Vehicle Drive Unit Layout With L-Shaped Housing for Compact Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle drive devices with a power module and rotating electrical machine face challenges in reducing the size in both the up-down and horizontal directions while ensuring sufficient mounting space for components like the power module and wiring.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle drive device is designed with a rotating electrical machine on a first axis, a differential transmission device on a second parallel axis, a power transmission device, a power module, a smoothing capacitor, and a wiring portion housed within a case that forms an L-shaped housing portion overlapping the first and second axes, optimizing the layout to minimize size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the three-phase wiring portion and power module are arranged to overlap each other in the up-down direction, then the horizontal size is reduced, but the up-down size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional planar arrangement to a three-dimensional spatial arrangement by introducing an L-shaped housing portion that utilizes both horizontal and vertical spaces. The wiring portion is routed through a side surface of the case rather than directly overlapping the power module, thereby distributing components across multiple dimensions and reducing concentration in any single direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The wiring portion is nested within the L-shaped housing structure, utilizing the side surface pathway to route between components. This nesting approach allows the wiring to occupy space that would otherwise be unused, effectively packing the arrangement more efficiently without increasing the overall envelope dimensions.
2Reliability
If mounting space is secured for the power module and wiring portion, then component functionality is ensured, but the overall device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The L-shaped housing portion introduces asymmetric spatial distribution, with the wiring portion routed through the side surface rather than following a symmetric or direct path. This asymmetric arrangement optimizes the use of available space, allowing components to be positioned in locations that minimize the overall device volume while maintaining adequate mounting space for reliable connections.
3Volume of stationary object
If the wiring portion is routed through the side surface of the case, then space utilization is improved, but wiring complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The L-shaped housing portion serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural enclosure, defines the spatial arrangement of components, and acts as the routing pathway for the wiring portion. By integrating these functions into a single structural element, the design reduces overall complexity despite the three-dimensional wiring path, as the housing itself becomes the guide rather than requiring separate routing structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle drive device includes: a rotating electrical machine; a differential transmission device; a power transmission device; a power module; a wiring portion; and a case. The case forms, above a plane including the axis of a rotation shaft of the rotating electrical machine and the axis of an output shaft, a first, second, and third housing portion.The first portion overlaps the rotating electrical machine as viewed in an axial direction of the rotating electrical machine, and overlaps the power transmission device as viewed in an up-down direction. The second portion overlaps the rotating electrical machine as viewed in a direction perpendicular to both the axial direction of the rotating electrical machine and the up-down direction, and overlaps the output shaft as viewed in the up-down direction. The third portion is adjacent to the first and second portions, and overlaps the output shaft as viewed in the up-down direction.