Vehicle drive device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle drive device in which a rotary electric machine, a plurality of gears provided in a power transmission path from the rotary electric machine, and an inverter device are housed in a case while suppressing the overall size of the device in the vertical and horizontal directions.SOLUTION: A case 1 of a vehicle drive device 100 includes a case body 11 integrally molded so as to form a first accommodation chamber 5 accommodating a rotary electric machine MG and a plurality of gears G and a second accommodation chamber 3 accommodating an inverter device INV, a vertical V placement area of the inverter device INV overlaps with a vertical V placement area of the rotary electric machine MG, and the case body 11 includes a width direction partition wall 19 that partitions the first accommodation chamber 5 and the second accommodation chamber 3 in the width direction H.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle drive device including a rotating electric machine, a plurality of gears provided in a power transmission path from the rotating electric machine, an output member, an inverter device, and a case. [Background technology]

[0002] JP 2017-229174 A discloses an electromechanical integrated unit (1) including a rotating electric machine (3), a reduction gear (11), and an inverter device (4) (reference numerals in parentheses in the Background Art are those of the referenced document). The reduction gear (11) is a gear mechanism that transmits the driving force of the rotating electric machine (3) to wheels. The rotating electric machine (3) and the inverter device (4) are housed in a common housing (2) integrally having a rotating electric machine housing portion (21) and an inverter housing portion (22), and the reduction gear (11) is housed in a reduction gear housing (11a) separate from the common housing (2). The inverter device (4) is housed in an inverter housing portion (22) disposed above the rotating electric machine housing portion (21) that houses the rotating electric machine (3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-229174 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described mechanically and electrically integrated unit, the inverter device is disposed in an area overlapping with the rotating electric machine in a vertical view. That is, in order to secure a space for accommodating the inverter device, the housing is expanded in the vertical direction, and the vehicle drive device tends to become larger. In order to suppress the expansion of the housing in the vertical direction, it is necessary to expand the space for accommodating the inverter device in the horizontal direction. When the common housing (2) and the reducer housing (11a) are configured separately as in JP 2017-229174 A, the thickness of the common housing (2) and the thickness of the reducer case (11a) in the horizontal direction may become thick. In addition, there is a possibility that wasted space may be generated in the accommodating space in the rotating electric machine housing part (21) and the reducer housing (11a). That is, even if the size of the accommodated rotating electric machine (3) and the reducer (11) remains unchanged, the physical size of the vehicle drive device in the horizontal direction becomes large.

[0005] In view of the above background, it is desirable to provide a vehicle drive device in which a rotating electric motor, a plurality of gears provided in a power transmission path from the rotating electric motor, and an inverter device are housed in a case while preventing the entire device from becoming too large in the vertical and horizontal directions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In consideration of the above, a vehicle drive device comprises a rotating electric machine, a plurality of gears provided in a power transmission path from the rotating electric machine, a differential gear mechanism that distributes the driving force transmitted from the rotating electric machine via the plurality of gears to wheels, an inverter device that drives and controls the rotating electric machine, and a case, wherein the case comprises a case main body portion integrally molded to form a first storage chamber that accommodates the rotating electric machine and the plurality of gears, and a second storage chamber that accommodates the inverter device, with the direction along the rotation axis of the rotating electric machine being the axial direction, and the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the axial direction being the width direction, the vertical arrangement area of ​​the inverter device overlaps with the vertical arrangement area of ​​the rotating electric machine, and the case main body portion comprises a widthwise partition wall that partitions the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber in the width direction.

[0007] The rotating electric machine and the inverter device are arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical arrangement area, so that the vertical dimension of the vehicle drive device can be kept small. In addition, a first housing chamber for housing the rotating electric machine and the multiple gears and a second housing chamber for housing the inverter device are formed inside the integrally molded case main body, and a widthwise partition wall for dividing the housing chambers in the width direction is provided in the case main body, so that the number of parts of the case can be kept small compared to when these housing chambers are formed by different case members. In addition, since the first housing chamber and the second housing chamber can be divided in the width direction by the widthwise partition wall, the widthwise dimension of the vehicle drive device can be kept small compared to when the housing chambers are divided by the walls of multiple case members. In this way, with this configuration, it is possible to provide a vehicle drive device in which a rotating electric machine, multiple gears, and an inverter device are housed in a case while preventing the device as a whole from becoming large in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0008] 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]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a vehicle drive device; [Diagram 2] 1 is an axial cross-sectional view of a vehicle drive device; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a partial axial cross-sectional view of a vehicle drive device; [Figure 4] Axial cross-sectional view of a vehicle drive device [Diagram 5] Top view of a vehicle drive device [Figure 6] Skeleton diagram of a vehicle drive system [Figure 7] Schematic circuit block diagram of an electrical system that drives a rotating electric machine DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle drive device 100 includes a rotating electric machine MG arranged on a first axis A1, an output member OUT arranged on a second axis A2, which is a different axis parallel to the first axis A1, and drivingly connected to the wheels W, a plurality of gears G provided in a power transmission path from the rotating electric machine MG, and a differential gear mechanism DF that distributes the driving force transmitted from the rotating electric machine MG via the plurality of gears G to the wheels W. The output member OUT drives and connects the differential gear mechanism DF to the wheels W. The plurality of gears G also includes a gear G constituting a counter gear mechanism CG described later. In the following description, an embodiment will be illustrated in which the rotating electric machine MG is a driving force source for a pair of wheels W, the differential gear mechanism DF distributes the driving force transmitted from the rotating electric machine MG to a pair of wheels W via a pair of output members OUT, and the plurality of gears G including the counter gear mechanism CG transmit power between the rotating electric machine MG and the differential gear mechanism DF.

[0011] As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, an input gear G1 (first gear) is connected to a rotor 82 of the rotating electric machine MG so as to rotate integrally with the rotor 82, as will be described in detail later. Specifically, the input gear G1 is formed integrally with the input member IN on the outer circumferential side of the input member IN connected to a rotor shaft 82a of the rotor 82 so as to rotate integrally with the rotor shaft 82a. The multiple gears G also include the input gear G1. In this embodiment, the vehicle drive device 100 is provided with an input gear G1 (first gear), a counter gear mechanism CG (counter driven gear G2 (third gear) and counter drive gear G3 (fourth gear) described later), a differential input gear G4 (second gear) described later, and a differential gear mechanism DF, in this order from the rotating electric machine MG side, in a power transmission path connecting the rotating electric machine MG as a power generating device and the wheels W.

[0012] The axis (first axis A1) of the rotating electric machine MG and the axis (second axis A2) of the output member OUT are arranged on different axes parallel to each other. The axis of the differential gear mechanism DF is also the second axis A2. The axis (third axis A3) of the counter gear mechanism CG is arranged parallel to the first axis A1 and the second axis A2. In other words, the first axis A1, the second axis A2, and the third axis A3 are different virtual axes and arranged parallel to each other.

[0013] In the following description, the direction parallel to the first axis A1 is referred to as the axial direction L. Since the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 are parallel to each other, the axial direction L is also parallel to the second axis A2. Furthermore, since the third axis A3 is also parallel to the first axis A1 and the second axis A2, the axial direction L is also parallel to the third axis A3. One side in the axial direction L (in this embodiment, the side where the rotating electric machine MG is arranged relative to the multiple gears G) is referred to as the "first axial side L1", and the opposite side is referred to as the "second axial side L2".

[0014] In addition, the direction perpendicular to each of the first axis A1, the second axis A2, and the third axis A3 is defined as a "radial direction R" based on each axis. When it is not necessary to distinguish which axis is the reference axis or when it is clear which axis is the reference axis, it may be simply referred to as the "radial direction R". In addition, the direction along the vertical direction when the vehicle drive device 100 is attached to the vehicle is defined as the "up-down direction V". In this embodiment, the up-down direction V1, which is one side of the up-down direction V, is the upper side, and the up-down direction V2, which is the other side, is the lower side. When the vehicle drive device 100 is attached to the vehicle in a state parallel to the horizontal plane, one direction of the radial direction R and the up-down direction V coincide with each other.

[0015] Moreover, a direction perpendicular to the axial direction L and the vertical direction V is referred to as the "width direction H". Moreover, one side of the width direction H is referred to as the first width direction side H1, and the other side is referred to as the second width direction side H2. As with the vertical direction V, one direction of the radial direction R coincides with the width direction H. In the following description, terms related to the direction, position, etc. of each member are concepts that include a state in which there is a difference due to an allowable error in manufacturing. Moreover, the directions of each member represent the directions when they are assembled to the vehicle drive device 100. In this embodiment, the width direction H corresponds to the front-rear direction of the vehicle when the vehicle drive device 100 is attached to the vehicle.

[0016] The vehicle drive device 100 also includes an inverter unit INV that drives and controls the rotating electric machine MG, and a case 1 that houses the rotating electric machine MG, a plurality of gears G, and the inverter unit INV. The case 1 includes a case main body 11 that is integrally molded to form an equipment housing chamber 5 (first housing chamber) that houses the rotating electric machine MG and the plurality of gears G, and an inverter housing chamber 3 (second housing chamber) that houses the inverter unit INV. Here, "integral molding" refers to an integral member formed from a common material, for example, as a single die casting.

[0017] Moreover, in addition to the case main body 11, the case 1 includes a main body cover 10 including a first main body cover 10a joined to the case main body 11 from a first axial side L1 and a second main body cover 10b joined to the case main body 11 from a second axial side L2. The equipment accommodating chamber 5 and the inverter accommodating chamber 3 are partitioned by a partition wall 70 described below, and the equipment accommodating chamber 5 is formed as a space surrounded by the first main body cover 10a, the partition wall 70 of the case main body 11, and the second main body cover 10b.

[0018] 1 to 5, the inverter accommodating chamber 3 is formed as a space surrounded by a side wall portion 7 standing from a partition wall 70 along the vertical direction V, a cover member 79 joined to an end portion of the side wall portion 7, and the partition wall 70 of the case main body 11. As described later, the partition wall 70 includes a vertical partition wall 17 that separates the equipment accommodating chamber 5 and the inverter accommodating chamber 3 in the vertical direction V, and a widthwise partition wall 19 that separates the equipment accommodating chamber 5 and the inverter accommodating chamber 3 in the widthwise direction H.

[0019] The rotating electric machine MG is a rotating electric machine (Motor / Generator) that operates with multiple-phase AC (e.g., three-phase AC) and can function as both an electric motor and a generator. As described below with reference to Fig. 7, the rotating electric machine MG receives power from a high-voltage battery BH (high-voltage DC power source) for power running, or supplies (regenerates) power generated by the inertial force of the vehicle to the high-voltage battery BH.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2 etc., the rotating electric machine MG has a stator 81 fixed to the case 1 etc., and a rotor 82 rotatably supported radially inside the stator 81. The stator 81 includes a stator core and a stator coil 83 wound around the stator core, and the rotor 82 includes a rotor core and a permanent magnet arranged on the rotor core. As described above, the rotor 82 of the rotating electric machine MG is drivingly connected to the input gear G1. As described later, the input gear G1 is drivingly connected to the counter gear mechanism CG.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the equipment housing chamber 5 houses a first bearing B1 that rotatably supports the rotating electric machine MG, a second bearing B2 that rotatably supports an output member OUT (here, a first output member OUT1), and a support wall 8 as a partition member that partitions the space in the equipment housing chamber 5 in which the rotating electric machine MG is housed and a space in which a plurality of gears G are housed. As shown in FIG. 5, the support wall 8 extends in the width direction H. The rotor shaft 82a of the rotating electric machine MG is rotatably supported by the first bearing B1 on both the axial first side L1 and the axial second side L2. Here, the first bearing B1 on the axial first side L1 is referred to as the first rotor bearing B1a, and the first bearing B1 on the axial second side L2 is referred to as the second rotor bearing B1b. The first rotor bearing B1a is supported by the first body cover 10a, and the second rotor bearing B1b is supported by the support wall 8.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 6, etc., the differential gear mechanism DF is drivingly connected to the wheels W via the output member OUT. The differential gear mechanism DF includes a plurality of bevel gears meshing with each other, and distributes and transmits the rotation and torque input to the differential input gear G4 to a pair of output members OUT (i.e., a pair of wheels W) via a first side gear S1 and a second side gear S2. That is, the differential gear mechanism DF includes a differential input gear G4 (second gear) to which the driving force from the input gear G1 (first gear) is transmitted, and distributes the driving force of the rotating electric machine MG transmitted via this differential input gear G4 to the output member OUT. Specifically, the differential gear mechanism DF distributes the driving force of the rotating electric machine MG transmitted via the differential input gear G4 to the first output member OUT1 and the second output member OUT2. In this way, the vehicle drive device 100 can transmit the torque of the rotating electric machine MG to the wheels W to run the vehicle.

[0023] The first output member OUT1 is supported by the second bearing B2 on the first axial side L1 and is connected to the connecting shaft JT on the second axial side L2, and the connecting shaft JT is connected to the first side gear S1 of the differential gear mechanism DF on the second axial side L2. The second output member OUT2 is connected to the second side gear S2 of the differential gear mechanism DF on the first axial side. The second bearing B2 is supported by the first body cover 10a in the same manner as the first bearing B1. It should be noted that the first side gear S1 and the second side gear S2 are naturally included in the differential gear mechanism DF and are not included in the output member OUT.

[0024] Since the first bearing B1 (first rotor bearing B1a) and the second bearing B2 are attached to the first body cover 10a (first cover), the rotating electric machine MG and the output member OUT can be supported at the end side of the first axial side L1 in the axial direction L, and an increase in size of the vehicle drive device 100 can be suppressed. A seal member for sealing the through hole of the output member OUT is attached to the body cover 10a.

[0025] As shown in Figures 2, 4, 6, etc., the counter gear mechanism CG is disposed on a third axis A3 parallel to the first axis A1 and the second axis A2, and drives and connects the rotating electric machine MG and the differential gear mechanism DF via an input gear G1. In this embodiment, the counter gear mechanism CG has two gears (counter driven gear G2, counter drive gear G3) connected by a shaft member. That is, the counter gear mechanism CG is disposed on the third axis A3 and includes a counter driven gear G2 (third gear) that meshes with the input gear G1 (first gear), and a counter drive gear G3 (fourth gear) that rotates integrally with the counter driven gear G2 and meshes with the differential input gear G4 (second gear).

[0026] Here, in the axial direction L, the counter driven gear G2 (first gear) is disposed closer to the rotating electric machine MG than the counter drive gear G3 (second gear). As shown in FIG. 4, the third shaft A3 is disposed lower in the vertical direction V (second vertical side V2) than the imaginary plane QL connecting the first shaft A1 and the second shaft A2. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, the diameter of the counter driven gear G2 is larger than that of the multiple gears G. In this way, by disposing the third shaft A3, on which the counter gear mechanism CG having a large diameter gear is disposed, lower than the first shaft A1 and the second shaft A2, it is easier to secure a space above the first shaft A1 and the second shaft A2 than when the third shaft A3 is disposed above the first shaft A1 and the second shaft A2.

[0027] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the inverter unit INV is disposed above the counter driven gear G2 in the vertical direction V (first side V1 in the vertical direction) and overlaps with the counter driven gear G2 in the vertical direction. In other words, by utilizing the space secured by disposing the third shaft A3 below, the inverter unit INV can be disposed above the counter driven gear G2 and at a position overlapping with the counter driven gear G2 in the vertical direction. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the vehicle drive device 100 in the vertical direction V, and to reduce the size of the vehicle drive device 100. In addition, the secured space can be used to efficiently wire the AC power lines 50, which will be described later.

[0028] As described above, the rotor shaft 82a of the rotating electric machine MG is connected to the input member IN on which the input gear G1 is formed, and rotates integrally with the input member IN. The input member IN is rotatably supported on the support wall 8 via a bearing on the first axial side L1, and is rotatably supported on the second body cover 10b via a bearing on the second axial side (the reference numerals of the bearings are omitted in the drawings). Similarly, the counter gear mechanism CG is rotatably supported on the support wall 8 via a bearing on the first axial side L1, and is rotatably supported on the second body cover 10b via a bearing on the second axial side. The differential gear mechanism DF is also rotatably supported on the support wall 8 via a bearing on the first axial side L1, and is rotatably supported on the second body cover 10b via a bearing on the second axial side. By providing the support wall 8 in the equipment housing chamber 5, it is possible to appropriately house the rotating electric machine MG and the multiple gears G in the equipment housing chamber 5 while preventing the case 1 from becoming large.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 7, the rotating electric machine MG is driven and controlled by the inverter device INV. In this embodiment, as described later with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, etc., the inverter device INV is also housed in the case 1 (case main body 11). The inverter device INV includes an inverter circuit 60 that converts power between DC power and multi-phase AC power. The inverter circuit 60 is connected to the AC rotating electric machine MG and the high-voltage battery BH, and converts power between multi-phase (here, three phases: U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase) AC and DC. The high-voltage battery BH is composed of, for example, a secondary battery (battery) such as a nickel-metal hydride battery or a lithium-ion battery, an electric double-layer capacitor, or the like. When the rotating electric machine MG is a driving force source for a vehicle, the high-voltage battery BH is a high-voltage, large-capacity DC power source, and the rated power source voltage is, for example, 200 to 400 [V]. The inverter circuit 60 is provided with a DC link capacitor 64 (smoothing capacitor) that smoothes the voltage (DC link voltage Vdc) between the DC positive power supply line P and the DC negative power supply line N. The DC link capacitor 64 stabilizes the DC link voltage Vdc that fluctuates in accordance with fluctuations in the power consumption of the rotating electric machine MG.

[0030] The inverter circuit 60 is configured with a plurality of switching elements. Specifically, the inverter circuit 60 includes a plurality of (here, three) arms for one phase of AC, each of which is configured by a series circuit of an upper-stage switching element and a lower-stage switching element. As the switching elements, it is preferable to apply power semiconductor elements capable of operating at high frequencies, such as an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), a power MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor), a SiC-MOSFET (Silicon Carbide-Metal Oxide Semiconductor FET), a SiC-SIT (SiC-Static Induction Transistor), or a GaN-MOSFET (Gallium Nitride-MOSFET). As shown in FIG. 7, this embodiment illustrates a form in which an IGBT is used as a switching element. In this embodiment, the inverter circuit 60, including a freewheel diode, is integrated into one power module to configure a switching element module.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 7, the inverter circuit 60 is controlled by an inverter control device 65 (M-CTRL). The inverter control device 65 is constructed with a logic circuit such as a microcomputer as a core component. The inverter control device 65 performs current feedback control using a known vector control method based on the target torque of the rotating electric machine MG to control the rotating electric machine MG via the inverter circuit 60. The target torque of the rotating electric machine MG is provided as a request signal from another control device such as a vehicle control device 91 (VCL-CTRL), which is one of the higher-level control devices in the vehicle. The actual current flowing through the stator coil 83 of each phase of the rotating electric machine MG is detected by a current sensor 84. In addition, the magnetic pole position of the rotor of the rotating electric machine MG at each point in time is detected by a rotation sensor 85 such as a resolver.

[0032] The inverter control device 65 executes current feedback control using the detection results of the current sensor 84 and the rotation sensor 85. The inverter control device 65 is configured to have various functional units for current feedback control, and each functional unit is realized by cooperation between hardware such as a microcomputer and software (programs).

[0033] The vehicle control device 91 and the inverter control device 65 are low-voltage circuits that operate by being supplied with power from a low-voltage battery BL (low-voltage DC power source) that is a power source with a lower voltage (for example, 12 to 24 [V]) than the high-voltage battery BH. For this reason, the inverter control device 65 is provided with a drive circuit that enhances and relays the drive capability (for example, the capability to operate a downstream circuit, such as voltage amplitude or output current) of a switching control signal (gate drive signal in the case of IGBT) for each switching element. The inverter control device 65 is configured by mounting the above-mentioned microcomputer, its peripheral circuits, and circuit components that constitute the drive circuit on one or more boards.

[0034] The inverter unit INV is configured as a unit including the inverter control device 65, DC link capacitor 64, and inverter circuit 60 (power module) as described above (see Fig. 3, Fig. 7, etc.). As described below, the inverter unit INV as a unit is placed in the inverter accommodation chamber 3 (second accommodation chamber) inside the case 1, and is fixed to the case 1 by fastening members such as bolts. In this embodiment, "overlapping with the inverter unit INV" refers to a state of overlapping with any one or more of the components of the inverter unit INV.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4, inside the case 1, three-phase rotating electric machine side AC bus bars 53 connected to the three-phase stator coils 83 of the rotating electric machine MG respectively extend from the rotating electric machine MG side to the differential gear mechanism DF (plurality of gears G) side. In addition, between the equipment housing chamber 5 and the inverter housing chamber 3, an AC bus bar connector 52 (AC bus bar connection member) is arranged so as to penetrate the vertical partition wall 17. One end of the AC bus bar connector 52 is located inside the inverter housing chamber 3. One end of the AC bus bar connector 52 and the inverter side AC bus bar 51 are electrically connected inside the inverter housing chamber 3. The AC power line 50 includes the inverter side AC bus bar 51, the AC bus bar connector 52, and the rotating electric machine side AC bus bar 53. As described above, the AC power line 50 can be efficiently wired using the space secured by arranging the counter gear mechanism CG below.

[0036] 1 to 4, the case main body 11 includes an equipment accommodating chamber 5 that accommodates the rotating electric machine MG, a plurality of gears G (including a counter gear mechanism CG), a differential gear mechanism DF, and an output member OUT, and an inverter accommodating chamber 3 (second accommodating chamber) that accommodates the inverter unit INV. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the case main body 11 includes a widthwise partition wall 19 that partitions the equipment accommodating chamber 5 and the inverter accommodating chamber 3 in the widthwise direction H. Also, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, etc., the arrangement area of ​​the inverter unit INV in the up-down direction V overlaps with the arrangement area of ​​the rotating electric machine MG in the up-down direction V.

[0037] The rotating electric machine MG, the gears G, and the differential gear mechanism DF housed in the equipment housing chamber 5 are equipment that rotate around a rotation axis, and the diameters of these are often different. The equipment housing chamber 5 houses equipment that rotates around different axes (for example, a first axis A1 and a second axis A2), and the equipment housing chamber 5 is often formed in a shape that combines multiple cylinders. In this case, as viewed in the axial direction L, an envelope line connecting the circumferences of two circles (corresponding to the cross section of a cylinder) with different diameters is a curve that is recessed in the direction in which the two circles exist. For this reason, the width-direction partition wall 19 is formed in a recessed portion of the case main body portion 11 extending along the axial direction L at a location corresponding to this recessed envelope line. In other words, when the case main body portion 11 is formed by combining two cylindrical spaces with different diameters, the width-direction partition wall 19 can be formed by also using a part of the peripheral wall of the cylindrical space with the larger diameter. In this embodiment, the widthwise partition walls 19 are arranged along the axial direction L and, as shown in FIG. 4, along a direction that is inclined downward toward the second widthwise side H2.

[0038] As described above, when the equipment accommodating chamber 5 is formed in a shape like a combination of multiple cylinders with different diameters, the length in the up-down direction V may differ between the first widthwise side H1 and the second widthwise side H2 across the widthwise partition wall 19 when viewed in the axial direction L. In this case, for example, if the inverter accommodating chamber 3 is formed on the side of a cylinder with a smaller diameter, the inverter unit INV can be disposed by appropriately providing the inverter accommodating chamber 3 in an area that is likely to become a so-called dead space.

[0039] That is, the rotating electric machine MG and the inverter unit INV are arranged so as to overlap in the arrangement area in the vertical direction V, so that the dimension in the vertical direction V of the vehicle drive device 100 can be kept small. In addition, the equipment accommodation chamber 5 (first accommodation chamber) that accommodates the rotating electric machine MG and a plurality of gears, and the inverter accommodation chamber 3 (second accommodation chamber) that accommodates the inverter unit INV are formed inside the integrally molded case main body 11, and the width direction partition wall 19 that divides them in the width direction H is provided in the case main body 11, so that the number of parts of the case 1 can be kept small compared to the case where these accommodation chambers are formed by different case members. In addition, the equipment accommodation chamber 5 and the inverter accommodation chamber 3 can be divided in the width direction H by the width direction partition wall 19, so that the dimension in the width direction H of the vehicle drive device 100 can be kept small compared to the case where they are divided by the walls of a plurality of case members.

[0040] The equipment accommodating chamber 5 (first accommodating chamber) has a rotating electric machine accommodating chamber 2 that accommodates a rotating electric machine MG, and a gear accommodating chamber 4 that accommodates a plurality of gears G. The case main body 11 is provided with a support wall 8 serving as a partition member disposed between the rotating electric machine accommodating chamber 2 and the gear accommodating chamber 4 in the axial direction L. Widthwise partition walls 19 are formed on both sides in the axial direction L with the support wall 8 (partition member) in between.

[0041] By providing the support wall 8, the rotating electric machine accommodating chamber 2 and the gear accommodating chamber 4 can be appropriately formed in the integrally formed case main body 11. Compared to a configuration including a case member in which the rotating electric machine accommodating chamber 2 is formed and a case member in which the gear accommodating chamber 4 is formed, the number of parts of the case 1 can be reduced. In addition, since the partition walls 70 are formed on both sides of the support wall 8 in the axial direction L, it is easy to ensure the rigidity of the equipment accommodating chamber 5, the inverter accommodating chamber 3, and the partition wall 70. In addition, as described above, since the support wall 8 supports the bearing, there is no need to provide a separate space for installing the support member, and an increase in size of the vehicle drive device 100 is suppressed.

[0042] In this embodiment, the arrangement area of ​​the widthwise partition wall 19 in the axial direction L overlaps with the arrangement area of ​​the rotating electric machine MG in the axial direction L and also overlaps with the arrangement area of ​​the gear G in the axial direction L.

[0043] Since the widthwise partition wall 19 extends over a relatively long range in the axial direction L, as described above, for example, when the equipment accommodating chamber 5 is formed in a shape combining multiple cylinders of different diameters, the inverter accommodating chamber 3 can be appropriately provided in an area that is likely to become a so-called dead space, and the inverter unit INV can be arranged therein.

[0044] Further, the width direction partition wall 19 is formed so as to extend toward the width direction first side H1 as it approaches the axial second side L2.

[0045] As described above, when the equipment accommodating chamber 5 is formed in a shape like a combination of multiple cylinders with different diameters, the inverter accommodating chamber 3 can be appropriately provided in an area that is likely to become a so-called dead space, and the inverter unit INV can be disposed therein. For example, when the dead space increases on the widthwise first side H1 toward the axial second side L2, the widthwise partition wall 19 extends on the widthwise first side H1, so that the dead space can be effectively utilized.

[0046] In this embodiment, at least a portion of the widthwise partition wall 19 overlaps with the rotating electric machine MG in the up-down direction V and the widthwise direction H.

[0047] By having at least a portion of the widthwise partition wall 19 overlap with the rotating electric machine MG in this manner, the inverter accommodating chamber 3 can be appropriately formed in a location that overlaps with the rotating electric machine MG and is likely to become a dead space.

[0048] As described above, the case main body 11 further includes the vertical partition wall 17 that divides the equipment accommodating chamber 5 and the inverter accommodating chamber 3 in the vertical direction V (see Figs. 1 to 4, etc.). In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the vertical partition wall 17 is arranged along the axial direction L and the width direction H. The vertical partition wall 17 is arranged to divide the inverter device INV and the output member OUT from each other in the vertical direction V.

[0049] The case main body 11, which is integrally molded with the equipment accommodating chamber 5 (first accommodating chamber) and the inverter accommodating chamber 3 (second accommodating chamber), is provided with a vertical partition wall 17 that divides these accommodating chambers in the vertical direction V, so that the number of parts of the case 1 can be reduced compared to when these accommodating chambers are formed from separate case members. Also, because the vertical partition wall 17 can divide the equipment accommodating chamber 5 and the inverter accommodating chamber 3 in the vertical direction V, the dimension of the vehicle drive device 100 in the vertical direction V can be kept small compared to when they are divided by the walls of a plurality of case members.

[0050] In addition, in this embodiment, the inverter unit INV is arranged above the output member OUT in the vertical direction V, and is arranged so that the inverter unit INV and the output member OUT overlap when viewed in the vertical direction along the vertical direction V (see Figures 2 to 5, etc.).

[0051] Since the rotating electric machine MG generally has a larger diameter than the output member OUT, when the output member OUT and the inverter unit INV, which have relatively smaller diameters, are arranged side by side in the vertical direction V, each device can be efficiently housed in the case main body 11. Furthermore, when the inverter unit INV is arranged at the top, maintenance of the inverter unit INV can be easily performed.

[0052] Also, as shown in Figure 4, the inverter unit INV is arranged between the end portion (first end portion T1) of the equipment accommodating chamber 5 on the first widthwise side H1 in the width direction H and the end portion (second end portion T2) of the equipment accommodating chamber 5 on the second widthwise side.

[0053] By arranging the inverter unit INV within the range of the width direction H of the equipment housing chamber 5 in which the rotating electric machine MG and the multiple gears G are housed, the dimension of the vehicle drive device 100 in the width direction H can be kept small.

[0054] In this embodiment, the inverter unit INV is disposed above the differential gear mechanism DF in the vertical direction V, and is disposed so that the inverter unit INV and the differential gear mechanism DF overlap when viewed in the vertical direction V (see FIGS. 2, 3, etc.). In other words, the inverter unit INV is disposed so that the inverter unit INV and the differential gear mechanism DF overlap in the vertical direction V.

[0055] Since the differential gear mechanism DF and the inverter unit INV are arranged so as to overlap when viewed in the vertical direction V, a sufficient arrangement area in the width direction H of the inverter unit INV can be secured, and the dimensions of the vehicle drive device 100 can be prevented from becoming large in the vertical direction V.

[0056] 3, in this embodiment, the inverter unit INV and the differential gear mechanism DF are arranged so as to overlap when viewed in the up-down direction, but the inverter unit INV and the differential input gear G4 (second gear) do not overlap when viewed in the up-down direction, and the inverter unit INV and the differential input gear G4 are arranged so as to overlap when viewed in the axial direction along the axial direction L. In other words, the inverter unit INV and the differential input gear G4 (second gear) do not overlap in the up-down direction V, and the inverter unit INV and the differential input gear G4 are arranged so as to overlap in the axial direction L.

[0057] The differential input gear G4 is arranged so as to overlap the inverter unit INV when viewed in the axial direction, but not to overlap the inverter unit INV when viewed in the vertical direction. In other words, the differential input gear G4, which has a larger diameter, is arranged shifted to one side in the axial direction L (here, the second axial side L2, i.e., the opposite side to the rotating electric machine MG when viewed from the differential gear mechanism DF) with respect to the inverter unit INV. This makes it possible to keep the dimension of the vehicle drive device 100 in the vertical direction V small.

[0058] As described above, the inverter unit INV and the differential gear mechanism DF are arranged so as to overlap when viewed in the vertical direction, but the differential input gear G4 constituting the differential gear mechanism DF is arranged so as not to overlap with the inverter unit INV when viewed in the vertical direction. On the other hand, among the components of the differential gear mechanism DF, a part of the differential case connected to the differential input gear G4 and rotating integrally therewith, and one of the side gears (here, the first side gear S1) overlap with the inverter unit INV when viewed in the vertical direction. In addition, the differential case and the side gears (the first side gear S1 and the second side gear S2) do not overlap with the inverter unit INV when viewed in the axial direction.

[0059] As described above, the gears G include a counter gear mechanism CG that is disposed on the third axis A3 and includes a counter driven gear G2 (third gear) that meshes with the input gear G1 (first gear) and a counter drive gear G3 (fourth gear) that rotates integrally with the counter driven gear G2 (third gear) and meshes with the differential input gear G4 (second gear). As shown in Fig. 4, the third axis A3 is disposed below (on the second side V2 in the vertical direction) an imaginary plane QL that includes the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 in the vertical direction V, and is disposed so that the inverter device INV and the counter gear mechanism CG overlap when viewed in the vertical direction V, as shown in Figs. 2, 5, etc.

[0060] Since the counter gear mechanism CG and the inverter unit INV are arranged so as to overlap when viewed in the vertical direction V, a sufficient arrangement area in the width direction H of the inverter unit INV can be secured, and the dimensions of the vehicle drive device 100 can be prevented from expanding in the vertical direction V.

[0061] In this embodiment, a configuration is exemplified in which both the counter driven gear G2 (third gear) and the counter drive gear G3 (fourth gear) overlap with the inverter unit INV when viewed in the vertical direction, but either one of the counter driven gear G2 (third gear) and the counter drive gear G3 (fourth gear) may overlap with the inverter unit INV when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0062] 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.

[0063] (1) In the above, a vehicle drive device 100 having a rotating electric machine MG as a driving force source for the wheels W has been described as an example, but the vehicle drive device 100 may also be a hybrid drive device having both an internal combustion engine and a rotating electric machine MG as a driving force source for the wheels W of the vehicle (for example, various types of hybrid drive devices such as a so-called one-motor parallel type or two-motor split type).

[0064] (2) In the above, a three-axis vehicle drive device 100 in which the three axes A1, A2, and A3 are arranged in parallel has been described as an example, but the vehicle drive device 100 may be a two-axis device in which the two axes A1 and A2 are arranged in parallel. The vehicle drive device 100 may also be configured with one or more axes other than A1, A2, and A3 further arranged in parallel, so that four or more axes are arranged in parallel. The vehicle drive device 100 may also be configured with a single axis in which the rotating electric machine MG, the gear G, and the differential gear mechanism DF are arranged on the same axis. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1: case, 2: rotating electrical machine housing, 3: inverter housing (second housing), 4: gear housing, 5: equipment housing (first housing), 8: support wall (compartment member), 11: case main body, 17: vertical partition wall, 19: width partition wall, 82: rotor, 100: vehicle drive device, A1: first shaft, A2: second shaft, A3: third shaft, CG: counter gear mechanism, DF: differential gear mechanism, G1: input gear (first gear), G2: counter driven gear (third gear) , G3: counter drive gear (fourth gear), G4: differential input gear (second gear), H: width direction, H1: first side in width direction, H2: second side in width direction, INV: inverter device, L: axial direction, MG: rotating electric machine, OUT: output member, QL: imaginary surface, T1: first end (end of the first storage chamber on the first side in the width direction), T2: second end (end of the first storage chamber on the second side in the width direction), V: vertical direction, V1: first side in the vertical direction (upward), V2: second side in the vertical direction (downward), W: wheel

Claims

1. A rotating electric machine; a plurality of gears provided in a power transmission path from the rotating electric machine; a differential gear mechanism including a second gear, the differential gear mechanism distributing a driving force transmitted from the rotating electric machine to the second gear via a plurality of the gears to wheels; an inverter device that drives and controls the rotating electric machine; A case; the case includes a case main body portion that is integrally molded to form a first accommodation chamber that accommodates the rotating electric machine and the plurality of gears, and a second accommodation chamber that accommodates the inverter device, A direction along the rotation axis of the rotating electric machine is defined as an axial direction, and a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the axial direction is defined as a width direction. an arrangement area of ​​the inverter device in the vertical direction overlaps with an arrangement area of ​​the rotating electric machine in the vertical direction; The case main body includes a width direction partition wall that partitions the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber in the width direction, the plurality of gears includes a first gear connected to a rotor of the rotating electric machine so as to rotate integrally with the rotor, the differential gear mechanism distributes the driving force of the rotating electric machine transmitted via the second gear to the wheels; the inverter device is disposed above the differential gear mechanism in the up-down direction, the rotating electric machine and the first gear are disposed on a first axis, and the differential gear mechanism and the second gear are disposed on a second axis that is a separate axis parallel to the first axis, a counter gear mechanism including a third gear arranged on a third shaft parallel to the first shaft and the second shaft, the third gear meshing with the first gear, and a fourth gear rotating integrally with the third gear and meshing with the second gear; the plurality of gears include the third gear and the fourth gear, the third axis is disposed below a virtual plane including the first axis and the second axis in the up-down direction; the inverter device and the counter gear mechanism are arranged to overlap in the vertical direction.

2. A rotating electric machine; a plurality of gears provided in a power transmission path from the rotating electric machine; a differential gear mechanism including a second gear, the differential gear mechanism distributing a driving force transmitted from the rotating electric machine to the second gear via a plurality of the gears to wheels; an inverter device that drives and controls the rotating electric machine; A case; the case includes a case main body portion that is integrally molded to form a first accommodation chamber that accommodates the rotating electric machine and the plurality of gears, and a second accommodation chamber that accommodates the inverter device, A direction along the rotation axis of the rotating electric machine is defined as an axial direction, and a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the axial direction is defined as a width direction. an arrangement area of ​​the inverter device in the vertical direction overlaps with an arrangement area of ​​the rotating electric machine in the vertical direction; The case main body includes a width direction partition wall that partitions the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber in the width direction, the plurality of gears includes a first gear connected to a rotor of the rotating electric machine so as to rotate integrally with the rotor, the differential gear mechanism distributes the driving force of the rotating electric machine transmitted via the second gear to the wheels; the inverter device is disposed above the differential gear mechanism in the up-down direction, the inverter device and the differential gear mechanism are arranged to overlap in the vertical direction, a vehicle drive device, the inverter device and the second gear being arranged so as not to overlap in the vertical direction and so as to overlap in the axial direction;

3. A rotating electric machine; a plurality of gears provided in a power transmission path from the rotating electric machine; a differential gear mechanism including a second gear, the differential gear mechanism distributing a driving force transmitted from the rotating electric machine to the second gear via a plurality of the gears to wheels; an inverter device that drives and controls the rotating electric machine; A case; the case includes a case main body portion that is integrally molded to form a first accommodation chamber that accommodates the rotating electric machine and the plurality of gears, and a second accommodation chamber that accommodates the inverter device, A direction along the rotation axis of the rotating electric machine is defined as an axial direction, and a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the axial direction is defined as a width direction. an arrangement area of ​​the inverter device in the vertical direction overlaps with an arrangement area of ​​the rotating electric machine in the vertical direction; The case main body includes a width direction partition wall that partitions the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber in the width direction, The differential gear mechanism includes a differential case that rotates integrally with the second gear, and a second shaft that is a rotation shaft of the differential case overlaps with the inverter device when viewed in the up-down direction along the up-down direction, The second gear overlaps with both the rotating electric machine and the inverter device when viewed in the axial direction.

4. A rotating electric machine; a plurality of gears provided in a power transmission path from the rotating electric machine; a differential gear mechanism including a second gear, the differential gear mechanism distributing a driving force transmitted from the rotating electric machine to the second gear via a plurality of the gears to wheels; an inverter device that drives and controls the rotating electric machine; A case; the case includes a case main body portion that is integrally molded to form a first accommodation chamber that accommodates the rotating electric machine and the plurality of gears, and a second accommodation chamber that accommodates the inverter device, A direction along the rotation axis of the rotating electric machine is defined as an axial direction, and a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the axial direction is defined as a width direction. an arrangement area of ​​the inverter device in the vertical direction overlaps with an arrangement area of ​​the rotating electric machine in the vertical direction; The case main body includes a width direction partition wall that partitions the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber in the width direction, The one side in the width direction is a width direction first side, and the other side in the width direction is a width direction second side, a rotation shaft of the second gear is located on the second width direction side with respect to a rotation shaft of the rotating electric machine, a second widthwise end of the inverter device being disposed closer to the first widthwise side than an end of the second gear on the second widthwise side;

5. The plurality of gears include a first gear connected to rotate integrally with a rotor of the rotating electric machine, a third gear meshing with the first gear, and a fourth gear rotating integrally with the third gear and meshing with the second gear; the rotating electric machine and the first gear are disposed on a first shaft, and the differential gear mechanism is disposed on a second shaft which is a separate shaft parallel to the first shaft, the third gear and the fourth gear are disposed on a third axis parallel to the first axis and the second axis, The vehicle drive device according to claim 2 , wherein the third axis is disposed below an imaginary plane including the first axis and the second axis.

6. the first accommodation chamber includes a rotating electric machine accommodation chamber that accommodates the rotating electric machine and a gear accommodation chamber that accommodates the plurality of gears, the case body includes a partition member disposed between the rotating electric machine accommodating chamber and the gear accommodating chamber in the axial direction, The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the width direction partition walls are formed on both sides of the partition member in the axial direction.

7. 7. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein the axial arrangement area of ​​the widthwise partition wall overlaps with the axial arrangement area of ​​the rotating electric machine and overlaps with the axial arrangement area of ​​the gear.

8. The 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 one side in the width direction is a width direction first side, and the other side in the width direction is a width direction second side, The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the width direction partition wall is formed so as to extend toward the width direction first side as it approaches the axial second side.

9. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the width direction partition wall overlaps with the rotating electric machine in the up-down direction and the width direction.

10. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the case body further includes a vertical partition wall that divides the first accommodation chamber and the second accommodation chamber in the vertical direction.

11. the inverter device is disposed above an output member that drivingly connects the differential gear mechanism and the wheels in the vertical direction, The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the inverter device and the output member are arranged to overlap each other in the vertical direction.

12. The one side in the width direction is a width direction first side, and the other side in the width direction is a width direction second side, 12. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein the inverter device is disposed between an end portion of the first storage chamber on the first width direction side in the width direction and an end portion of the first storage chamber on the second width direction side in the width direction.

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