Vehicle Drive Unit Layout for Reduced Vertical Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle drive device layout, where output members are offset in the up-down direction relative to the rotor shaft, makes it difficult to reduce the overall size in the up-down direction of the vehicle drive device.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle drive device is designed with a rotating electrical machine and output members disposed on separate parallel axes, with the transmission mechanism and inverter device positioned to overlap each other in the axial direction, allowing for a more compact configuration by overlapping the rotating electrical machine and inverter device in the up-down direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If output members are disposed offset in the up-down direction relative to the rotor shaft, then the inverter device can be positioned using available space, but the overall size in the up-down direction cannot be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensional reorganization by switching from a horizontal arrangement (output members offset from rotor shaft in horizontal direction) to a vertical arrangement (output members overlapping rotor shaft in up-down direction). This dimensional change allows the inverter device to be positioned below the rotating electrical machine, effectively reducing the overall up-down height while maintaining functional separation of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested positioning where the inverter device is placed below the rotating electrical machine in the up-down direction, creating a vertically stacked configuration. The output members are positioned to overlap the rotor shaft axis, allowing the transmission mechanism to be integrated between the rotating electrical machine and the inverter device, thus nesting multiple components within a compact vertical envelope.
2Adaptability or versatility
If output members are offset from the rotor shaft horizontally, then space for inverter device is available, but compactness in up-down direction is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal spatial arrangement to vertical stacking, positioning the inverter device below the rotating electrical machine in the up-down direction. This dimensional shift allows both the output members to overlap the rotor shaft horizontally and the inverter device to be compactly positioned vertically, achieving both spatial flexibility and reduced up-down dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of placing the inverter device to the side of the rotating electrical machine (horizontal arrangement), the patent inverts the approach by positioning it below the rotating electrical machine (vertical arrangement). This inversion allows the output members to be aligned with the rotor shaft axis while maintaining adequate space for the inverter device, achieving compactness in the up-down direction.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle drive device is disclosed that includes a rotating electrical machine, a transmission mechanism, an inverter device, a case including a first case portion that houses the rotating electrical machine, and a rotor shaft to which a rotor is fixed. The rotating electrical machine and a pair of output members have a two-axis configuration. The transmission mechanism includes, coaxially with the pair of output members, an output gear drivingly connected to at least one of the pair of output members. The output gear is disposed so as to overlap each of the rotating electrical machine and the inverter device as viewed in an axial direction. The inverter device is disposed so as to overlap a first output member that is one of the pair of output members, as viewed in an up-down direction. The first output member is disposed so as to overlap an axis of the rotor shaft as viewed in a horizontal direction, and the inverter device is disposed below an uppermost position of the first case portion in a second direction.