JP2013193623A - Frame structure for vehicle and electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a frame structure for vehicle, capable of significantly ensuring the strength of a swing arm while achieving miniaturization thereof.SOLUTION: A frame structure for vehicle includes a vehicle body frame 11 having a battery 6 thereon, and right and left swing arms 12R, 12L each of which is supported under the vehicle body frame 11 to be oscillatable vertically individually by rotatably holding a single rear wheel. The swing arms are formed in a shape having arm-side sections 18R, 18L facing the side face of the battery 6 and arm lower sections 19R, 19L facing the bottom face of the battery 6.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle frame structure and an electric vehicle.

  Conventional vehicle frame structures are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. These vehicle frame structures include a vehicle body frame and a swing arm supported by the vehicle body frame. The swing arm is supported by the vehicle body frame such that the rear wheel is rotatably held on the rear end portion side and the rear end portion can swing in the vertical direction. In addition, as an application example of such a vehicle frame structure, a vehicle with a four-wheel engine and a vehicle with a two-wheel engine are listed, but it can also be applied to a three-wheel vehicle.

JP 2003-191881 A JP 2010-223119 A

  Here, many electric vehicles are equipped with a battery having a relatively large capacity and size in order to drive the motor for a long time. For this reason, according to the conventional vehicle frame structure, there is a problem that it is difficult to sufficiently ensure the strength of the swing arm while preventing interference with the battery. That is, there is a problem that the vehicle becomes large if the strength of the swing arm is sufficiently secured while preventing interference with the battery.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle frame structure capable of sufficiently ensuring the strength of a swing arm while achieving compactness. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electric vehicle using the vehicle frame structure.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle frame structure according to the present invention includes a vehicle body frame provided with a battery, and the vehicle body frame so as to be able to swing in the vertical direction while holding at least one wheel rotatably. At least one swing arm supported by a lower portion of the battery, and the swing arm is formed in a shape having an arm side portion whose outer shape faces the side surface of the battery and an arm lower portion that faces the bottom surface of the battery. It is characterized by being.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle frame structure capable of sufficiently ensuring the strength of the swing arm while achieving downsizing. Moreover, the electric vehicle using this vehicle frame structure can be provided.

1 is a side view of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom view of the electric vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the electric vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a perspective view of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a swing arm of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a partial expanded side view of the electric vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a partial expanded bottom view of the electric vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the vertical sectional view in the VIII-VIII line indicated in Drawing 1 as a rear view of the electric vehicle concerning the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a rear view of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the vehicle body is inclined.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a three-wheeled electric vehicle will be described as an example of an electric vehicle using the vehicle frame structure of the present invention.

  The type of electric vehicle is not limited as long as it is a vehicle that can travel using electric power. For example, the electric vehicle may be a vehicle classified as a motorcycle, automobile, bicycle, or senior car (registered trademark). The number of wheels provided in the electric vehicle is arbitrary, and the number may be 2 or 4, but here, a three-wheel electric vehicle having three wheels is taken as an example. The three-wheel electric vehicle may be a three-wheel electric vehicle having one front wheel and two rear wheels, or may be a three-wheel electric vehicle having two front wheels and one rear wheel. A three-wheel electric vehicle will be described as an example.

  Further, the front and rear, top and bottom, left and right directions and positions in the description are based on the traveling direction of the electric vehicle. That is, the front direction with respect to the electric vehicle or the vehicle body frame corresponds to the traveling direction of the electric vehicle and corresponds to the direction when the front wheel side is viewed from the rear wheel side. The backward direction is the reverse direction of the forward direction. The downward direction relative to the electric vehicle or the body frame corresponds to the direction in which gravity acts. The upward direction is the reverse direction of the downward direction. The left-right direction with respect to the electric vehicle or the vehicle body frame is orthogonal to the traveling direction of the electric vehicle, and corresponds to the right-hand direction when the right direction faces the traveling direction, and corresponds to the left-hand direction when the left direction faces the traveling direction. The width direction has the same meaning as the left-right direction with respect to the electric vehicle and the body frame, and is perpendicular to the traveling direction of the electric vehicle and extends in the left-right direction. The front-rear direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction (width direction) may be considered as concepts having a certain width.

  First, the structure of an electric vehicle using the vehicle frame structure according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a side view of the electric vehicle, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the electric vehicle, FIG. 3 is a rear view of the electric vehicle, and FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the electric vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle 1 is a three-wheel electric vehicle in which a vehicle frame structure 10 is configured as a main frame, and includes one front wheel 2 and two rear wheels 3 before and after the frame. Is an electric tricycle. The vehicle frame structure 10 includes a body frame 11 and a swing arm 12.

  The front portion of the body frame 11 is bent upward, and the front wheel 2 and the handle 4 are supported by the front end portion so as to be steerable. The handle 4 is provided with a key switch for turning on / off the power of the electric vehicle 1, a throttle used for acceleration / deceleration, a brake lever used for braking, a display unit for displaying driving information such as traveling speed, and the like ( Neither is shown).

  A seat 5 on which a driver sits down and a battery 6 are provided at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the body frame 11. The battery 6 is made of a secondary battery, for example, and is provided below the seat 5.

  The swing arm 12 is a lower portion of a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the body frame 11 and extends rearward from the lower front side of the battery 6. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the swing arm 12 includes a pair of left and right left swing arms 12 </ b> L and a right swing arm 12 </ b> R arranged side by side along the width direction of the body frame 11. Both the left swing arm 12L and the right swing arm 12R are supported by the vehicle body frame 11 at the front end.

  The left swing arm 12L is provided on the left side of the electric vehicle 1, and rotatably holds the single left rear wheel 3L in a cantilever state on the rear end side. The left rear wheel 3L is disposed on the outer side in the width direction of the left swing arm 12L, that is, on the left side of the left swing arm 12L. The left rear wheel 3L is a drive wheel, and the left swing arm 12L is provided with a left drive unit 30L having a left motor 31L that drives the left rear wheel 3L.

  The right swing arm 12R is provided on the right side of the electric vehicle 1 and rotatably holds the single right rear wheel 3R in a cantilevered state on the rear end side. The right rear wheel 3R is disposed on the outer side in the width direction of the right swing arm 12R, that is, on the right side of the right swing arm 12R. The right rear wheel 3R is a drive wheel, and the right swing arm 12R is provided with a right drive unit 30R having a right motor 31R that drives the right rear wheel 3R.

  In the following description, the identification symbol “L” representing the left component and the identification symbol “R” representing the right component are omitted, and the swing arm 12, the rear wheel 3, the drive unit 30, Sometimes collectively referred to as a motor 31 or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, a buffer portion 40 is provided behind the battery 6 to relieve the swing of the swing arm 12. The buffer 40 is disposed between the vehicle body frame 11 behind the battery 6 and the left and right swing arms 12.

  In addition, the electric vehicle 1 includes a main control unit (not shown) for operation control of the entire vehicle. The main control unit includes a general microcomputer or the like, and controls a series of operations related to running of the electric vehicle 1 based on programs and data stored and input in advance in the main control unit. When the electric vehicle 1 is driven, the main control unit sets a target torque for the motor 31 according to the throttle opening degree obtained from the throttle operated by the driver. The main control unit adjusts the current and voltage to be sent to the motor 31 with respect to the electric power output from the battery 6, and drives the motor 31.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the vehicle frame structure 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9 in addition to FIGS. 5 is a perspective view of the swing arm 12 of the electric vehicle 1, FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged side view showing a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the electric vehicle 1, and FIG. 8 is a rear view of the electric vehicle 1, and is a vertical sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a rear view of the electric vehicle 1 and shows a state in which the vehicle body is inclined. is there. In FIG. 5, the left swing arm 12 </ b> L is drawn, and each component is given an identification symbol “L” indicating the left side. However, in the description using FIG. 5, the right and left are particularly limited. Except for the identification symbol “L”, the swing arm 12 and the motor 31 may be collectively referred to.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the vehicle body frame 11 includes a pivot shaft 13 below the front side of the battery 6. The pivot shaft 13 is provided between the body frames 11 on the left and right outer sides with respect to the battery 6 so as to be substantially horizontal along the width direction of the electric vehicle 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 7, the swing arm 12 includes a pivot hole 14 at a front end portion thereof. The pivot hole 14 penetrates along the width direction of the electric vehicle 1, and the pivot shaft 13 is inserted when the swing arm 12 is attached to the vehicle body frame 11.

  In this way, the swing arm 12 is supported by the vehicle body frame 11 so that the rear end portion can swing in the vertical direction around the axis C1 of the pivot shaft 13 shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. Yes. 1 to 3 and 8, the swinging direction of the swing arm 12 is drawn by a solid arrow S1. As shown in FIG. 9, when the vehicle body of the electric vehicle 1 is tilted to the left, the rear end portion of the left swing arm 12L is displaced upward, and the rear end portion of the right swing arm 12R is displaced downward.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the swing arm 12 has a main frame formed by three main pipe portions 16 a, 16 b, and 16 c that extend rearward from a support portion 15 provided with a pivot hole 14. Three connecting members 17 are provided between the main pipe portions 16a, 16b, and 16c to determine and reinforce the mutual positional relationship. The main pipe portion 16b is disposed above the main pipe portion 16a, and the main pipe portion 16c is disposed on the inner side in the width direction of the vehicle body frame 11 with respect to the main pipe portion 16a.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the swing arm 12 includes an arm side portion 18 indicating a portion extending in the vertical direction from the main pipe portion 16a to the main pipe portion 16b, and the main pipe portion 16a to the main pipe portion 16c. Is formed in a shape having an arm lower portion 19 indicating a portion extending in the width direction of the vehicle body frame 11.

  As shown by a two-dot chain line D <b> 1 in FIG. 6, the outer side of the arm side portion 18 faces the side surface of the battery 6. Thus, the arm side portion 18L of the left swing arm 12L and the arm side portion 18R of the right swing arm 12R are arranged so as to sandwich the battery 6 along the width direction of the vehicle body frame 11 (see FIG. 8). The arm lower portion 19 has its outer shape facing the bottom surface of the battery 6 as indicated by a two-dot chain line D2 in FIG.

  In this manner, the vehicle frame structure 10 includes the arm side portion 18 where the swing arm 12 appears to overlap the side surface of the battery 6 when viewed from the width direction, and the arm lower portion where the swing arm 12 appears to overlap the bottom surface of the battery 6 when viewed from below. Accordingly, the vehicle body frame 11 can be downsized in the width direction and the vertical direction. Further, since the swing arm 12 is formed of the main pipe portions 16a, 16b, 16c and the connecting member 17, a strong structure can be obtained in terms of strength.

  Since the pair of left and right left swing arms 12L and right swing arm 12R are arranged side by side along the width direction of the vehicle body frame 11, in the three-wheeled electric vehicle such as the electric vehicle 1, the width direction and the vertical size are small. Therefore, a structure in which a strong strength is ensured can be obtained.

  The drive unit 30 provided on the swing arm 12 includes a motor 31, a braking mechanism (not shown), and a control unit 32 as shown in FIG. The motor 31, the braking mechanism, and the rear wheel 3 are connected so as to be coaxial with each other and are arranged on the rear end side of the swing arm 12, and are screwed to the main pipe portions 16b and 16c by four coupling portions 20. It is fixed.

  A control unit 32, which is a control member of the motor 31, is held on the arm side portion 18 via an attachment portion 21 provided on the swing arm 12. The control unit 32 having a rectangular box shape is arranged in a standing state on the arm side portion 18 and is fixed to the main pipe portions 16a and 16b by screws at the four attachment portions 21. Note that one surface of the control unit 32 on the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle body frame 11 exists inside the surface of the rear wheel 3 on the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle body frame 11.

  Thus, since the swing arm 12 holds the control unit 32 on the arm side portion 18, a part of the outer shape of the control unit 32 and the battery 6 as seen from the width direction of the body frame 11 as shown in FIG. A part of the outer shape overlaps. Here, when the strength of the swing arm 12 is sufficiently secured while preventing interference with the battery 6, there is a problem that the electric vehicle 1 is increased in size. However, according to the structure of the said embodiment, since the control unit 32 is not arrange | positioned under the battery 6, it suppresses that the height of the frame structure 10 for vehicles becomes comparatively high. Can do. In addition, since the control unit 32 is not arranged behind the battery 6, it is possible to suppress the front and rear lengths of the vehicle frame structure 10 from becoming relatively long. Therefore, according to the configuration of the vehicle frame structure 10, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the strength of the swing arm 12 while achieving compactness.

  The motor 31 and the control unit 32 are connected to each other by a bus bar 33 at their terminal portions. Thereby, the motor 31 and the control unit 32 are electrically connected to each other between the power terminals and the signal terminals. The connection of the power line and the signal line between the motor 31 and the control unit 32 is not limited to the bus bar. You may connect to these electric power lines and signal lines using a harness, a connector, etc., for example.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the buffer unit 40 includes a suspension unit 41 that is a buffer, a link member 42, and a swing restricting unit 43.

  The suspension unit 41 is a suspension device having functions such as a shock absorber and a spring, for example, and a total of two suspension units 41 are provided for the left and right swing arms 12. The lower end portion of the suspension unit 41 is rotatably connected to a connecting portion 22 provided on the swing arm 12. The upper end portion of the suspension unit 41 is rotatably connected to the link member 42.

  The link member 42 is provided on the vehicle body frame 11 behind the battery 6. The link member 42 has a rod shape extending along the width direction of the body frame 11, and is attached to the body frame 11 so as to be rotatable via a shaft portion 42 a provided at the center in the width direction. Thereby, the link member 42 can be swung up and down around the axis of the shaft portion 42 a along the width direction of the body frame 11, that is, can be swung so as to displace both left and right ends up and down. In FIG. 8, the swinging direction of the link member 42 is drawn by a broken line arrow S2. The upper end portions of the suspension unit 41 are connected to the left and right free end tip portions 42L and 42R where the link member 42 swings one by one.

  The swing restricting portion 43 is provided on the vehicle body frame 11 above the link member 42. The peristaltic restricting portion 43 is provided at two places, that is, a peristaltic restricting portion 43L on the left side and a peristaltic restricting portion 43R on the right side, and a rubber material, for example, is attached to each lower portion. The left swing restricting portion 43L is disposed at a position where the left free end tip 42L of the link member 42 is displaced upward, and the left free end tip 42L of the link member 42 abuts to restrict the swing. doing. The right swing restricting portion 43R is disposed at a position where the right free end tip portion 42R of the link member 42 is displaced upward, and the right free end tip portion 42R of the link member 42 is in contact with the link member 42 to restrict its swing. doing.

  FIG. 9 depicts a state in which the vehicle body of the electric vehicle 1 is tilted to the left until the free end tip portion 42L on the left side of the link member 42 comes into contact with the left swing restricting portion 43L. Even if the vehicle body of the electric vehicle 1 is tilted in this way, according to the configuration of the buffer portion 40, the swing arm 12 is not swung before the motor 31, the swing arm 12, etc. contact the ground inside the rear wheel 3. Be regulated. Therefore, when the vehicle body of the electric vehicle 1 is tilted, it is possible to prevent the motor 31, the swing arm 12, etc. from coming into contact with the ground and being damaged.

  Further, since the swing restricting portion 43 is provided on the upper side of the suspension unit 41, it is possible to prevent the swing buffering function of the swing arm 12 by the suspension unit 41 from being completely impaired. Moreover, since the peristaltic restricting portion 43 is provided at a relatively high position of the vehicle body frame 11, it is possible to prevent the rubber material from being deteriorated due to exposure to wind and rain.

  And according to the structure of the said embodiment, the frame structure 10 for vehicles which can fully ensure the intensity | strength of the swing arm 12 can be provided, achieving compactness. Moreover, the electric vehicle 1 using this vehicle frame structure 10 can be provided.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  The present invention can be used in a vehicle frame structure and an electric vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric vehicle 2 Front wheel 3 Rear wheel 6 Battery 10 Vehicle frame structure 11 Body frame 12 Swing arm 18 Arm side part 19 Arm lower part 30 Drive part 31 Motor 32 Control unit (control member)
40 Buffer unit 41 Suspension unit (buffer)
42 Link material 43 Peristaltic regulation part

Claims (5)

A body frame provided with a battery;
At least one swing arm supported on the lower part of the body frame so as to be able to swing in the vertical direction while holding at least one wheel rotatably;
With
The vehicle frame structure according to claim 1, wherein the swing arm has an outer shape having an arm side portion facing the side surface of the battery and an arm lower portion facing the bottom surface of the battery. The swing arm is supported on the front side of the battery of the body frame so that the rear end portion can swing in the vertical direction while holding the single wheel rotatably on the rear end side with respect to the traveling direction,
The vehicle frame structure according to claim 1, wherein the pair of left and right swing arms are arranged side by side along a width direction orthogonal to a traveling direction of the body frame.   The vehicle frame structure according to claim 1, wherein the swing arm holds a control member of the vehicle on the side of the arm. Comprising a buffer provided between the body frame and the swing arm;
The buffer portion is
A shock absorber having a lower end connected to the swing arm;
A link member provided on the vehicle body frame so as to be vertically movable along a width direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle body frame, and having a free end tip portion that is oscillated and connected to an upper end portion of the shock absorber;
A peristaltic restricting portion provided on the vehicle body frame above the link member to restrict peristaltic movement of the free end tip of the link member;
The vehicle frame structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle frame structure is provided. The vehicle frame structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and
The wheels held by the vehicle frame structure;
A motor for applying a driving force to the wheels;
The battery for supplying power to the motor;
An electric vehicle comprising:

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