Work Vehicle Inverter Layout for Side Access and Weight Balance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing work vehicles face challenges in maintaining the inverter and exhaust gas treatment system components due to their complex and inaccessible locations, which complicates maintenance and weight distribution.

Innovation Solution

The inverter is positioned between the front wheel and rear travel device, under the floor section, allowing for lateral maintenance access, and the reducing agent tank is placed on the opposite side to balance weight, while a running board provides protection and a cooling device is aligned vertically with the inverter for easy maintenance and refrigerant management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of repair

If the inverter is positioned in a location that facilitates maintenance access, then maintenance ease is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional spatial requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinverter maintenance accessVSAvoidspatial arrangement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The inverter is positioned laterally between the front wheel and rear travel device, utilizing the width dimension of the vehicle body rather than the longitudinal dimension. This lateral positioning allows maintenance access from the side of the vehicle body, resolving the contradiction by changing the spatial dimension used for component placement.

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

2Ease of repair

If the inverter is positioned laterally to facilitate maintenance, then maintenance access is improved, but weight balance of the vehicle body deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinverter maintenance accessVSAvoidvehicle body weight balance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The inverter is positioned on one lateral side of the vehicle body (between front wheel and rear travel device) rather than symmetrically in the center. This asymmetric positioning facilitates maintenance access while the patent acknowledges the need to compensate for weight imbalance through other means such as counterweight distribution or structural design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

3Volume of moving object

If the inverter is positioned under the floor section for compact arrangement, then space utilization is improved, but maintenance access becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespace utilization under floor sectionVSAvoidinverter maintenance access
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The inverter is positioned laterally between the front wheel and rear travel device, utilizing the width dimension rather than solely the vertical space under the floor section. This lateral positioning allows maintenance access from the side of the vehicle body while still maintaining compact overall arrangement.

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

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

Facilitates cost-effective maintenance of the inverter and exhaust gas treatment system by improving access and weight distribution, enhancing protection and maintenance efficiency of the inverter and cooling system.

Implementation Method 1

a cooling device aligned with the inverter in a vertical direction of the vehicle body and configured to cool the inverter

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP4286190A1Work vehicle
Publication Date: 2023.12.06 KUBOTA CORP
  • EP4286190A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4286190A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4286190A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A work vehicle comprising: a front wheel; a rear travel device; a travel body supported by the front wheel and the rear travel device; a driving section provided in the travel body and having an occupant floor section (11); a transmission configured to output power to the rear travel device; a transmission case (13) housing the transmission; an electric motor (17,18) coupled to the transmission; and an inverter (21) connected to the electric motor, wherein: the inverter (21) is provided between the front wheel and the rear travel device, under the floor section (11), and laterally of the transmission case (13).