring space for the axles that extend forward and backward along the vehicle body, allowing batteries with large charging capacities to be efficiently mounted on the vehicle body.

[0018] The batteries sandwiching the electric motor may be inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle body in a plan view.

[0019] This configuration allows the batteries to be made larger (longer) while avoiding the various devices mounted on the aircraft, which allows the batteries to be made larger efficiently and allows batteries with large charging capacities to be mounted efficiently on the aircraft.

[0020] The batteries sandwiching the electric motor may be inclined so that the distance between them decreases toward the rear of the traveling vehicle body.

[0021] In some cases, the space for arranging the batteries at the rear of the aircraft is narrowed in the left-right direction due to the rear wheels located at the rear of the aircraft, and the space for arranging the batteries is limited. In this case, the batteries are arranged with the electric motor between them, and are arranged at an angle to avoid the electric motor and to reduce the distance between the batteries at the rear of the aircraft where the arrangement space is small. This makes it possible to increase the length of the batteries, and to arrange the two batteries efficiently. As a result, batteries with large charging capacity can be efficiently installed in the aircraft.

[0022] Further, in a front view, front end portions of the batteries sandwiching the electric motor may be spaced apart from the electric motor, and rear end portions of the two batteries may overlap the electric motor.

[0023] This configuration allows the two batteries to be positioned efficiently while avoiding the electric motor.

[0024] The electric motor may be disposed within an area overlapping with the battery on both sides of the electric motor when viewed from the side.

[0025] With this configuration, the battery can be disposed laterally outside the electric motor, and the battery and the electric motor can be disposed at the same height level, thereby reducing the area required for disposing the battery and the electric motor in the height direction, and allowing the battery and the electric motor to be efficiently mounted on the aircraft body.

[0026] The vehicle may further include a driver's seat on which a passenger sits, and a rear end portion of the battery sandwiching the electric motor may be located rearward of a rear end portion of the driver's seat in a plan view.

[0027] This configuration allows the battery to be efficiently positioned, extending from the area below the seat to the rear of the seat.

[0028] Further, a rear end portion of the battery sandwiching the electric motor may overlap the rear wheel in a side view.

[0029] With this configuration, a battery that is long in the front-rear direction can be mounted.

[0030] The batteries sandwiching the electric motor may have an outer shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.

[0031] With this configuration, a battery system can be constructed using a general-purpose battery. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view of the utility vehicle as seen from the left side. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a main part of the battery arrangement configuration. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a main part of the battery arrangement configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] A utility vehicle, which is an example of an electric vehicle of the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction of the arrow F shown in Fig. 1 is the "front side of the vehicle body", the direction of the arrow B is the "rear side of the vehicle body", the direction of the arrow U is the "upper side of the vehicle body", the direction of the arrow D is the "lower side of the vehicle body", the direction of the front side of the paper in Fig. 1 is the "left side of the vehicle body", and the direction of the back side of the paper in Fig. 1 is the "right side of the vehicle body". The left-right direction of the vehicle body corresponds to the width direction of the vehicle body.

[0034] [Overall configuration of multi-purpose vehicle] The multipurpose vehicle shown in Fig. 1 is used for multiple purposes such as transporting luggage and recreation. The multipurpose vehicle has a pair of left and right running devices, front wheels 1, and a pair of left and right running devices, rear wheels 2. The front wheels 1 and rear wheels 2 are provided on a running vehicle body 3 (machine body). The front wheels 1 can be steered and driven, and the rear wheels 2 can be driven.

[0035] The multipurpose vehicle is provided with a driver's section 4 in which passengers such as a driver sit, at the front of a traveling body 3. The driver's section 4 of the multipurpose vehicle is provided with a driver's seat 5 in which the passenger sits, a steering wheel 6 for steering the front wheels 1, a ROPS 7 for enclosing the passenger space, and the like.

[0036] The multi-purpose vehicle is provided with a cargo bed 8 behind the driver's section 4. The cargo bed 8 is supported by a vehicle body frame 9. The cargo bed 8 can swing up and down around a connecting axis P between the cargo bed 8 and the vehicle body frame 9, and can be changed between a dump state in which the cargo bed 8 swings upward and a traveling state in which the cargo bed 8 swings downward.

[0037] [Drive of the running gear] 1 and 2, the multi-purpose vehicle includes an electric motor 12, an inverter 13, and a battery 14 to drive the front wheels 1 and the rear wheels 2. The electric motor 12 may be an e-Axle further including a transmission mechanism, etc. The inverter 13 may be built into the e-Axle.

[0038] Power is supplied from a battery 14 to an inverter 13 and converted into AC electricity, and the AC electricity is supplied from the inverter 13 to the electric motor 12 to drive the electric motor 12. The power of the electric motor 12 is output to the left and right rear wheels 2 via a rear axle 17 and a rear wheel differential mechanism 15 (diff: differential gear). In addition, the power of the electric motor 12 is output to the left and right front wheels 1 via a front axle 18 and a front wheel differential mechanism 16 (diff: differential gear).

[0039] [Layout] 1 to 3, the vehicle body frame 9 has a driver's section side frame 9A, a driver's section front frame 9B, a driver's section rear frame 9C, a rear side frame 9D, and an intermediate frame 9E. An underguard 21 is provided on the bottom of the traveling vehicle body 3 to protect the traveling vehicle body 3 from stones, rocks, and the like.

[0040] The driver's section side frames 9A are provided at both left and right end regions of the driver's section 4, extending from the front of the driver's section 4 through the lower part to the rear. The driver's section front frame 9B is provided facing left and right in the front region of the driver's section 4 across the left and right driver's section side frames 9A. The driver's section rear frame 9C is provided facing left and right in the rear region of the driver's section 4 across the left and right driver's section side frames 9A. The rear side frame 9D is provided from the left and right driver's section side frames 9A toward the rear end region of the traveling vehicle body 3.

[0041] Since the rear wheels 2 are provided at the rear of the traveling body 3, the left-right width of the underguard 21 is narrower at the rear of the traveling body 3. In other words, the space for mounting equipment at the rear of the traveling body 3 is narrower than that in the central region of the traveling body 3. Accordingly, the left and right rear horizontal frames 9D are inclined with respect to the front-rear direction L of the traveling body 3 so as to approach each other toward the rear end regions.

[0042] The intermediate frame 9E is provided to extend in the left-right direction in the central region in the front-rear direction of the driver's section 4. The driver's section front frame 9B, the driver's section rear frame 9C, the rear horizontal frame 9D, and the intermediate frame 9E are arranged in the order of higher positions.

[0043] The electric motor 12 is disposed in a central region in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 3 below the driver's seat 5. The electric motor 12 is disposed above the underguard 21. A front end of the electric motor 12 overlaps with the driver's seat 5 in a plan view.

[0044] The front wheel differential mechanism 16 is disposed in a central region in the left-right direction of the traveling body 3 between the left and right front wheels 1. The rear wheel differential mechanism 15 is disposed above the underguard 21 in a central region in the left-right direction of the traveling body 3 between the left and right front wheels 1. The inverter 13 is disposed above the rear wheel differential mechanism 15.

[0045] A front axle 18 extending forward from the electric motor 12 and a rear axle 17 extending rearward from the electric motor 12 are disposed above the underguard 21 in a central region in the left-right direction of the vehicle body 3.

[0046] [Battery placement] 1 to 3, the multi-purpose vehicle includes two identical batteries 14. The two batteries 14 are arranged side by side (distributed) on the left and right sides with the electric motor 12 in between.

[0047] By dividing the battery 14 into two (or more), each battery 14 can be made smaller, so that the total charging capacity of the battery system can be increased while efficiently arranging each battery 14. Furthermore, by distributing the batteries 14 to both the left and right sides of the electric motor 12, the batteries 14 can be efficiently arranged while optimizing the arrangement position of the electric motor 12 and avoiding the electric motor 12.

[0048] Moreover, it is preferable that the external shape of the two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) is a rectangular parallelepiped. A general-purpose battery 14 is usually a rectangular parallelepiped. Therefore, the general-purpose battery 14 can be used as it is.

[0049] Moreover, the two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are arranged from the sides of the electric motor 12 toward the rear. In other words, the rear end portions (rear end faces 14B) of the two batteries 14 are located rearward of the rear end portion of the electric motor 12. This makes it possible to increase the length of the batteries 14 and increase the charging capacity.

[0050] Furthermore, the two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are arranged side by side (distributed) on the left and right sides of the rear axle 17. The rear axle 17 is arranged rearward from the electric motor 12, which is arranged in the central area in the left and right direction of the traveling body 3, passing through the central area in the left and right direction of the traveling body 3. By arranging the batteries 14 on both the left and right sides of the rear axle 17, it is possible to efficiently arrange the batteries 14 while optimizing the arrangement position of the rear axle 17 and avoiding the rear axle 17.

[0051] In addition, the two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are disposed symmetrically with respect to the front-rear direction L, which is the traveling direction of the traveling body 3. As a result, the batteries 14 are mounted in a well-balanced manner on the left and right sides, so that the weight balance of the traveling body 3 can be maintained well.

[0052] Moreover, the two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are arranged in a configuration inclined with respect to the front-rear direction L of the traveling body 3 in a plan view. That is, the batteries 14 are arranged at an incline according to the arrangement position of the electric motor 12 and the area in the traveling body 3 where the batteries 14 can be mounted (arranged). For example, the two batteries 14 are inclined so that the distance between them is wide in the front area to sandwich the electric motor 12 between them, and the distance between them becomes narrower toward the rear of the traveling body 3. Preferably, the batteries 14 are inclined so that the front end portions (rear end faces 14B) of the two batteries 14 are separated from the electric motor 12 in the left-right direction in a front view, and at least a part of the rear end portions (rear end faces 14B) of the two batteries 14 overlap with the electric motor 12.

[0053] By arranging the battery 14 at an angle, equipment such as the electric motor 12 can be arranged in an appropriate position regardless of the arrangement position of the electric motor 12 or the shape of the mountable area, while a general-purpose battery 14 that is long in the front-rear direction and has a large charging capacity can be efficiently arranged (mounted) on the traveling body 3 while avoiding equipment such as the electric motor 12 without using a specially shaped battery 14. In particular, when arranging the battery 14 extending to the rear area of ​​the traveling body 3 where the rear wheels 2 etc. are provided, by arranging the battery 14 at an angle so that the distance between them becomes narrow in the rear area of ​​the traveling body 3, the battery 14 can be efficiently arranged (mounted) in the area (open space) of the traveling body 3 where equipment (batteries 14) can be mounted (mounted).

[0054] Specifically, the electric motor 12 is disposed at a position where its front end overlaps with the driver's seat 5 in a plan view. The electric motor 12 is disposed within a range where it overlaps with two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) in a side view. That is, the batteries 14 are disposed so that the front end portion of the electric motor 12 is rearward of the front end portion (front end surface 14F) of the battery 14, and the rear end portion of the electric motor 12 is forward of the rear end portion (rear end surface 14B) of the battery 14. The batteries 14 are disposed so that the upper end portion of the electric motor 12 is lower than the upper end portion (upper end surface 14U) of the battery 14.

[0055] The two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are arranged such that at least a part of the front end portion (front end surface 14F) of the batteries 14 overlaps with the driver's seat 5 in a plan view. The two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are arranged such that at least a part of the rear end portion (rear end surface 14B) of the batteries 14 is located rearward of the rear end portion of the driver's seat 5 and rearward of the rear end portion of the electric motor 12 in a plan view.

[0056] The two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are disposed so that the rear end portions (rear end faces 14B) of the batteries 14 overlap the rear wheels 2 in a side view.

[0057] At least the rear end portions of the two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are disposed below the loading platform 8.

[0058] In a plan view, the two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are arranged so that the driver's unit rear frame 9C is located between the front end portion (front end surface 14F) and the rear end portion (rear end surface 14B) of the batteries 14. The upper end surfaces 14U of the two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are arranged below the driver's unit rear frame 9C.

[0059] The two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) may be inclined with respect to the fore-and-aft direction L at an angle equal to the inclination angle of the rear horizontal frame 9D with respect to the fore-and-aft direction L, or may be inclined with an angle greater than the inclination angle of the rear horizontal frame 9D, or may be inclined with an angle smaller than the inclination angle of the rear horizontal frame 9D.

[0060] The upper end surfaces 14U of the two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) may be higher than the rear horizontal frame 9D or lower than the rear horizontal frame 9D. When the upper end surfaces 14U of the batteries 14 are lower than the rear horizontal frame 9D, a part of the battery 14 may overlap the rear horizontal frame 9D in a plan view.

[0061] The two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) are disposed on the inside of the outermost ends of the left and right driver's section horizontal frames 9A when viewed from the front.

[0062] [Another embodiment] (1) The batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12 are not limited to being arranged symmetrically on both sides, and may be arranged in any configuration.

[0063] It is preferable that the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12 are inclined at the same angle with respect to the front-rear direction L, but they do not necessarily have to be inclined by the same angle. Furthermore, the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12 are not limited to being inclined, and at least one of the batteries 14 may not be inclined.

[0064] The batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12 may be disposed at an incline so that they approach each other toward the rear, or may be disposed at an incline so that they move farther apart toward the rear.

[0065] (2) The multi-purpose vehicle is not limited to having two batteries 14, and may have three or more batteries 14. In this case, at least two of the multiple batteries 14 constituting the battery system are disposed with the electric motor 12 between them.

[0066] (3) The two batteries 14 (the batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12) do not necessarily have to be the same, and may be different batteries 14. However, it is preferable that the batteries 14 arranged symmetrically on the left and right are the same batteries 14.

[0067] (4) The electric motor 12 may be positioned in a position where its front end portion overlaps with the driver's seat 5 in a plan view, but the electric motor 12 may be positioned in front of the driver's seat 5, or may be positioned behind the driver's seat 5, and the electric motor 12 may be positioned in any position relative to the driver's seat 5.

[0068] (5) The battery 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12 may have its rear end portion (rear end surface 14B) located rearward of the rear end portion of the electric motor 12. However, if the electric motor 12 is long in the fore-and-aft direction or if sufficient charging capacity can be secured (the battery 14 can be made short), the rear end portion (rear end surface 14B) of the battery 14 does not need to be located rearward of the rear end portion of the electric motor 12.

[0069] (6) The batteries 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12 may have their front end portions (front end faces 14F) arranged on the sides of the electric motor 12, and the front end portion (front end face 14F) of the batteries 14 may be rearward of the front end portion of the electric motor 12 in a plan view, but the batteries 14 may be arranged so that their front end portions (front end faces 14F) protrude forward from the front end portion of the electric motor 12. In this case, the front axle 18 is sandwiched between the batteries 14. By arranging the batteries 14 on both the left and right sides of the front axle 18, the batteries 14 can be efficiently arranged to avoid the front axle 18 while optimizing the arrangement position of the front axle 18.

[0070] (7) The battery 14 may be positioned so that the rear end portion (rear end surface 14B) of the battery 14 overlaps the rear wheel 2 in a side view, but the battery 14 may also be positioned so that the rear end portion (rear end surface 14B) of the battery 14 is located in front of the rear wheel 2 in a side view, or the battery 14 may be positioned so that the rear end portion (rear end surface 14B) of the battery 14 is located behind the rear wheel 2 in a side view.

[0071] (8) The battery 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12 is not limited to being positioned below the cargo bed 8, and in a planar view, the battery 14 may be positioned forward of the cargo bed 8, and the position of the battery 14 relative to the cargo bed 8 is arbitrary.

[0072] (9) The battery 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12 may be positioned below the driver's unit rear frame 9C (including the area directly below), but may also be positioned in front of the driver's unit rear frame 9C or behind the driver's unit rear frame 9C in a planar view.

[0073] (10) The batteries 14 may be disposed on the left and right sides of the traveling body 3 without sandwiching the electric motor 12, or may be disposed at an angle with respect to the front-rear direction L of the traveling body 3 without sandwiching the electric motor 12.

[0074] (11) The external shape of the battery 14 sandwiching the electric motor 12 may be a rectangular parallelepiped, but may be any shape.

[0075] (12) In each of the above embodiments, the multi-purpose vehicle is not limited to an electric vehicle that runs only on the electric motor 12, but may be a hybrid electric vehicle that runs on the electric motor 12 and an engine.

[0076] (13) In each of the above embodiments, the electric vehicle of the present invention is not limited to a multi-purpose vehicle, but may be a work vehicle equipped with a work device for performing agricultural work or other work and performing various works while traveling. [Industrial Applicability]

[0077] The present invention can be applied to various electric vehicles that are driven by an electric motor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 Front wheel 2 rear wheels 3 Running vehicle (aircraft) 5 Driver's seat 12 Electric motor 14 Battery 17 rear axle 18 Front axle

Claims

1. A running vehicle body, An electric motor; front wheels and rear wheels driven by power transmitted from the electric motor; a plurality of batteries for supplying power to the electric motor; In an electric vehicle, at least two of the plurality of batteries are arranged side by side on the left and right sides of the electric motor.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the batteries sandwiching the electric motor are disposed symmetrically with respect to a traveling direction of the traveling vehicle body.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein two identical batteries are disposed on opposite sides of the electric motor.

4. a front axle extending forward from the electric motor to transmit power to the front wheels; a rear axle extending rearward from the electric motor to transmit power to the rear wheels; The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the front axle and the rear axle is disposed at a position sandwiched between the batteries which sandwich the electric motor.

5. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the batteries sandwiching the electric motor are inclined with respect to a traveling direction of the traveling vehicle body in a plan view.

6. 2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the batteries sandwiching the electric motor are inclined so that the distance between the batteries decreases toward the rear of the vehicle body.

7. 7. The electric vehicle according to claim 6, wherein, in a front view, front end portions of the batteries sandwiching the electric motor are spaced apart from the electric motor, and rear end portions of the two batteries overlap the electric motor.

8. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electric motor is disposed within an area overlapping with the battery on both sides of the electric motor when viewed from the side.

9. Equipped with a driver's seat in which passengers sit, The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a rear end portion of the battery sandwiching the electric motor is disposed rearward of a rear end portion of the driver's seat in a plan view.

10. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a rear end portion of the battery sandwiching the electric motor overlaps with the rear wheel in a side view.

11. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the batteries sandwiching the electric motor have an outer shape that is a rectangular parallelepiped.

Images