JP2020104766A - Vehicle including in-wheel motor driving device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle including an in-wheel motor driving device which enables reduction of twisting of a power line caused by steering without using an electric component.SOLUTION: An in-wheel motor driving device 21 is attached to a vehicle body through a suspension device in such a way so as to be able to steer. The in-wheel motor driving device 21 and an electric power supply device mounted on the vehicle body are connected through a power line 80. The power line 80 is held on a damper 70 of the suspension device through a power line holding part 90. The power line holding part 90 comprises: a power line fixing part 91 which restricts vertical movement of the power line 80; and a rotation support part which supports the power line fixing part 91 in such a way so as to be rotatable relative to the damper 70.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle including an in-wheel motor drive device, and more particularly, to a wiring structure of a power line that supplies electric power from an electric power supply device to the in-wheel motor drive device.

It is known that an in-wheel motor drive device is provided inside a vehicle wheel. This vehicle is advantageous in that it is not necessary to mount an engine or a motor on the vehicle body, and the internal space of the vehicle body such as a living room space or a luggage space can be enlarged. An in-wheel motor drive device is attached to a vehicle body of a vehicle via a suspension device. In addition, a control unit of the in-wheel motor drive device, a battery, an inverter, and the like are mounted on the vehicle body.

Then, the in-wheel motor drive device attached to the unsprung portion (wheel side) of the suspension device and the inverter mounted on the sprung portion (vehicle body side) of the suspension device are connected by a power line.

Conventionally, a power line for supplying electric power to an in-wheel motor drive device extends upward from an end portion of the in-wheel motor drive device on the vehicle body side and is wired inside the vehicle body.

However, when the wheels are steered, the power line connected to the in-wheel motor drive device largely swings, and there is a problem that the power line interferes with the parts arranged in the wheel house.

Patent Document 1 proposes a wiring structure of a power line that reduces whirling of the power line on the vehicle body side when the wheels are steered.

The wiring structure described in Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a front view showing a mounting portion of a power line of the in-wheel motor drive device.

As shown in FIG. 14, the wiring structure described in Patent Document 1 includes a knuckle 106 provided so as to be steerable around an axis of a kingpin shaft 107 whose upper side inclines inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to a vehicle body, and a knuckle 106. The wheel 102 is connected to an axle 103 that is rotatably supported, and an in-wheel motor 105 that applies a driving force to the axle 103. A tire 101 is attached to the wheel 102.

The lower suspension 108, the shock absorber shaft 109, the upper arm 110, and the third link 111 are provided as front suspension members.

The power line 113 includes a motor-side power line 113a extending from the in-wheel motor 105 and a vehicle-body-side power line 113b extending from a vehicle-mounted power source. The motor-side power line 113a is connected to the fixed portion 112a of the rotary electric terminal 112, and the vehicle body-side power line 113b is connected to the rotating portion 112b of the rotary electric terminal 112. Therefore, the vehicle body side power line 113b can rotate relative to the motor side power line 113a. The rotary electric terminal 112 is attached to the knuckle 106.

The knuckle 106 described above is a member that is provided so as to be steerable around the axis of the kingpin shaft 107 that is the central axis of steering when the wheels are steered. Therefore, the rotary electric terminal 112 arranged on the knuckle 106 is arranged close to the kingpin shaft 107. Therefore, the power line 113 connected to the rotary electric terminal 112 swings around the axis of the kingpin shaft 107 along a small turning radius even if the wheel is largely steered, and the vehicle body side power line 113b associated with the turning. Can be reduced. Further, the rotary electric terminal 112 can reduce the vibration and twist of the power line 113 itself.

Japanese Patent No. 6056972

In Patent Document 1 described above, the twisting of the power line 113 due to steering can be reduced by the rotary electric terminal 112. Since the rotary electric terminal 112 is arranged in the wheel housing, it is necessary to satisfy various functions such as conduction, insulation, waterproofing, dustproofing, vibration resistance, corrosion resistance, and abrasion resistance. However, in order to satisfy all of these requirements, there is a problem that it is necessary to prepare electric parts having high cost.

Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the vehicle provided with the in-wheel motor drive device which can reduce the twist of the power line by steering, without using an electric component.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, an in-wheel motor drive device is mounted on a vehicle body so that it can be steered via a suspension device, and the in-wheel motor drive device and a power supply device mounted on the vehicle body are powered. Connected via a power line, the power line is held to the suspension device via a power line holding part, and the power line holding part regulates a vertical movement of the power line. And a rotation support portion that rotatably supports the power line fixing portion with respect to the suspension device.

Since the power line is rotatably held by the power line holding unit with respect to the suspension device, the power line can be prevented from being twisted even when the wheels are steered. Further, the mechanism for rotatably holding the power line includes a power line fixing portion that regulates the vertical movement of the power line, and a rotation support portion that rotatably supports the power line fixing portion with respect to the suspension device. Since it is configured, it is possible to satisfy electrical performance such as conduction, insulation, and corrosion resistance by the performance of the electric wire itself used for the power line, it becomes easy to secure reliability, and it is advantageous in terms of cost.

Further, the suspension device is a strut type suspension device, and the power line holding portion is attached to a damper of the strut.

Further, the power line holding portion includes an inner ring, an outer ring, and a rolling element arranged between the inner ring and the outer ring, the inner ring functions as the power line fixing portion, and the rolling element and the outer ring. Is configured to function as the rotation support portion.

A cable cover is provided between the vehicle wheel and the damper, the power line holding portion is attached so as to be located inside the damper in the vehicle width direction, and the power line is an in-hole motor drive. One end is connected to the device, passes through between the cable cover and the damper, bends upward from a position beyond the damper, extends a predetermined length, bends downward, and extends along the damper. It may be configured to be held by the line holding portion.

The cable cover can prevent the power line from coming into contact with the wheel.

Further, a clamp member that holds the power line may be provided on the vehicle rear side of the cable cover.

Further, a plurality of power lines can be configured to be held by one power line fixing portion.

In the present invention, the power line is rotatably held by the power line holding portion with respect to the suspension device, so that the power line can be prevented from being twisted even when the wheels are steered. Further, since the mechanism for rotatably holding the power line is composed of a power line fixing part that regulates the vertical movement of the power line and a rotation supporting part that rotatably supports the power line fixing part. In addition, it is possible to satisfy electrical performance such as conduction, insulation, and corrosion resistance by the performance of the electric wire itself used for the power line, it is easy to secure reliability, and it is advantageous in terms of cost.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a suspension device is attached to the in-wheel motor drive device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view showing the state where the suspension device was attached to the in-wheel motor drive concerning a 1st embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which a suspension device is attached to the in-wheel motor drive device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the member holding a power line. It is a perspective view showing the state where a suspension device was attached to an in-wheel motor drive concerning a 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a front view showing the state where a suspension device was attached to an in-wheel motor drive concerning a 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the state which attached the suspension apparatus to the in-wheel motor drive device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the member holding a power line, It is a longitudinal section showing an in-wheel motor drive concerning an embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the vehicle (electric vehicle) which mounts an in-wheel motor drive device. FIG. 13 is a front sectional view showing the electric vehicle of FIG. 12. It is a front view which shows the attachment part of the power line of the conventional in-wheel motor drive device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, an electric vehicle (vehicle) equipped with an in-wheel motor drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of the electric vehicle 11 equipped with the in-wheel motor drive device 21, and FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view of the electric vehicle 11 seen from the front.

As shown in FIG. 12, the electric vehicle 11 includes a vehicle body 12, a front wheel 13 serving as a steering wheel and a driving wheel, a rear wheel 14, and an in-wheel motor drive device 21 that transmits a driving force to the front wheel 13. Equip. As shown in FIG. 13, the front wheels 13 are housed inside a wheel housing 15 of the vehicle body 12 and fixed to the lower portion of the vehicle body 12 via a suspension device 16.

The suspension device 16 supports the front wheel 13 by a lower arm 16b extending in the left-right direction, and absorbs the vibration received by the front wheel 13 from the ground by the strut 16a including a coil spring and a damper to suppress the vibration of the vehicle body 12. A stabilizer (not shown) is provided at the connecting portion of the left and right lower arms 16b to suppress the inclination of the vehicle body during turning. The suspension device 16 is of an independent suspension type in which the left and right wheels are independently moved up and down in order to improve the followability to the unevenness of the road surface and to efficiently transmit the driving force of the front wheels 13 to the road surface.

A tie rod 16c is arranged above the lower arm 16b. The outer end of the tie rod 16c in the vehicle width direction is rotatably connected to the in-wheel motor drive device 21. The inner end of the tie rod 16c in the vehicle width direction is connected to a steering device (not shown). The steering device moves the tie rod 16c forward and backward in the vehicle width direction to steer the in-wheel motor drive device 21 and the wheel wheel 13a.

Since the electric vehicle 11 is provided with the in-wheel motor drive device 21 for driving the left and right front wheels 13 inside the wheel housing 15, it is not necessary to provide a motor, a drive shaft, a differential gear mechanism and the like on the vehicle body 12. This has the advantages that a large cabin space can be secured and the rotation of the left and right front wheels 13 can be controlled respectively.

The in-wheel motor drive device 21 is connected to a power supply device 19 including a battery 17 and an inverter 18 via a power line 80, and power is supplied to the in-wheel motor drive device 21.

Although the front wheels are used as the driving wheels in FIGS. 12 and 13, the electric vehicle to which the present invention is applied may be a four-wheel drive vehicle.

In the present specification, the “electric vehicle” is a concept that includes all vehicles that obtain driving force from electric power, and should be understood to include, for example, hybrid vehicles and the like.

Next, the overall configuration of the in-wheel motor drive device 21 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, with the in-wheel motor drive device 21 mounted on the vehicle, the side closer to the outside of the vehicle is referred to as the outboard side, and the side closer to the center is referred to as the inboard side.

FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the in-wheel motor drive device. As shown in FIG. 11, the in-wheel motor drive device 21 outputs the output from the motor unit A that generates the driving force, the speed reducer unit B that decelerates and outputs the rotation of the motor unit A, and the speed reducer unit B. And a wheel bearing portion C that transmits the driving wheel force to the wheel.

The motor portion A, the speed reducer portion B, and the wheel bearing portion C are housed or attached to the housing 22, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 22 has a separable structure of a central housing 22a, an outboard side housing 22b, and an inboard side housing 22c. In addition to such a dividable structure, an integral structure may be used.

In the following description, the central housing 22a, the outboard-side housing 22b, and the inboard-side housing 22c may be simply referred to as the housing 22. The housing 22 is preferably made of light metal such as aluminum or aluminum alloy. In particular, since the aluminum alloy is lightweight and has high strength, the housing 22 of this embodiment is made of aluminum alloy.

The motor portion A is provided with a stator 23 fixed to the housing 22, a rotor 24 arranged to face the inside of the stator 23 with a gap therebetween in the radial direction, and a rotor 23 arranged inside the rotor 24 to rotate integrally with the rotor 24. A radial gap type electric motor 26 having a motor rotating shaft 25 for rotating. The motor rotating shaft 25 can rotate at a high speed at about 10,000 rotations per minute. The stator 23 is configured by winding a coil around a magnetic core, and the rotor 24 is configured by a permanent magnet or the like.

The motor rotary shaft 25 has one end in the axial direction (the left side in FIG. 11) by the rolling bearing 40 and the other end in the axial direction (the right side in the FIG. 11) by the rolling bearing 41 with respect to the housing 22. Each is rotatably supported.

The reduction gear unit B includes an input gear 30, an input-side intermediate gear 31 and an output-side intermediate gear 32 as intermediate gears, and a final output gear 35.

The input gear 30 integrally has an input shaft 30a, and the input shaft 30a is coaxially connected to the motor rotation shaft 25 by spline fitting (including serration fitting. The same applies hereinafter). The intermediate shaft 31 a including the input-side intermediate gear 31 and the output-side intermediate gear 32 is formed integrally with both the intermediate gears 31 and 32. The output shaft 36 including the final output gear 35 is formed integrally with the final output gear 35.

The input shaft 30a, the intermediate shaft 31a, and the output shaft 36 are arranged in parallel with each other. Both ends of the input shaft 30a are rotatably supported by the rolling bearings 42, 43, the intermediate shaft 31a by rolling bearings 44, 45, and the output shaft 36 by rolling bearings 48, 49. ..

As shown in FIG. 11, in the reduction gear unit B, the input gear 30 and the input-side intermediate gear 31 mesh with each other, and the output-side intermediate gear 32 and the final output gear 35 mesh with each other. The number of teeth of the input side intermediate gear 31 is larger than the number of teeth of the input gear 30 and the output side intermediate gear 32, and the number of teeth of the final output gear 35 is larger than the number of teeth of the output side intermediate gear 32. The parallel shaft type gear reducer 39 configured to reduce the rotational motion of the motor rotary shaft 25 in two stages is configured from the above configuration. The reduction gear mechanism including the two-stage parallel shaft gears has a relatively small number of parts, and can achieve both a high reduction ratio and downsizing.

In this embodiment, helical gears are used as the input gear 30, the input-side intermediate gear 31, the output-side intermediate gear 32, and the final output gear 35 that configure the speed reducer 39. The helical gear is effective in that the number of teeth that are meshed at the same time increases and the tooth contact is dispersed, so that the sound is quiet and the torque fluctuation is small. It is preferable to set the module of each gear to about 1 to 3 in consideration of the meshing ratio of the gears, the limit number of rotations, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 11, the wheel bearing portion C includes an inner ring rotating type wheel bearing 50. The wheel bearing 50 is a double-row angular contact ball bearing mainly composed of an inner member 61 including a hub wheel 60 and an inner ring 52, an outer ring 53, balls 56 and a cage (not shown).

A wheel mounting flange 60a is formed on the outer periphery of the hub wheel 60 on the outboard side, and the inner ring 52 is fitted and fixed by caulking to the small diameter step portion on the inboard side. After the wheel bearing 50 is assembled, the caulking portion 60b fixes the inner ring 52 and applies a preload to the wheel bearing 50. An inner raceway surface 54 on the outboard side is formed on the outer circumference of the hub wheel 60, and an inner raceway surface 54 on the inboard side is formed on the outer circumference of the inner ring 52. Although illustration is omitted, the brake disc and the wheel are attached to the wheel attachment flange 60a. On the inner circumference of the outer ring 53, double rows of outer raceway surfaces 55 are formed corresponding to the inner raceway surface 54 of the hub wheel 60 and the inner raceway surface 54 of the inner ring 52. The output shaft 36 is spline-fitted to the hub wheel 60, and is connected so that torque can be transmitted. The wheel wheel is attached to the wheel mounting flange 60a, and the wheel wheel is rotated by the rotation of the output shaft 36.

Since the in-wheel motor drive device 21 is housed inside the wheel housing 15 (see FIG. 13) and has an unsprung load, it is essential to reduce the size and weight. By combining the parallel shaft type gear reducer 39 having the above-mentioned configuration with the electric motor 26, it becomes possible to use the small electric motor 26 of low torque and high rotation type. For example, when the parallel shaft type gear reducer 39 having the reduction ratio of 11 is used, the electric motor 26 can be downsized by using the electric motor 26 that rotates at a high speed of about 10,000 thousand revolutions per minute. As a result, the compact in-wheel motor drive device 21 can be realized, the unsprung weight can be suppressed, and the electric vehicle 11 excellent in traveling stability and NVH characteristics can be obtained.

Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The wiring structure of the in-wheel motor drive device 21, the suspension device 16, and the power line 80 in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a suspension device is attached to an in-wheel motor drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a suspension diagram of the in-wheel motor drive device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a front view showing a state in which the device is attached, FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the suspension device is attached to the in-wheel motor drive device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line, and is an explanatory view showing a member for holding the power line.

As described above, the in-wheel motor drive device 21 is steerably attached to the vehicle body 12 via the suspension device 16.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the suspension device 16 of the first embodiment is a strut type suspension device, and is arranged above the lower arm 16b (see FIG. 13) extending in the vehicle width direction and above the lower arm 16b. And a strut 16a extending vertically.

The strut 16a is disposed inside the wheel wheel 13a and the in-wheel motor drive device 21 in the vehicle width direction, the lower end of the strut 16a is coupled to the in-wheel motor drive device 21, and the upper end of the strut 16a is above the wheel wheel. Is connected to the vehicle body 12. The lower arm 16b is attached to the in-wheel motor drive device 21.

The strut 16a, the upper portion of the wheel wheel 13a, and the upper portion of the in-wheel motor drive device 21 are housed in the wheel housing 15 (see FIG. 13) formed outside the vehicle body 12 in the vehicle width direction. Tires (not shown) are fitted around the outer circumference of the wheel 13a to form a wheel.

The strut 16a is a suspension member that incorporates the damper 70 and is capable of expanding and contracting in the vertical direction. A coil spring 71 is arranged on the outer side in the radial direction of the damper 70 to reduce the vertical axial force acting on the strut 16a. The damper 70 damps the axial force acting on the strut 16a.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the damper 70 includes a cylinder 70a and a piston rod 70b that moves up and down in the cylinder 70a. The damper 70 is fixed to the housing 22 using a damper bracket 87, and the strut 16 a is attached to the in-wheel motor drive device 21.

A spring stopper 73 is provided at the upper end of the strut 16a, and a lower coil spring seat 72 is provided at the center. The spring stopper 73 and the lower coil spring seat 72 sandwich and hold the upper and lower ends of the coil spring 71. The spring stopper 73 described above is fixed to the piston rod 70b and moves along with the vertical movement of the piston rod 70b. The lower coil spring seat 72 is fixed to the outer periphery of the cylinder 70a.

As the piston rod 70b moves up and down, the spring stopper 73 moves up and down with respect to the cylinder 70a, and the coil spring 71 sandwiched between the spring stopper 73 and the lower coil spring seat 72 expands and contracts.

An upper mount 78 is attached above the spring stopper 73. The upper mount 78 is provided with a bolt 79 for attaching to the vehicle body 12.

The bolt 79 of the upper mount 78 is inserted into a hole (not shown) provided in the vehicle body 12, and a nut (not shown) is fastened to the bolt 79 to attach the strut 16a to the vehicle body 12.

The housing 22 is provided with a power line connecting portion 22e for supplying electric power to the electric motor portion 26. One end of the power line 80 is connected to the power line connecting portion 22e. In the first embodiment, the electric motor unit 26 is a three-phase motor. Therefore, three power lines 80 are prepared and three power line connecting portions 22e are also provided. The three power lines 80 supply three-phase AC power from the inverter 18 of the vehicle body 12 to the electric motor 26. Each power line 80 is composed of a core wire made of a conductor, and an insulating covering portion covering the entire circumference of the core wire, and is bendable. Note that, in FIG. 1, only two power line connecting portions 22e are shown for convenience of drawing.

Three power lines 80 extend from the in-wheel motor drive device 21 to the vehicle body. One end of the power line 80 is connected to the power line connecting portion 22e of the in-wheel motor drive device 21. The power line 80 extends rearward of the vehicle from between the wheel wheel 13a and the damper 70, and extends beyond the damper 70 and is curved upward from the inside in the vehicle width direction of the damper 70.

A cable cover 86 is disposed between the wheel 13a and the damper 70, extending obliquely upward, and having an eave 86b extending horizontally at a predetermined height. The cable cover 86 is attached to the housing 22 of the in-wheel motor drive device 21 or the damper 70. The cable cover 86 prevents the power line 80 from coming into contact with the wheel 13a.

A clamp member 86a is provided at a position on the vehicle rear side of the cable cover 86, and the power line 80 extending upward is held by the clamp member 86a. The clamp member 86a restricts the swing of the power line 80.

The power line 80 held by the clamp member 86a extends upward by a predetermined length, and is then curved downward along the axis O of the damper 70 to rotatably hold the power line 80 with respect to the damper 70. It is held by the power line holding portion 90, extends downward by a predetermined length, then bends upward and is guided inside the vehicle body. The other end of the power line 80 is connected to the inverter 18.

In the first embodiment, the three power lines 80 are integrated and held by the clamp member 86a and the power line holding portion 90.

Next, the power line holding portion 90 that holds the power line 80 rotatably with respect to the damper 70 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the power line holding section 90 includes a power line fixing section 91 that restricts the vertical movement of the power line 80 and holds the power line 80, and the power line fixing section 91 is rotatable with respect to the damper 70. It is composed of two members that can rotate relative to the rotating support portion 92 that supports them. In the first embodiment, the power line holding portion 90 is composed of a ball bearing member including an inner ring 91a, an outer ring 92a, and balls 92b as rolling elements arranged between the inner ring 91a and the outer ring 92a. ing. In the first embodiment, two members that can be opposed to each other rotate relative to each other through rolling of a rolling element interposed between contact surfaces.

The inner ring 91a functions as the power line fixing portion 91, and the outer ring 92a and the balls 92b arranged between the inner ring 91a and the outer ring 92a function as the rotation support portion 92. Then, in the first embodiment, the power line holding portion 90 is fixed to the lower portion of the damper 70 by using the housing member 93 and the cap member 94. That is, the outer ring 92a is fixed to the lower portion of the damper 70.

The three power lines 80 that are integrated together are inserted into the inner ring 91a that functions as the power line fixing portion 91, and the movement in the vertical direction is restricted and held. The power line 80 held by the inner ring 91 a is rotatably supported by the outer ring 92 a and rotatably held by the damper 70.

The housing member 93 is a rectangular member having a housing portion 93d that houses half of the power line holding portion 90, and screw holes 93a are provided on both sides of the housing portion 93d. A semicircular cutout 93b is provided on the upper surface and the bottom surface of the accommodating portion 93d along the shape of the inner ring 91a of the power line holding portion 90.

The cap member 94 is a columnar body having a U-shaped cross section, and accommodates half of the power line holding portion 90. A semicircular cutout 94b is provided on the upper surface and the bottom surface along the shape of the inner ring 91a. Further, a pair of flanges 94c is provided in the circumferential direction, and a hole 94a into which the bolt 95 is inserted is provided in the flange 94c.

The three power lines 80 integrated into the inner ring 91a are inserted and held, the power line holding portion 90 is sandwiched by the housing member 93 and the cap member 94, and the cap member 94 is housed by using the bolt 95. It fixes to 93 and the power line holding|maintenance part 90 is accommodated and accommodated in the accommodating member 93 and the cap member 94. Then, the inner ring 91a and the power line 80 are located in the circular portions formed by the notches 93b and 94b of the housing member 93 and the cap member 94, respectively. The outer ring 92a and the balls 92c of the power line holding section 90 are housed in the housing section of the housing member 93 and the cap member 94 to prevent the rotation support mechanism of the power line holding section 90 from dusting.

Then, the belt 96 is rotated around the cylinder 70 a of the damper 70, the belt 96 is fixed to the housing member 93 with the bolt 98, and the housing member 93 is attached to the cylinder 70 a of the damper 70. In this way, the power line holding portion 90 is attached to the lower portion of the damper 70. In this way, the power line holding unit 90 is attached so as to be located inside the damper 70 in the vehicle width direction.

The power line 80 is rotatably supported by the power line holder 90 at a position along the axis O of the damper 70 with respect to the damper 70.

Therefore, even if the in-wheel motor drive device 21 steers together with the wheels, the power line 80 can be prevented from being twisted by the power line holding portion 90 with respect to the damper 70. Further, since the power line 80 is rotatably fixed to the damper 70 at a position along the axis O of the damper 70, the power line 80 will not be repeatedly bent and extended during steering.

Further, since the swing of the power line 80 is regulated by the clamp member 86a, the power line 80 will not be repeatedly bent and extended during steering.

Further, the power line 80 is rotatably held with respect to the damper 70, and the clamp member 86a for restricting the swing of the power line 80 fixes the power line 80 without interfering with peripheral parts. be able to.

Further, as described above, the mechanism for rotatably holding the power line 80 is a mechanical member without using the electrical connection mechanism as in Patent Document 1. Therefore, the performance of the electric wire itself used for the power line 80 satisfies electrical performance such as conduction, insulation, and corrosion resistance.

As described above, in the above-described first embodiment, the power line 80 can be fixed without interfering with peripheral components, and bending fatigue or the like does not accumulate in the power line 80, thereby extending the life of the power line 80. be able to.

In addition to the ball bearing members described above, needle roller bearing members can be used as the members that relatively rotate through the rolling of the rolling elements. Further, as the two relatively rotatable members, a sliding bearing member using relative sliding of contact surfaces can be used.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a suspension device is attached to the in-wheel motor drive device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a suspension diagram of the in-wheel motor drive device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a front view showing a state in which the device is attached, FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which the suspension device is attached to the in-wheel motor drive device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a BB line in FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a member for holding the power line, which is a line cross-sectional view. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted here to avoid duplication of description.

In the first embodiment, the three power lines 80 are integrally held by the power line holding portion 90. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the power lines 80 are held one by one by the power line holding portions 90a, and the three power line holding portions 90a are attached to the damper 70 by using the housing member 930 and the cap member 940. There is.

Further, the clamp member 86a holds three power lines 80 extending upward. The swing of the power line 80 is regulated by the clamp member 86a.

The three power lines 80 held by the clamp member 86 a extend upward by a predetermined length and are then curved downward along the axis O of the damper 70, so that the three power lines 80 are connected to the damper 70. The power line holding portions 90a are rotatably held, respectively, and extend downward for a predetermined length, then bend upward and are guided inside the vehicle body. The other end of the power line 80 is connected to the inverter 18.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the individual power lines 80 are inserted and held in the power line holding portions 90a, respectively. In the second embodiment, since the three power lines 80 are held by the power line holding portions 90a one by one, the power lines 80 are respectively held by the three power line holding portions 90a, and the three power line holding portions are held. The portion 90a is attached to the cylinder 70a of the damper 70 by using the housing member 930 and the cap member 940.

For this reason, the housing member 930 is provided with a housing portion 931 that houses the three power line holding portions 90a. Three semi-circular cutouts 932 are provided on the upper surface and the bottom surface of each accommodation portion 931 so as to follow the shape of the inner ring 91a of the power line holding portion 90a. The accommodation member 930 is provided with a screw hole 932 into which the bolt 95 is screwed.

The cap member 940 is formed by connecting three columnar bodies having a U-shaped cross section, and accommodates three power line holding portions 90a. Then, a semicircular cutout 941 conforming to the shape of the inner ring 91a is provided on the upper surface and the bottom surface of each cylindrical body. Further, a flange 942 is provided at both ends, and a hole 943 into which the bolt 95 is inserted is provided in the flange 942.

The three power line holding portions 90a into which the power lines 80 are inserted and held are sandwiched between the housing member 930 and the cap member 940, and the cap member 940 is fixed to the housing member 930 by using the bolts 95. The three power line holding members 90a are housed and held in the cap member 940. Then, the inner ring 91a and the power line 80 are located in the circular portions formed by the notches 932 and 941 of the housing member 930 and the cap member 940, respectively. The outer ring 92a and the ball 92b of each power line holding portion 90a are housed in the housing portion of the housing member 930 and the cap member 940 to prevent the rotation mechanism of the power line holding portion 90a from dusting.

Then, the belt 96 is rotated around the cylinder 70 a of the damper 70, the belt 96 is fixed to the housing member 930 with the bolt 98, and the housing member 93 is attached to the cylinder 70 a of the damper 70. In this way, the three power line holding portions 90a are attached to the damper 70.

The power line 80 is rotatably held with respect to the damper 70 at a position along the axis O of the damper 70 by the three power line holding portions 90a.

For this reason, even if the in-wheel motor drive device 21 steers together with the wheels, the power line 80 can be prevented from being twisted by the power line holding portion 90a with respect to the damper 70. Further, since the power line 80 is rotatably fixed to the damper 70 at a position along the axis O of the damper 70, the power line 80 will not be repeatedly bent and extended during steering.

Further, since the swing of the power line 80 is regulated by the clamp member 86a, the power line 80 will not be repeatedly bent and extended during steering.

Further, the power line 80 is rotatably held with respect to the damper 70, and the clamp member 86a for restricting the swing of the power line 80 fixes the power line 80 without interfering with peripheral parts. be able to.

As described above, in the above-described second embodiment, the power line 80 can be fixed without interfering with peripheral parts, and bending fatigue or the like does not accumulate in the power line 80, thereby extending the life of the power line 80. be able to.

In the above-described embodiment, the power holding unit and the cable cover are attached to the damper of the suspension device. However, when the suspension device has a knuckle, the power holding unit and the cable cover may be attached to the knuckle.

11: Electric Vehicle 12: Car Body 13: Front Wheel 14: Rear Wheel 14a: Wheel Wheel 15: Wheel Housing 16: Suspension Device 16a: Strut 17: Battery 18: Inverter 19: Power Supply Device 21: In-wheel Motor Drive Device 22: Housing 22e: Power line connection part 70: Damper 70a: Cylinder 70b: Piston rod 71: Coil spring 72: Lower coil spring seat 73: Spring stopper 78: Upper mount 79: Bolt 80: Power line 86: Cable cover 86a: Clamp member 90 : Power line holding part 91: Power line fixing part 92: Rotation supporting part

Claims (6)

An in-wheel motor drive device is mounted on the vehicle body so as to be steerable via a suspension device, the in-wheel motor drive device and a power supply device mounted on the vehicle body are connected via a power line, and the power line is the The power line holding unit is held by a suspension device via a power line holding unit, and the power line holding unit limits the vertical movement of the power line, and the power line fixing unit with respect to the suspension device. A vehicle provided with an in-wheel motor drive characterized in that it comprises a rotation support portion that rotatably supports the motor. The vehicle having the in-wheel motor drive device according to claim 1, wherein the suspension device is a strut suspension device, and the power line holding portion is attached to a damper of the strut. The power line holding unit includes an inner ring, an outer ring, and a rolling element arranged between the inner ring and the outer ring, the inner ring functions as the power line fixing unit, and the rolling element and the outer ring are the A vehicle provided with the in-wheel motor drive device according to claim 1 or 2, which functions as a rotation support part. A cable cover is provided between the vehicle wheel and the damper, the power line holding portion is attached so as to be positioned inside the damper in the vehicle width direction, and the power line is attached to the in-hole motor drive device. One end is connected, passes through between the cable cover and the damper, bends upward from a position beyond the damper, extends a predetermined length, and then bends downward and extends along the damper. A vehicle provided with the in-wheel motor drive device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the vehicle is held by a holding portion. The vehicle including the in-wheel motor drive device according to claim 4, further comprising a clamp member that holds the power line on a vehicle rear side of the cable cover. A vehicle provided with the in-wheel motor drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of power lines are held by one power line fixing part.

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