Mechanically-and-electrically integrated unit for vehicle

Abstract

To reduce noise in a mechanically-and-electrically integrated unit for a vehicle.SOLUTION: A mechanically-and-electrically integrated unit for a vehicle includes: a mechanical unit having a motor and a gear mechanism connected to the motor; and an electric unit fixed to the mechanical unit and having an inverter electrically connected to the motor. The electric unit also has a housing body for accommodating the inverter and having an opening at an upper part, and a cover plate mounted on the housing body and closing the opening. A cooling flow channel through which a cooling medium flows is provided inside the cover plate, and at least one of an upper surface and a lower surface of the cooling flow channel is provided with multiple beads protruding into the cooling medium.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to an electromechanical integrated unit for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a reactor. The upper and lower surfaces of this reactor are each covered with a metal plate. Elastic heat dissipation members are provided between each surface of the reactor and the metal plate. This damps vibrations of the reactor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-103584 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an electromechanical integrated unit in which a mechanical unit and an electric unit are integrated, vibrations generated in the mechanical unit are also transmitted to the electric unit. As a result, the housing of the electric unit may vibrate and generate noise. In particular, if the housing of the electric unit has a housing body with an opening at the top and a cover plate that closes the opening, significant noise may be generated from the flat cover plate.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, this specification provides a technique for reducing noise in an electromechanical integrated unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The technology disclosed in this specification is embodied in an electromechanical integrated unit for a vehicle. The electromechanical integrated unit includes a mechanical unit having a motor and a gear mechanism connected to the motor, and an electric unit fixed to the mechanical unit and having an inverter electrically connected to the motor. The electric unit further includes a housing main body that houses the inverter and has an opening at an upper portion, and a cover plate attached to the housing main body to close the opening. A cooling flow path through which a cooling medium flows is provided inside the cover plate, and at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the cooling flow path is provided with a plurality of beads that protrude into the cooling medium.

[0007] In the above-described electromechanical integrated unit, an opening provided at the top of the housing body is closed by a cover plate. A cooling channel through which a coolant flows is provided inside the cover plate. With this configuration, even when vibrations are transmitted from the mechanical unit to the electric unit, the presence of a viscous coolant within the cover plate suppresses vibrations occurring in the cover plate. In particular, at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the cooling channel is provided with a plurality of beads that protrude into the cooling channel. This allows shear force (fluid resistance) from the coolant to act on the beads of the cover plate in response to vibrations occurring in the cover plate. This effectively suppresses vibrations occurring in the cover plate, thereby reducing noise generated from the cover plate.

[0008] In the above-described configuration, the plurality of beads may include a plurality of first beads provided on an upper surface of the cooling channel and a plurality of second beads provided on a lower surface of the cooling channel. In this case, the plurality of first beads and the plurality of second beads may be arranged alternately at intervals along a direction parallel to the cover plate. With this configuration, shear force from the cooling medium can be effectively applied to the plurality of beads provided on the cover plate.

[0009] In some of the above-described configurations, the cover plate may be fixed to the housing main body using a fastener and may abut against a component of the electric circuit unit fixed to the housing main body. In such a configuration, when the cover plate is fastened to the housing main body, the cover plate is pressed against the component of the electric circuit unit, and a reaction force acts on the cover plate. This mass effect can further suppress vibration of the cover plate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a mechanically and electrically integrated unit 10 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] Enlarged view of part III in Figure 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An electromechanical integrated unit 10 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The electromechanical integrated unit 10 is a drive device mounted on a vehicle and drives the wheels of the vehicle. The vehicle may be, for example, a hybrid vehicle driven by an engine and a motor. However, the vehicle is not limited to a hybrid vehicle, and may be, for example, an electric vehicle, a fuel-powered vehicle, or another electrically powered vehicle driven by a motor.

[0012] Here, the directions of the electromechanical integrated unit 10 in the drawings correspond to the directions when the unit is mounted on a vehicle, i.e., the directions of the vehicle. Therefore, the direction FR indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the direction RR indicates the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The direction LH indicates the left in the lateral direction of the vehicle, and the direction RH indicates the right in the lateral direction of the vehicle. The direction UP indicates the upward direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the direction DW indicates the downward direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0013] 1 and 2, the electromechanical integrated unit 10 includes a mechanical unit 20 and an electric unit 30. The electric unit 30 is fixed integrally to the mechanical unit 20. In this embodiment, the mechanical unit 20 is disposed below the electric unit 30.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the mechanical unit 20 includes a housing 22, a motor (not shown), and a gear unit (not shown). The housing 22 is a housing member that houses the motor and the gear unit. The motor is a traction motor that drives the wheels of a vehicle. As an example, the gear unit includes, for example, a transmission, a power distribution mechanism, a differential gear, etc. The motor is connected to the wheels of the vehicle via the gear unit. The electromechanical integrated unit 10 drives the motor with power supplied from the vehicle battery. The electromechanical integrated unit 10 then outputs the power output by the motor to the wheels via the gear unit. The housing 22 is made of a conductive material such as aluminum.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2 , the electric unit 30 includes a housing 32 and an electric circuit unit 40. The housing 32 is a housing member that houses the electric circuit unit 40. The housing 32 of the electric unit 30 is fixed to the housing 22 of the mechanical unit 20. The housing 32 includes a housing main body 34 and a cover plate 36. The housing main body 34 has a bottom wall 34a and four side walls 34b extending upward from the outer periphery of the bottom wall 34a. The housing main body 34 has an opening 34c at its top. The opening 34c of the housing main body 34 is defined by the four side walls 34b. The cover plate 36 closes the opening 34c of the housing main body 34. The cover plate 36 is fixed to the housing main body 34 using a fastener 38. The housing main body 34 is made of a conductive material, such as aluminum. The cover plate 36 is a plate-shaped member made of a conductive material, such as aluminum.

[0016] The electric circuit unit 40 is electrically connected to the motor. In this embodiment, the electric circuit unit 40 is a power conversion unit including an inverter. The electric circuit unit 40 can convert DC power from the battery into three-phase AC power and supply it to the motor. The electric circuit unit 40 can also convert three-phase AC power from the motor into DC power and supply it to the battery. If the rated voltage of the motor and the rated voltage of the battery differ, a DC-DC converter may be further provided between the motor and the battery.

[0017] The electric circuit unit 40 includes a plurality of components 42, 44, 46, such as solenoids, capacitors, switching elements, etc. The plurality of components 42, 44, 46 include a first component 42, a second component 44, and a third component 46. The first component 42 and the second component 44 are assembled to an upper surface 48a of a plate 48 fixed to the housing body 34. The third component 46 is assembled to a lower surface 48b of the plate 48 fixed to the housing body 34. In this embodiment, the plate 48 is fixed to the inner wall 34d of the housing body 34 using a fastener 50.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the electric unit 30 further includes a cooling channel 52. The cooling channel 52 is a channel through which a cooling medium, such as cooling water, flows. The cooling channel 52 is provided inside the cover plate 36. The cooling channel 52 cools the electric circuit unit 40 (here, the first component 42, the second component 44, and the third component 46). As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of first beads 54 are provided on an upper surface 52a of the cooling channel 52, and a plurality of second beads 56 are provided on a lower surface 52b of the cooling channel 52. The plurality of first beads 54 and the plurality of second beads 56 protrude into the cooling channel 52 and are alternately arranged at intervals along a direction parallel to the cover plate 36. In this embodiment, the plurality of first beads 54 and the plurality of second beads 56 are arranged along a direction parallel to the flow direction of the cooling medium. The tip of the first bead 54 extends to between two adjacent second beads 56. In other words, the tip of the second bead 56 extends to between two adjacent first beads 54 .

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the electric unit 30 further includes a plurality of heat dissipation members 58. The heat dissipation members 58 are sheet-shaped members. The upper surface 42a of the first component 42 abuts against the lower surface 36a of the cover plate 36 via the heat dissipation members 58. The upper surface 44a of the second component 44 abuts against the lower surface 36a of the cover plate 36 via the heat dissipation members 58. The cooling flow paths 52 are provided inside the cover plate 36, improving the thermal conductivity from the first component 42 and the second component 44 to the cooling flow paths 52, thereby effectively cooling the first component 42 and the second component 44. The heat dissipation members 58 are made of, for example, silicon.

[0020] In the above-described electromechanical integrated unit 10, the opening 34c provided in the upper part of the housing main body 34 is closed by the cover plate 36. A cooling channel 52 through which a coolant flows is provided inside the cover plate 36. With this configuration, even when vibration is transmitted from the mechanical unit 20 to the electric unit 30, the presence of a viscous coolant within the cover plate 36 suppresses vibrations occurring in the cover plate 36. In particular, the upper surface 52a and the lower surface 52b of the cooling channel 52 are provided with a plurality of beads 54, 56 that protrude into the cooling channel 52. As a result, shear force (fluid resistance) from the coolant acts on the beads 54, 56 of the cover plate 36 in response to vibrations occurring in the cover plate 36. This effectively suppresses vibrations occurring in the cover plate 36, thereby reducing noise generated from the cover plate 36.

[0021] As an example, in the above embodiment, the plurality of beads 54, 56 includes a plurality of first beads 54 provided on the upper surface 52a of the cooling flow channel 52 and a plurality of second beads 56 provided on the lower surface 52b of the cooling flow channel 52. In this case, the plurality of first beads 54 and the plurality of second beads 56 are arranged alternately at intervals along a direction parallel to the cover plate 36. With this configuration, shear force from the coolant can be effectively applied to the plurality of beads 54, 56 provided on the cover plate 36. Note that the plurality of first beads 54 and the plurality of second beads 56 may be arranged along a direction parallel to the flow direction of the coolant, as in the above embodiment, or may be arranged along a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the coolant.

[0022] In the embodiment described above, which is just one example, the cover plate 36 is fixed to the housing main body 34 using fasteners 38, and abuts against the components 42, 44 of the electric circuit unit 40 fixed to the housing main body 34. With this configuration, when the cover plate 36 is fastened to the housing main body 34, the cover plate 36 is pressed against the components 42, 44 of the electric circuit unit 40, and this reaction force acts on the cover plate 36. This mass effect can further suppress vibration of the cover plate 36.

[0023] In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of first beads 54 and a plurality of second beads 56 are provided. However, it is not necessary that both the plurality of first beads 54 and the plurality of second beads 56 are provided. In another embodiment, either the plurality of first beads 54 or the plurality of second beads 56 may be provided. In yet another embodiment, it is not necessary that both the plurality of first beads 54 and the plurality of second beads 56 are provided.

[0024] In the above-described embodiment, it is possible to change the positions of the components 42, 44, 46 arranged on the plate 48. For example, by arranging the first component 42 at a position that corresponds to the antinode of the vibration transmitted from the mechanical unit 20 to the electric unit 30, it is possible to attenuate the vibration.

[0025] In the above-described embodiment, the mechanical unit 20 and the electrical unit 30 each have separate housings 22, 32 that are fixed together. However, in other embodiments, the mechanical unit 20 and the electrical unit 30 may share a single housing, i.e., the integrated electromechanical unit 10 may have a single housing.

[0026] Although several specific examples have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and alterations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility either alone or in combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 10: electromechanical integrated unit, 20: mechanical unit, 22: housing, 30: electric unit, 32: housing, 34: housing body, 34a: bottom wall, 34b: side wall, 34c: opening, 34d: inner wall, 36: cover plate, 38: fastener, 40: electric circuit unit, 42, 44, 46: components, 48: plate, 50: fastener, 52: cooling channel, 54: first bead, 56: second bead, 58: heat dissipation member

Claims

[Claim 1] An electromechanical integrated unit for a vehicle, a mechanical unit having a motor and a gear mechanism connected to the motor; an electric unit fixed to the mechanical unit and having an inverter electrically connected to the motor; Equipped with The electric unit comprises: a housing body that houses the inverter and has an opening at the top; a cover plate attached to the housing body to close the opening; and A cooling flow path through which a cooling medium flows is provided inside the cover plate, At least one of an upper surface and a lower surface of the cooling flow passage is provided with a plurality of beads protruding into the cooling flow passage. Integrated electromechanical unit.

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