JP2011131674A - Power control unit and vehicle including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power control unit capable of being mounted in an existing vehicle by a simple method. <P>SOLUTION: This power control unit 18A includes a plurality of magnets 32 arranged on a side surface facing to the outside of a wheel 12A, and coils 30 arranged to be opposed to the magnets 32. The coils 30 are arranged outside the wheel 12A and are detachably fixed to a vehicle body 14. As a result, a hybrid system can be easily imparted to a normal engine drive automobile to improve fuel economy. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power control unit and a vehicle including the same, and more particularly to a power control unit capable of both a regenerative operation and a driving operation and easily attachable to an existing vehicle and a vehicle including the power control unit. It is.

  Currently, there is known an electric vehicle including an electric motor that generates a driving force of the vehicle and also generates regenerative power during deceleration and braking (Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a system is disclosed in which a mechanical braking device that applies braking force to a wheel to perform braking and a regenerative braking device are coordinated.

  There is also known a series type hybrid electric vehicle in which the output of an internal combustion engine is converted into electric power by a generator and the electric motor is driven by this electric power to drive the vehicle (Patent Document 2). Even in Patent Document 2, when the motor for driving is used in combination with a mechanical brake and a regenerative brake that converts the rotational energy of the wheel into electric energy and charges the battery or capacitor when braking, the battery or capacitor cannot be charged. The regenerative electric power of the electric motor for driving is consumed by rotating the internal combustion engine using the generator as an electric motor.

JP 2002-152904 A JP 11-332007 A

  However, the invention described in each of the above-mentioned documents contributes to a hybrid vehicle provided with an electric motor that drives the vehicle in advance. Therefore, it is difficult to directly apply the techniques described in these documents to vehicles such as existing engine-driven automobiles that do not include an electric motor.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power control unit that can be mounted on an engine-driven vehicle with a simple configuration. A further object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle equipped with such a power control unit.

  The power control unit of the present invention is a power control unit that applies driving force to a vehicle equipped with wheels and collects regenerative power, and is disposed along the circumferential direction on the outer side surface of the wheel, and the vehicle moves. A plurality of magnets that rotate together with the wheels when rotating, a coil disposed near the magnets, and the regenerative power generated when the vehicle decelerates or brakes, and drives the vehicle A power storage unit for supplying power to the coil when the coil is disposed, the coil being disposed outside the wheel and facing the magnet of a support plate fixed to the vehicle It is fixed to the surface.

  The vehicle according to the present invention includes a wheel, an engine that applies a driving force to the wheel, and a power control unit that applies the driving force to the wheel and generates regenerative power, and the power control unit is disposed outside the wheel. A plurality of magnets that are arranged along a circumferential direction on the side surface of the vehicle and that rotate together with the wheels when the vehicle moves, coils that are arranged close to the magnets, and the vehicle decelerates or brakes. A power storage unit that charges the regenerative power generated when the vehicle is driven and supplies power to the coil when the vehicle is driven, and the coil is disposed outside the wheel, and The support plate fixed to the vehicle is fixed to a surface facing the magnet.

  The power control unit of the present invention includes an electric motor including a magnet provided on a wheel of a vehicle such as an automobile and a coil fixed to the vehicle body of the vehicle. When the vehicle accelerates, a driving force is applied to the wheels from the electric motor, and regenerative electric power is generated from the electric motor when the vehicle decelerates and brakes. Therefore, the power control unit of the present invention can be easily applied to an existing engine-driven vehicle that does not include a motor for driving wheels. By applying the power control unit of the present invention to such an existing vehicle, a part of the power is directly applied to the wheels by the power control unit of the present invention, so that the fuel consumed by the engine is reduced. Fuel consumption can be improved.

  Furthermore, the power control unit of the present invention can be mounted for each wheel provided in the vehicle. Therefore, for a user who desires a simple power machine, the power control unit of the present invention can be attached to some of the wheels (for example, only the rear wheels) provided in the vehicle. Alternatively, the power control unit of the present invention can be attached to all the wheels of the vehicle in order to meet the demands of users who desire a significant improvement in fuel consumption by the electric motor.

It is a figure which shows the hybrid vehicle (vehicle) in which the power control unit of this invention was integrated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the power control unit and hybrid vehicle of this invention, (A) is a side view which shows the hybrid vehicle of the part in which a power control unit is integrated, (B) is a BB 'line | wire of (A). FIG. It is a figure which shows the power control unit of this invention in detail, (A) is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning board in which a magnet is arrange | positioned, (B) is a top view which shows the support plate in which a coil is arrange | positioned, (C) is sectional drawing which shows a coil in detail. It is a top view which shows the power control unit of this invention in detail. (A) And (B) is sectional drawing which shows the other form of the power control unit of this invention.

  With reference to FIG. 1, a schematic configuration of a power control unit of the present embodiment and a vehicle 10 (hybrid vehicle) incorporating the power control unit will be described.

  The automobile 10 according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle body 14, wheels 12A-12D disposed near the four corners of the vehicle body 14, an engine 16 that applies driving force to the wheels 12C and 12D that are front wheels, and a wheel 12A that is a rear wheel. , 12B are mainly provided with power control units 18A and 18B that apply driving force to 12B and collect regenerative power.

  The automobile 10 of this embodiment is an automobile driven by an engine 16 that is usually marketed. As the engine 16, a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, a rotary engine, or the like is employed. Referring to FIG. 1, an automobile 10 is a front wheel drive type in which wheels 12C and 12D as front wheels are driven by an engine 16 and wheels 12A and 12B as rear wheels are rotatably provided. Alternatively, a four-wheel drive type may be used. In addition, the automobile 10 of the present embodiment is a method in which the direction of the front wheels (wheels 12C and 12D) is changed by a user operating a handle (not shown), but a method in which the direction of the rear wheels is changed by operating the handle may be used. However, a method in which the directions of both the front wheel and the rear wheel are changed may be used.

  In this embodiment, power control units 18A and 18B are provided on the rear wheels (wheels 12A and 12B) of the front-wheel drive automobile 10. The power control units 18A and 18B are electric motors (motors) that apply driving force to the wheels 12A and 12B, and also function as generators that regenerate power from the rotational energy of the wheels 12A and 12B.

  The vehicle 10 of this embodiment is a hybrid vehicle having two types of power sources, that is, an engine 16 and power control units 18A and 18B. Furthermore, the power control units 18A and 18B of the present embodiment do not generate kinetic energy enough to drive the vehicle body 14 alone, but the engine 16 and the power control units 18A and 18B are used simultaneously. That is, the power control units 18 </ b> A and 18 </ b> B basically function as power generation sources that assist the engine 16. However, for example, when the automobile 10 travels on a flat road or the like, if only weak power is required, the engine 16 is stopped and only the power control units 18A and 18B act as a power source. good.

  The power control unit 18A includes a plurality of magnets 32 disposed on a side surface facing the outside of the wheel 12A, and a coil 30 disposed on the outer side of the wheel 12A so as to face the magnet 32. Details of the coil 30 and the magnet 32 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  A battery 20A and a control unit 22A are connected to the coil 30 of the power control unit 18A.

  The battery 20A supplies power to the coil 30 when the power control unit 18A is driven as a motor. On the other hand, when the power control unit 18B collects regenerative energy as a generator, the power supplied from the coil 30 is charged into the battery 20A.

  The control unit 22A performs control to switch between a drive operation in which the wheels 12A are driven by the power control unit 18A and a regenerative operation in which the power control unit 18A functions as a generator to regenerate and charge electric power. The wiring connecting the coil 30 and the battery 20 </ b> A is fixed to a connecting portion that connects the coil 30 to the frame of the vehicle body 14.

  Further, the voltage of the battery 20A may be monitored by the control unit 22A. In this case, if the voltage value of the electric power charged in the battery 20A is not less than a predetermined value, the above driving operation is executed. On the other hand, if the voltage value of the electric power charged in the battery 20A is less than a predetermined value, the drive operation is not executed. Furthermore, the control unit 22A may detect the acceleration and speed acting on the automobile 10 by a sensor such as a gyro sensor, and switch between the driving operation and the regenerative operation based on these.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the coil 30, the support unit that fixes the coil to the vehicle body 14, the battery 20 </ b> A, and the control unit 22 </ b> A form an integrated module. As a result, even if the power control unit 18A is employed in order to incorporate the hybrid system, it is not necessary to provide wiring on the vehicle body 14 side, so that the cost and labor required for incorporating the power control unit 18A are reduced.

  The instruction unit 60 is provided in the driver's cab of the automobile 10, and is a part that gives instructions to the control units 22A and 22B of the power control units 18A and 18B. That is, when the user who drives the automobile 10 operates the instruction unit 60, driving of the power control units 18A and 18B or switching of regeneration is controlled. Here, the control units 22A and 22B included in the power control units 18A and 18B and the instruction unit 60 may be connected by wire or wirelessly.

  The configuration of the power control unit 18B is the same as that of the power control unit 18A, and the battery 20B and the control unit 22B are provided in the same manner as described above.

  The above-described power control unit 18A will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  2A is a side view showing a place where the power control unit 18A of the automobile 10 is provided, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B ′ of FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 2A, the power control unit 18A is mounted on a wheel 12A that is a rear wheel disposed at the rear portion of the vehicle body 14.

  With reference to FIG. 2B, a configuration in which the power control unit 18A is provided to the wheel 12A will be described. The power control unit 18 </ b> A includes a plurality of magnets 32 incorporated in the rotating wheel 12 </ b> A, a support plate 28 fixed to the frame of the automobile 10 via a support unit 56, and an inner side of the support plate 28 so as to face the magnet 32. And a plurality of coils 30 arranged on the side surface. Here, the arrangement plate 34 on which the magnet 32 is arranged, the support plate 28 on which the coil 30 is arranged, and the support portion 56 that mechanically supports the support plate 28 are metal plates made of stainless steel having a thickness of about several millimeters. It is obtained by processing into a predetermined shape.

  Further, although the magnet 32 is fixed to the arrangement plate 34 fixed to the spindle with a bolt, the coil 30 can be arranged directly on the outer side surface of the wheel 26.

  The wheel 12A includes a wheel 26 and a tire 24 supported by the wheel 26, and the wheel 26 is fastened to a rotatable spindle 46 by a bolt. The spindle 46 is connected to an axle 62, and the axle 62 is connected to the cylinder 40 via a joint 42 that is rotatably connected. The vertical movement of the cylinder 40 is buffered by a coil spring 38. Such a configuration of the wheel 12A is general, and the other rear wheel 12B (see FIG. 1) has the same configuration. Here, in addition to the above-described configuration, the front wheels 12C and the like are added with a mechanism for transmitting power from the engine and a mechanism for changing the direction of the wheels by operating the steering wheel.

  Referring to FIG. 3 (A), the shape of the arrangement plate 34 in plan view is a circle corresponding to the shape of the wheel, and a plurality of holes 48 for penetrating and fixing bolts are provided near the center. It has been. A plurality of magnets 32 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the arrangement plate 34. When the automobile 10 of this embodiment moves, the arrangement plate 34 and the magnet 32 arranged on the surface thereof rotate together with the wheels.

  Referring to FIG. 3B, like the above-described arrangement plate 34, the shape of the support plate 28 in a plan view is circular, and a plurality of coils 30 (stator coils) are provided at locations corresponding to the magnets 32 described above. Is arranged. Moreover, the winding 50 which comprises each coil 30 is continuing, and the both ends of this winding 50 are connected to the battery 20A shown in FIG. Here, the shape of the support plate 28 is not necessarily circular, and may be another shape such as a square shape as long as the coil 30 can be arranged in a ring shape at a position facing the magnet 32. Since the support plate 28 on which the coil 30 is disposed is fixed to the frame of the automobile via the support portion, the support plate 28 and the coil 30 do not rotate even if the wheel rotates as the automobile moves.

  With reference to FIG. 3C, the magnet 32 arranged on the arrangement plate 34 and the coil 30 arranged on the support plate 28 are arranged at positions facing each other. The distance L1 at which the end portion of the magnet 32 and the end portion of the coil 30 are separated is set within a range in which the collision between the two is prevented when the coil 30 rotates and the efficiency of driving and regeneration is ensured. 0.5 cm or more and 1.0 cm or less.

  The magnet 32 is a normal magnet, and the S pole and the N pole may be arranged in the lateral direction on the paper surface, or both poles may be arranged in the thickness direction on the paper surface.

  The coil 30 is a core 52 disposed so as to protrude perpendicularly to the main surface of the support plate 28 (in the direction of the magnet 32), and a conducting wire wound in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the core 52. The winding 50 is configured. The core 52 is made of ferrite, for example. Referring to FIG. 3B, in the plurality of coils 30, a common winding 50 is disposed around the core 52.

  When the power control unit 18 of this embodiment is operated by a driving operation, a magnetic force is generated from the coil 30 by supplying electric power to the winding 50. Then, the magnetic force generated from the magnet 32, which is a permanent magnet, and the magnetic force generated from the coil 30 are repelled or attracted, thereby causing the magnet 32 to move in the circumferential direction (that is, the wheels 12A and 18B shown in FIG. 1). Is generated).

  On the other hand, when the power control unit 18A of this embodiment is operated in a regenerative operation, the arrangement plate 34 rotates while the position of the coil 30 arranged on the support plate 28 is fixed. The magnet 32 passes at high speed. As a result, a potential difference is generated in the coil 30 due to the action of electromagnetic induction caused by the movement of the magnet 32 generating the magnetic force, and regenerative power is obtained.

  With reference to FIG. 4, a structure in which the power control units 18 </ b> A and 18 </ b> B of this embodiment are incorporated in an automobile will be described. As described above, the power control unit 18A of this embodiment mainly includes the arrangement plate 34 on which the magnet is arranged and the support plate 28 in which the coil is incorporated. Here, the arrangement | positioning board 34 is integrated in the wheel 12A of the motor vehicle 10, and rotates with the wheel 12A, when the motor vehicle 10 moves.

  On the other hand, the support plate 28 on which the coil is disposed is fixed to the non-rotating axle 62 via a plate-like or bar-like support portion 56. As shown in FIG. 2B, the axle 62 moves together with the wheel 26 even when an impact during traveling acts on the automobile 10. Therefore, by fixing the support plate 28 to the axle 62 via the support portion 56, the positional relationship between the coil fixed to the support plate 28 and the magnet fixed to the arrangement plate 34 even when this impact is applied. Is retained. For this reason, even when the automobile 10 travels on a rough road with severe unevenness, the power control units 18A and 18B of the present embodiment stably continue power generation and the like.

  In the power control unit 18B provided in the wheel 12B, the support plate 28 is fixed to the axle 62 via the support portion 56 in the same manner as the power control unit 18A.

  With reference to FIG. 5A, another form of the power control unit 18A will be described. Here, the surface of the support plate 28 and the coil 30 are resin-sealed with a resin material such as an epoxy resin. Although not shown, a portion of the winding (see FIG. 3B) disposed between the coils 30 is also covered with the coating resin 58. In this way, the coil 30 which is an electronic component is covered and protected by the coating resin 58. Therefore, even if the power control unit 18A is exposed to wind and rain under use conditions, the coil 30 has an adverse effect of wind and rain. Receiving is suppressed.

  Referring to FIG. 5B, here, the shape of the support plate 28 is a flat cylindrical shape, and the coil 30 and the magnet 32 are accommodated in the internal space of the cylindrical support plate 28. By doing so, a space in which the coil 30 and the magnet 32 are arranged is enclosed by the support plate 28. Therefore, it is possible to prevent stones and the like from entering this space when the vehicle is traveling on the road.

  Here, the above-described embodiments may be employed in combination with each other.

  Next, an example of the operation of the automobile 10 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the automobile 10 starts or accelerates, a large driving force is required. Therefore, the engine 16 drives the wheels 12C and 12D, which are front wheels, and at the same time the rear wheels are driven by the power control units 18A and 18B. The wheels 12A and 18B are driven. This provides a strong acceleration and reduces the fuel consumed.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle 10 brakes or decelerates the downhill, the mode of the power control units 18A and 18B is switched to the regenerative operation, and the electric power obtained from the kinetic energy of the wheels 12A and 12B is regenerated, and the battery 20A, Charge to 20B. At this time, the engine 16 may be operated or stopped.

  A feature of the present invention resides in that a power control unit 18A that functions as a motor or a generator is added to the engine-driven automobile 10 in a module state. Specifically, a commercially available hybrid vehicle is in a state in which an engine and a motor are provided in the vehicle at the stage of manufacture and shipment. Expensive. Further, as of 2009, the majority of the engine-driven automobiles occupy the hybrid cars, and it is desired to improve the engine-driven fuel efficiency, which is relatively poor.

  The power control units 18A and 18B according to the present embodiment answer such a demand, and add a simple hybrid system to an engine-driven automobile. Specifically, referring to FIG. 1, power control units 18 </ b> A and 18 </ b> B are provided on the rear wheels (wheels 12 </ b> A and 12 </ b> B) of the engine-driven automobile 10. The power control units 18A and 18B directly apply driving force to the wheels 12A and 18B in the driving operation. In the regenerative operation, regenerative energy is obtained directly from the wheels 12A and 12B. Furthermore, the power control units 18A and 18B of this embodiment have a simple configuration and can be easily attached to an existing automobile. Thus, a hybrid system can be easily and inexpensively added to an existing engine-driven vehicle.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the power control units 18A and 18B are attached to the wheels 12A and 12B, which are the rear wheels of the front-wheel drive automobile 10. The rear wheels 12 </ b> A and 12 </ b> B are not driven by the engine 16 and are in a rotatable state. Furthermore, the wheels 12A and 12B are simple mechanisms whose directions are not changed by the operation of the handle. Therefore, such wheels 12A and 12B can be easily attached with the power control units 18A and 18B, and are less likely to fail after being attached.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, referring to FIG. 2B, the coil 30 which is an electronic component that is likely to fail is disposed on the support plate 28 fixed to the vehicle frame. On the other hand, the magnet 32 that is not an electronic component and has a low possibility of failure is fixed to the arrangement plate 34 that rotates together with the wheels. As a result, the detachment of the coil 30 or the like is eliminated, and the failure of the power control unit 18A is suppressed.

  The configurations of the power control units 18A and 18B and the automobile 10 of the present embodiment are as described above, but the configurations may be changed as follows.

  Referring to FIG. 2 (B), the coil 30 of the power control unit 18A is arranged outside the wheel 12A, but the coil 30 may be arranged inside. As a result, the coil 30 and the support plate 28 do not protrude outward.

  Referring to FIG. 4, the support portion 56 of the power control unit 18 </ b> A is fixed to the axle 62 of the automobile 10, but the support portion 56 may be fixed to other parts of the automobile 10. For example, the support part 56 may be fixed to the body of the vehicle body.

  Furthermore, although the power control unit is provided for the automobile 10 in the above description, the vehicle provided with the power control unit may be another vehicle such as a train.

10 Automobile 12, 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D Wheel 14 Car body 16 Engine 18, 18A, 18B Power control unit 20, 20A, 20B Battery 22, 22A, 22B Control unit 24 Tire 26 Wheel 28 Support plate 30 Coil 32 Magnet 34 Arrangement Plate 36 Disc 38 Coil spring 40 Cylinder 42 Joint 44 Arm 46 Spindle 48 Hole 50 Winding 52 Core 54 Frame 56 Supporting part 58 Covering resin 60 Pointing part 62 Axle

Claims (10)

A power control unit that applies driving force to a vehicle equipped with wheels and collects regenerative power,
A plurality of magnets arranged along a circumferential direction on an outer side surface of the wheel and rotating together with the wheel when the vehicle moves;
A coil disposed at a position close to the magnet;
A power storage unit that charges the regenerative power generated when the vehicle decelerates or brakes, and supplies power to the coil when the vehicle is driven,
The power control unit, wherein the coil is disposed outside the wheel and is fixed to a surface of a support plate fixed to the vehicle so as to face the magnet.   The power control unit according to claim 1, wherein the magnet is fixed to a main surface of an arrangement plate fixed to the wheel.   The power control unit according to claim 2, wherein the support plate is fixed to an axle of the vehicle.   The power control unit according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of coils are resin-sealed.   The power control unit according to claim 4, wherein the coil, the support plate, and the power storage unit are in an integrated module state.   6. The power control unit according to claim 5, further comprising control means for switching between a driving operation for generating the driving force and a regenerative operation for generating the regenerative power according to a state of the vehicle.   The power control unit according to claim 2, wherein the magnet is provided on a wheel of the wheel. A wheel, an engine that applies a driving force to the wheel, and a power control unit that applies the driving force to the wheel and generates regenerative electric power,
The power control unit includes:
A plurality of magnets arranged along a circumferential direction on an outer side surface of the wheel and rotating together with the wheel when the vehicle moves;
A coil disposed at a position close to the magnet;
A power storage unit that charges the regenerative power generated when the vehicle decelerates or brakes, and supplies power to the coil when the vehicle is driven,
The vehicle is characterized in that the coil is disposed outside the wheel and is fixed to a surface of a support plate fixed to the vehicle, which faces the magnet. The wheel includes a drive wheel driven by the engine and a rotatable non-drive wheel that is not driven by the engine,
The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the power control unit is provided on the non-driven wheel.   The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the power control unit is provided for the wheel whose direction is not changed by an operation of a steering wheel.

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