Rotary machine attachment structure for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention comprises a front support arm that is fixed to a motor unit mounted on a vehicle and supports the motor unit in relation to a front cross member 5 extending in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, and support brackets 15, 16 that are fixed to the front cross member 5 and swingably support the front support arm. The front cross member 5 has a substantially rectangular cross section, and the support brackets 15, 16 are fixed to three surfaces of the front cross member 5, specifically an upper surface 37, a front surface 22, and a lower surface 24.

Description

Vehicle rotating machine mounting structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a rotating machine mounted on a vehicle.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle equipped with a rotating machine that rotates, such as a motor in an electric vehicle or an engine in an engine-driven vehicle, the rotating machine is supported swingably on the frame of the vehicle at, for example, three locations.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, the front and rear of a transversely mounted engine are supported on a frame via support arms, which are fixed to the engine and extend in the fore-and-aft direction, and support brackets are fixed to the frame, with the ends of the support arms connected to the support brackets so as to be swingable up and down.

[0004] Special Publication No. 63-29645

[0005] In a structure in which a support bracket is fixed to a frame, as in Patent Document 1, a large force acts on the support bracket due to a reaction force when the vehicle is running or when the rotating machine is driven. Therefore, in order to ensure the strength of the support bracket, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the bracket or add reinforcing members, which leads to an increase in parts costs and weight.

[0006] The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to firmly fix a support bracket to a frame and improve the strength of the support structure of a rotating machine to the frame with a simple structure.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle of the present invention comprises a support member that is fixed to a rotating machine mounted on a vehicle and supports the rotating machine relative to a frame member of the vehicle, and a bracket that is fixed to the frame member and supports the support member in a swingable manner, and the bracket is fixed to the upper surface, side surface and lower surface of the frame member.

[0008] In the rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle of the present invention, the support bracket is welded and fixed to three surfaces of the cross member: the top surface, side surfaces, and bottom surface. This allows the support bracket to be firmly fixed to the cross member, improving the strength of the rotating machine support structure to the frame with a simple structure.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the position of a motor in a vehicle that employs the mounting structure for a rotating machine of an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a lower left front perspective view showing the structure of the motor support bracket and cross member according to the embodiment; FIG. 3 is a lower right front perspective view showing the structure of the motor support bracket and cross member according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is an upper left front perspective view showing the structure of the motor support bracket and cross member according to the embodiment; FIG. 5 is an upper left front enlarged perspective view showing the structure of the motor support bracket according to the embodiment; FIG. 6 is a lower right front enlarged perspective view showing the structure of the motor support bracket according to the embodiment;

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle embodying the present invention will now be described.

[0011] The present invention is applicable to a vehicle equipped with a rotary drive source such as an engine or a motor.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the lower rear part of a vehicle employing a mounting structure for a rotating machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing the position of the motor. Figs. 2 to 4 are views showing the structure of the motor support bracket and cross member according to this embodiment, with Fig. 2 being a lower left front perspective view, Fig. 3 being a lower right front perspective view, and Fig. 4 being an upper left front perspective view. Figs. 5 and 6 are views showing the structure of the motor support bracket according to this embodiment, with Fig. 5 being an upper left front enlarged perspective view, and Fig. 6 being a lower right front enlarged perspective view.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of side frames 2, 3 extending in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle 1 and spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction are connected by a plurality of cross members 5, 6 extending in the vehicle width direction.

[0014] The motor unit 7 (rotating machine) for driving the rear wheels of the vehicle 1 is located on the rear axle and below the front cross member 5 (skeletal member) and the rear cross member 6, which are arranged spaced apart in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0015] The front portion of the motor unit 7 is supported by the front cross member 5 via two front support arms 10, 11 (support members) arranged spaced apart on the left and right. The rear portion of the motor unit 7 is supported by the rear cross member 6 via one rear support arm (not shown).

[0016] The two front support arms 10, 11 extend substantially vertically and are inclined downward so as to approach each other slightly in the vehicle width direction. The lower ends of the front support arms 10, 11 are fixed to the front of the motor unit 7, and the upper ends are supported by the front cross member 5 so as to be swingable in the vehicle width direction.

[0017] The rear support arm extends, for example, in a substantially vertical direction, with its lower end fixed to the rear of the motor unit 7 and its upper end supported by the rear cross member 6 so as to be swingable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0018] The front cross member 5 is provided with support brackets 15, 16 (brackets) for supporting the upper ends of the front support arms 10, 11. A pin 17 is fixedly or rotatably supported on the support brackets 15, 16, with its axis extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and the upper ends of the front support arms 10, 11 are supported by the pin 17 so that they can swing.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the front cross member 5 is configured as a rectangular pillar having an internal space and four rounded corners.

[0020] The support brackets 15 and 16 are symmetrical in the vehicle width direction and are fixed to the front part of the front cross member 5 .

[0021] The support brackets 15, 16 each have an inner member 20 (first member) and an outer member 21 (second member) formed by bending a plate-like member such as a steel plate.

[0022] The inner member 20 has a pin support surface 23 (first support surface) that abuts against the front side of the front surface 22 of the front cross member 5 and extends downward.

[0023] The pin support surface 23 of the inner member 20 extends from the vertical center of the front surface 22 of the front cross member 5 below the underside 24 of the front cross member 5. The pin support surface 23 has lower surface support portions 25 that bend vertically on both sides in the vehicle width direction at a position below the underside 24 of the front cross member 5, extend toward the rear of the vehicle, and support the underside 24 of the front cross member 5. The lower surface support portions 25 are perpendicular to the underside 24 of the front cross member 5, and their upper ends are in contact with the underside 24 of the front cross member 5.

[0024] The outer member 21 has a pin support surface 31 (second support surface) that is disposed on the vehicle front side and spaced apart from the pin support surface 23 of the inner member 20. The pin support surface 31 extends downward to the same vertical position as the pin support surface 23 of the inner member 20.

[0025] The pin support surface 23 of the inner member 20 and the pin support surface 31 of the outer member 21 facing each other have support holes 32, 33 at a position below the lower surface 24 of the front cross member 5, into which support pins 17 for supporting the front support arms 10, 11 are inserted.

[0026] In each of the support brackets 15, 16, the support holes 32, 33 into which the pin 17 is inserted are arranged coaxially extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0027] The outer member 21 is formed so that an upper portion of the pin support surface 31 and one vehicle width direction side portion 35 (overlapping portion) are bent rearward and overlap the outer surface of the front portion of the lower support portion 25 on the outer side of the inner member 20 in the vehicle width direction. Note that this one vehicle width direction side portion 35 is a portion on the right side in the vehicle width direction for the support bracket 15 arranged on the right side in the vehicle width direction, and is a portion on the left side in the vehicle width direction for the support bracket 16 arranged on the left side in the vehicle width direction. In other words, on the inner side of the two support brackets 15, 16 in the vehicle width direction, there is an opening between the pin support surface 31 of the outer member 21 and the pin support surface 23 of the inner member 20. The opening portion on the inner side of the two support brackets 15, 16 in the vehicle width direction between the pin support surface 31 of the outer member 21 and the pin support surface 23 of the inner member 20 prevents the front support arms 10, 11, which swing left and right, from interfering with the support brackets 15, 16.

[0028] The upper surface 36 of the outer member 21 rests on the upper surface 37 of the front cross member 5 and extends rearward to near the center in the fore-aft direction of the upper surface 37. The left and right widths of the upper surface 36 of the outer member 21 are wider on both the left and right sides than the pin support surface 31.

[0029] The upper portion of the outer member 21 is provided with flange portions 38 that extend outward in the left and right directions, and the flange portions 38 are formed so as to abut against the front surface 22 (side surface) of the front cross member 5. The flange portions 38 are continuous with the upper surface 36 of the outer member 21 and are arranged so as to overlap the curved upper front corner portions 40 (curved surface) of the front cross member 5.

[0030] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the inner member 20 and the outer member 21 are fixed to the front cross member 5 by welding.

[0031] The rear end of the upper surface 36 of the outer member 21 and the upper surface 37 of the front cross member 5 are welded together so as to extend in the vehicle width direction (welded portion a in FIG. 5).

[0032] The flange portion 38 of the outer member 21 is welded from the front surface 22 of the front cross member 5 through the upper front corner portion 40 to the upper surface 37 (welded portion b in FIG. 5).

[0033] The upper end of the inner member 20 and the front surface 22 of the front cross member 5 are welded together so as to extend in the vehicle width direction (weld c in FIG. 6).

[0034] A lower surface support portion 25 extending toward the rear of the vehicle from the lower portion of the inner member 20 is welded at its upper end to the lower surface 24 of the front cross member 5 (welded portion d in FIG. 6).

[0035] Furthermore, the lower portion of one side portion 35 in the vehicle width direction of the outer member 21 is welded to the outer one of the lower surface support portions 25 on both the left and right sides of the lower portion of the inner member 20 (weld e in Figure 5).

[0036] As described above, in the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, the front of the motor unit 7 is supported on the front cross member 5 via the front support arms 10, 11. The front support arms 10, 11 are supported on support brackets 15, 16 fixed to the front cross member 5 via pins 17 so as to be swingable in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

[0037] In this embodiment, the support brackets 15, 16 are welded and fixed to three surfaces of the front cross member 5: the upper surface 37, the front surface 22, and the lower surface 24. This allows the support brackets 15, 16 to be firmly fixed to the front cross member 5, and improves the strength of the support structure of the motor unit 7 to the front cross member 5 of the vehicle 1 with a simple structure.

[0038] The support brackets 15, 16 comprise an inner member 20, which is a plate-like member having a pin support surface 23 and fixed to the front surface 22 and underside 24 of the front cross member 5, and an outer member 21, which is fixed to the upper surface 37 and front surface 22 of the front cross member 5, covers the inner member 20, and has a pin support surface 31 that faces the pin support surface 23 at a distance. In addition, support holes 32, 33 for the pin 17 are provided coaxially in the pin support surfaces 23, 31. This simplifies the structure of the support brackets 15, 16, reducing parts costs.

[0039] The left and right upper portions of the outer member 21 are fixed to the upper surface 37 and front surface 22 of the front cross member 5 and to the curved upper front corner portion 40 between them (welds a, b). Therefore, by fixing the outer member 21 to a high-strength portion of the front cross member 5, the strength of the fixing portions of the support brackets 15, 16 can be improved.

[0040] In addition, the left and right upper portions of the outer member 21 form flange portions 38 extending in the vehicle width direction, and are welded to the front cross member 5 at these flange portions 38, thereby increasing the distance between the left and right welding positions (weld portion b) and increasing the fixing strength between the front cross member 5 and the outer member 21.

[0041] Furthermore, the upper end of the inner member 20 is welded and fixed to the front surface of the frame member from one end to the other in the vehicle width direction (weld portion c), so that the inner member 20 and the front cross member 5 can be firmly fixed at the upper end of the inner member 20. Furthermore, by shortening the distance between the support hole 32 of the inner member 20 and the weld portion c, the load applied to the weld portion c can be reduced.

[0042] The lower part of the inner member 20 has a lower surface support portion 25 that extends perpendicular to the lower surface 24 of the front cross member 5, and the upper end of the lower surface support portion 25 is welded and fixed to the lower surface 24 of the front cross member 5 (weld portion d).Therefore, the moment load that acts to cause the lower part of the inner member 20 to collapse rearward due to the load applied downward to the inner member 20 via the pin 17 is received by the lower surface 24 of the front cross member 5 via the lower surface support portion 25, thereby more firmly fixing the inner member 20 and the front cross member 5 together.

[0043] Furthermore, one vehicle width direction side portion 35 of the pin support surface 31 of the outer member 21 is bent toward the rear of the vehicle to overlap the lower surface support portion 25 of the inner member 20, and the one vehicle width direction side portion 35 and the lower surface support portion 25 are welded and fixed together (weld portion e). This directly fixes the inner member 20 and the outer member 21 together, thereby improving the overall strength of the support brackets 15, 16.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified within the scope of the invention.

[0045] For example, the detailed structure of the support brackets 15 and 16 can be changed as appropriate.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the support structure at the front of the motor unit 7 , but the present invention may also be applied to the support structure at the rear of the motor unit 7 .

[0047] The present invention can also be applied to a structure for supporting a rotating machine other than the motor unit 7, such as an engine, on the vehicle body.

[0048] The present invention can also be applied to cases where the rotating machine is supported on a frame member other than the front cross member of the vehicle.

[0049] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 5 front cross member (framework member) 7 motor unit (rotating machine) 10, 11 front support arm (support member) 15, 16 support bracket (bracket) 17 pin 20 inner member (first member) 21 outer member (second member) 23 pin support surface (first support surface) 22 front surface (side surface) 24 lower surface 25 lower surface support portion 31 pin support surface (second support surface) 32, 33 support hole 35 one side portion in vehicle width direction (overlapping portion) 37 upper surface 38 flange portion 40 upper front corner portion (curved surface)

Claims

1. A rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle, comprising: a support member fixed to a rotating machine mounted on a vehicle and supporting the rotating machine with respect to a frame member of the vehicle; and a bracket fixed to the frame member and supporting the support member so that it can swing, wherein the bracket is fixed to the top, side and bottom surfaces of the frame member.

2. The rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the top surface and the side surface of the framework member are continuous via a curved surface, and the bracket is fixed to the curved surface.

3. The rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bracket comprises: a first member which is a plate-like member having a first support surface and which is fixed to the side and underside of the framework member; and a second member which is fixed to the upper surface of the framework member, covers the first member, and has a second support surface which faces the first support surface at a distance from it, and support holes for pins which support the support member in a swingable manner are provided coaxially on the first support surface and the second support surface.

4. The rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that the second member has a flange portion extending in the vehicle width direction along the frame member, and the flange portion and the frame member are fixed together.

5. A rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle as described in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the upper end of the first member is welded and fixed to the side of the frame member from one end to the other end in the vehicle width direction.

6. A rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the lower part of the first member has a lower surface support part that extends perpendicular to the underside of the frame member, and the upper end of the lower surface support part is fixed to the underside of the frame member.

7. The rotating machine mounting structure for a vehicle described in claim 6, characterized in that the second member has an overlapping portion that bends the side of the second support surface and overlaps with the underside support portion of the first member, and the overlapping portion and the underside support portion are welded and fixed together.

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