Mechanical and electrical integrated unit

Abstract

To provide new technique for recovering heat from an electric component included in an electric circuit unit, in a mechatronic unit.SOLUTION: A vehicular mechatronic unit comprises: a housing having first and second chambers; a motor and / or a gear mechanism arranged in the first chamber; and an electric circuit unit arranged in the second chamber. The electric circuit unit comprises: a first plate; at least one first electric component assembled to the first plate; a second plate bound to the first plate; and at least one second electric component assembled to the second plate. A cooling path for flowing a cooling medium therethrough is provided between the first and second plates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an integrated electromechanical unit for a vehicle. This integrated electromechanical unit includes a housing having a first chamber and a second chamber, a mechanical unit having a motor disposed in the first chamber, and an electric circuit unit disposed in the second chamber and electrically connected to the motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-112116 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The electric circuit unit of the electromechanical integrated unit may include an electric component (e.g., a reactor) that generates a relatively large amount of heat during operation. Therefore, it is necessary to recover heat from the electric component that generates a relatively large amount of heat and manage the temperature of the electric component to be within an appropriate range. In this case, for example, it is conceivable to provide a cooling path through which a cooling medium flows in the housing of the electromechanical integrated unit, but there is a risk that blowholes will occur during the manufacturing of the housing, making it impossible to ensure the sealing of the cooling path. Alternatively, it is conceivable to form a cooling path through which a cooling medium flows in the housing using a gasket seal, but this would result in an increase in the size of the electromechanical integrated unit.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, this specification provides a novel technique for recovering heat from an electric component included in an electric circuit unit 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 housing having a first chamber and a second chamber, a motor and / or a gear mechanism disposed in the first chamber, and an electric circuit unit disposed in the second chamber. The electric circuit unit includes a first plate, at least one first electric component assembled to the first plate, a second plate joined to the first plate, and at least one second electric component assembled to the second plate. A cooling path for circulating a cooling medium is provided between the first plate and the second plate.

[0007] In the above-mentioned configuration, a cooling path for circulating the cooling medium is provided between the first plate and the second plate. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide a cooling path in the housing or the like, and the mechanically and electrically integrated unit can be made smaller. In addition, the cooling medium flowing through the cooling path can recover heat from both the first electric component provided on the first plate and the second electric component provided on the second plate. This makes it possible to manage the temperature of each electric component within an appropriate range. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electromechanical integrated unit 10. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a second electric circuit unit 30b. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a cooling path 42 provided between a first plate 32 and a second plate 34. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3 . [Diagram 5] 1 is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration of the mechanically and electrically integrated unit 10. In addition, a power source 102 and an auxiliary battery 104 of the vehicle are also shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] In one embodiment of the present technology, at least a part of the cooling path may be formed by a groove provided in the first plate and / or the second plate. With such a configuration, since an additional configuration for providing the cooling path is not required, it is possible to avoid the configuration of the electromechanical integrated unit from becoming complicated and to achieve a reduction in the size of the electromechanical integrated unit. However, in another embodiment, the cooling path may be formed by a pipe or the like.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present technology, the at least one first electric component may form at least a part of a step-down converter that steps down DC power from a power supply of the vehicle and supplies the power to an auxiliary battery of the vehicle. With such a configuration, at least a part of the step-down converter can be disposed in a surplus space of the electromechanical integrated unit, thereby saving space in the vehicle interior.

[0011] In the above-described embodiment, the at least one second electrical component may include a reactor. In this case, the reactor may constitute a part of a power control circuit for controlling the power supplied to the motor. However, in other embodiments, the at least one second electrical component may be another component that constitutes a part of the power control circuit. EXAMPLES

[0012] The electromechanical integrated unit 10 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The electromechanical integrated unit 10 of the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle such as a two-motor hybrid vehicle. However, the vehicle is not necessarily limited to a hybrid vehicle, and may be a vehicle having a driving motor such as an electric vehicle or a fuel-powered vehicle. Some or all of the technology described in the embodiment can be similarly adopted in vehicles that run on tracks. In addition, the vehicle is not limited to one that is operated by a user, and may be one that is remotely operated by an external device or one that runs autonomously.

[0013] 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. Thus, 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.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the electromechanical integrated unit 10 includes a housing 12. The housing 12 is a housing member. The housing 12 includes a housing body 14 and a cover plate 16. The housing body 14 has a bottom wall 14a and four side walls 14b extending upward from the outer periphery of the bottom wall 14a. The housing body 14 has an opening 14c at an upper portion. The opening 14c of the housing body 14 is defined by the four side walls 14b. The cover plate 16 is attached to the opening 14c. The cover plate 16 closes the opening 14c of the housing body 14. The housing body 14 is made of a conductive material such as aluminum. The cover plate 16 is a plate-shaped member and is made of a conductive material such as aluminum.

[0015] The housing main body 14 further has a partition wall 14w. The partition wall 14w is provided inside the housing 12. The partition wall 14w divides the inside of the housing 12 into a first chamber R1 and a second chamber R2. As an example, the second chamber R2 is located above the first chamber R1, separated by the partition wall 14w.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the electromechanical integrated unit 10 includes a plurality of motors 18, 20 and a plurality of gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26, 28. The plurality of motors 18, 20 include a first motor 18 and a second motor 20. The first motor 18 and the second motor 20 are disposed in the first chamber R1. As an example, the second motor 20 is disposed in the first chamber R1 along the front-rear direction of the vehicle relative to the first motor 18, and at least a portion of the second motor 20 is located above the first motor 18. The plurality of gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26, 28 are disposed in the first chamber R1. Although not limited to this, the plurality of gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26, 28 include a planetary gear mechanism 22, a reduction gear mechanism 24, a motor output gear mechanism 26, and a differential gear mechanism 28. For example, the motor output gear mechanism 26 is connected to the second motor 20 via an axle. This enables the vehicle to drive the wheels using power from the second motor 20 via the motor output gear mechanism 26.

[0017] The number of the motors 18, 20 is not necessarily limited to two, but may be at least one. Similarly, the number of the gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26, 28 is not necessarily plural, but may be at least one. In addition, it is not necessary for both the motors 18, 20 and the gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26, 28 to be arranged in the first chamber R1, and it is sufficient that either the motors 18, 20 or the gear mechanisms 22, 24, 26, 28 are arranged in the first chamber R1. The mechanically and electrically integrated unit 10 may further include an oil pump that circulates lubricating oil in the first chamber R1. In this case, the motors 18, 20 arranged in the first chamber R1 can be cooled by the oil pump.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the electromechanical integrated unit 10 further includes an electric circuit unit 30. The electric circuit unit 30 is disposed in the second chamber R2. The electric circuit unit 30 is electrically connected to at least one of the first motor 18 and the second motor 20. The electric circuit unit 30 includes a first electric circuit unit 30a and a second electric circuit unit 30b. The second electric circuit unit 30b is located below the first electric circuit unit 30a. As an example, the first electric circuit unit 30a is fixed to the cover plate 16 of the housing 12, and the second electric circuit unit 30b is fixed to the housing main body 14.

[0019] 2, the second electric circuit unit 30b includes a first plate 32, a second plate 34, a plurality of first electric components 36, and a plurality of second electric components 38. The plurality of first electric components 36 are attached to an upper surface 32a of the first plate 32. A lower surface 32b of the first plate 32 is joined to an upper surface 34a of the second plate 34. The plurality of second electric components 38 are attached to a lower surface 34b of the second plate 34. The first plate 32 and the second plate 34 are made of, for example, an aluminum alloy.

[0020] Here, the first electric component 36 in this specification broadly means an electric component mounted on the first plate 32, and is not limited to a specific type of electric component. Similarly, the second electric component 38 in this specification broadly means an electric component mounted on the second plate 34, and is not limited to a specific electric component. The number of the first electric components 36 and the number of the second electric components 38 are also not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that at least one electric component is mounted on each of the upper surface 32a of the first plate 32 and the lower surface 34b of the second plate 34.

[0021] 3 and 4, the second plate 34 includes a groove 40. The groove 40 is provided on the upper surface 34a of the second plate 34. Although not particularly limited, the groove 40 is provided in a U-shape in a plan view. As described above, the lower surface 32b of the first plate 32 and the upper surface 34a of the second plate 34 are joined to each other. Therefore, a cooling path 42 for circulating a cooling medium is formed between the lower surface 32b of the first plate 32 and the upper surface 34a of the second plate 34 by the groove 40 of the second plate 34.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the first plate 32 and the second plate 34 have a substantially L-shape in plan view. However, the first plate 32 and the second plate 34 do not necessarily have to have a substantially L-shape in plan view. For example, the shapes of the first plate 32 and the second plate 34 can be appropriately changed depending on the space in which the electric circuit unit 30b is arranged. In addition, the specific shape and arrangement of the groove 40 are not particularly limited. That is, the groove 40 does not necessarily have to be U-shaped in plan view, and can be appropriately changed depending on the arrangement of the electric components 36, 38 to be assembled to the plates 32, 34, the shapes of the plates 32, 34, etc.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the second plate 34 further includes an inlet 44 and an outlet 46. One end of the inlet 44 is connected to a cooling medium supply pipe (not shown), and the other end of the inlet 44 is connected to one end of the cooling path 42. One end of the outlet 46 is connected to the other end of the cooling path 42, and the other end of the outlet 46 is connected to a cooling medium discharge pipe (not shown). As a result, the cooling medium flows from the cooling medium supply pipe through the inlet 44 into the cooling path 42. Then, while flowing through the cooling path 42, the cooling medium collects heat from the first plate 32 and the second plate 34 (and the first electric component 36 and the second electric component 38 assembled thereto), and then flows out to the cooling medium discharge pipe through the outlet 46. Although not particularly limited, the cooling medium is LLC (Long Life Coolant).

[0024] The specific configurations of the first electric circuit unit 30a and the second electric circuit unit 30b are not particularly limited. Hereinafter, an example of the specific configurations of the first electric circuit unit 30a and the second electric circuit unit 30b will be described with reference to FIG.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, the first electric circuit unit 30a includes a DC-DC converter circuit 48, a first inverter 50, a second inverter 52, and a control board 54. The DC-DC converter circuit 48 has two switching elements 48s. The control board 54 has components such as a processor with a built-in CPU and memory, and controls the switching elements 48s of the DC-DC converter circuit 48 and the inverters 50 and 52. Although not particularly limited, the DC-DC converter circuit 48, the first inverter 50, and the second inverter 52 are arranged on the lower surface of the cover plate 16, and the control board 54 is arranged on the upper surface of the cover plate 16. A protective cover 64 is provided on the cover plate 16. The protective cover 64 covers the control board 54 located on the upper surface of the cover plate 16.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5, the second electric circuit unit 30b includes a reactor 56 and a step-down converter 58. The step-down converter 58 is located on the upper surface 32a of the first plate 32 and is composed of a part of the plurality of first electric components 36 described above. The reactor 56 is located on the lower surface 34b of the second plate 34 and is composed of a part of the plurality of second electric components 38 described above. As a result, in the second electric circuit unit 30b, the step-down converter 58 is located above the two plates 32, 34, and the reactor 56 is located below the two plates 32, 34. The step-down converter 58 and the reactor 56 are heat-generating components that generate heat when current is applied during operation. That is, heat-generating components such as the step-down converter 58 and the reactor 56 are distributed and arranged on both sides of the two plates 32, 34 having the cooling path 42.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, the reactor 56 of the second electric circuit unit 30b and the DC-DC converter circuit 48 of the first electric circuit unit 30a constitute a boost converter 60. In the DC-DC converter circuit 48, one end of one switching element 48s is connected to the positive electrode of the first inverter 50 and the positive electrode of the second inverter 52. The other end of one switching element 48s is connected to one end of the other switching element 48s and is connected to the positive electrode of the vehicle power source 102 via the reactor 56. The other end of the other switching element 48s is connected to the negative electrode of the vehicle power source 102 and is connected to the negative electrode of the first inverter 50 and the negative electrode of the second inverter 52. The control board 54 can boost the DC power from the power source 102 and supply the boosted power to each inverter 50, 52 by selectively turning on and off the switching element 48s. As described above, the reactor 56, together with the DC-DC converter circuit 48 of the first electric circuit unit 30a, constitutes the boost converter 60. When a relatively large current flows through the reactor 56, the reactor 56 generates a relatively large amount of heat.

[0028] Although not particularly limited, the switching element 48s of the DC-DC converter circuit 48 is a reverse conducting insulated gate bipolar transistor (RC-IGBT) element. Note that the switching element 48s does not necessarily have to be an RC-IGBT element, and may be, for example, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) element or other types of switching elements.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 5, the power control circuit 62 is configured by the first inverter 50, the second inverter 52, and the boost converter 60. The power control circuit 62 is electrically connected between the power source 102 of the vehicle and each of the motors 18, 20. The boost converter 60 can boost the DC power from the power source 102 and supply it to each of the first inverter 50 and the second inverter 52. The first inverter 50 can convert the DC power from the boost converter 60 into AC power and supply it to the first motor 18. Similarly, the second inverter 52 can convert the DC power from the boost converter 60 into AC power and supply it to the second motor 20. As described above, the power control circuit 62 can control the power supplied from the power source 102 of the vehicle to each of the motors 18, 20. Although not particularly limited, the power control circuit 62 may further include a smoothing capacitor between the power source 102 and the boost converter 60 and / or between the boost converter 60 and each of the inverters 50, 52.

[0030] Although not particularly limited, the boost converter 60 may further have a function as a step-down converter. For example, when the first motor 18 functions as a generator, the AC power from the first motor 18 may be converted to DC power by the first inverter 50, stepped down by the boost converter 60, and then supplied to the vehicle power source 102. Similarly, when the second motor 20 functions as a generator, the AC power from the second motor 20 may be converted to DC power by the second inverter 52, stepped down by the boost converter 60, and then supplied to the vehicle power source 102.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 4, the step-down converter 58 is electrically connected between the power source 102 and the auxiliary battery 104 of the vehicle. The step-down converter 58 can step down the DC power from the power source 102 and supply it to the auxiliary battery 104. The auxiliary battery 104 is connected to various control systems and other auxiliary devices of the vehicle and supplies them with power. Although not particularly limited, the rated voltage of the auxiliary battery 104 is 12 volts.

[0032] In the above-described configuration, a cooling path 42 through which a cooling medium flows is formed between the lower surface 32b of the first plate 32 and the upper surface 34a of the second plate 34. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide a cooling path in the housing 12 or the like, and the mechanically and electrically integrated unit 10 can be made compact. In addition, the cooling medium flowing through the cooling path 42 can collect heat from both the first electric component 36 provided on the upper surface 32a of the first plate 32 and the second electric component 38 provided on the lower surface 34b of the second plate 34. This makes it possible to manage the temperatures of the electric components 36, 38 within an appropriate range.

[0033] In another embodiment, instead of or in addition to the above, the groove 40 may be provided in the lower surface 32b of the first plate 32. In other words, it is sufficient that the groove 40 is provided in at least one of the surfaces where the first plate 32 and the second plate 34 face each other (i.e., the lower surface 32b of the first plate 32 and the upper surface 34a of the second plate 34). With such a configuration, no additional configuration is required to provide the cooling path 42, and therefore it is possible to avoid the configuration of the electromechanical integrated unit 10 becoming complicated.

[0034] In still another embodiment, the cooling path 42 may be formed by a pipe or the like. In this case, a part of the cooling path 42 may be formed by the groove 40, and the remaining part of the cooling path 42 may be formed by the pipe or the like.

[0035] 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 changes to the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10: Mechanical and electrical integrated unit 12: Housing 14: Housing body 14a: Bottom wall 14b: Side wall 14c: opening 14w: Bulkhead 16: Cover plate 18: First motor 20: Second motor 22: Planetary gear mechanism 24: Reduction gear mechanism 26: Motor output gear mechanism 28: Differential gear mechanism 30: Electric circuit unit 30a: First electric circuit unit 30b: Second electric circuit unit 32: First plate 34: Second plate 36: First electrical part 38: Second electrical part 40: Groove 42: Cooling path 44:Inlet 46: Outlet 48: DC-DC converter circuit 48s: Switching element 50: 1st inverter 52: Second inverter 54: Control board 56: Reactor 58: Step-down converter 60: Boost converter 62: Power control circuit 64: Protective cover 102: Power supply 104: Auxiliary battery R1: Room 1 R2: 2nd room

Claims

1. A vehicle electromechanical integrated unit, a housing body having a first chamber and a second chamber and an opening for opening the second chamber upward; a cover plate attached to the housing body and closing the opening; a motor and / or gear mechanism disposed in the first chamber; an electric circuit unit disposed in the second chamber; Equipped with The electric circuit unit includes: a first electric circuit unit fixed to the cover plate; a second electric circuit unit located below the first electric circuit unit and fixed to the housing body; Equipped with The second electric circuit unit is A first plate; at least one first electrical component mounted on an upper surface of the first plate; A second plate joined to a lower surface of the first plate; at least one second electrical component mounted on a lower surface of the second plate; Equipped with A cooling path through which a cooling medium flows is provided between the first plate and the second plate. Integrated mechanical and electrical unit.

2. The electromechanical integrated unit according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the cooling path is formed by a groove provided in the first plate and / or the second plate.

3. 3. The electromechanical integrated unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first electric component constitutes at least a part of a step-down converter that steps down DC power from a power source of the vehicle and supplies the DC power to an auxiliary battery of the vehicle.

4. the at least one second electrical component includes a reactor; The electromechanical integrated unit according to claim 1 , wherein the reactor constitutes a part of a power control circuit for controlling the power supplied to the motor.

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