JP2007181293A - Driving apparatus of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving apparatus of a vehicle for combining miniaturization of the apparatus and securement of a property for dissipating heat outside the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: Motor generators MGL, MGR are coupled to driving shafts of left and right rear wheels RL, RR, and individually drive them. The motor generators MGL, MGR comprise in-wheel motors embedded within corresponding wheels. Inverters 14L, 14 R control and drive the motor generators MGL, MGR by a switching operation of power elements. Since the inverter 14L is mounted on a side face of a space 60L formed between a locker panel 52L and a side member 50L of the vehicle, the heat generated from the power element in the inverter 14L is dissipated into a vehicle body. Since an introduction opening and a discharge opening for a running wind are provided at front and back ends of the space 60L, the heat from the inverter 14L is dissipated by the running wind introduced into a vehicle interior. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle drive device, and more particularly to a vehicle drive device that uses an in-wheel motor assembled to a wheel as a power source.

  Recently, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles have attracted attention as environmentally friendly vehicles. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses a motor driven by a DC power source via an inverter in addition to a conventional engine as a power source. In other words, a power source is obtained by driving the engine, a DC voltage from a DC power source is converted into an AC voltage by an inverter, and a motor is rotated by the converted AC voltage to obtain a power source.

  An electric vehicle is a vehicle that uses a motor driven by a DC power supply via an inverter as a power source.

  Here, in a hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle, an in-wheel motor drive system that independently drives with an in-wheel motor assembled on the left and right drive wheels as a drive source has been studied (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 6). ). According to this, as compared with an electric vehicle equipped with only one motor as a drive source, it is possible to increase the driving force and realize a fine-tuned operation according to the driver's request such as four-wheel drive. .

  And when an in-wheel motor drive system is employ | adopted as a vehicle, an inverter is provided with respect to each of an in-wheel motor. In such an inverter, in order to simplify the wiring system and save space, a mounting structure incorporated in a wheel together with a motor has been studied (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle drive device in which an inverter, a motor, and a speed reducer are arranged in this order from the side close to the wheel constituting the wheel. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a wheel motor including a motor cover that covers a rotor and a stator from the outside inside a wheel and an inverter having a switching element mounted on the board. An arrangement structure of an inverter disposed on an outer peripheral side of a shaft holding portion having a length in a direction is disclosed.
JP 2005-29086 A JP 2002-252955 A JP 2002-186120 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-16040 JP 2004-161189 A JP 2002-337554 A

  Here, in an in-wheel motor drive type vehicle, each of the same number of inverters as the in-wheel motor has a power element that serves as a heat source, and therefore, it is necessary to further mount an inverter cooling system.

  On the other hand, miniaturization of the motor drive device is strongly demanded from the viewpoint of securing the vehicle interior space.

  Therefore, restrictions are imposed on the allowable mounting space also in the inverter that drives and controls each in-wheel motor and the cooling system of the inverter.

  However, according to the vehicle drive device described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it has not been specifically studied as to which position of the vehicle structure the inverter and its cooling system are mounted. Moreover, according to the arrangement structure of the inverter described in Patent Document 2 above, in view of increasing the output of the in-wheel motor, a relatively large power element is used for the inverter in order to supply a larger motor driving current. Although necessary, there arises problems that the size of the power element that can be applied is limited due to restrictions on the mounting space, and that it is difficult to ensure the heat dissipation of the inverter.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle drive device that achieves both downsizing and ensuring heat dissipation to the outside of the device. .

  According to the present invention, a vehicle drive device includes an in-wheel motor coupled to a drive wheel of the vehicle, and a drive circuit that drives the in-wheel motor by receiving power supplied from a power source. The drive circuit is disposed on the side surface of the space formed between the rocker panel and the side member of the vehicle.

  According to the above vehicle drive device, the heat from the drive circuit is radiated to the vehicle body by mounting the drive circuit in the space formed between the rocker panel and the side member. Therefore, it is possible to cool the drive circuit easily and efficiently without individually providing a cooling system. Further, the wiring length of the power line disposed between the in-wheel motor and the drive circuit can be shortened. As a result, the drive device can be reduced in size, and the vehicle interior space is secured. Furthermore, since the space portion is configured to prevent leakage of water from the outside, the waterproof function of the drive circuit can be ensured.

  Preferably, the space portion is formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is provided at a front side end portion of the vehicle so as to supply a traveling wind generated during traveling of the vehicle to the space portion. And a running wind outlet provided at the rear end of the vehicle for discharging running wind from the space to the outside of the vehicle.

  According to the above vehicle drive device, heat from the drive circuit is radiated to the traveling wind by passing the traveling wind through the space. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the drive circuit can be further enhanced with a simple configuration.

  Preferably, the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle in which one of the front left and right wheels and the rear left and right wheels is an in-wheel motor as a driving force source, and the other is an internal combustion engine and a motor as a driving force source.

  According to the vehicle drive device described above, a hybrid vehicle with a reduced drive system is realized.

  According to the present invention, a vehicle drive device includes an in-wheel motor coupled to a drive wheel of the vehicle, and a drive circuit that receives power supplied from a power source and controls the in-wheel motor. The drive circuit is disposed on the side surface of the space formed between the vehicle side frame member of the vehicle body and the energy absorbing member at the time of the vehicle side collision.

  According to the vehicle drive device described above, since heat from the drive circuit is radiated to the vehicle body, the drive circuit can be simply and efficiently cooled without providing a cooling system. Moreover, the wiring distance of the electric power line arrange | positioned between an in-wheel motor and a drive circuit can be shortened. As a result, the drive device can be reduced in size.

  According to the present invention, the space portion is formed to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is provided on the front end surface of the vehicle, and the traveling wind for supplying the traveling wind generated during the traveling of the vehicle to the space portion. An introduction port and a traveling wind discharge port provided on the rear end surface of the vehicle for discharging the traveling wind from the space to the outside of the vehicle are included.

  According to the vehicle drive device described above, the heat from the drive circuit is radiated to the vehicle body and is also radiated to the traveling wind introduced into the space, so that the cooling efficiency of the drive circuit can be further enhanced. .

  According to this invention, in an in-wheel motor drive type vehicle, it is possible to achieve both reduction in size of the drive device and securing heat dissipation to the outside of the device. As a result, the drive device can be mounted without sacrificing space in the engine room, the passenger compartment, and the cargo compartment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a vehicle drive system equipped with a vehicle drive apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 1, vehicle 100 is formed of, for example, a hybrid four-wheel drive vehicle. In the hybrid four-wheel drive vehicle, the left and right front wheels FL and FR are driven by the engine ENG and the front motor generator MG2, and the left and right rear wheels RL and RR are independently driven by the motor generators MGL and MGR. Adopt the method.

  In the hybrid four-wheel drive vehicle, the left and right front wheels FL and FR are independently driven by the motor generators MGL and MGR, and the left and right rear wheels RL and RR are driven by the engine ENG and the rear motor generator. It may be configured to drive. Alternatively, vehicle 100 may be a two-wheel independent drive type electric vehicle in which one of left and right front wheels FL, FR and left and right rear wheels RL, RR is independently driven by motor generators MGL, MGR.

  The vehicle 100 includes motor generators MGL and MGR, speed reducers 10 and 12, inverters 14L and 14R, an electronic control unit (ECU) 3, and a battery B as driving devices for the left and right rear wheels RL and RR. With.

  Motor generators MGL and MGR are connected to drive shafts 8 and 9 of left and right rear wheels RL and RR, respectively, and drive each independently. Motor generators MGL and MGR employ an in-hole motor type incorporated inside the wheel of the corresponding wheel.

  Motor generators MGR and MGL are, for example, three-phase AC motors, and are driven by electric power stored in battery B. The driving force of the motor generator MGR is transmitted to the driving shaft 9 of the right rear wheel RR via the speed reducer 12. The driving force of motor generator MGL is transmitted to driving shaft 8 of left rear wheel RL via reduction gear 10.

  At the time of regenerative braking of vehicle 100, motor generators MGL and MGR are rotated by left and right rear wheels RL and RR via reduction gears 10 and 12, respectively, and operate as generators. At this time, regenerative electric power generated by motor generators MGL and MGR is charged to battery B through inverters 14L and 14R.

  As the battery B, a secondary battery such as nickel hydride or lithium ion, a fuel cell, or the like is applied. In addition, a large-capacity capacitor such as an electric double layer capacitor may be used as a power storage device instead of the battery B.

  Inverters 14L and 14R drive and control motor generators MGL and MGR, respectively. The inverter 14L includes a U-phase arm, a V-phase arm, and a W-phase arm, although not shown. Each phase arm consists of two power elements connected in series between a power supply line and an earth line. An intermediate point of each phase arm is connected to each phase end of each phase coil of motor generator MGL by power line 16. That is, motor generator MGL is configured such that one end of three coils of U, V, and W phases is commonly connected to a neutral point, and the other end of U phase coil is at an intermediate point of the U phase arm. The other end is connected to the midpoint of the V-phase arm, and the other end of the W-phase coil is connected to the midpoint of the W-phase arm.

  Inverter 14R has the same configuration as inverter 14L, and an intermediate point of each phase arm is connected to each phase end of each phase coil of motor generator MGR by power line 18.

  When a DC voltage is supplied from battery B, inverters 14L and 14R convert the DC voltage to an AC voltage based on signals PWML and PWMR from ECU 3, and drive motor generators MGL and MGR, respectively. Thereby, motor generators MGL and MGR are driven to generate torque according to the required drive torque.

  Inverters 14L and 14R convert AC voltage generated by motor generators MGL and MGR into DC voltage based on signals PWML and PWMR from ECU 3 during regenerative braking of vehicle 100, and the converted DC voltage is connected to battery B. To supply. Here, regenerative braking refers to braking involving regenerative power generation when the driver operating the vehicle 100 performs a footbrake operation, or regenerative braking by turning off the accelerator pedal while driving without operating the footbrake. This includes decelerating (or stopping acceleration) the vehicle while generating electricity.

  Vehicle 100 further controls driving of engine ENG, front motor generators MG1 and MG2, power split mechanism PSD, reduction gear RD, and front motor generators MG1 and MG2 as driving devices for left and right front wheels FL and FR. And an inverter 140 for performing.

  The engine ENG generates driving force using the combustion energy of fuel such as gasoline as a source. The driving force generated by the engine ENG is transmitted to the front motor generator MG1 that generates DC power by the power split mechanism PSD and the driving shaft that drives the left and right front wheels FL and FR via the reduction gear RD. The route is divided into

  Front motor generator MG1 is rotated by the driving force from engine ENG transmitted through power split device PSD to generate electric power. The electric power generated by the front motor generator MG1 is supplied to the inverter 140 via the power line, and is used as charging power for the battery B or as driving power for the front motor generator MG2.

  Front motor generator MG2 is rotationally driven by AC power supplied from inverter 140 to the power line. The driving force generated by the front motor generator MG2 is transmitted to the driving shafts of the left and right front wheels FL and FR via the reduction gear RD.

  When the front motor generator MG2 is rotated along with the deceleration of the wheels FL and FR during the regenerative braking operation, the electromotive force generated in the front motor generator MG2 is supplied to the power line. In this case, the inverter 140 converts the power supplied to the power line into DC power and charges the battery B.

  The vehicle 100 further includes an accelerator position sensor 90 that detects an accelerator pedal position AP, a brake pedal position sensor 92 that detects a brake pedal position BP, a shift position sensor 94 that detects a shift position SP, a handle 7, and a handle. And a steering angle sensor 96 for detecting the steering angle θs7. The vehicle 100 further includes wheel speed sensors 40, 42, 44, and 46 that detect rotational speeds ωFL, ωFR, ωRL, and ωRR of the wheels FL, FR, RL, and RR. Detection signals from these sensors are input to the ECU 3.

  ECU 3 is electrically connected to engine ENG, inverters 14L, 14R, 140 and battery B, and the operating state of engine ENG, the driving states of motor generators MGR, MGL and front motor generators MG1, MG2, and battery B Integrated control of the state of charge.

  When ECU 3 receives detection signals from various sensors, ECU 3 calculates a drive torque required for vehicle 100 based on these detection signals. Then, based on the calculated required driving torque of vehicle 100, ECU 3 gives a drive instruction to convert the DC voltage from battery B into AC voltage for driving motor generators MGL, MGR to inverters 14L, 14R. The signals PMWL and PWMR to be performed are generated, and the generated signals PWML and PWMR are output to the inverters 14L and 14R, respectively. Further, ECU 3 generates signals PWML and PWMR for instructing inverters 14L and 14R to generate regeneration instructions for converting the AC voltage generated by motor generators MGL and MGR into a DC voltage and returning it to battery B, and the generated signals. PWML and PWMR are output to inverters 14L and 14R.

  Further, ECU 3 is a signal for instructing inverter 140 to convert the DC voltage from battery B into an AC voltage for driving front motor generators MG1, MG2 based on the calculated required driving torque of vehicle 100. PMWI1 and PWMI2 are generated, and the generated signals PWMI1 and PWMI2 are output to inverter 140, respectively. Further, ECU 3 generates signals PWMI1 and PWMI2 for instructing inverter 140 to generate regeneration instructions for converting the AC voltage generated by front motor generators MG1 and MG2 into a DC voltage and returning it to battery B, and the generated signal PWMI1. , PWMI2 is output to the inverter 140.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a driving device in the vehicle 100 of FIG.
Referring to FIG. 2, the drive device drives, for example, right rear wheel RR in FIG. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the drive device which consists of a structure similar to FIG. 2 is provided also about the left rear wheel RL of FIG.

  The right rear wheel RR includes a wheel disc 22, a wheel hub 23, a constant velocity joint 25, a brake rotor 24, a motor generator MGR, a speed reducer 12, a shaft 34, and a tire 20.

  The wheel disc 22 has a substantially cup shape, and is coupled to the wheel hub 23 by fastening the disc portion to the wheel hub 23 with screws. The wheel hub 23 incorporates a constant velocity joint 25 and is connected to the shaft 34 via the built-in constant velocity joint 25.

  The constant velocity joint 25 includes an inner 250 and a ball 251. The inner 250 is fitted to the shaft 34. The ball 251 meshes with a groove of the wheel hub 23 provided in the rotation axis direction of the shaft 34 and a groove of the inner 250, and rotates the wheel hub 23 as the shaft 34 rotates. Further, the ball 251 is movable in the direction of the rotation axis of the shaft 34 along grooves provided in the wheel hub 23 and the inner 250.

  The brake rotor 24 is disposed such that its inner peripheral end is fixed to the outer peripheral end of the wheel hub 23 with screws, and its outer peripheral end passes through a brake caliper (not shown).

  The motor generator MGR, the speed reducer 12 and the shaft 34 are housed in a case (not shown) and disposed on the left side of the wheel hub 23 to constitute an in-wheel motor.

  Motor generator MGR includes a stator core 32, a stator coil 33, and a rotor 30. The stator coil 33 is wound around the stator core 32. When motor generator MGR is a three-phase motor, stator coil 33 includes a U-phase coil, a V-phase coil, and a W-phase coil.

The rotor 30 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the stator core 32 and the stator coil 33.
The speed reducer 12 is composed of a planetary gear, for example. Although not shown, the planetary gear is connected to the sun gear shaft connected to the rotor 30 of the motor generator MGR, the sun gear connected to the sun gear shaft, the pinion gear, the pinion gear, and the planetary gear connected to the shaft 34 by spline fitting. The carrier includes a ring gear fixed to the case, and a pin supported by the pinion gear.

  Power line 18 is arranged between stator coil 33 of motor generator MGR and inverter 14R. The power line 18 includes three cables corresponding to the U-phase coil, V-phase coil, and W-phase coil of the stator coil 33.

  The inverter 14R includes a power element, and converts the DC power from the battery B into AC power by switching the power element. At this time, the inverter 14 </ b> R needs to be cooled because the element temperature rises as the power element generates heat.

  Here, as a cooling system for the inverter, for example, a configuration in which, for example, a cooling water path for allowing the cooling water to flow through the inverter is provided and the cooling water is cooled by a dedicated radiator has been conventionally employed.

  However, providing such a cooling system for each of the plurality of inverters provided for each in-wheel motor significantly erodes the indoor space of the vehicle 100 in order to increase the size of the drive device. Moreover, it becomes a factor which obstructs the weight reduction of a drive device.

  Therefore, the drive device according to the present invention employs the inverter mounting structure shown in FIG. 3 in order to efficiently cool the inverter provided for each in-wheel motor with a simple configuration. According to this, the cooling performance of the inverter can be ensured without sacrificing the indoor space of the vehicle 100.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the mounting structure of inverters 14L and 14R in vehicle 100 in FIG. Specifically, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body structure of vehicle 100.

  Referring to FIG. 3, in vehicle 100, a rocker panel 52 </ b> L that forms a part of the vehicle side surface extends in the vehicle front-rear direction in the vehicle width direction (vehicle side). The rocker panel 52L constitutes a vehicle side frame member. Further, a side member 50L is provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the rocker panel 52L so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction substantially parallel to the rocker panel 52L. The side member 50L is coupled to a front floor cross member 64 and a rear floor cross member 66 disposed in the vehicle width direction, and efficiently absorbs and disperses mainly the energy at the time of a vehicle side collision, thereby deforming the passenger compartment. Plays a role in minimizing In addition, the rocker panel 52L and the side member 50L are made of a metal having high heat conductivity.

  Further, the rocker panel 52L and the side member 50L are coupled to both end surfaces in the vehicle vertical direction. As a result, a space 60L extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed between the inner surface in the vehicle width direction of the rocker panel 52L and the outer surface in the vehicle width direction of the side member 50L. Since the space 60L has a substantially cylindrical structure extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, water leakage to the inside is blocked.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1, vehicle 100 employs a two-wheel independent drive system in which left and right rear wheels RL and RR are independently driven by motor generators MGL and MGR. Therefore, motor generators MGL and MGR incorporated inside the wheels are arranged on the left and right rear wheels RL and RR, respectively.

  In the above configuration, the drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention has a feature in the mounting structure of the inverters 14L and 14R.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, inverter 14L that drives and controls motor generator MGL is mounted on the side surface of space 60L formed between rocker panel 52L and side member 50L. Although not shown, the inverter 14R for driving and controlling the motor generator MGR is also mounted on the side surface of the space formed between the rocker panel and the side member located on the right side surface of the vehicle 100. The

  As described above, the inverters 14L and 14R are respectively mounted on the side surfaces of the space portion formed between the rocker panel and the side member, so that the drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention has a device scale and cooling performance. Thus, the following effects can be achieved.

  First, the inverters 14L and 14R can be efficiently cooled without individually providing a cooling system.

  Specifically, heat generated in the power element of inverter 14L when motor generator MGL is driven is dissipated to rocker panel 52L and side member 50L. The heat absorbed by the rocker panel 52L and the side member 50L made of a highly heat conductive metal is transmitted to the vehicle body. Thereby, inverter 14L is cooled. Similarly, inverter 14R is cooled by the heat generated in the power element when motor generator MGR is driven being dissipated to the rocker panel and the side member on the right side surface of vehicle 100. Therefore, the inverters 14L and 14R can be simply and efficiently cooled without individually providing a cooling system. As a result, downsizing of the drive device is realized, so that the indoor space of the vehicle 100 can be secured.

  Furthermore, in the mounting structure of inverters 14L and 14R shown in FIG. 3, the travel that occurs as the vehicle 100 travels at both ends of the space 60L in the vehicle front-rear direction (corresponding to the regions RG1 and RG2 in the figure). By providing the wind inlet and outlet, respectively, the inverters 14L and 14R can be cooled by the traveling wind. As a result, the cooling efficiency of the inverters 14L and 14R can be further increased.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a traveling wind inlet 70 is provided at the end of the space 60 </ b> L on the vehicle front side. Furthermore, a discharge port 72 for discharging the traveling wind flowing through the space 60L to the outside of the vehicle 100 is provided at the end of the space 60L on the vehicle rear side.

  Thus, when motor generators MGL and MGR are driven to travel vehicle 100, traveling wind is introduced into space portion 60 </ b> L through introduction port 70. The traveling wind flows through the space 60L as indicated by the arrows in the figure, and is then discharged from the discharge port 72 to the outside of the vehicle 100. At this time, since the heat from the inverter 14L is radiated to the traveling wind, the inverter 14L is cooled.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the AA cross section of FIG.
Referring to FIG. 5, heat sink 80 is fixed to one side surface of the housing that houses inverter 14 </ b> L. The heat sink 80 includes a plate-like body 82 fixed to one side surface of the casing, and a plurality of fins 84 arranged to project in the normal direction of the plate-like body 82 with the plate-like body 82 as a base. Each of the plurality of fins 84 is arranged so as to extend in the flow direction of the traveling wind and to be parallel to adjacent fins.

  With such a configuration, the traveling wind introduced into the space portion 60L from the introduction port 70 of FIG. 4 flows through the gap formed between the adjacent fins 84 as a flow path. That is, the gap between adjacent fins forms a cooling medium flow path, and the heat generated in the inverter 14L is absorbed by the traveling wind flowing through the cooling medium flow path.

  That is, the heat generated in the inverter 14L is radiated to the vehicle body through the rocker panel 52L and the side member 50L as a route, and is radiated to the traveling wind flowing through the space portion 60L, as indicated by arrows in the drawing. The travel air volume increases as the travel speed of the vehicle 100 increases. Therefore, in a traveling state with a relatively high load such as acceleration of high-speed traveling, the amount of heat generated by the power element in the inverter 14L increases, but the amount of traveling air flowing through the cooling medium flow path also increases. Therefore, an increase in element temperature can be effectively suppressed.

  In addition, as a cooling structure of inverters 14L and 14R, it is good also as a structure which uses together the mounting structure by this Embodiment, and the cooling system provided individually. In this case, the vehicle body, the traveling wind, and the cooling medium coexist as the heat dissipation paths of the inverters 14L and 14R. Therefore, the cooling system can be configured with a smaller size than before, and the drive device can be reduced in size.

  Furthermore, as a second effect of the mounting structure, it is possible to shorten the wiring length of the power lines 16 and 18 respectively disposed between the motor generators MGL and MGR and the inverters 14L and 14R. According to this, it is possible to reduce the amount of power loss that occurs in the power lines 16 and 18.

  Moreover, as a 3rd effect, since the space part formed between a rocker panel and a side member as mentioned above is comprised so that the water leakage to an inside may be interrupted | blocked, the inverter arrange | positioned in a space part The waterproof function of 14L and 14R is ensured.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the inverter that drives and controls the in-wheel motor includes the rocker panel that constitutes the vehicle side frame member and the side member that is the energy absorbing member at the time of the vehicle side collision. The inverter can be cooled easily and efficiently by being mounted in the space formed between the two. Further, since the wiring length of the power line can be shortened, the driving device can be reduced in size. As a result, the drive circuit can be mounted without sacrificing the space of the engine room, the passenger compartment, and the cargo compartment of the vehicle.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the left and right rear wheels are independently driven by the in-wheel motor has been described. Similarly, when the left and right front wheels are independently driven by the in-wheel motor, each of the inverters is similarly provided in the space portion. A similar effect can be obtained by mounting.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  The present invention can be applied to a drive device mounted on a wheel independent drive type vehicle.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing a vehicle drive system equipped with a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic of the drive device in the vehicle of FIG. It is the schematic for demonstrating the mounting structure of the inverter in the vehicle of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the cooling system using the driving | running | working wind introduced into a vehicle. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the cooling structure of the inverter shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  3 ECU, 7 Handle, 8, 9 Drive shaft, 10, 12 Reducer, 14L, 14R, 140 Inverter, 16, 18 Power line, 20 Tire, 22 Wheel disk, 23 Wheel hub, 24 Brake rotor, 25 Constant velocity joint, 30 rotor, 32 stator core, 33 stator coil, 34 shaft, 40, 42, 44, 46 wheel speed sensor, 50L side member, 52L rocker panel, 60L space, 64 front floor cross member, 66 rear floor cross member, 70 inlet , 72 outlet, 80 heat sink, 82 plate, 84 fin, 90 accelerator position sensor, 92 brake pedal position sensor, 94 shift position sensor, 96 steering angle sensor, 100 vehicle, 250 inner , 251 balls, FL, FR, RL, RR wheels, MG1, MG2 front motor generator, MGL, MGR motor generator, RD reducer.

Claims (5)

An in-wheel motor coupled to the drive wheels of the vehicle;
A drive circuit that receives power from a power supply and drives and controls the in-wheel motor,
The drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the drive circuit is disposed on a side surface of a space formed between a rocker panel and a side member of the vehicle. The space portion is formed to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle,
A traveling wind inlet provided at a front side end of the vehicle for supplying traveling air generated during traveling of the vehicle to the space;
2. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, further comprising a traveling wind discharge port provided at a rear side end portion of the vehicle and configured to discharge the traveling wind from the space portion to the outside of the vehicle.   The vehicle is a hybrid vehicle in which one of the front left and right wheels and the rear left and right wheels is the in-wheel motor as a driving force source, and the other is an internal combustion engine and a motor as the driving force source. The vehicle drive device described. An in-wheel motor coupled to the drive wheels of the vehicle;
A drive circuit that receives power from a power supply and drives and controls the in-wheel motor,
The drive circuit is a vehicle drive device disposed on a side surface of a space portion formed between a vehicle side skeleton member of a vehicle body and an energy absorbing member at the time of a vehicle side collision. The space portion is formed to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle,
A traveling wind inlet provided at a front side end of the vehicle for supplying traveling air generated during traveling of the vehicle to the space;
5. The vehicle drive device according to claim 4, further comprising a traveling wind discharge port provided at a rear side end portion of the vehicle for discharging the traveling wind from the space portion to the outside of the vehicle.

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