Electric Motorcycle Converter Placement for Safety and Compactness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electric vehicle designs face challenges in preventing user access to the converter while maintaining a compact vehicle body, as the converter's placement in the battery case either restricts access or increases the number of components.

Innovation Solution

The converter is placed in a motor accommodating portion separated from the battery accommodating portion, with a tray supporting it and a heat sink for cooling, allowing for a shorter power line length and facilitating maintenance without enlarging the vehicle's width or height.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of stationary object

If the converter is placed in the battery case, then the length of high voltage line is reduced, but users can access the converter when demounting the high voltage battery

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelength of high voltage lineVSAvoiduser access to converter
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the vehicle into separate functional zones: the battery case housing the high voltage battery and the converter case housing the converter. This spatial segmentation prevents users from accessing the converter when removing the battery, while maintaining short connection lengths through optimized positioning of the converter case near the battery case.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the converter is placed in a dedicated case, then user access to converter is prevented, but the number of components increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser access to converterVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the converter case with the motor case, integrating two functional housings into a single component. This merging approach prevents user access to the converter while avoiding the need for separate dedicated cases, thus reducing overall component count and simplifying the vehicle structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the converter is placed in the battery case, then access restriction is achieved, but maintenance access becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconverter access restrictionVSAvoidmaintenance access to converter
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the converter from the battery case and places it in a separate converter case positioned at the rear of the vehicle. This extraction allows the battery to be freely removed for charging while maintaining converter security. The rear positioning also provides easy maintenance access to the converter without requiring battery removal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 effectively prevents user access to the converter during high voltage battery demounting, reduces the length of high voltage lines, and allows for easier maintenance of the low voltage battery while maintaining a compact vehicle design.

Implementation Method 1

a heat sink for cooling the converter

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat sink: Heat Sink

Data Source

PatentEP3088285B1Electric vehicle
Publication Date: 2020.08.05 YAMAHA MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP3088285B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3088285B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3088285B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An electric motorcycle (1) comprises a battery case (20) for accommodating a high voltage battery (10), a low voltage battery (12), a converter (14) for decreasing the voltage of the high voltage battery (10) to supply the decreased voltage to the low voltage battery (12), and a motor case (40) for accommodating an electric motor (51). The converter (14) is provided in the motor case (40). The electric motorcycle (1) can prevent users from accessing the converter (14).