Vehicle drive device

Abstract

To constitute a vehicle drive device smaller in size with a rotary electrical machine, an output member, a power transmission mechanism, an inverter module and a power source module stored in the same case.SOLUTION: An offset gear mechanism 3 of a power transmission mechanism is arranged on another axis A2 in an axis orthogonal direction Y1 with respect to an axis A1 on which a rotary electrical machine 8 and an output member are arranged. The rotary electrical machine 8 and the power transmission mechanism are arranged in a first storage chamber E1, and an inverter module 5 and a power source module 7 are arranged in a second storage chamber E2. The second storage chamber E2 comprises an upper region E3 overlapping with an upper side Z1 with respect to the rotary electrical machine 8 and with the rotary electrical machine 8 when viewed from a vertical direction Z, and a side region E4 not overlapping with the rotary electrical machine 8 when viewed from the vertical direction Z on a first side Y1 in the axis orthogonal direction with respect to the rotary electrical machine 8 but overlapping with the offset gear mechanism 3 when viewed from an axial direction. At least a portion of the inverter module 5 is arranged in the upper region E3, and at least a portion of the power source module 7 is arranged in the side region E4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle drive device. [Background technology]

[0002] JP 2021-48748 A discloses a vehicle drive device in which a case (13) contains a rotating electric machine (11A) that serves as a driving force source for the wheels, a transmission (12) that transmits power from the rotating electric machine (11A) to an output shaft (15), a power module (25) that receives high-voltage DC power from a battery to drive the rotating electric machine (11A), an ECU (26) that controls the power module (25), and a voltage converter (29) that reduces the high-voltage DC power supplied from the battery and supplies low-voltage DC power to the ECU (26) (symbols in parentheses in the background art are those of the referenced documents). The power module (25) and the ECU (26) further constitute a power drive unit (28) together with a capacitor module (27) that smoothes the DC power from the battery.

[0003] The rotating shaft (14) and the output shaft (15) of the rotating electric machine (11A) are separate shafts parallel to each other. Therefore, it is understood that a gear for transmitting power between the rotating shaft (14) and the output shaft (15) is arranged on a separate shaft parallel to the rotating shaft (14) and the output shaft (15). Alternatively, it is understood that power is transmitted between the rotating shaft (14) and the output shaft (15) by a belt, a chain, or the like. In addition, the power drive unit (28) is accommodated in a first housing chamber (21) in the case (13), and the voltage converter (29) is accommodated in a second housing chamber (22) in the case (13). The first housing chamber (21) is provided above the rotating electric machine (11A), and the second housing chamber (22) is provided on a side of the first housing chamber (21). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-48748 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the first housing chamber (21) and the second housing chamber (22) are separated as described above, it is necessary to secure a storage space for the first housing chamber (21) according to the size of the power drive unit (28) and to secure a storage space for the second housing chamber (22) according to the size of the voltage converter (29), which limits the size of the case (13), i.e., the size of the vehicle drive device. On the other hand, if the power drive unit (28) is configured according to the storage space of the first housing chamber (21) and the voltage converter (29) is configured according to the storage space of the second housing chamber (22), it may be difficult to ensure the performance required for the circuit, or it may be necessary to form the circuit using expensive parts for size reduction. In other words, when the first housing chamber (21) and the second housing chamber (22) are separated, there is a tendency for flexibility in the arrangement and configuration of the power drive unit (28) and the voltage converter (29) to be reduced.

[0006] In view of the above background, it is desirable to construct a smaller vehicle drive device in which a rotating electric machine, an output member, a power transmission mechanism that transmits driving force between the rotating electric machine and the output member, a circuit module that drives and controls the rotating electric machine, and a power supply module are housed within the same case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In view of the above, a vehicle drive device includes a rotating electric machine having a rotor, an output member drivingly connected to wheels, a power transmission mechanism that transmits driving force between the rotating electric machine and the output member, an inverter module for driving and controlling the rotating electric machine, a power supply module electrically connected to an on-board battery and including at least one of a voltage conversion circuit that converts the voltage of the on-board battery, a charging circuit that charges the on-board battery from an external power source, and a power supply circuit that supplies power from the on-board battery to an outside, and a case including a first housing chamber that houses the rotating electric machine and the power transmission mechanism, and a second housing chamber that houses the inverter module and the power supply module, wherein a direction along a rotor axis that is the rotational axis of the rotor is defined as an axial direction, and a direction perpendicular to the rotor axis as viewed in a vertical direction is defined as an axial orthogonal direction. an output shaft center, which is a rotation shaft center of the output member, is arranged coaxially with the rotor shaft center, with one side in the axial orthogonal direction being a first side in the axial orthogonal direction, the power transmission mechanism includes an offset gear mechanism arranged on an offset shaft center located on the first side in the axial orthogonal direction with respect to the rotor shaft center and the output shaft center, the second accommodating chamber includes, in a vehicle-mounted state, an upper region that is an area above the rotating electric machine and overlaps with the rotating electric machine in a vertical direction view, and a lateral region that is an area on the first side in the axial orthogonal direction with respect to the rotating electric machine, does not overlap with the rotating electric machine in a vertical direction view, and overlaps with the offset gear mechanism in an axial direction view, and at least a portion of the inverter module is arranged in the upper region, and at least a portion of the power supply module is arranged in the lateral region.

[0008] According to this configuration, since the power supply module and the inverter module, which is a circuit module that drives and controls the rotating electric machine, are accommodated in one second accommodation chamber, it is possible to share parts between the inverter module and the power supply module, for example. This makes it easy to reduce the number of parts and the weight of the inverter module and the power supply module. Also, according to this configuration, the inverter module is arranged in an upper region located above the rotating electric machine in the second accommodation chamber, and the power supply module is arranged in a lateral region located on the first side in the axial orthogonal direction in the second accommodation chamber. That is, it is easy to reduce the vertical size of the vehicle drive device compared to a configuration in which both the inverter module and the power supply module are arranged in a region located above the rotating electric machine, for example. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the power supply module can be arranged by utilizing the space generated on the first side in the axial orthogonal direction with respect to the rotating electric machine by arranging the offset gear mechanism. Therefore, it is easy to suppress the increase in size of the vehicle drive device caused by providing the power supply module in addition to the rotating electric machine, the output member, the power transmission mechanism, and the inverter module. In other words, with this configuration, a vehicle drive device can be made smaller in size in which a rotating electric machine, an output member, a power transmission mechanism that transmits driving force between the rotating electric machine and the output member, a circuit module that drives and controls the rotating electric machine, and a power supply module are housed in the same case.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the drive device for a vehicle will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, which is given with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Schematic exploded perspective view of a vehicle drive device; [Diagram 2] Skeleton diagram of a vehicle drive system [Diagram 3] Schematic circuit block diagram of a vehicle drive device [Figure 4] Schematic perspective view of a power supply module [Diagram 5] Schematic perspective view of power system assembly [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the vehicle drive device with the third cover removed; [Figure 7] Schematic axially orthogonal cross-sectional view of a vehicle drive device as viewed from a first axial side. [Figure 8] Schematic axially orthogonal cross-sectional view of a vehicle drive device as viewed from a first axial side. [Figure 9] Schematic four-sided view of a vehicle drive device DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle drive device will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a vehicle drive device 1, FIG. 2 is a skeleton diagram of the vehicle drive device 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit block diagram of the vehicle drive device 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle drive device 1 includes a rotating electric machine 8 having a rotor 81, output members (drive shaft DS, differential side gear 44) drivingly connected to wheels W, a power transmission mechanism TM that transmits driving force between the rotating electric machine 8 and the output members, an inverter module 5, a power source module 7, and a case 9. The inverter module 5 is a circuit module for driving and controlling the rotating electric machine 8. The power source module 7 is a circuit module of a power source system that is electrically connected to an on-board battery (high-voltage battery BH). The case 9 is composed of a case main body 91, a first side cover 92, a second side cover 93, and an upper cover 94. An accommodation space is formed in the space surrounded by the case main body 91, the first side cover 92, the second side cover 93, and the upper cover 94.

[0012] In this specification, the term "driving connection" refers to a state in which two rotating elements are connected so as to be able to transmit a driving force, and includes a state in which the two rotating elements are connected so as to rotate integrally, or a state in which the two rotating elements are connected so as to be able to transmit a driving force via one or more transmission members. Such transmission members include various members that transmit rotation at the same speed or at a variable speed, such as shafts, gear mechanisms, belts, chains, etc. In addition, the transmission members may include engagement devices that selectively transmit rotation and driving force, such as friction engagement devices and meshing engagement devices. In addition, in this specification, "rotating integrally" refers to rotating integrally regardless of whether they are separable or not. In other words, multiple members that rotate integrally may be integrally formed from the same member, or may be made of different members and integrated by welding, spline connection, etc. Furthermore, in this specification, with regard to the arrangement of two elements, "overlapping when viewed in a particular direction" means that when a virtual line parallel to the line of sight is moved in each direction perpendicular to the virtual line, there exists at least a portion of an area where the virtual line intersects both of the two elements.

[0013] In this embodiment, the direction along the rotor axis (first axis A1) which is the rotation axis of the rotor 81 is defined as the axial direction L. One side in the axial direction L is defined as the axial first side L1, and the other side is defined as the axial second side L2. In this embodiment, the direction along the vertical direction when the vehicle is mounted on the vehicle in a standard posture is defined as the up-down direction Z, and the upper side in the up-down direction Z is defined as the upper side Z1, and the lower side is defined as the lower side Z2. In other words, the up-down direction Z is one direction in the vehicle drive device 1, and coincides with the vertical direction when the vehicle drive device 1 is mounted on the vehicle in a standard posture. Therefore, when the vehicle drive device 1 is mounted on the vehicle at an inclination with respect to the standard posture, the up-down direction Z may not coincide with the vertical direction. This inclination angle does not prevent the up-down direction Z from exceeding 90 degrees. The direction perpendicular to the rotor axis (first axis A1) as viewed in the up-down direction Z is defined as the axial orthogonal direction Y, and one side of the axial orthogonal direction Y is defined as the axial orthogonal first side Y1, and the other side is defined as the axial orthogonal second side Y2.

[0014] As shown in the skeleton diagram of FIG. 2, the rotating electric machine 8 is an inner rotor type rotating electric machine including a stator 82 fixed to a case 9 and a rotor 81 arranged radially inside the stator 82. A stator coil 83 is wound around the stator 82. The rotor 81 is connected to a rotor shaft 88 arranged radially inside the rotor 81, and the rotor 81 and the rotor shaft 88 rotate integrally. In this embodiment, the rotor shaft 88 is a hollow cylindrical member, and as described later, a drive shaft DS (which may be a connecting member as described later) penetrates the radial inside of the rotor shaft 88. The rotor shaft 88, the rotor 81, and the drive shaft DS are arranged on the first axis A1. An input gear 89 is integrally formed with the rotor shaft 88. The input gear 89 may be integrally formed with the rotor shaft 88 by the same member, or may be formed by a separate member and connected by welding or the like.

[0015] The input gear 89 meshes with the first counter gear 31. The first counter gear 31 rotates integrally with the second counter gear 32, which has a smaller diameter than the first counter gear 31. As a result, the rotation transmitted from the rotor shaft 88 through the input gear 89 to the first counter gear 31 is decelerated and output from the second counter gear 32. The first counter gear 31 and the second counter gear 32 constitute a counter gear mechanism 3 that functions as a reducer. The counter gear mechanism 3 is arranged on a second axis A2 that is parallel to the first axis A1 and is separate from the first axis A1. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the second axis A2 is located on the first side Y1 in the axis-orthogonal direction with respect to the first axis A1. Therefore, the second axis A2 can be said to be an offset axis offset to the first side Y1 in the axis-orthogonal direction with respect to the first axis A1 (the rotor axis and the output axis described later). The counter gear mechanism 3 disposed on the second axis A2 (offset axis) can be called an offset gear mechanism. In this embodiment, the counter gear mechanism 3 is disposed on the first axial side L1 with respect to the rotating electric machine 8.

[0016] The second counter gear 32 meshes with a differential ring gear 41, which is an input gear (differential input gear) to the differential gear mechanism 4. Although not shown in the figure because it is a known configuration, the differential gear mechanism 4 is a bevel gear type differential gear mechanism, and includes a differential pinion gear and a differential side gear 44, both of which are bevel gears. The differential pinion gear is rotatably supported by a pinion shaft that is supported by the differential case and arranged to extend along the radial direction. The pinion shaft rotates integrally with the differential case, and the differential pinion gear is configured to rotate about the pinion shaft and revolve about the rotation axis of the differential case (here, the first axis A1). A plurality of pinion shafts are arranged radially (for example, in a cross shape) about the rotation axis of the differential case, and a differential pinion gear is attached to each of the plurality of pinion shafts. The differential case accommodates the pinion gear, the differential side gear 44, and the pinion shaft inside. The differential case rotates integrally with the differential ring gear 41.

[0017] The differential side gears 44 are arranged in a pair on the axial first side L1 and the axial second side L2, spaced apart from each other. Each of the pair of differential side gears 44 is arranged to mesh with each of the pinion gears and rotate around the rotation axis of the differential case. As shown in FIG. 2, the differential side gear 44 on the axial first side L1 is connected to the drive shaft DS on the axial first side L1 and is drivingly connected to the wheels W on the axial first side L1. The differential side gear 44 on the axial second side L2 is connected to the drive shaft DS on the axial second side L2 and is drivingly connected to the wheels W on the axial second side L2. Since the differential gear mechanism 4 is arranged on the axial first side L1 with respect to the rotating electric machine 8, the drive shaft DS on the axial second side L2 penetrates the radial inner side of the hollow cylindrical rotor shaft 88 and extends toward the axial second side L2 beyond the rotating electric machine 8. The drive shaft DS on the second axial side L2 may be composed of a member (a so-called drive shaft) that is drivingly connected to the wheels W and a connecting member that is connected to the differential side gear 44 and connects the member to the differential side gear 44.

[0018] The differential side gear 44 and the drive shaft DS correspond to an output member in the vehicle drive device 1. In this embodiment, the output shaft center, which is the rotation shaft center of the output member, is also the first shaft A1. That is, the vehicle drive device 1 of this embodiment has a two-shaft configuration in which the output shaft center, which is the rotation shaft center of the output member, is arranged on the first shaft A1 coaxial with the rotor shaft center, and the offset gear mechanism is arranged on the offset shaft center (second shaft A2).

[0019] The rotating electric machine 8 functions as a driving force source for a pair of wheels W. As shown in Fig. 3, the rotating electric machine 8 is electrically connected to a high-voltage battery BH, which is a DC power supply constituted by a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or an electric double-layer capacitor, via an inverter 50. A first DC link capacitor 61, which functions as a smoothing capacitor that smoothes the voltage on the DC side of the inverter 50, is provided between the high-voltage battery BH and the inverter 50.

[0020] The rotating electric machine 8 has a function as a motor (electric motor) that receives power from the high-voltage battery BH to generate power, and a function as a generator (electric generator) that receives power from the wheels W to generate power. The rotating electric machine 8 generates driving force by running using the power stored in the high-voltage battery BH, and also generates electricity using the driving force transmitted from the pair of wheels W to charge the high-voltage battery BH. The rated voltage of the high-voltage battery BH is approximately 200 volts to 800 volts.

[0021] As described above, the rotating electric machine 8 is a driving force source for the wheels, and is a so-called traction rotating electric machine. In addition to the traction rotating electric machine, a vehicle may be equipped with an auxiliary rotating electric machine M that serves as a driving force source for auxiliary machines such as an air conditioner and an electric oil pump. In a conventional vehicle in which only an internal combustion engine is a driving force source for the wheels, the exhaust heat of the internal combustion engine can be used for the air conditioner, but in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, the same amount of exhaust heat as that of an internal combustion engine cannot be expected, and temperature control using a heat pump or the like is required, and the output required for the auxiliary rotating electric machine tends to be large. Also, unlike an internal combustion engine that operates constantly, such as idling, even when the vehicle is stopped (when the wheels are not rotating), the traction rotating electric machine stops when the vehicle is stopped. A mechanical oil pump that draws in and discharges oil using the power of the internal combustion engine cannot supply oil for lubrication or cooling while the vehicle is stopped, and an electric oil pump is used, so the output required for the auxiliary rotating electric machine tends to be large.

[0022] In order to output a large driving force from the auxiliary rotating electric machine M, an increasing number of vehicles are configured so that the auxiliary rotating electric machine M is supplied with power from the high-voltage battery BH, similar to the traction rotating electric machine. On the other hand, the output required for the traction rotating electric machine becomes larger, and the rated voltage of the high-voltage battery BH tends to become higher. For this reason, when the rated voltage of the high-voltage battery BH is too high for the auxiliary rotating electric machine M, a voltage conversion circuit that reduces the DC power supplied from the high-voltage battery BH may be provided. In this embodiment, a configuration including a first DC-DC converter 75 as such a voltage conversion circuit is illustrated. A second DC link capacitor 62 is also provided on the side of the high-voltage battery BH in the first DC-DC converter 75 to smooth the DC voltage.

[0023] In this embodiment, the high-voltage battery BH is configured to be charged not only by the power generated by the rotating electric machine 8, but also by the power supplied from an external AC power source such as an AC commercial power source having a rated voltage of about 100 volts to 240 volts. For this reason, the high-voltage battery BH is configured to be connectable to an external power source via an on-board charging device 70 having a charging circuit. In recent years, it has been proposed to use batteries mounted on electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles as emergency power sources in the event of a disaster or the like. Therefore, in this embodiment, the on-board charging device 70 is configured to have the function of a power supply circuit in addition to the function of a charging circuit. Naturally, the on-board charging device 70 may be configured to have only the function of a charging circuit.

[0024] The above-mentioned emergency power supply is often provided so as to be capable of outputting AC power to a location where an external AC power supply is connected, i.e., to the outside of the vehicle. Meanwhile, some vehicles are provided with an AC power socket for supplying power to general low-power electric appliances and the like within the vehicle cabin. A power supply circuit for supplying AC power to such an AC power socket may be provided.

[0025] The in-vehicle charging device 70 of this embodiment includes a dual active bridge (DAB) circuit including a transformer T, and converts AC power (AC IN) supplied from an external AC power supply into first and second DC power. From the AC side, the transformer T includes a primary coil and two secondary coils. For example, a full bridge circuit including switching elements is connected to the primary coil to form a primary circuit 71. Similarly, a full bridge circuit is connected to the first secondary coil to form a first secondary circuit 72, and a full bridge circuit is connected to the second secondary coil to form a second secondary circuit 73.

[0026] The first secondary side circuit 72 generates a first DC power for charging the high voltage battery BH. An output section of the first secondary side circuit 72 is provided with a third DC link capacitor 63 for smoothing the voltage of the first DC power. The second secondary side circuit 73 generates a second DC power having a lower voltage than the first DC power. An output section of the second secondary side circuit 73 is provided with a fourth DC link capacitor 64 for smoothing the voltage of the second DC power.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle includes a high-voltage battery BH and a low-voltage battery BL having a rated voltage lower than that of the high-voltage battery BH. The rated power supply voltage of the low-voltage battery BL is, for example, about 12 to 24 volts. In a conventional vehicle in which only an internal combustion engine is used as a driving force source for the wheels W, the low-voltage battery BL is charged with electric power generated by an alternator using the power of the internal combustion engine. In the vehicle of this embodiment including the high-voltage battery BH, the low-voltage battery BL can be charged with electric power supplied from the high-voltage battery BH or an external AC power source. The low-voltage battery BL can be charged from the high-voltage battery BH via a first secondary side circuit 72, a transformer T, and a second secondary side circuit 73, and from the external AC power source via a primary side circuit 71, a transformer T, and a second secondary side circuit 73. In this embodiment, a second DC-DC converter 76 is provided as a voltage conversion circuit for further reducing the voltage of the second DC power. The low-voltage battery BL may be, for example, a lead-acid battery, as in a conventional vehicle in which an internal combustion engine is used as a driving force source for the wheels.

[0028] In this embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, the in-vehicle charging device 70 is configured using the transformer T, so that insulation between the external AC power supply, the high-voltage battery BH, and the low-voltage battery BL can be ensured.

[0029] The external AC power supply and the in-vehicle charging device 70 are connected via an EMI filter 79 that reduces EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) noise. Even when the in-vehicle charging device 70 functions as a power supply circuit, AC power (AC OUT) is output from the in-vehicle charging device 70 via the EMI filter 79. In this embodiment, the power supply module 7 is formed by including the EMI filter 79, the in-vehicle charging device 70 (charging circuit, power supply circuit), and a voltage conversion circuit (first DC-DC converter 75, second DC-DC converter 76). The power supply module 7 is not limited to this form, and may be configured to include at least one of the charging circuit, the power supply circuit, and the voltage conversion circuit.

[0030] The rotating electric machine 8 is driven and controlled by a rotating electric machine control unit based on a target torque of the rotating electric machine 8 that is set according to a command from a vehicle control unit (not shown) that is a higher-level control unit. The rotating electric machine control unit controls switching of an inverter 50 that is composed of a plurality of switching elements, and causes the inverter 50 to convert power between DC and multi-phase (three-phase in this embodiment) AC. In this embodiment, the rotating electric machine control unit is configured as an ECU 2 (control unit) together with a charging control unit that controls an in-vehicle charging device 70, a first voltage conversion control unit that controls a first DC-DC converter 75, a second voltage conversion control unit that controls a second DC-DC converter 76, and the like.

[0031] The ECU 2 is configured with a processor such as a microcomputer as its core, and has an operating voltage of 3.3 to 5 volts. The voltage applied to the inverter 50 connected to the high-voltage battery BH is several hundred volts, and the voltage of the switching control signal of the switching elements such as IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) and power MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors) constituting the inverter 50 is about 15 to 24 volts. For this reason, a drive circuit is provided between the ECU 2 and the inverter 50 to amplify the voltage of the switching control signal output from the ECU 2, increase the driving force, and supply it to the inverter 50. Although the drive circuit is not shown in FIG. 3, the inverter module 5 with the inverter 50 as its core is formed including such a drive circuit. The inverter module 5 may be configured to include a control circuit other than the drive circuit and at least a part of the first DC link capacitor 61.

[0032] In this embodiment, the power circuit assembly PE is configured to include the inverter module 5 and the power module 7. As shown in FIG. 4, the power module 7 has a filter substrate on which an EMI filter 79 is formed at the lowest side Z2 in the vertical direction Z, and the in-vehicle charging device 70 and the second DC-DC converter 76 are arranged at the upper side Z1 of the EMI filter 79. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the power module 7 has the inverter module 5, the first DC link capacitor 61, the first DC-DC converter 75, and the ECU 2 arranged at the uppermost side Z1 in the vertical direction Z. That is, the EMI filter 79 is arranged at the first floor part F1 in the vertical direction Z, the in-vehicle charging device 70 and the second DC-DC converter 76 are arranged at the second floor part F2, and the inverter module 5, the first DC-DC converter 75, the first DC link capacitor 61, and the ECU 2 are arranged at the third floor part F3.

[0033] 5, the power supply module 7 is configured to include a plurality of substrates arranged in the vertical direction Z. However, the power supply module 7 may be configured, for example, by combining an L-shaped substrate or a substrate extending along the vertical direction Z with a substrate extending along the axial direction L and the axial orthogonal direction Y.

[0034] Although not shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the second DC link capacitor 62, the third DC link capacitor 63, the fourth DC link capacitor 64, etc. are preferably arranged, for example, in the second floor portion F2. The second DC link capacitor 62 may be arranged in the third floor portion F3. The first DC link capacitor 61 and the second DC link capacitor 62 may be combined and integrally formed and arranged in one location. Similarly, the third DC link capacitor 63 may be combined and integrally formed with either or both of the first DC link capacitor 61 and the second DC link capacitor 62 and arranged in one location. Since the DC link capacitor is large in size, it may be arranged across the second floor portion F2 and the third floor portion F3.

[0035] Hereinafter, the manner in which the power circuit assembly PE is accommodated in the case 9 will be described with reference to Figs. 7 to 9. As shown in Fig. 1, the case 9 includes a first accommodation chamber E1 that accommodates the rotating electric machine 8 and the power transmission mechanism TM, and a second accommodation chamber E2 that accommodates the power circuit assembly PE (the inverter module 5 and the power supply module 7). The first accommodation chamber E1 and the second accommodation chamber E2 are partitioned by a partition wall. In the first accommodation chamber E1, the area in which the rotating electric machine 8 is accommodated and the area in which the power transmission mechanism is accommodated may be partitioned by a wall in order to support bearings and the like, but even if partitioned, they communicate with each other in part. In this embodiment, the second accommodation chamber E2 is not partitioned, and the inverter module and the power supply module are accommodated in one chamber, but a wall that partially partitions the second accommodation chamber E2 may be provided as long as they communicate with each other in at least a part so as to ensure a path for wiring and the like.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 7, FIG. 9, etc., the second accommodation chamber E2 has an upper region E3 which is an area on the upper side Z1 of the rotating electric machine 8 and overlaps with the rotating electric machine 8 as viewed in the vertical direction Z in a vehicle-mounted state. The second accommodation chamber E2 also has a side region E4 which is an area on the first side Y1 in the axially orthogonal direction of the rotating electric machine 8, does not overlap with the rotating electric machine 8 as viewed in the vertical direction Z, and overlaps with the counter gear mechanism 3 which is an offset gear mechanism as viewed in the axial direction L. At least a part of the inverter module 5 is disposed in the upper region E3, and at least a part of the power supply module 7 is disposed in the side region E4. As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the entire inverter module 5 is disposed in the upper region E3. However, a part of the inverter module 5 may be disposed in a connection region E5 (see FIG. 1, FIG. 7, FIG. 9, etc.) described later. In this embodiment, the power supply modules 7 are arranged in the upper area E3, the side area E4, the connection area E5, and the outer area E6 (see FIGS. 1, 8, 9, etc.).

[0037] Since the inverter module 5 and the power module 7 are accommodated in one second accommodation chamber E2, as is clear from the circuit block diagram of FIG. 3 and the perspective view of FIG. 5, it is easy to share parts such as a DC link capacitor and an ECU between the inverter module 5 and the power module 7. This makes it easy to reduce the number of parts and the weight of the inverter module 5 and the power module. In addition, since the inverter module 5 is arranged in the upper region E3 and the power module 7 is arranged in the side region E4, it is easy to reduce the size of the vehicle drive device 1 in the vertical direction Z compared to a configuration in which both the inverter module 5 and the power module 7 are arranged in a region located on the upper side Z1 with respect to the rotating electric machine 8, for example. In addition, since the power module 7 can be arranged by utilizing the space generated on the first side Y1 in the axial orthogonal direction with respect to the rotating electric machine 8 by arranging the counter gear mechanism 3, it is easy to prevent the vehicle drive device 1 from becoming large even if the power module 7 is further provided in addition to the rotating electric machine 8, the output member, the power transmission mechanism TM, and the inverter module 5.

[0038] Capacitors and inductors used in the power supply module 7, such as the in-vehicle charging device 70, including the EMI filter 79, often require a large capacity while handling a large current. For this reason, the size of the capacitors and inductors tends to be large. According to this embodiment, since it is easy to ensure the accommodation space in the vertical direction Z, it is possible to prevent the size of the vehicle drive device 1 from increasing in the vertical direction Z.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the dimension of the power supply module 7 in the vertical direction Z is larger than the dimension of the inverter module 5 in the vertical direction Z, and the dimension of the inverter module 5 in the axial direction Y is larger than the dimension of the power supply module 7 in the axial direction Y.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 9 and other figures, the side region E4, which is a region that does not overlap with the rotating electric machine 8 on the first side Y1 in the axial direction orthogonal to the rotating electric machine 8 as viewed in the vertical direction Z, overlaps with the counter gear mechanism 3 as viewed in the axial direction L. For this reason, the side region E4 can be provided over a wide range of the arrangement region of the rotating electric machine 8 in the vertical direction Z, and even if a wider region is provided in the vertical direction Z than the upper region E3, it is easy to suppress an increase in the dimension of the vehicle drive device 1 in the vertical direction Z. Also, as shown in FIG. 9 and other figures, the upper region E3 that overlaps with the rotating electric machine 8 as viewed in the vertical direction Z can be provided over almost the entire region in the axial direction Y of the rotating electric machine 8. That is, the upper region E3 is easy to ensure an extension in the axial direction Y equivalent to the diameter of the rotating electric machine 8. In other words, while preventing the vehicle driving device 1 from becoming larger, the side region E4 is more likely to provide a larger area in the vertical direction Z than the upper region E3, and the upper region E3 is more likely to provide a larger area in the axially perpendicular direction Y than the side region E4.

[0041] According to this embodiment, at least a part of the power supply module 7, which has a larger dimension in the up-down direction Z than the inverter module 5, is disposed in the side region E4 where it is easier to ensure the dimension in the up-down direction Z than in the upper region E3, making it easier to reduce the size of the vehicle drive device 1 in the up-down direction Z. Also, at least a part of the inverter module 5, which has a smaller dimension in the up-down direction Z and a larger dimension in the axially orthogonal direction Y than the power supply module 7, is disposed in the upper region E3, making it possible to appropriately dispose the inverter module 5 while preventing the vehicle drive device 1 from becoming larger.

[0042] The upper region E3 and the side region E4 are connected via a connection region E5 as shown in Fig. 9. That is, the connection region E5 is located on the first side Y1 in the axial direction relative to the upper region E3 and on the upper side Z1 in the vertical direction Z relative to the side region E4. Note that the portion of the upper region E3 on the first side Y1 in the axial direction and the portion of the side region E4 on the upper side Z1 may be included in the connection region E5. As is clear from Figs. 1, 5, 9, etc., in this embodiment, common parts shared by the inverter module 5 and the power supply module 7, such as the ECU 2 and the first DC link capacitor 61, are arranged in the connection region E5 where the upper region E3 and the side region E4 are connected.

[0043] According to this configuration, parts are shared between the inverter module 5 and the power supply module 7, which makes it easy to reduce the number of parts and the weight of the inverter module 5 and the power supply module 7 combined. Furthermore, according to this configuration, such shared parts are disposed in the connection region E5 where the upper region E3 and the side region E4 are connected, so that it is easy to appropriately connect the shared parts to both the inverter module 5 and the power supply module 7.

[0044] For example, the first DC link capacitor 61, the second DC link capacitor 62, and the third DC link capacitor 63 may be configured by the same capacitor. By arranging the capacitor in the connection area E5, when the capacitor is shared between the inverter module 5 and the first DC-DC converter 75 of the power supply module 7 and between the inverter module 5 and the first secondary side circuit 72 of the power supply module 7, the wiring can be shortened. Furthermore, the ECU 2 controls the switching of the inverter 50, the switching elements constituting the first DC-DC converter 75, and the switching elements constituting the DAB of the on-board charging device 70. By arranging the ECU 2 in the connection area E5, the wiring to the ECU 2 can be shortened.

[0045] As described above, the pair of differential side gears 44 corresponds to the output member. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, etc., the differential side gear 44 is disposed on the first axial side L1 with respect to the rotating electric machine 8. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 9, the dimension in the axial direction L of the counter gear mechanism 3 as the offset gear mechanism is smaller than the dimension in the axial direction L of the rotating electric machine 8. Also, the counter gear mechanism 3 is disposed on the first axial side with respect to the rotating electric machine 8. Note that it is sufficient that at least a part of the offset gear mechanism such as the counter gear mechanism 3 is disposed on the first axial side with respect to the rotating electric machine 8. The side region E4 is formed on the second axial side L2 with respect to the counter gear mechanism 3. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, etc., the second accommodation chamber E2 further includes an outer region E6 that is continuous with the side region E4 on the first side Y1 in the axial orthogonal direction with respect to the side region E4. In the outer region E6, a target portion 7T (see FIG. 8) that is a part of the power supply module 7 is disposed. The target portion 7T is disposed so as to overlap with the counter gear mechanism 3 when viewed in the axially orthogonal direction Y. In this embodiment, the target portion 7T corresponds to a portion disposed on the upper side Z1 of the first floor portion F1 and the second floor portion F2.

[0046] The offset gear mechanism (e.g., counter gear mechanism 3) transmits driving force between the rotating electric machine 8 and an output member arranged coaxially therewith, so that at least a part of the offset gear mechanism is arranged on the first axial side L1 relative to the rotating electric machine 8. The side region E4 is located in a region overlapping with the offset gear mechanism (counter gear mechanism 3) as viewed in the axial direction L. That is, according to this configuration, the power supply module 7 can be arranged by utilizing a dead space that occurs on the first axial direction side Y1 relative to the rotating electric machine 8 and on the second axial direction side L2 relative to the offset gear mechanism (counter gear mechanism 3) due to the dimensions and arrangement of the offset gear mechanism (counter gear mechanism 3) relative to the rotating electric machine 8. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the increase in size of the vehicle drive device 1 due to the inclusion of the power supply module 7. Furthermore, according to this configuration, a part of the power supply module 7 can be arranged by utilizing a region that is on the first axial direction side Y1 of the offset gear mechanism (counter gear mechanism 3) and overlaps with the offset gear mechanism as viewed in the axial direction Y. That is, the target portion 7T of the power module 7 can be disposed in the outer region E6 that is continuous with the side region E4. Therefore, in this respect as well, an increase in size of the vehicle drive device 1 due to the inclusion of the power module 7 can be effectively suppressed.

[0047] As described above, the capacitors and inductors used in the power supply module 7, such as the in-vehicle charging device 70, including the EMI filter 79, often need to handle large currents and have large capacities. For this reason, the size of the capacitors and inductors tends to be large, but according to this embodiment, such components can be appropriately accommodated using dead space. Therefore, many devices can be accommodated while keeping the size of the vehicle drive device 1 small.

[0048] Other embodiments Other embodiments will be described below. Note that the configurations of the embodiments described below are not limited to being applied independently, and may be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments as long as no contradiction occurs.

[0049] (1) In the above, the counter gear mechanism 3 arranged on the second shaft A2 has been exemplified as the offset gear mechanism. However, the offset gear mechanism may be a parallel shaft type multi-stage transmission arranged on multiple shafts, such as a DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission).

[0050] (2) When the high-voltage battery BH is charged using the on-board charging device 70, and when AC power is output from the high-voltage battery BH to the outside of the vehicle using the on-board charging device 70, the rotating electric machine 8 is stopped and the inverter 50 is also stopped. Therefore, the inverter 50 can be used as either of the bridge circuits constituting the dual active bridge circuit of the on-board charging device 70 or as either of the bridge circuits of the first DC-DC converter 75. In this case, it is preferable that the inverter 50 is included in the shared components that are preferably arranged in the connection area E5. Similarly, the DC link capacitor can be used as either of the on-board charging device 70 and the inverter module 5.

[0051] As described above, according to this embodiment, the vehicle drive device 1 can be made smaller in size, in which the rotating electric machine 8, the output member, the power transmission mechanism TM, the inverter module 5, and the power supply module 7 are housed in the same case 9. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1: vehicle drive device, 2: ECU (shared part), 3: counter gear mechanism (offset gear mechanism), 5: inverter module, 7: power supply module, 7T: target part, 8: rotating electric machine, 9: case, 44: differential side gear (output member), 50: inverter, 61: first DC link capacitor (shared part), 62: second DC link capacitor (shared part), 63: third DC link capacitor (shared part), 81: rotor, 88: Rotor shaft, A1: first axis (rotor shaft center, output shaft center), A2: second shaft (offset shaft center), BH: high voltage battery (vehicle battery), DS: drive shaft (output member), E2: second housing chamber, E3: upper region, E4: side region, E5: connection region, E6: outer region, L: axial direction, L1: first axial side, L2: second axial side, TM: power transmission mechanism, W: wheel, Y: axial direction orthogonal, Y1: axial direction orthogonal first side, Z: up-down direction, Z1: upper side

Claims

1. A rotating electric machine having a rotor; An output member drivingly connected to the wheels; a power transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force between the rotating electric machine and the output member; an inverter module for driving and controlling the rotating electric machine; a power supply module electrically connected to an on-board battery, the power supply module including at least one of a voltage conversion circuit for converting the voltage of the on-board battery, a charging circuit for charging the on-board battery from an external power source, and a power supply circuit for supplying power from the on-board battery to an external device; a case including a first accommodation chamber that accommodates the rotating electric machine and the power transmission mechanism, and a second accommodation chamber that accommodates the inverter module and the power supply module, A direction along a rotor axis, which is a rotation axis of the rotor, is defined as an axial direction, a direction perpendicular to the rotor axis when viewed in the up-down direction is defined as an axial orthogonal direction, and one side of the axial orthogonal direction is defined as a first axial orthogonal direction side, an output shaft center, which is a rotation shaft center of the output member, is disposed coaxially with the rotor shaft center, the power transmission mechanism includes an offset gear mechanism disposed on an offset axis that is located on a first side in the axial orthogonal direction with respect to the rotor axis and the output axis, the second accommodation chamber includes, in a vehicle-mounted state, an upper region that is an area above the rotating electric machine and overlaps with the rotating electric machine when viewed in a vertical direction, and a lateral region that is an area on a first side in the axially orthogonal direction with respect to the rotating electric machine, does not overlap with the rotating electric machine when viewed in a vertical direction, and overlaps with the offset gear mechanism when viewed in the axial direction, At least a portion of the inverter module is disposed in the upper region; A vehicle drive device, wherein at least a portion of the power supply module is disposed in the side region.

2. A vertical dimension of the power supply module is larger than a vertical dimension of the inverter module, The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein a dimension of the inverter module in the direction perpendicular to the axis is larger than a dimension of the power supply module in the direction perpendicular to the axis.

3. 3. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein a common part shared by the inverter module and the power supply module is disposed in a connection region where the upper region and the side region are connected to each other.

4. One side in the axial direction is defined as an axial first side, and the other side in the axial direction is defined as an axial second side, the output member is disposed on the first axial side with respect to the rotating electric machine, an axial dimension of the offset gear mechanism is smaller than an axial dimension of the rotating electric machine, At least a portion of the offset gear mechanism is disposed on the first axial side with respect to the rotating electric machine, The side region is formed on the second axial side with respect to the offset gear mechanism, The second storage chamber further includes an outer region continuous with the side region on a first side in the axis perpendicular direction with respect to the side region, a target portion that is a part of the power supply module is disposed in the outer region; The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the target portion is disposed so as to overlap with the offset gear mechanism when viewed in the axis-orthogonal direction.

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