Vehicle Drive Assembly With Interlocked Housing Covers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drive assemblies in motor vehicles face challenges in ensuring high-voltage safety during maintenance and repair, as they allow for potential access to live areas within the housing when covers are removed, and existing safety measures are complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
The housing-side bearing components are positioned at the ends of the housing covers, which act as both mechanical supports and covers, and the electrical connection is designed to disconnect when the housing is removed from the support frame, ensuring no access to high-voltage areas until the connection is fully disconnected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If magnetic switches are used to prevent access to high-voltage areas, then high-voltage safety is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection is designed to be disconnected before the housing can be removed from the support frame. This preliminary disconnection of power ensures that high-voltage areas are de-energized before any access is possible, eliminating the need for complex magnetic switches while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical mounting function and electrical connection function are merged into a single integrated system. The housing cannot be mechanically removed from the support frame without simultaneously disconnecting the electrical connection, combining safety and mechanical operation into one action
2Stability of the object's composition
If the housing is made rigidly connected to the support frame, then mechanical stability is improved, but ease of removal for maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between housing and support frame is designed to be dynamically conditional rather than statically fixed. The housing is firmly held during operation but can be removed when the electrical connection is disconnected, providing both stability and maintainability through a conditional mechanical relationship
3Ease of operation
If covers are made easily removable for maintenance, then ease of operation is improved, but high-voltage safety deteriorates due to potential access to live areas
Solution Approach 1:
Power disconnection is performed as a preliminary action before any cover removal or maintenance activity. The electrical connection must be disconnected before the housing can be removed from the support frame, ensuring live areas are de-energized before access is possible
Solution Approach 2:
The support frame acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the housing and the external environment. It provides a mechanical interface that couples the disconnection of power and mechanical access, serving as a safety mediator that prevents direct access to live areas
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration prevents mechanical opening of the housing covers while installed, requiring complete disassembly from the support frame to access high-voltage areas, thereby achieving maximum high-voltage safety.
Implementation Method 1
the housing is suspended in the support frame in a vibration-damping manner
Implementation Method 2
Rubber bearings are often used for this purpose. Such a rubber bearing comprises a frame-fixed bushing in which a rubber sleeve is fixed
Data Source
AI summary
A drive assembly for a motor vehicle, having a drive with a housing, enclosing at least one electrical drive component and the housing wall of which is divided into a plurality of axially adjacent sections. The two axially terminal sections each form an axially removable cover of the housing. A support frame with frame-side bearing components which, together with the corresponding housing-side bearing components, form bearings for suspending the housing in the carrier frame, and an electrical connection between a housing-side connector, which is stationary relative to the housing and is connected to the electrical drive component in the housing interior, and a frame-side connector, which is stationary relative to the support frame and is connected or connectable to an electrical power supply.