Electric vehicles

Abstract

To inhibit an upper portion of a power unit from rotating and moving rearward.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle includes: a vehicle body; multiple wheels supporting the vehicle body; a power unit which is attached to the vehicle body and drives at least one of the multiple wheels; and a high voltage cable arranged vertically at the rear of the power unit. The vehicle body supports a lower portion of the power unit and an upper portion of the power unit is connected to or engaged with the vehicle body through a bracket in at least a vehicle fore and aft direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to an electric vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a power unit is mounted on an electric vehicle. This power unit includes a motor and a power conversion device disposed on and connected to the motor, and the motor and the power conversion device are each attached to the vehicle body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-142627 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned electric vehicle, if the vehicle body is structured to support the lower portion of the power unit, when a collision load acts in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the upper portion of the power unit may rotate rearward around the supported lower portion. If a high-voltage cable is located behind the power unit, the high-voltage cable may be damaged by contact with the power unit. This specification provides a technology that can suppress the upper portion of the power unit from rotating rearward. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The electric vehicle in the technology disclosed in this specification includes a vehicle body, a plurality of wheels supporting the vehicle body, a power unit attached to the vehicle body and driving at least one of the plurality of wheels, and a high-voltage cable arranged in the vertical direction behind the power unit. The vehicle body supports a lower portion of the power unit, and an upper portion of the power unit is connected or engaged with the vehicle body via a bracket at least in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Note that the high voltage here means a DC voltage exceeding 60 volts or an AC voltage exceeding 30 volts (effective value).

[0006] In the above-described electric vehicle, the upper portion of the power unit is connected or engaged with the vehicle body via the bracket at least in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. With this configuration, when a collision load acts in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the upper portion of the power unit can be at least temporarily prevented from rotating backward. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric vehicle 10. FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block circuit diagram showing the configuration of an electric vehicle 10. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration inside a front compartment 12f of an electric vehicle 10. Note that of a pair of side rails 42s of a suspension member 42, the left side rail 42s is not shown. [Figure 4] 1 is a plan view of an electric vehicle 10, showing the configuration of a power unit 18 and a reinforcing frame 32. FIG. [Diagram 5] An enlarged view of part V in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is an end view showing a modified example of the bracket 38. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] In one embodiment of the present technology, the connection or engagement between the power unit and the vehicle body by the bracket may be configured to be released when a load equal to or greater than a predetermined value acts in the vehicle front-rear direction. With such a configuration, the transmission of an excessive collision load between the vehicle body and the power unit is suppressed, and unintended deformation or damage to the vehicle body or the power unit can be avoided.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present technology, the vehicle body may have a cross member located above the power unit and extending along the left-right direction of the vehicle, in which case the upper part of the power unit may be connected or engaged to the cross member via a bracket.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present technology, the bracket may be provided integrally with the power unit. In another embodiment, the bracket may be provided integrally with a part of the vehicle body, or may be provided separately from the vehicle body and the power unit.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present technology, the power unit may include a traction motor that drives at least one of the multiple wheels. In addition, the power unit may further include a power conversion device electrically connected to the traction motor.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present technology, the electric vehicle may further include an electric unit located above the power unit and connected to the high-voltage cable. In this case, the power unit may be electrically connected to the high-voltage cable via the electric unit.

[0013] (Embodiment) An electric vehicle 10 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As an example, the electric vehicle 10 is a fuel cell vehicle. The electric vehicle 10 is not limited to a fuel cell vehicle, and may be a vehicle having a driving motor, such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the electric vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 12, a plurality of wheels 14f, 14r, a battery stack 16, a power unit 18, an electric unit 22, and a high-voltage cable 30. The power unit 18 supplies power from the battery stack 16 for driving the electric vehicle 10 to at least one of the plurality of wheels 14f, 14r. The high-voltage cable 30 is arranged in the vertical direction behind the power unit 18.

[0014] Here, the direction FR in the drawings indicates the front in the fore-and-aft direction of the electric vehicle 10, and the direction RR indicates the rear in the fore-and-aft direction of the electric vehicle 10. The direction LH indicates the left in the left-and-aft direction (or width direction) of the electric vehicle 10, and the direction RH indicates the right in the left-and-aft direction of the electric vehicle 10. The direction UP indicates the upward direction in the vertical direction of the electric vehicle 10, and the direction DW indicates the downward direction in the vertical direction of the electric vehicle 10. In this specification, the fore-and-aft direction of the electric vehicle 10, the left-and-aft direction of the electric vehicle 10, and the up-and-down direction of the electric vehicle 10 may be simply referred to as the fore-and-aft direction, the left-and-right direction, and the up-and-down direction, respectively.

[0015] The body 12 is made of a metal such as, but not limited to, steel or an aluminum alloy. The wheels 14f, 14r include a pair of front wheels 14f and a pair of rear wheels 14r. Each of the pair of front wheels 14f is located on the left and right of the body 12, and each of the pair of rear wheels 14r is located on the left and right of the body 12. The number of wheels 14f, 14r is not limited to four.

[0016] Inside the vehicle body 12, a cabin 12c and a front compartment 12f located in front of the cabin 12c are defined. The vehicle body 12 has a floor panel 31, a dash panel 33, a pair of front pillars 35, and a pair of apron upper members 36. The floor panel 31 defines the floor of the cabin 12c. The cabin 12c is configured so that a user can board on the floor panel 31. The dash panel 33 is interposed between the cabin 12c and the front compartment 12f. The pair of front pillars 35 extend obliquely upward from the dash panel 33 toward the rear. The pair of apron upper members 36 extend forward from the pair of front pillars 35. A pair of suspension towers 34 illustrated in FIG. 4 are provided on the inner side of the pair of apron upper members 36 in the vehicle width direction. The pair of suspension towers 34 hold upper ends of suspensions (not shown) that support the pair of front wheels 14f.

[0017] A battery stack 16, a power unit 18, and an electric unit 22 are arranged in the vehicle body 12. The battery stack 16 is arranged under a floor panel 31. The battery stack 16 is a secondary battery composed of a plurality of battery cells (not shown).

[0018] The power unit 18 and the electric unit 22 are disposed in the front compartment 12f. The power unit 18 is attached to the vehicle body 12. The power unit 18 is electrically connected to the battery stack 16 via the electric unit 22. The power unit 18 has an electromechanical integrated structure, and includes a motor M and a power conversion device 20 located above the motor M. The power conversion device 20 is electrically connected to the motor M. Thus, the motor M is electrically connected to the battery stack 16 via the power conversion device 20. The power conversion device 20 converts DC power from the battery stack 16 into AC power and supplies it to the motor M. The power conversion device 20 includes, for example, a converter and an inverter. The converter is a DC-DC converter. The converter boosts the DC power from the battery stack 16 and supplies it to the inverter. The inverter is a three-phase AC inverter. The inverter converts the DC power boosted by the converter into three-phase AC power and supplies it to the motor M. The motor M drives at least a pair of wheels using the power supplied from the power conversion device 20. In this embodiment, the motor M drives a pair of front wheels 14f. Here, the motor M is an example of a "travel motor" in the technology disclosed in this specification.

[0019] The electric unit 22 is disposed above the power unit 18. The electric unit 22 is electrically connected between the power unit 18 and the battery stack 16. The electric unit 22 has a distributor 24 and a charger 26. The charger 26 is disposed below the distributor 24. The distributor 24 is electrically connected to the charger 26. The distributor 24 distributes the power of the battery stack 16 to the power unit 18, the charger 26, etc.

[0020] The electric vehicle 10 includes an auxiliary battery 28. The charger 26 is electrically connected to the auxiliary battery 28 (shown in FIG. 2). The charger 26 supplies charging power to the auxiliary battery 28. The auxiliary battery 28 is connected to various control systems and other auxiliaries of the electric vehicle 10 and supplies power to them. The rated voltage of the auxiliary battery 28 is 12 volts. The charger 26 includes a DC-DC converter. The charger 26 steps down the DC power supplied from the battery stack 16 via the distributor 24 and supplies it to the auxiliary battery 28.

[0021] The above-mentioned battery stack 16, power unit 18, and electric unit 22 are so-called high-voltage components, and are electric components that operate at an AC voltage exceeding 30 volts or a DC voltage exceeding 60 volts. These high-voltage components 16, 18, and 22 are connected to each other by a high-voltage cable 30. The auxiliary battery 28 and the charger 26 are connected to each other by a low-voltage cable.

[0022] Here, the connections between the high-voltage components 16, 18, 22 will be described. The battery stack 16 and the electric unit 22 are connected to each other by a high-voltage cable 30. The battery stack 16 is electrically connected to the electric unit 22 via the high-voltage cable 30. The electric unit 22 and the power unit 18 are connected to each other by the high-voltage cable 30. The electric unit 22 is electrically connected to the power unit 18 via the high-voltage cable 30. As a result, the battery stack 16 is electrically connected to the power unit 18 via the high-voltage cable 30 and the electric unit 22.

[0023] 3 to 5, the support structure of the power unit 18 in the vehicle body 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the power unit 18 has an upper portion 18a and a lower portion 18b. The upper portion 18a is located above the center of gravity of the power unit 18, and the lower portion 18b is located below the center of gravity of the power unit 18. The lower portion 18b of the power unit 18 is supported by the vehicle body 12.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle body 12 has a suspension member 42 located in front of the dash panel 33 at the bottom of the front compartment 12f. The suspension member 42 is arranged so as to partially surround the lower portion 18b of the power unit 18. The suspension member 42 has a pair of cross members 42f, 42r extending along the left-right direction and a pair of side rails 42s extending along the front-rear direction. The pair of cross members 42f, 42r includes a front cross member 42f and a rear cross member 42r. The power unit 18 is arranged between the pair of cross members 42f, 42r. The pair of cross members 42f, 42r are provided with a plurality of brackets 44. The lower portion 18b of the power unit 18 is attached to the suspension member 42 via the plurality of brackets 44. The power unit 18 is supported on the suspension member 42 by the plurality of brackets 44. The number and positions of the plurality of brackets 44 are not particularly limited. In this embodiment, two brackets 44 are provided on the front cross member 42f, and one bracket 44 is provided on the rear cross member 42r.

[0025] Meanwhile, a bracket 38 is provided on the upper surface 18u of the power unit 18. The upper portion 18a of the power unit 18 is connected to the vehicle body 12 at least in the front-rear direction via the bracket 38. The bracket 38 is a bent flat plate member, and its cross section has an L-shape. The cross section here refers to a cross section perpendicular to the left-right direction. The bracket 38 is located at the front end portion of the power unit 18 and extends along the left-right direction. The bracket 38 has a horizontal portion 38a and a vertical portion 38b that extends perpendicular to the horizontal portion 38a. The vertical portion 38b extends upward from the front end of the horizontal portion 38a. In this embodiment, the bracket 38 is provided as a separate member from the power unit 18. The horizontal portion 38a of the bracket 38 is fixed to the upper surface 18u of the power unit 18 via a first fastener 40a, such as a screw member.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the vehicle body 12 has a reinforcing frame 32. The reinforcing frame 32 has a cross member 32f extending in the left-right direction and a pair of side rails 32s extending rearward from the cross member 32f. Both ends of the cross member 32f of the reinforcing frame 32 are attached to a pair of apron upper members 36, respectively. Rear ends of the pair of side rails 32s of the reinforcing frame 32 are attached to the dash panel 33, respectively. The cross member 32f of the reinforcing frame 32 is an example of a "cross member" in the technology disclosed in this specification.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, the cross member 32f of the reinforcing frame 32 has a hat-shaped cross section. The cross section here refers to a cross section perpendicular to the left-right direction. The cross member 32f is formed of a bent plate member. The cross member 32f has an upper plate portion 32a, a front plate portion 32b extending downward from the front end of the upper plate portion 32a, and a rear plate portion 32c extending downward from the rear end of the upper plate portion 32a. As an example, a rib 32r extending along the left-right direction is provided on the inner surface of the upper plate portion 32a. The rib 32r is formed of a bent plate member and has a V-shape. The rib 32r forms a closed cross section with the upper plate portion 32a. This increases the rigidity of the cross member 32f. The bracket 38 of the power unit 18 has a vertical portion 38b interposed between the front plate portion 32b of the cross member 32f and the rib 32r. In this embodiment, the bracket 38 of the power unit 18 is fixed to the front plate portion 32b of the cross member 32f via a second fastener 40b, such as a screw member.

[0028] The configuration (position, number, shape, etc.) of the fasteners 40a, 40b connecting the bracket 38 to the power unit 18 and the reinforcing frame 32 is not particularly limited. At least one of the first fastener 40a and the second fastener 40b is configured to release the connection between the power unit 18 and the vehicle body 12 (i.e., the reinforcing frame 32) by the bracket 38 when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied in the front-rear direction. As an example, at least one of the first fastener 40a and the second fastener 40b is formed with a diameter dimension that allows its shaft portion to break when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied in the front-rear direction. However, the means for this connection release is not particularly limited. In another embodiment, at least one of the first fastener 40a and the second fastener 40b may have a slit in the shaft portion. Alternatively, the bracket 38 may have a connection release means instead of the fasteners 40a, 40b.

[0029] As described above, in the electric vehicle 10, if the vehicle body 12 is structured to support the lower portion 18b of the power unit 18, when a collision load acts in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the upper portion 18a of the power unit 18 may rotate rearward about the supported lower portion 18b. If the high-voltage cable 30 is located behind the power unit 18 at this time, the high-voltage cable 30 may be damaged by contact with the power unit 18.

[0030] In order to solve the above problem, in the electric vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the upper portion 18a of the power unit 18 is connected to the vehicle body 12 at least in the vehicle front-rear direction via a bracket 38. With this configuration, when a collision load acts in the vehicle front-rear direction, the upper portion 18a of the power unit 18 can be at least temporarily prevented from rotating backward.

[0031] As described above, in this embodiment, the connection between the power unit 18 and the vehicle body 12 by the bracket 38 is configured to be released when a load of a predetermined value or more acts in the vehicle longitudinal direction. With this configuration, the transmission of problematic collision load between the vehicle body 12 and the power unit 18 is suppressed, and unintended deformation or damage to the vehicle body 12 and the power unit 18 can be avoided.

[0032] (Modification) With reference to FIG. 6, a modification of the bracket 38 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the bracket 38 is provided integrally with the power unit 18. Furthermore, the bracket 38 is configured to engage between the power unit 18 and the vehicle body 12 in the front-rear direction. In these respects, the bracket 38 is modified from the configuration of the embodiment. Note that, as an example, the vertical portion 38b of the bracket 38 is interposed between the rib 32r and the rear plate portion 32c of the reinforcing frame 32. The rear surface of the vertical portion 38b of the bracket 38 abuts against the rear plate portion 32c of the reinforcing frame 32. Even with this configuration, it is possible to at least temporarily prevent the upper portion 18a of the power unit 18 from rotating backward when a collision load acts in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0033] Specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. The technology exemplified in this specification or the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of the objectives itself has technical utility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 10: Electric vehicles 12: Body 14f,14r:wheel 16: Battery stack 18: Power unit 18a: Upper part 18b: Lower part 20: Power conversion device 22: Electric unit 24:Distributor 26: Charger 28: Auxiliary battery 30:High voltage cable 31:Floor panel 32: Reinforcement frame 32f: Cross member 33: Dash panel 38: Bracket M: Motor

Claims

1. An electric vehicle, The car body and A plurality of wheels supporting the vehicle body; a power unit attached to the vehicle body and configured to drive at least one of the plurality of wheels; A high voltage cable arranged in a vertical direction behind the power unit; Equipped with The power unit includes: a traction motor that drives at least one of the plurality of wheels; a power conversion device electrically connected to the driving motor, The vehicle body supports a lower portion of the power unit, an upper portion of the power unit is connected to the vehicle body via a bracket at least in a front-rear direction of the vehicle; An electric vehicle, wherein the connection between the power unit and the vehicle body by the bracket is configured to be released when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle body has a cross member located above the power unit and extending along a left-right direction of the vehicle, The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the upper portion of the power unit is connected to the cross member via the bracket.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bracket is provided integrally with the power unit.

4. an electric unit located above the power unit and connected to the high voltage cable; The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the power unit is electrically connected to the high voltage cable via the electric unit.

Images