Unit

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a structure capable of compactly housing a breather hose. [Solution] A unit comprising a housing and a harness member attached to the housing, wherein the harness member has a tube that bundles wiring and a breather hose.

Description

unit

[0001] The present invention relates to a unit.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a breather hose.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-280181

[0004] In a unit equipped with a breather hose, it is desired to provide a structure that can store the breather hose compactly.

[0005] In one aspect of the present invention, the unit includes a housing and a harness member attached to the housing, the harness member including a tube that bundles together wiring and a breather hose.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a structure that allows the breather hose to be stored compactly.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an inverter case. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle equipped with the unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a harness member. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a harness member. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a breather hose. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a unit according to a comparative example.

[0008] First, definitions of terms used in this specification will be explained. A "unit" is also called a "motor unit," a "power transmission device," etc. A motor unit is a unit that has at least a motor. A power transmission device is a device that has at least a power transmission mechanism, and the power transmission mechanism is, for example, a gear mechanism and / or a differential gear mechanism. A unit that is a device that has a motor and a power transmission mechanism belongs to the concepts of both a motor unit and a power transmission device.

[0009] The "housing" contains the motor, gears, and inverter. The housing is made up of one or more cases.

[0010] The term "motor" refers to a rotating electric machine having a motor function and / or a generator function.

[0011] When it is stated that an element B (component, part, etc.) is connected to an element A (component, part, etc.), an element B (component, part, etc.) is connected downstream of an element A (component, part, etc.), or an element B (component, part, etc.) is connected upstream of an element A (component, part, etc.), it means that the elements A and B are connected so that power can be transmitted. The power input side is the upstream side, and the power output side is the downstream side. Furthermore, the elements A and B may be connected via another element (a clutch, another gear mechanism, etc.).

[0012] "Overlapping when viewed in a predetermined direction" means that multiple elements are lined up in a predetermined direction, and is synonymous with "overlapping in a predetermined direction." The "predetermined direction" is, for example, the axial direction, the radial direction, the direction of gravity, the vehicle traveling direction (the forward direction of the vehicle, the backward direction of the vehicle), etc. When a drawing shows that multiple elements (components, parts, etc.) are lined up in a predetermined direction, it may be assumed that the description in the specification contains a sentence explaining that they overlap when viewed in the predetermined direction.

[0013] "Not overlapping when viewed in a predetermined direction" and "offset when viewed in a predetermined direction" mean that multiple elements are not lined up in a predetermined direction, and are synonymous with "not overlapping in a predetermined direction" and "offset in a predetermined direction." Examples of the "predetermined direction" include the axial direction, radial direction, gravity direction, and vehicle travel direction (vehicle forward direction, vehicle backward direction). When a drawing shows that multiple elements (components, parts, etc.) are not lined up in a predetermined direction, it may be assumed that the description in the specification includes a sentence explaining that they are not overlapping when viewed in a predetermined direction.

[0014] The phrase "element A (component, part, etc.) is located between element B (component, part, etc.) and element C (component, part, etc.) when viewed from a predetermined direction" means that element A can be observed to be located between element B and element C when viewed from a predetermined direction. The "predetermined direction" is, for example, the axial direction, the radial direction, the direction of gravity, the vehicle traveling direction (the forward direction of the vehicle, the backward direction of the vehicle), etc. For example, when element B, element A, and element C are lined up in this order along the axial direction, it can be said that element A is located between element B and element C when viewed from a radial direction. When a drawing shows that element A is located between element B and element C when viewed from a predetermined direction, it can be considered that the description in the specification includes a sentence explaining that element A is located between element B and element C when viewed from the predetermined direction.

[0015] When two elements (parts, portions, etc.) overlap in an axial view, the two elements are coaxial.

[0016] "Axial direction" means the axial direction of the rotation axis of the component that constitutes the unit. "Radial direction" means the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the component that constitutes the unit. The component is, for example, a motor, a gear mechanism, a differential gear mechanism, etc.

[0017] This embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, a unit 1 mounted on a vehicle V will be described as an example. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the unit 1. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a cross section along the rotation axis X of the motor 2. In FIG. 1, the power transmission mechanism 3 is depicted by an imaginary line. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an inverter case 15. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the vehicle V mounted with the unit 1. FIG. 3 corresponds to a view of the vehicle V mounted with the unit 1 as seen from the direction of the arrow A-A in FIG. 1. Note that FIG. 3 illustrates a state in which the vehicle V is traveling through a flooded road and the water level W is temporarily higher than the unit 1. Here, the "vertical direction" in the drawings refers to the vertical direction when the unit 1 is mounted on the vehicle V. Therefore, the term "upper side" refers to the "upper side" in the vertical direction, and the term "lower side" refers to the "lower side" in the vertical direction.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the unit 1 includes a motor 2, a power transmission mechanism 3 that transmits the rotational driving force of the motor 2 to a drive shaft DS, an inverter 4 that is a power conversion device for the motor 2, and a housing HS that accommodates the motor 2, the power transmission mechanism 3, and the inverter 4.

[0019] The power transmission mechanism 3 may be, for example, a planetary gear mechanism. The power transmission mechanism 3 has a sun gear 31, a pinion gear 32 meshing with the sun gear 31, a carrier 33 supporting the pinion gear 32, and a ring gear 34 meshing with the pinion gear 32.

[0020] The sun gear 31 is coaxial with the rotation axis X of the motor 2 and rotates integrally with the motor 2. The ring gear 34 is fixed to the housing HS so as not to rotate relative to the motor 2. Therefore, in the power transmission mechanism 3, the sun gear 31 serves as the input part of the output rotation of the motor 2, and the carrier 33 supporting the pinion gear 32 serves as the output part of the input rotation.

[0021] In this embodiment, the rotational driving force of the motor 2 input to the sun gear 31 is decelerated by the revolution of the pinion gear 32 and output from the carrier 33. The rotational driving force output from the carrier 33 is transmitted from the drive shaft DS to the left and right drive wheels (not shown) via a differential mechanism (not shown).

[0022] 1, the housing HS has a motor case 10 that houses the motor 2 and a gear case 14 that houses the power transmission mechanism 3. The motor case 10 and the gear case 14 are joined in the direction of the rotation axis X.

[0023] The motor case 10 includes a case member 11 and a cover member 12 joined to the case member 11 in the direction of the rotation axis X. The case member 11 includes a support wall portion 111 that surrounds the rotation axis X. The support wall portion 111 is oriented along the rotation axis X. The motor 2 is housed inside the support wall portion 111. The cover member 12 is connected to one end 111a of the support wall portion 111 with a bolt (not shown). The gear case 14 is connected to the other end 111b of the support wall portion 111 with a bolt (not shown).

[0024] The gear case 14 has a support wall 141 that surrounds the rotation axis X and supports the ring gear 34. The support wall 141 is provided with a wall 140 that extends radially inward between the motor 2 and the power transmission mechanism 3. The wall 140 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis X.

[0025] A cylindrical motor support portion 145 is provided in the wall portion 140 in an area where the rotation axis X intersects. The other end 20b of the motor shaft 20 of the motor 2 passes through the motor support portion 145 in the direction of the rotation axis X. A bearing B1 is supported on the inner periphery of the motor support portion 145. The outer periphery of the motor shaft 20 is supported by the motor support portion 145 via the bearing B1.

[0026] The space formed inside the housing HS is divided into two by a wall 140. The space on the motor 2 side from the wall 140 (on the right side in the figure) is a motor chamber Sa that houses the motor 2. The space on the power transmission mechanism 3 side from the wall 140 (on the left side in the figure) is a gear chamber Sb that houses the power transmission mechanism 3.

[0027] The cover member 12 has a wall portion 120 perpendicular to the rotation axis X and a peripheral wall portion 121 surrounding the outer periphery of the wall portion 120. The peripheral wall portion 121 is joined to one end 111a of the support wall portion 111 of the case member 11 from the direction of the rotation axis X. In this state, the opening of the case member 11 on the side of the one end 111a is closed by the cover member 12.

[0028] A cylindrical motor support portion 125 is provided in the wall portion 120 in an area where the rotation axis X intersects. One end 20a of the motor shaft 20 of the motor 2 penetrates the motor support portion 125 in the direction of the rotation axis X. A bearing B1 is supported on the inner periphery of the motor support portion 125. The outer periphery of the motor shaft 20 is supported by the motor support portion 125 via the bearing B1.

[0029] The motor case 10 also has a lid member 13 joined to the cover member 12. The lid member 13 is provided on the opposite side of the cover member 12 from the case member 11 in the direction of the rotation axis X.

[0030] The cover member 13 has a wall portion 130 that is perpendicular to the rotation axis X. The drive shaft DS penetrates the wall portion 130 in the direction of the rotation axis X in an area where the wall portion 130 intersects with the rotation axis X. The wall portion 130 is provided with a cylindrical drive shaft support portion 135 that surrounds the drive shaft DS.

[0031] The drive shaft support portion 135 is provided on the surface of the wall portion 130 facing the cover member 12. A bearing B2 is supported on the inner periphery of the drive shaft support portion 135. The outer periphery of the drive shaft DS is supported by the drive shaft support portion 135 via the bearing B2.

[0032] The motor 2 has a cylindrical motor shaft 20, a cylindrical rotor core 21 that is fitted onto the motor shaft 20, a stator core 22 that surrounds the outer periphery of the rotor core 21 at a distance, and coils 23 that are provided on the stator core 22. The stator core 22 is fixed to the inner periphery of the support wall portion 111 of the case member 11.

[0033] Bearings B1, B1 are fitted around the motor shaft 20 on one side and the other side in the direction of the rotation axis X, sandwiching the rotor core 21 therebetween. The motor shaft 20 is rotatably supported by the motor case 10 and the gear case 14 via the bearings B1, B1. A hollow portion 201 extending in the direction of the rotation axis X is provided inside the motor shaft 20. The drive shaft DS passes through the hollow portion 201 of the motor shaft 20. The motor shaft 20 is provided so as to be rotatable relative to the drive shaft DS.

[0034] The inverter 4 and an inverter case 15 that houses the inverter 4 are provided on the upper part of the motor case 10. The inverter case 15 is provided above the motor 2, straddling the case member 11 and the cover member 12. The inverter case 15 is provided at the highest position in the housing HS.

[0035] 2, the inverter case 15 has a bottom wall 16 joined to the upper part of the motor case 10 and a bottomed housing part 17 with an opening facing downward. The lower opening of the housing part 17 is sealed by the bottom wall part 16. In the inverter case 15, the space surrounded by the bottom wall part 16 and the housing part 17 forms an inverter chamber Sc that houses the inverter 4.

[0036] The bottom wall 16 of the inverter case 15 is provided with a bottom wall 160 that abuts against the upper surface 111c of the support wall 111 of the case member 11, a through hole 160a that passes through the bottom wall 160 in the vertical direction, and a cylindrical wall 161 that surrounds the through hole 160a. The cylindrical wall 161 is provided across one end 111a of the support wall 111 in the vertical direction. The lower end surface 161a of the cylindrical wall 161 is joined to the upper surface 121c of the peripheral wall 121 of the cover member 12.

[0037] The housing 17 of the inverter case 15 has a ceiling wall 170 that faces the bottom wall 160 of the bottom wall 16 in the vertical direction with a gap therebetween, and a peripheral wall 171 that surrounds the outer periphery of the ceiling wall 170. A lower end surface 171a of the peripheral wall 171 abuts against the bottom wall 16 around the entire periphery.

[0038] A through-hole 126 that connects the inside and outside of the motor chamber Sa is formed in the upper surface 121c of the peripheral wall portion 121 of the cover member 12. As a result, the motor chamber Sa is connected to the inverter chamber Sc via the through-holes 126 and 160a.

[0039] The inverter 4 and the coil 23 of the motor 2 are electrically connected via a bus bar Bs. The bus bar Bs passes through the through hole 160a of the inverter case 15 and the through hole 126 of the cover member 12, and is provided so as to straddle the motor chamber Sa and the inverter chamber Sc.

[0040] 3, the unit 1 is provided forward of the vehicle interior VR in the vehicle longitudinal direction and is connected to the front wheels of the vehicle V. The drive shaft DS is connected to the drive wheel T on the right side of the vehicle on the front side of the page, and is connected to the drive wheel (not shown) on the left side of the vehicle on the back side of the page.

[0041] The inverter 4 of the unit 1 is connected to the battery 9 via a harness member 5. The battery 9 is disposed below the passenger compartment VR of the vehicle V. The harness member 5 is disposed along the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle V, and connects the inverter 4 on the front side of the vehicle to the battery 9 on the rear side of the vehicle. The harness member 5 extends in the front-to-rear direction above the housing HS, and is connected to the inverter 4 from the upper side of the housing HS.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, the harness member 5 has an electric wire portion 7 that electrically connects the battery 9 (see FIG. 3) and the inverter 4, and a tube 6 that protects the electric wire portion 7. The electric wire portion 7 is composed of two electric wires 7A and 7B. The electric wires 7A and 7B are connected to a positive terminal 41 and a negative terminal 42 of the inverter 4, respectively. Direct current from the battery 9 (see FIG. 3) is supplied to the inverter 4 via the electric wires 7A and 7B and converted into alternating current. The alternating current converted by the inverter 4 is supplied as power to the coil 23 of the motor 2 via the bus bar Bs.

[0043] 1, when power is supplied from the inverter 4 to the coil 23 of the motor 2, a magnetic field is generated around the stator core 22. This causes the rotor core 21 and the motor shaft 20 to rotate around the rotation axis X.

[0044] Oil OL is stored within the housing HS to cool the motor 2 and lubricate the meshing parts of the power transmission mechanism 3. When the oil OL is stirred up and splashed by the rotation of the rotor core 21 of the motor 2 and the power transmission mechanism 3, the pressure within the motor chamber Sa, gear chamber Sb, and inverter chamber Sc of the housing HS may increase.

[0045] Here, the harness member 5 (see FIG. 3) connecting the battery 9 and the inverter 4 can be an existing one that is already installed in the vehicle V. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a breather hose 8 is provided on the existing harness member 5 so that the harness member 5 also functions as a breather. The increased pressure inside the housing HS is released to the atmosphere from the harness member 5 side.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the harness member 5. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of region A in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a cross section of the harness member 5 cut along the vertical direction. For ease of explanation, FIG. 4 shows the electric wire 7A in a front view rather than a cross section. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the harness member 5. In FIG. 5, the terminal portions 75A and 75B crimped to the conductor wires 70 of the electric wires 7A and 7B are shown spaced apart from the conductor wires 70. In FIG. 5, the covering portion 71 and the conductor wires 70 are hatched differently to facilitate understanding of their positional relationship. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the breather hose 8. Note that the ring grooves 601a and 602a (see FIG. 4) of the tube 6 are omitted in FIG. 6.

[0047] 4, the inverter case 15 has a through-hole 170a that passes through the top wall 170 in the up-down direction, and a tubular portion 175 that surrounds the through-hole 170a. The tube 6 of the harness member 5 is inserted into the through-hole 170a of the top wall 170. In the region where the tube 6 is inserted into the through-hole 170a, a straight line Lp that extends along the longitudinal direction of the harness member 5 is provided in the up-down direction.

[0048] The tube 6 may be, for example, a corrugated tube made of resin. The tube 6 has a cylindrical base 60 surrounding the straight line Lp, a lid 61 that is perpendicular to the straight line Lp and closes the opening of the base 60, and a ring-shaped thick portion 62 that bulges outward from the base 60. The thick portion 62 is provided at the end of the base 60 on the lid 61 side in the direction of the straight line Lp.

[0049] The base 60 has ring grooves 601a and 602a formed on the inner circumferential surface 601 and the outer circumferential surface 602, respectively, in portions that avoid the thick-walled portion 62. The ring grooves 601a and 602a are alternately formed along the direction of the straight line Lp. The base 60 is formed in a wavy shape in a cross section along the direction of the straight line Lp. Therefore, for example, the tube 6 is less likely to be crushed and easier to bend than a tube having a simple cylindrical shape without the ring grooves 601a and 602a.

[0050] A ring groove 65 recessed toward the line Lp is formed on the outer periphery of the thick portion 62. A seal ring S is provided in the ring groove 65. In the harness member 5, the thick portion 62 of the tube 6 is inserted into the through hole 170a of the ceiling wall 170. In this state, the gap between the thick portion 62 of the tube 6 and the through hole 170a of the ceiling wall 170 is sealed by the seal ring S. This prevents air from leaking from inside the inverter chamber Sc between the thick portion 62 of the tube 6 and the through hole 170a of the ceiling wall 170.

[0051] Two electric wires 7A and 7B (wiring) and one breather hose 8 are housed inside the base 60. In the harness member 5 according to this embodiment, the electric wires 7A and 7B and the breather hose 8 are bundled together by the tube 6.

[0052] The electric wire 7B has a conductive wire 70 oriented along the straight line Lp and a covering portion 71 that covers the conductive wire 70. One ends 70a and 71a of the conductive wire 70 and covering portion 71 of the electric wire 7B in the direction of the straight line Lp penetrate the lid portion 61 of the tube 6 and are exposed inside the inverter chamber Sc.

[0053] 5, one end 70a of the conductive wire 70 is exposed from the covering portion 71. In the electric wire 7B, a terminal portion 75B is connected to the portion of the conductive wire 70 exposed from the covering portion 71.

[0054] The terminal portion 75B may be a known round crimp terminal. For example, the terminal portion 75B includes a cylindrical portion 751 around which the conductive wire 70 is inserted and a ring-shaped connecting piece 750 formed integrally with the cylindrical portion 751.

[0055] The cylindrical portion 751 is oriented along the straight line Lp. The connection piece 750 has a through hole 750a in a region where a straight line Lq2, which is perpendicular to the straight line Lp, intersects with the connection piece 750. When viewed from the cylindrical portion 751, the connection piece 750 is located on the opposite side of the conductive wire 70 in the direction of the straight line Lp. As shown in FIG. 4 , the width W2 of the connection piece 750 is wider than the width W1 of the covering portion 71 (W2>W1).

[0056] The terminal portion 75B is fixed to the conductive wire 70 of the electric wire 7B by inserting one end 70a of the conductive wire 70 into the cylindrical portion 751 and crimping the cylindrical portion 751 and the conductive wire 70 together.

[0057] The electric wire 7A has the same shape and structure as the electric wire 7B. As shown in Fig. 5 , the electric wire 7A has a conductive wire 70 oriented along the straight line Lp and a covering portion 71 that covers the conductive wire 70.

[0058] One end 70a of the conductive wire 70 of the electric wire 7A is exposed from the covering portion 71. In the electric wire 7A, a terminal portion 75A is connected to the portion of the conductive wire 70 exposed from the covering portion 71.

[0059] Terminal portion 75A may be a round crimp terminal having the same shape as terminal portion 75B. Terminal portion 75A is fixed to conductive wire 70 of electric wire 7A by inserting one end 70a of conductive wire 70 into cylindrical portion 751 and crimping cylindrical portion 751 and conductive wire 70 together.

[0060] 4, the terminal portion 75B attached to the electric wire 7B is configured so that the through hole 750a of the connection piece 750 overlaps with the terminal hole Ha of the negative terminal 42 of the inverter 4. The terminal portion 75A attached to the electric wire 7A is also configured so that the through hole 750a of the connection piece 750 (see FIG. 5) overlaps with the terminal hole (not shown) of the positive terminal 41 of the inverter 4.

[0061] In this state, by screwing bolts B and B into terminal portions 75A and 75B, electric wires 7A and 7B are connected to positive terminal 41 and negative terminal 42 of inverter 4, respectively (see FIG. 2). Also, as shown in FIG. 6, electric wires 7A and 7B are connected to positive terminal 91 and negative terminal 92 of battery 9, respectively, on the side opposite to inverter 4.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 4 , when the electric wires 7A and 7B are connected to the positive terminal 41 and the negative terminal 42 of the inverter 4, a certain amount of space is provided between the two electric wires 7A and 7B to prevent contact between the terminal portions 75A and 75B. For example, in this embodiment, round crimp terminals are used for the terminal portions 75A and 75B, and the connection piece 750 has a width W2 that is greater than the width W1 of the cover portion 71 (W2 > W1). Therefore, when the terminal portions 75A and 75B are connected to the positive terminal 41 and the negative terminal 42 of the inverter 4, the distance CL2 between the cover portions 71 of the electric wires 7A and 7B is greater than the distance CL1 between the connection pieces 750 (CL2 > CL1). This distance CL2 is likely to be greater than the distance CL3 between the tube 6 and the electric wires 7A and 7B (CL2 > CL3).

[0063] In this embodiment, the breather hose 8 is disposed in the gap CL2 between the electric wires 7A and 7B in the direction of the rotation axis X, thereby making effective use of the space inside the tube 6. Therefore, bundling the breather hose 8 together with the electric wires 7A and 7B with the tube 6 does not have much effect on the diameter of the tube 6. Therefore, the existing tube 6 can be used without changing to a tube with a larger diameter.

[0064] The breather hose 8 may be made of a resin material (e.g., fluororesin) that is resistant to crushing and easy to bend. The breather hose 8 has a cylindrical shape surrounding a straight line Lp. A hollow portion 80 extending along the straight line Lp is provided inside the breather hose 8. The hollow portion 80 is open at one end 8a and the other end 8b (see FIG. 6 ) of the breather hose 8. The one end 8a of the breather hose 8 passes through the lid portion 61 of the tube 6 in the vertical direction between the electric wires 7A and 7B and is exposed inside the inverter chamber Sc. The hollow portion 80 of the breather hose 8 is in communication with the inverter chamber Sc at the one end 8a side. Note that the one end 8a of the breather hose 8 may be provided flush with the lid portion 61 of the tube 6.

[0065] 6 , the breather hose 8 branches off from the tube 6 between the inverter 4 and the battery 9 in the longitudinal direction of the harness member 5, and is directed, for example, in a direction away from the tube 6. The other end 8b of the breather hose 8 is exposed to the external region Sd of the housing HS outside the tube 6. The hollow portion 80 of the breather hose 8 communicates with the external region Sd of the housing HS at the other end 8b.

[0066] The other end 8b of the breather hose 8 passes through a branch hole 66 provided in the base 60 of the tube 6 and is exposed to the external area Sd of the housing HS. The other end 8b of the breather hose 8 can be fixed to the frame FR of the vehicle V (see FIG. 3 ) via a bracket BK, for example, at a position higher than the one end 8a. The frame FR is provided at a higher position than the unit 1.

[0067] The air in the inverter chamber Sc is taken into the hollow portion 80 from one end 8a of the breather hose 8, then rises within the hollow portion 80 and is released to the atmosphere from the other end 8b to the external region Sd of the housing HS. That is, the one end 8a of the breather hose 8 forms an inlet for the air, and the other end 8b forms an opening.

[0068] Here, the inverter 4 and inverter chamber Sc are located at the top of the housing HS, so the oil OL cannot easily reach them. Therefore, by providing a breather hose 8 on the harness member 5 connected to the inverter 4, the oil OL cannot easily enter the breather hose 8.

[0069] Furthermore, because the other end 8b of the breather hose 8 is located higher than the one end 8a, even if oil OL enters from the one end 8a, the oil OL, which is heavier than air, is unlikely to reach the other end 8b. This makes it difficult for the oil OL to spray out of the breather hose 8 into the external area Sd of the housing HS. Note that the breather hose 8 may be provided with a filter to block the opening on the other end 8b side. Providing a filter more effectively reduces the oil OL from spraying out into the external area Sd of the housing HS.

[0070] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a unit 100 according to a comparative example. Fig. 7 shows a case where the water level W in the flood channel is higher than that of the unit 100. As shown in Fig. 7, in the unit 100 according to the comparative example, a breather 800 is provided in the inverter case 15 of the housing HS. The breather 800 is composed of a breather pipe 801 that connects the inverter chamber Sc and the external space Sd, and a breather chamber 802 provided within the inverter chamber Sc. The pressure that has increased within the housing HS passes through the breather chamber 802 and is released to the atmosphere from the breather pipe 801 to the external space Sd of the housing HS.

[0071] Here, as shown in Fig. 3 , the vehicle V may travel on a flooded road. When traveling on a flooded road, the water level W may temporarily become higher than that of the unit 1. As shown in Fig. 7 , in the unit 100 according to the comparative example, if the water level W rises to a position higher than the breather pipe 801, water may enter the housing HS from the breather pipe 801. In this case, it may be possible to prevent water from entering the housing HS from the breather pipe 801, for example, by extending the other end 801b (opening) of the breather pipe 801 upward and positioning it higher than the water level W.

[0072] However, other components of the vehicle V are arranged around the unit 100. Therefore, depending on layout restrictions, it may not be possible to extend the breather pipe 801.

[0073] As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, instead of a breather pipe 801 (see Fig. 7), an existing harness member 5 is used, and a breather hose 8 is passed through a tube 6 of the harness member 5. This allows the breather hose 8 to be stored more compactly than if the breather hose 8 were provided separately from the tube 6.

[0074] The length of the breather hose 8 can be freely set within the tube 6 without interfering with other components of the vehicle V. Therefore, the breather hose 8 can branch off from the tube 6 at a location where the other end 8b can be positioned sufficiently higher than the water level W while passing through the tube 6. Note that the "position sufficiently higher than the water level W" can be determined by a prior simulation or the like. In this way, the unit 1 according to this embodiment has a greater degree of freedom in the positioning of the other end 8b (opening) of the breather hose 8 than the unit 100 according to the comparative example.

[0075] The harness member 5 extends in the front-rear direction above the housing HS and connects the battery 9 and the inverter 4. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the other end 8b of the breather hose 8 branches off from the tube 6 in a region of the harness member 5 above the housing HS and is fixed to the frame FR of the vehicle V.

[0076] For example, if the harness member 5 passes under the housing HS and is connected to the inverter 4, the other end 8b of the breather hose 8 needs to make a large detour around the side of the housing HS from bottom to top to be fixed to the frame FR. In this case, the breather hose 8 is likely to interfere with other components of the vehicle V, making it difficult to design a layout for fixing the other end 8b to the frame FR. Therefore, by passing the harness member 5 over the housing HS and connecting it to the inverter 4, the other end 8b of the breather hose 8 is less likely to interfere with other components of the vehicle V when fixed to the frame FR. This makes it easier to position the other end 8b of the breather hose 8 at a higher position.

[0077] Furthermore, by providing the breather hose 8 inside the tube 6, the overall length of the breather hose 8 can be easily extended, thereby increasing the volume of the breather hose 8. This also makes it possible to omit the breather chamber 802 (see FIG. 7 ). Therefore, the unit 1 according to this embodiment can contribute to reducing manufacturing costs more than the unit 100 according to the comparative example.

[0078] Below are listed examples of the unit 1 according to certain aspects of the present invention. (1) The unit 1 has a housing HS and a harness member 5 attached to the housing HS. The harness member 5 has a tube 6 that bundles together an electric wire portion 7 (wiring) and a breather hose 8. One end 8a (inlet) of the breather hose 8 opens into the inverter chamber Sc, which is an internal region of the housing HS. The other end 8b (opening) of the breather hose 8 branches off from the tube 6 and opens into an external region Sd of the housing HS.

[0079] With this configuration, the harness member 5 having the tube 6 bundling the electric wire portion 7 can be used to bundle the breather hose 8 together with the electric wire portion 7 using the tube 6. This allows the breather hose 8 to be stored more compactly than if the breather hose 8 were provided separately from the tube 6. Furthermore, as shown in the comparative example of FIG. 7 , layout restrictions around the vehicle V may prevent the other end 801b (opening) of the breather pipe 801 from being positioned higher than the water level W of the flooded road. In such cases, water may enter through the other end 801b of the breather pipe 801 while traveling through the flooded road. Therefore, in this embodiment, the breather hose 8 is provided within the tube 6 of the harness member 5. The length of the breather hose 8 can be freely set within the tube 6 without interfering with other components of the vehicle V. Therefore, the breather hose 8 can be branched from the tube 6 at a location where the other end 8b can be positioned sufficiently higher than the water level W while passing through the tube 6 (see, for example, FIG. 6 ). Therefore, the structure of one aspect of the present invention is preferable because it allows the other end 8b of the breather hose 8 to be positioned at a position sufficiently higher than the water level W of the submerged channel.

[0080] (2) The electric wire portion 7 is connected to the inverter 4. Specifically, the electric wire portion 7 electrically connects the inverter 4 and the battery 9. The tube 6 bundling the electric wire portion 7 and the breather hose 8 may be, for example, a corrugated tube.

[0081] The corrugated tube used for the electric wire portion 7 of the inverter 4 is less likely to be crushed and easier to bend than a simple cylindrical tube, and can provide strong protection for the electric wire portion 7. Therefore, by using the above configuration and bundling the breather hose 8 with the corrugated tube together with the electric wire portion 7 connected to the inverter 4, the breather hose 8 can also be provided with strong protection.

[0082] (3) The harness member 5 is provided above the housing HS in the vertical direction based on the installation state of the unit 1 in the vehicle V. The harness member 5 passes above the housing HS and connects the inverter 4 and the battery 9. The other end 8b of the breather hose 8 branches off from the tube 6 in a region of the harness member 5 above the housing HS.

[0083] For example, if the harness member 5 passes under the housing HS and is connected to the inverter 4, the other end 8b of the breather hose 8 will have to be routed around the side of the housing HS, making a large detour from bottom to top. In this case, the breather hose 8 is likely to interfere with other vehicle components, making it difficult to position the other end 8b at a high position. Therefore, by configuring the breather hose 8 as described above, when the breather hose 8 is positioned on the vehicle V, the other end 8b is less likely to interfere with other vehicle components. Therefore, it becomes easier to position the other end 8b of the breather hose 8 at a higher position on the vehicle V.

[0084] (4) The electric wire portion 7 has at least two electric wires 7A and 7B (wiring). The breather hose 8 is provided between the two electric wires 7A and 7B. One end 8a of the breather hose 8 opens into the inverter chamber Sc of the housing HS between the two electric wires 7A and 7B.

[0085] The electric wires 7A and 7B are connected to the positive terminal 41 and the negative terminal 42 of the inverter 4, respectively. A certain gap CL2 is maintained between the two electric wires 7A and 7B to prevent contact between the terminals 75A and 75B (see FIG. 4). This gap CL2 tends to increase as the width W2 of the terminals 75A and 75B on the electric wires 7A and 7B increases. Therefore, by placing the breather hose 8 in the gap CL2 and opening one end 8a into the inverter chamber Sc, the space inside the tube 6 can be effectively utilized. Therefore, bundling the breather hose 8 together with the electric wires 7A and 7B with the tube 6 does not significantly affect the diameter of the tube 6. Therefore, the existing tube 6 can be used without changing to a larger diameter tube.

[0086] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment merely shows one application example of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific configuration of the above embodiment. Appropriate modifications are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the invention.

[0087] 1: unit, 2: motor, 3: power transmission mechanism, 4: inverter, 5: harness member, 6: tube, 7: electric wire portion (wiring), 7A, 7B: electric wire (two wires), 8: breather hose, 9: battery, 10: motor case, 15: inverter case, 60: base, 70: conductive wire, 71: covering portion, 75A, 75B: terminal portion, 90: hollow portion, 8a: one end (inlet), 8b: other end (opening), Air: air, CL1 to CL3: gap, HS: housing, OL: oil, Sa: motor chamber, Sb: gear chamber, Sc: inverter chamber, V: vehicle, W: water level, X: rotating shaft

Claims

1. A unit comprising: a housing; and a harness member attached to the housing, the harness member having a tube that bundles wiring and a breather hose.

2. A unit according to claim 1, wherein the wiring is connected to an inverter.

3. A unit according to claim 1, wherein the harness member is provided on an upper portion of the housing.

4. A unit according to claim 1, comprising two or more of said wirings, and wherein the inlet of said breather hose is open between two of said wirings.

Images