Motor Assembly Wire Harness Routing and Retainer Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional motor assemblies face challenges in securely routing and protecting wire harnesses and cooling water hoses around the motor and gear, particularly in preventing damage from impacts and interference with the axle during vehicle operation.

Innovation Solution

A motor assembly design that includes a housing with an integral inverter case, a wire harness, and a cooling water hose, where the wire harness is positioned farther away from the axle and secured by a retainer, and the hoses are routed to minimize contact with the axle and protected by connector covers to prevent damage from impacts and debris.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the wire harness and cooling water hose are routed around the motor and gear, then electrical connection and cooling functions are achieved, but the components are vulnerable to damage from impacts and interference with the axle

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection of wire harness and hoseVSAvoidimpact damage and wear

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A retainer component is introduced as an intermediary element to hold and position the wire harness and cooling water hose. The retainer acts as a mediator between the hoses/wire and the surrounding environment, preventing direct contact with the axle and protecting against impact damage while maintaining the necessary routing for electrical connection and cooling functions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The retainer is designed to preemptively prevent harmful actions by positioning the wire harness and cooling water hose in protected locations before impacts or wear can occur. By establishing the correct spatial arrangement in advance, the system prevents interference with the axle and protects against damage before it can happen during operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

2Volume of moving object

If the wire harness is positioned closer to the axle for compact routing, then installation space is reduced, but the risk of contact and damage from axle movement increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaxial length of motor assemblyVSAvoidprotection from axle interference

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The retainer resolves the spatial conflict by utilizing the radial dimension to position the wire harness and cooling water hose away from the axial path of the axle. Instead of simply increasing axial length, the solution moves components in the radial direction, maintaining compact axial dimensions while preventing contact with the moving axle through three-dimensional spatial arrangement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS11239724B2Motor assembly

Publication Date: 2022.02.01 NIDEC CORP(JP)

AI summary

A motor assembly includes a motor, a housing that houses the motor, an inverter that is electrically connected to the motor, an inverter case that houses the inverter and is provided integrally with the housing, a wire harness electrically connected between a connector of the inverter case and a connector of the housing, a cooling water hose connecting between a hose nipple of the inverter case and a hose nipple of the housing, and a retainer to fix the wire harness and the cooling water hose in a bundled state to the housing. The housing includes an axle connecting portion to which an axle of a vehicle is connected, and the wire harness is farther away from the axle than the cooling water hose at a position facing the axle.