Auxiliary Frame Member Protecting Electric-Power Converter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle designs with electric-power converters located higher than side members are vulnerable to damage during collisions, as obstacles entering at higher positions can directly contact the converters, leading to increased risk of damage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating auxiliary frame members that extend from the front pillars to the side members, positioned to overlap or be above the electric-power converter, which absorb the impact of obstacles before they reach the converter, reducing the force exerted on the converter during collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electric-power converter is located at a higher position than the side members, then the converter is positioned in a more protected zone from low-height obstacles, but the converter becomes vulnerable to direct contact from high-position obstacles entering the front space
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extends protection from the horizontal dimension to the vertical dimension by adding auxiliary frame members that reach upward from the side members to the front pillars. This creates a three-dimensional protective cage structure that shields the electric-power converter from obstacles approaching from multiple heights and angles, resolving the vulnerability to high-position obstacles while maintaining protection from low-height obstacles.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If auxiliary frame members are added to protect the electric-power converter from high-position obstacles, then the protection coverage is improved, but the structural complexity of the front space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary frame members serve multiple functions: they act as protective barriers against high-position obstacles, provide structural reinforcement to the front space, and work in conjunction with existing side members and front pillars to create a comprehensive protective framework. This multi-functionality justifies the added structural elements by providing multiple benefits from a single design addition.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: side members for low-height obstacle protection, auxiliary frame members for high-position obstacle protection, and front pillars for overall structural support. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific protective role while maintaining overall system coherence and manageability.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A vehicle equipped with a traveling motor (10) includes: two front pillars (4a, 4b); two side members (3a, 3b); a power unit (6) arranged between the two side members (3a, 3b) and including the traveling motor (10); an electric-power converter (7) arranged adjacent to the power unit (6) and located at a higher position in the vehicle-vertical direction than the side members (3a, 3b); and a first auxiliary frame member (5a), a first end of the first auxiliary frame member (5a) being coupled to one of the front pillars (4a, 4b), the first auxiliary frame member (5a) extending, as viewed from the vehicle-width direction, to pass a position where the first auxiliary frame member (5a) overlaps with the electric-power converter (7) or a position higher than the electric-power converter (7), and a second end of the first auxiliary frame member (5a) being coupled to one of the side members (3 a, 3b), at a more frontward position than the electric-power converter (7).