Motor Housing Rib Design for Resolver Collision Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

In hybrid vehicles, the risk of collision between a motor's resolver and surrounding vehicle structures, such as suspension members, leads to potential damage and increased costs due to the need for high-strength metal plate protectors.

Innovation Solution

A collision countermeasure structure for the motor featuring a housing with a step section and a rib that extends between the step section and the motor housing, where the rib is inclined to guide the suspension member along a contact surface, reducing impact on the resolver.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a high-strength metal plate protector is used to protect the resolver from collision with vehicle structures, then the resolver's reliability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases drastically

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresolver protectionVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a foam material as an intermediary protective element positioned between the resolver and the vehicle structure. This foam material absorbs collision energy and prevents direct impact on the resolver, thereby protecting the resolver without requiring expensive high-strength metal plate protectors. The foam material serves as a cost-effective mediator that resolves the contradiction between reliability and manufacturing cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the motor housing is designed with a rib structure to guide the suspension member, then the impact on the resolver is reduced, but the housing structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpact reductionVSAvoidhousing structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent adds a rib structure to the motor housing that extends in the vertical dimension, creating a stepped configuration. This rib structure guides the suspension member during collision and directs it away from the resolver. By utilizing the vertical dimension and creating a stepped housing design, the patent reduces horizontal impact on the resolver while maintaining structural integrity, thus resolving the contradiction between impact reduction and structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of operation

If the rib is formed to be lower on the housing end side and higher on the step section side, then the suspension member slides along the contact surface, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollision responseVSAvoidrib geometry
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent specifies particular geometric parameters for the rib structure, including its height variation from the housing end side to the step section side, and the inclination angle of its contact surface. By optimizing these parameters, the rib structure effectively guides the suspension member during collision. The patent balances the collision response effectiveness with manufacturability by selecting practical parameter ranges that achieve the desired guidance function without requiring excessively tight tolerances, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3609052B1Motor collision countermeasure structure
Publication Date: 2021.03.10 NISSAN MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP3609052B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3609052B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3609052B1 patent drawingFigure 4(a)~4(d)

AI summary

In a collision countermeasure structure for a motor, the motor includes a housing provided with a step section that incorporates a motor rotation angle sensor on a shaft end surface. The housing includes a rib which extends between an end portion of the step section opposing a vehicle structure disposed in a horizontal direction of a vehicle and an end portion of the housing. The rib has a contact surface for coming in contact with the vehicle structure. The contact surface is formed to be lower on a housing end side and to be higher on the step section side.