vehicle

Abstract

To suppress a charging unit from vibrating while the vehicle is traveling, and from being largely displaced at the time of a collision of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle may include, in an engine compartment: an engine unit fixed to a vehicle body; a motor unit fixed to the vehicle body together with the engine unit; a power conversion unit fixed on the motor unit; a charging unit fixed on the power conversion unit; and a stiffener connecting the power conversion unit and the engine unit to each other. The stiffener may have at least one first end fixed to the power conversion unit and at least one second end fixed to the engine unit. A casing of the power conversion unit may be provided with a boss for fixing the charging unit. The first end of the stiffener may be fixed to the boss of the power conversion unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle. In this vehicle, a power conversion unit and a charging unit are stacked in order on a motor unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described vehicle, the charging unit is fixed to the vehicle body via the power conversion unit and the motor unit. With such a configuration, there is a possibility that the stability (rigidity) of the charging unit with respect to the vehicle body is insufficient. In that case, there is a possibility that the charging unit vibrates during the running of the vehicle, or that the charging unit is greatly displaced during a collision of the vehicle. This specification provides a technology for solving this problem.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The technology disclosed herein is embodied in a vehicle. In a first aspect of the technology, the vehicle may include a vehicle body having an engine compartment, an engine unit fixed to the vehicle body within the engine compartment, a motor unit fixed to the vehicle body together with the engine unit within the engine compartment, a power conversion unit fixed on the motor unit within the engine compartment, a charging unit fixed on the power conversion unit within the engine compartment, and a stiffener connecting the power conversion unit and the engine unit within the engine compartment. The stiffener may have at least one first end fixed to the power conversion unit and at least one second end fixed to the engine unit. The casing of the power conversion unit may be provided with a boss for fixing the charging unit. The first end of the stiffener may be fixed to the boss of the power conversion unit.

[0006] In the vehicle described above, the power conversion unit and the engine unit are connected to each other using a stiffener. In particular, the stiffener is fixed to a boss in the casing of the power conversion unit that secures the charging unit. With this configuration, there is no need to newly provide a boss for fixing the stiffener on the power conversion unit and the charging unit. In addition, the boss on the power conversion unit that secures the charging unit is a part that is firmly connected to those units. By fixing the stiffener to that boss, both the power conversion unit and the charging unit can be firmly connected to the engine unit fixed to the vehicle body. The stability (rigidity) of the charging unit relative to the vehicle body is improved, and vibration and large displacement of the charging unit are suppressed.

[0007] In a second aspect of this technology, in addition to the first aspect described above, the casing of the power conversion unit may have a casing body having an opening that opens upward and a casing cover attached to the opening. In this case, the boss may be formed integrally with the casing cover. For example, the casing cover and the boss may be a single die-cast member made of an aluminum-based metal or other metallic material.

[0008] In a third aspect of this technology, in addition to the second aspect described above, the boss may extend upward from the casing cover, and the charging unit may be fixed to the upper end of the boss. In this case, the first end of the stiffener may be fixed to the side of the boss. When the charging unit and the stiffener are fixed to different positions on the boss, the stiffener can be freely designed without affecting the fixing structure between the charging unit and the stiffener. In addition, the steps of fixing the charging unit to the boss and fixing the stiffener to the boss can be performed in any order.

[0009] In a fourth aspect of this technology, in addition to any one of the first to third aspects described above, the stiffener may have a first member having the first end and a second member having at least one second end and being detachably connected to the first member. With this configuration, before assembling the power conversion unit and the engine unit together, a part of the stiffener (the first member) can be fixed to the power conversion unit and another part of the stiffener (the second member) can be fixed to the engine unit. As a result, even if the power conversion unit and the engine unit are adjacent to each other, the fixing locations of the stiffener can be freely designed for each unit.

[0010] In a fifth aspect of this technology, in addition to any one of the first to fourth aspects described above, the stiffener may further have a third end to which piping or wiring is attached. This configuration allows for the fixing of piping or wiring located between the power conversion unit and the engine unit, which is convenient. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the vehicle. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle showing the relative positions of each unit. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged view of Part III in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the stiffener. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the VV line, showing the positional relationship between the bracket and the boss. [Figure 6] This diagram shows one of Stifna's torture methods. [Modes for carrying out the invention] [Examples]

[0012] Vehicle 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Vehicle 10 of this embodiment is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). However, vehicle 10 is not limited to a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and may be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).

[0013] Here, in the drawings, direction FR indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the opposite direction indicates the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Direction LH indicates the left side in the lateral direction (or width direction) of the vehicle, and the opposite direction indicates the right side in the lateral direction of the vehicle. Direction UP indicates the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the opposite direction indicates the lower side in the vertical direction of the vehicle. In this specification, the front side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the left side in the lateral direction of the vehicle, the right side in the lateral direction of the vehicle, the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the lower side in the vertical direction of the vehicle may be simply referred to as the front side, rear side, left side, right side, upper side, and lower side, respectively.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 10 comprises a body 12 and a plurality of wheels 14f, 14r. The body 12 is made of metal, such as steel or aluminum. The plurality of wheels 14f, 14r support the body 12. The plurality of wheels 14f, 14r include a pair of front wheels 14f located at the front of the body 12 and a pair of rear wheels 14r located at the rear of the body 12. The pair of front wheels 14f are located on the left and right sides of the body 12, respectively. The pair of rear wheels 14r are located on the left and right sides of the body 12, respectively.

[0015] The interior of the vehicle body 12 is defined as a cabin 12c and an engine compartment 12e located in front of the cabin 12c. The cabin 12c is configured to allow a user to board. The vehicle body 12 has a floor panel 12p, a dash panel 12d, and a suspension member 12s. The floor panel 12p defines the floor of the cabin 12c. The dash panel 12d is interposed between the cabin 12c and the engine compartment 12e. The suspension member 12s is located in the engine compartment 12e. The suspension member 12s is a member that supports the respective front suspensions (not shown) of the left and right front wheels 14f. The suspension member 12s is attached to a part of the vehicle body 12 in the engine compartment 12e. The rear end of the suspension member 12s is fixed to the dash panel 12d, although this is not particularly limited.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle 10 includes a battery 16, an engine unit 18, a motor unit 20, a power control unit (PCU) 22, a charging unit 24, and a stiffener 26.

[0017] The battery 16 is disposed under the floor panel 12p. The battery 16 has one or more secondary battery cells and is configured to be chargeable and dischargeable. The secondary battery cells are not particularly limited and may be, for example, lithium-ion battery cells or all-solid-state battery cells.

[0018] The engine unit 18 is a heat engine that burns fuel to generate power. Although not particularly limited, examples thereof include a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, a hydrogen engine, etc. The engine unit 18 is connected to a pair of front wheels 14f via a speed reducer and a power split mechanism (not shown). The engine unit 18 drives a pair of front wheels 14f. The engine unit 18 is disposed in the engine compartment 12e. The engine unit 18 is fixed on the suspension member 12s of the vehicle body 12.

[0019] The motor unit 20 includes a traveling motor (not shown). The motor unit 20 is connected to the battery 16 via the PCU 22. The motor unit 20 is connected to a pair of front wheels 14f. The motor unit 20 drives a pair of front wheels 14f using the electric power supplied from the battery 16. However, the motor unit 20 is not limited to a pair of front wheels 14f and may drive at least one of the plurality of wheels 14f, 14r. The motor unit 20 is disposed in the engine compartment 12e. The motor unit 20 is adjacent to the engine unit 18 and is integrated with the engine unit 18. The motor unit 20 is fixed together with the engine unit 18 on the suspension member 12s via a bracket 13.

[0020] The PCU 22 has a power control device 22a including an inverter circuit, a converter circuit, etc. The PCU 22 is electrically connected to the battery 16 and the motor unit 20 respectively. The PCU 22 controls the supply power between the battery 16 and the motor unit 20. Alternatively, when the vehicle 10 decelerates, the PCU 22 controls the regenerative power supplied from the motor unit 20 to the battery 16. The PCU 22 may be arranged in the engine compartment 12e and may be arranged above the motor unit 20. The PCU 22 is arranged on the motor unit 20 and is integrally fixed to the motor unit 20.

[0021] The charging unit 24 has a charger 24a. The charger 24a is, for example, a bidirectional charger. The charging unit 24 is electrically connected to the battery 16 and other electrical units of the vehicle 10 respectively. The charging unit 24 controls the supply power between the battery 16 or other electrical units. Other electrical units include, for example, a charging inlet, a power supply inlet in the cabin 12c, etc. The charging unit 24 is arranged on the PCU 22 and is integrally fixed to the PCU 22. Specifically, the charging unit 24 has a casing 24b that houses the charger 24a. The casing 24b is a housing member. A plurality of brackets 25 are attached to the lower part of the casing 24b. The charging unit 24 is fixed to the PCU 22 via the plurality of brackets 25.

[0022] Referring to Figures 2-3 and 5, the details of the fixing structure between the PCU 22 and the charging unit 24 will be described. As shown in Figures 2-3 and 5, the PCU 22 has a casing 23 that houses the power control device 22a inside. The casing 23 is made of metal. The metal that makes up the casing 23 may be an aluminum-based metal or another metal. The casing 23 has a casing body 23a and a casing cover 23b. The casing body 23a is a housing member in which the power control device 22a is arranged. The casing body 23a has an opening that is open upwards. The casing cover 23b is attached to the opening of the casing body 23a.

[0023] The casing cover 23b is provided with multiple bosses 23c, 23d. These multiple bosses 23c, 23d are connecting parts for fixing the charging unit 24. While not particularly limited, Multiple bosses 23c and 23d are integrally formed with the casing cover 23b. The multiple bosses 23c and 23d extend upward toward the charging unit 24, and the charging unit 24 is fixed to the upper ends of the multiple bosses 23c and 23d (for example, 23c1 in Figure 3) via multiple brackets 25. A gap is provided between the casing cover 23b of the PCU 22 and the charging unit 24.

[0024] The pair of bosses 23c and 23d shown in Figure 2 are located on the rear end side of the casing cover 23b. In addition to these bosses 23c and 23d, the casing cover 23b is provided with a pair of bosses (not shown) located on the front end side of the casing cover 23b. Hereinafter, the boss 23c shown in Figure 3 will be referred to as the first boss 23c. The first boss 23c has an upper end 23c1 and a side surface 23c2 that extends cylindrically between the casing cover 23b and the upper end 23c1 of the first boss 23c. The other bosses 23d have a similar configuration.

[0025] While not particularly limited, as shown in Figure 5, each of the multiple brackets 25 is a bent plate-shaped member. The multiple brackets 25 are positioned at both ends of the charging unit 24 in the front-rear direction. The bracket 25 located at the rear end of the charging unit 24 has a bracket body 25a and a pair of legs 25b. The bracket body 25a is fixed to the casing 24b of the charging unit 24 by a fastening member 34. The pair of legs 25b are located at both the left and right ends of the bracket body 25a. One of the pair of legs 25b extends from the bracket body 25a toward a first boss 23c provided on the casing cover 23b of the PCU 22. The other leg 25b is fastened to the upper end 23c1 of the boss 23c by a fastening member 36. The other leg 25b is similarly fastened to another boss 23d. The bracket located at the front end of the charging unit 24 is configured similarly to the bracket 25 at the rear end and has a bracket body and a pair of legs. Therefore, the bracket, like the bracket 25 located at the rear end, secures the charging unit 24 to a pair of bosses located at the front end of the casing cover 23b of the PCU 22.

[0026] The stiffener 26 is a connecting member that connects the PCU 22 and the engine unit 18 in the engine compartment 12e. The stiffener 26 has a first end 26a fixed to the PCU 22 and two second ends 26b fixed to the engine unit 18. The first end 26a of the stiffener 26 is fixed to the first boss 23c of the PCU 22. Although not particularly limited, the first end 26a of the stiffener 26 is fixed to the side surface 23c2 of the first boss 23c by a fastening member 38. On the other hand, the charging unit 24 is fixed to the upper end 23c1 of the first boss 23c by a fastening member 36 (shown in Figure 5). In this configuration, the charging unit 24 and the stiffener 26 are fixed at different positions on the boss 23c, allowing the stiffener 26 to be freely designed without affecting the fixing structure between the charging unit 24 and the stiffener 26. In addition, the steps of fixing the charging unit 24 to bosses 23c and 23d and fixing the stiffener 26 to the first boss 23c can be performed in any order.

[0027] Furthermore, the side surface 23c2 of the first boss 23c has a flat surface in the area to which the stiffener 26 is fixed. However, the first end 26a of the stiffener 26 is not limited to the first boss 23c located on the rear end side of the casing cover 23b, but may also be fixed to a boss located on the front end side of the casing cover 23b. In that case, the boss may also have a flat surface.

[0028] On the other hand, the two second ends 26b of the stiffener 26 are fixed to the side surface 18s of the engine unit 18 by fastening members 42 and 44, respectively. The side surface 18s of the engine unit 18 faces the PCU 22 in the left-right direction, and the two second ends 26b of the stiffener 26 are located between the PCU 22 and the engine unit 18. For example, the two second ends 26b of the stiffener 26 may be fixed to the casing portion of the engine unit 18, such as the cylinder block. Note that the number of second ends 26b is not limited to two. The stiffener 26 only needs to have at least one second end 26b fixed to the engine unit 18.

[0029] In the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the PCU 22 and the engine unit 18 are connected to each other using a stiffener 26. In particular, the stiffener 26 is fixed to a first boss 23c that fixes the charging unit 24 in the casing 23 of the PCU 22. With this configuration, there is no need to newly provide another boss on the PCU 22 and the charging unit 24 to fix the stiffener 26. In addition, the first boss 23c provided on the PCU 22 for fixing the charging unit 24 is a part that is firmly connected to those units 22 and 24. By fixing the stiffener 26 to this first boss 23c, both the PCU 22 and the charging unit 24 can be firmly connected to the engine unit 18 fixed to the vehicle body 12. The stability (rigidity) of the charging unit 24 relative to the vehicle body 12 is improved, and vibration and large displacement of the charging unit 24 are suppressed. Here, the PCU 22 in this embodiment is an example of a "power conversion unit" in this technology.

[0030] Referring to Figures 3-5, the details of the stiffener 26 configuration will be described. As shown in Figures 3-5, the stiffener 26 has a first member 28 and a second member 30 that is detachably connected to the first member 28. The first member 28 is provided with a first end 26a fixed to the first boss 23c of the PCU 22. The second member 30 is provided with a second end 26b fixed to the engine unit 18. With this configuration, before assembling the PCU 22 and the engine unit 18 together, a part of the stiffener 26 (the first member 28) can be fixed to the power conversion unit, and the other part of the stiffener 26 (the second member 30) can be fixed to the engine unit 18. Therefore, even if the PCU 22 and the engine unit 18 are adjacent to each other, the fixing locations of the stiffener 26 can be freely designed in each unit 22 and 18.

[0031] As an example, the stiffener 26 in this embodiment has a first end 26a fixed to the PCU 22, as well as a first connecting end 28b connected to the second member 30. The second member 30 has two second ends 26b fixed to the engine unit 18, as well as a second connecting end 30a connected to the first member 28. That is, the first connecting end 28b of the first member 28 and the second connecting end 30a of the second member 30 are connected to each other by a fastening member 40. The first member 28 has a first extending portion 28c that extends in a rod shape between the first end 26a and the first connecting end 28b. The second member 30 has a second extending portion 30c that connects the two second ends 26b and the second connecting end 30a to each other. The second extending portion 30c branches and extends from the second connecting end 30a to the two second ends 26b. The first end 26a and the two second ends 26b of the stiffener 26 are fixed to the PCU 22 or engine unit 18 by fastening members 38 and 42. Reference numerals 28a and 30b in the figure indicate the respective ends of the first member 28 or the second member 30.

[0032] The stiffener 26 is not limited to the configuration described above. Figure 6 shows a modified stiffener 126. This stiffener 126 has a third end 126b in addition to the first end 26a and second end 26b described above. A piping component 132 can be attached to the third end 126b using a fastening member 146. The piping component 132 may constitute part of the cooling piping for cooling the PCU 22 and / or the engine unit 18. With such a configuration, cooling piping for cooling the PCU 22 and the engine unit 18 can be easily fixed in place between them. However, in another embodiment, a wiring component may be attached to the third end 126b. In this case, the wiring component may constitute part of the wiring connected to the PCU 22 and / or the engine unit 18.

[0033] The position of the third end 126b is not particularly limited. The third end 126b may be provided on the first member 28 of the stiffener 26 or on the second member 130. For example, in the stiffener 126 of this modified example, the third end 126b is provided on the second member 130, and the branched portion 130e, which branches off from the second extending portion 30c, extends toward the third end 126b. That is, the third end 126b is located at the tip 130d of the branched portion 130e. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 10: Vehicle, 12: Body, 12e: Engine compartment, 16: Battery, 18: Engine unit, 20: Motor unit, 22: PCU, 23: Casing, 23a: Casing body, 23b: Casing cover, 23c: (First) boss, 23c1: Top end, 23c2: Side, 24: Charging unit, 26: Stiffener, 26a: First end, 26b: Second end, 28: First component, 30, 130: Second component, 126b: Third end, 132: Piping component

Claims

1. A car body with an engine compartment, Within the engine compartment, the engine unit fixed to the vehicle body, Within the engine compartment, a motor unit fixed to the vehicle body together with the engine unit, Within the engine compartment, a power conversion unit fixed on the motor unit, Within the engine compartment, a charging unit fixed on the power conversion unit, Within the engine compartment, a stiffener connects the power conversion unit and the engine unit to each other, Equipped with, The stiffener has at least one first end fixed to the power conversion unit and at least one second end fixed to the engine unit. The casing of the power conversion unit is provided with a boss for fixing the charging unit. The first end of the stiffener is fixed to the boss of the power conversion unit. vehicle.

2. The casing of the power conversion unit comprises a casing body having an opening that is open upward, and a casing cover that is attached to the opening. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the boss is integrally formed with the casing cover.

3. The boss extends upward from the casing cover, The charging unit is fixed to the upper end of the boss, The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the first end of the stiffener is fixed to the side surface of the boss.

4. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stiffener comprises a first member having the first end and a second member having at least one second end and being detachably connected to the first member.

5. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stiffener further has a third end to which piping or wiring is attached.

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