JP4383261B2 - In-wheel motor system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-wheel motor system.

In a conventional in-wheel motor system, a technique has been proposed in which an in-wheel motor is elastically supported on a suspension device such as an axle by a linear guide and a buffer mechanism (see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-90696

  However, in the prior art, the sealing performance of the in-wheel motor system is not considered in spite of the usage environment where the vehicle is exposed to muddy water, etc., and the in-wheel motor is supported in particular so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The linear motion guide is considered to have a sealing property despite the fact that the sliding resistance increases due to the intrusion of dust and foreign matter into the interior, which may increase the frictional resistance of the in-wheel motor in the vertical motion. Absent.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to improve the sealing performance of a linear guide used in an in-wheel motor system.

  A first invention includes a drive wheel of a vehicle, an axle that rotatably connects left and right drive wheels, an in-wheel motor that is installed in the drive wheel and is a source of drive torque transmitted to the drive wheel, A flexible coupling that is orthogonal to the axle center line and that displaceably supports the in-wheel motor in two directions orthogonal to each other, and that transmits a driving torque of the in-wheel motor to the driving wheel; A linear motion guide that supports the in-wheel motor so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction with respect to the axle, and a spring that supports the in-wheel motor coaxially with the linear motion guide, The linear guide is connected to the shaft-like rod connected to the in-wheel motor and the axle, and slides on the rod surface. And a dust cover that covers the rod between the rod and the spring. The dust cover is formed in a bellows shape with an elastic material and in a rubber bush shape. It consists of one end part, and the said sliding member contacts the said one end part via the said dust cover part, and restrict | limits the sliding amount of the said sliding member.

  In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the other end of the dust cover is fixed to the sliding member.

  In a third aspect based on the first aspect, the sliding member includes a pair of bearings, and the bearing is a slide bearing.

  According to a fourth invention, in the first or second invention, the sliding member slides through the rod, and the dust cover is provided to cover the rod protruding from both sides of the sliding member. Along with the movement of the end surface of the sliding member, the difference between the inner diameter of the sliding member and the outer diameter of the rod is set to a predetermined value, and the gap between the sliding member and the rod is set between the dust covers. When air is circulated and one of the dust covers is shrunk, the air in the shrunken dust cover passes through the gap between the sliding member and the rod and enters the other dust cover. Moving.

  According to a fifth invention, in the first or second invention, the dust cover portion is made of rubber, resin, or a waterproof cloth.

  In the first invention, since the rod of the linear motion guide is covered with the dust cover, dust and foreign matter do not enter the sliding surface of the linear motion guide, and malfunction of the linear motion guide can be prevented. Moreover, since the one end part of the dust cover is formed in a rubber bush shape and the sliding amount of the sliding member is limited, the amount of movement of the in-wheel motor in the vertical direction with respect to the axle can be limited. Can be prevented.

  In the second invention, since the other end portion of the dust cover is fixed to the sliding member, the dust cover can surely cover the rod, and entry of dust into the sliding surface can be prevented.

  In the third invention, since the bearing of the linear motion guide is a slide bearing, cost reduction and space saving can be achieved.

  In the fourth invention, since the inside of the sliding member is configured to distribute the air in the dust cover provided at both ends of the sliding member, the air in the dust cover when the dust cover is shrunk is the other dust cover Flow into. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide an air vent hole in the dust cover, and dust and the like can be prevented from entering from the air vent hole.

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

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an in-wheel motor system of the present invention. The in-wheel motor system of the present invention includes a driving wheel 3 including a tire 1 and a wheel 2, an in-wheel motor 5 that transmits driving force to the driving wheel 3 through a flexible coupling 4, and left and right driving wheels 3. It comprises an axle 30 that extends in the left-right direction, a hub 6 that fixes the wheel 2, and a knuckle 14 that is fixed to the axle 30 and rotatably connects the hub via a bearing 7.

  The wheel 2 of the drive wheel 3 includes a rim portion 2a to which the tire 1 is attached and a disk surface 2b to be formed, and a plate 9 constituting the flexible coupling 4 is fixed to an inner surface 2c of the disk surface 2b. On the other hand, a rotating case 5 d that fixes an in-wheel motor 5 to be described later is fixed to the innermost plate 11 of the flexible coupling 4.

  The in-wheel motor 5 is connected to the knuckle 14 via the buffer mechanism 8, and the in-wheel motor 5 is orthogonal to the center line of the wheel 2 due to the action of the flexible coupling 4. It is configured to be displaceable in two orthogonal axes.

  The flexible coupling 4 has three hollow disk-like plates 9 to 11 installed in a stacked manner in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the front and back of the intermediate plate 10 located in the center of these plates, and the operating directions are orthogonal to each other. The guide rails 12 and 13 are arranged so as to be arranged, and the guide members 12a and 13a are provided on the plates 9 and 11 facing the intermediate plate and engage and slide on the guide rails 12 and 13, respectively.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of guide members 12a and 12a attached at intervals of 180 ° are attached to the surface 9b opposite to the surface 9a of the plate 9 located on the wheel 2 side with respect to the inner surface 2c of the wheel 2. . A pair of guide rails 12 and 12 are attached to a surface 10 a of the intermediate plate 10 facing the plate 9. The guide rails 12, 12 are engaged with the guide members 12 a, 12 a, so that the hollow disk-shaped plates 9, 10 are engaged with each other in the guide direction of the guide rail 12 so as to be relatively displaceable. Is transmitted to the plate 9.

  A pair of guide rails 13 and 13 are attached to a surface 10b of the intermediate plate 10 facing the plate 11 at a position rotated by 90 ° with respect to the guide rails 12 and 12 installed on the surface 10a. And the guide members 13a and 13a are attached to the surface 11a which faces the plate 10 of the plate 11 so that this guide rails 13 and 13 may be engaged. With this configuration, the hollow disk-shaped plates 10 and 11 are engaged with each other in the direction of the guide rail 13 so as to be relatively displaceable, and the rotation of the plate 11 is transmitted to the intermediate plate 10.

  Therefore, since the rotational shaft of the in-wheel motor 5 is coupled to the rotational shaft of the wheel 2 so as to be eccentric in any direction, the rotational shaft of the in-wheel motor 5 and the rotational shaft of the wheel 2 can be connected even if they are eccentric. It becomes possible to efficiently transmit the drive torque from the wheel motor 5 to the wheel 2.

  The in-wheel motor 5 includes a non-rotating side case 5b to which the stator 5a is attached and a rotating side case 5d that is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the non-rotating side case 5b and to which the rotor 5c is attached. The non-rotating side case 5b is connected to a knuckle 14 described later via a motor mounting plate 15 and a buffer mechanism 8. The rotating side case 5d is rotatably installed with respect to the non-rotating side case 5b via a bearing 16, and is fixed to the plate 11 of the flexible coupling 4. With this configuration, when a current is passed through the in-wheel motor 5, the rotor 5c rotates, and this rotation is transmitted to the drive wheels 3 via the flexible coupling 4 to drive the vehicle.

  A hub 6 is installed in the center of the inner surface 2c of the wheel 2. A hub bolt (not shown) provided on the hub 6 penetrates the wheel 2, and a wheel nut (not shown) is screwed to the hub bolt to fix the wheel 2 to the hub 6. To do. The hub 6 is located at the center of the annular disk-shaped flexible coupling 4 described above.

  The hub 6 is rotatably connected to the knuckle 14 via the bearing 7. A motor mounting plate 15 for mounting the plate 11 is connected to a knuckle mounting plate 25 constituting the knuckle 14 via a buffer mechanism 8. The axle 30 is fixed to the knuckle mounting plate 25. The axle 30 is connected to the vehicle body via an absorber assembly 31 composed of a shock absorber and a spring.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the motor mounting plate 15 is formed of an annular member, and the outer peripheral surface 15 a is fitted and fixed to the inner peripheral surface 5 e of the non-rotating side case 5 b of the in-wheel motor 5. A pair of first mounting members 19 projecting inward of the vehicle are mounted on the motor mounting plate 15 so as to sandwich the axle 30 connecting the left and right drive wheels 3 vertically. And the linear guide 20 which supports the in-wheel motor 5 so that a movement up and down is possible between the upper and lower 1st attachment members 19 is installed.

  The configuration of the linear guide 20 is shown in FIG. The linear motion guide 20 includes a cylindrical rod 22 and a sliding member 23 that includes two linear bearings 23 a for sliding with respect to the rod 22. Conventionally, the linear bearing 23a is configured by using a ball bearing. However, in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size and cost by using a plain bearing. Both ends of the rod 22 are fixed to the pair of first mounting members 19 described above, and the sliding member 23 is fixed to the knuckle mounting plate 25. With such a configuration, the in-wheel motor 5 can be displaced up and down with respect to the knuckle 14 and the axle 30 to which the knuckle is fixed.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the shock absorber 26 is installed between the upper first mounting member 19 and the knuckle mounting plate 25 in front of the axle 30. The piston rod 26 a of the shock absorber 26 is fixed to the first mounting member 19, and the outer cylinder 26 b of the shock absorber 26 is fixed to the knuckle mounting plate 25.

  That is, the knuckle mounting plate 25 that fixes the sliding member 23 of the linear motion guide 20 and the outer cylinder 26 b of the shock absorber 26 is fixed to the axle 30. Therefore, the knuckle mounting plate 25 (= knuckle 14), the sliding member 23 of the linear motion guide 20, and the outer cylinder 26b of the shock absorber 26 are displaced integrally with the axle 30. As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of springs 27 are vertically installed on the linear guide 20 so as to be coaxial with the linear guide 20 and sandwich the knuckle mounting plate 25. Here, the shock absorber 26, the spring 27, and the linear motion guide 20 constitute the shock absorber mechanism 8.

  The in-wheel motor 5 configured as described above is configured to be relatively displaceable with respect to the axle 30 by the action of the flexible coupling 4 and the linear motion guide 20, and is vertically stroked. Damped by the spring 27. On the other hand, the drive wheel 3 is stroked integrally with the axle 30, and its vertical movement is attenuated by the absorber assembly 31 to which the axle 30 is connected.

  Further, since the in-wheel motor 5 is eccentrically connected to the wheel 2 via the above-described flexible coupling 4, even if the in-wheel motor 5 and the wheel 2 are eccentric. The driving torque of the in-wheel motor 5 can be transmitted to the wheel 2.

  4 and 5 are views for explaining the configuration of the linear guide 20 provided with the spring 27 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A, the linear guide 20 has a spring 27 installed on the outer periphery of the sliding member 23, and the spring 27 is located between the first mounting member 19 and the knuckle mounting plate 25. Sandwiched between. In the present invention, the dust cover 32 is installed using the space formed between the spring 27, the sliding member 23, the rod 22, and the first mounting member 19, and the dust cover 32 is formed in a compact manner, and the linear motion is achieved. It is characterized by suppressing dust that enters the guide.

  As shown in the drawing, the dust cover portion 32c of the dust cover 32 may be formed of an elastic material such as resin or rubber in a bellows shape, or may be formed of a waterproof cloth. The dust cover 32 is installed between the first mounting member 19 and the end surface 23b of the sliding member 23 of the linear guide 20, and prevents dust and foreign matter from entering the sliding surfaces of the linear bearing 23a and the rod 22. To do. At this time, the length of the dust cover 32 expands and contracts according to the length between the first mounting member 19 and the end face 23b of the sliding member 23, and the sliding member 23 of the first mounting member 19 and the linear motion guide 20 is expanded. The free length of the dust cover 32 is set to be longer than the maximum length between the end face 23b and the end face 23b.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the lower end portion 32 d of the dust cover 32 is formed in an annular shape so as to contact the end surface 23 b of the sliding member 23, and the lower end portion 32 d is fitted to the outer periphery of the sliding member 23 by the ring 34. Fixed. Further, if the lower end of the dust cover 32 is extended downward so as to cover the sliding member 23 and the dust cover 32 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the sliding member 23 using a clip or the like, the dust can be further prevented from entering. Can be prevented.

  The upper end portion 32 a of the dust cover 32 is formed in a block shape like a rubber bush, and a part thereof is fitted into a recess 19 a formed in the first attachment member 19. The side wall 19b of the recess 19a is formed in a concavo-convex shape, while the outer peripheral surface 32b of the upper end portion 32a of the dust cover 32 is formed in a concavo-convex shape according to the shape on the side wall 19b. Accordingly, the upper end portion 32a of the dust cover 32 is fitted into the side wall 19b of the first mounting member 19, and the dust cover 32 does not easily fall down. Further, the dust cover 32 is merely fitted to the first mounting portion 19 and can be easily removed and replaced by an operator.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the rubber volume constituting the dust cover upper end portion 32a can be increased to take measures against deterioration of the rubber material, while the rubber material, shape, In consideration of the volume, it can function as a stopper that regulates the amount of movement of the sliding member 23. That is, since the upper end portion 32a of the dust cover 32 is displaced integrally with the in-wheel motor 5, the amount of displacement of the in-wheel motor 5 with respect to the axle 30 and the wheel 2 is regulated by the rubber characteristic of the dust cover upper end portion 32a. Can do.

  The inner diameter of the sliding member 23 between the pair of linear bearings 23 a is formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the rod 22 by a predetermined dimension, and an air passage formed between the inner diameter of the sliding member 23 and the outer diameter of the rod 22. Through 33, the air in the dust cover 32 positioned above and below can be moved mutually. Thereby, the change of the air quantity in the dust cover 32 accompanying the displacement of the dust cover 32 on the contraction side can be absorbed by sending air through the air passage 33 to the dust cover 32 side on the expansion side. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide an air vent hole in the dust cover, and entry of dust and the like from the air vent hole can be blocked.

  In the present embodiment, the dust cover upper end portion 32a and the dust cover portion 32c have been described as the same rubber material. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the dust cover upper end portion 32a is formed as a rubber bush, and the dust cover portion 32c is made of resin. And then combined as a dust cover 32.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the in-wheel motor system includes a spring that supports the in-wheel motor coaxially with the linear motion guide, and the linear motion guide is connected to the shaft rod and the axle. A dust cover that covers the rod between the rod and the spring, the dust cover includes a dust cover portion formed in a bellows shape by an elastic material, and a rubber bush The one end part (upper end part 32a) formed in a shape restricts the sliding amount of the sliding member. With such a configuration, since the rod of the linear guide is covered with the dust cover, dust and foreign matter do not enter the sliding surface of the linear guide, and malfunction of the linear guide can be prevented. Moreover, since the one end part of the dust cover is formed in a rubber bush shape and the sliding amount of the sliding member is limited, the amount of movement of the in-wheel motor in the vertical direction with respect to the axle can be limited. Can be prevented. Furthermore, the impact generated when the sliding amount of the sliding member is regulated can be mitigated by adjusting the load-deflection characteristic at one end of the dust cover.

  Moreover, since the other end part (lower end part 32d) of a dust cover is fixed to a sliding member, a dust cover can cover a rod reliably and can prevent the penetration | invasion to sliding surfaces, such as dust.

  In addition, since the sliding member includes a pair of bearings and the bearing is a sliding bearing, cost reduction and space saving can be achieved.

  The sliding member slides through the rod, and the dust cover is provided so as to cover the rod protruding from both sides of the sliding member, and expands and contracts by moving the end surface of the sliding member. When the difference between the inner diameter of the member and the outer diameter of the rod is a predetermined value, air is formed between the dust covers through the gap between the sliding member and the rod, and when one of the dust covers is shrunk, Since the air in the shrunken dust cover passes through the gap between the sliding member and the rod and moves into the other dust cover, the air in the dust cover when the dust cover shrank expands in the other. It flows into the dust cover. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide an air vent hole in the dust cover, and dust and the like can be prevented from entering from the air vent hole.

  Furthermore, the dust cover portion is made of rubber, resin, or waterproof fabric, and the dust cover portion can be easily manufactured.

  In the in-wheel motor system of the present invention, the dust cover is provided on the linear motion guide provided with a spring that displaceably supports the in-wheel motor, so that it is useful for a vehicle that travels in an environment where dust and foreign matter enter.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the drive wheel of the vehicle with an auxiliary drive motor which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a buffer mechanism. It is explanatory drawing of a flexible coupling. It is a detailed view of a linear motion guide. It is a state figure of a linear guide similarly. It is detail drawing of a dust cover lower end part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tire 2 Wheel 3 Drive wheel 4 Flexible coupling 5 In-wheel motor 5a Stator 5b Non-rotation side case 5c Rotor 5d Rotation side case 6 Hub 8 Buffer mechanism 9-11 Plate 12, 13 Guide rail 12a, 13a Guide member 14 Knuckle 15 Motor mounting plate 19 First mounting member 19a Recess 19b Side wall 20 Linear motion guide 22 Rod 23 Slide member 23a Linear bearing 25 Knuckle mounting plate 26 Shock absorber 27 Spring 32 Dust cover 32a Upper end 32c Dust cover 32d Lower end 33 Air passage

Claims (5)

Vehicle drive wheels,
An axle that rotatably connects the left and right drive wheels;
An in-wheel motor as a source of driving torque installed in the driving wheel and transmitted to the driving wheel;
A flexible coupling that is orthogonal to the axle center line and that displaceably supports the in-wheel motor in two directions orthogonal to each other, and that transmits a driving torque of the in-wheel motor to the driving wheel;
A linear motion guide that supports the in-wheel motor to be displaceable in the vertical direction;
In-wheel motor system with
A spring supporting the in-wheel motor coaxially with the linear motion guide;
The linear motion guide is composed of a shaft-shaped rod that is connected to the in-wheel motor, and a sliding member that is connected to the axle and slides on the surface of the rod.
A dust cover that covers the rod is provided between the rod and the spring, and the dust cover includes a dust cover portion formed in an accordion shape by an elastic material and one end portion formed in a rubber bush shape, An in-wheel motor system characterized in that the sliding member comes into contact with one end portion via the dust cover portion to limit the sliding amount of the sliding member.   The in-wheel motor system according to claim 1, wherein the other end portion of the dust cover is fixed to the sliding member. The sliding member includes a pair of bearings that support the rod,
The in-wheel motor system according to claim 1, wherein the bearing is a sliding bearing. The sliding member slides through the rod;
The dust cover is provided so as to cover the rod protruding from both sides of the sliding member, and expands and contracts by movement of the end surface of the sliding member,
The difference between the inner diameter of the sliding member and the outer diameter of the rod is set to a predetermined value so that air between the dust covers flows through the gap between the sliding member and the rod,
2. When one dust cover is contracted, the air in the contracted dust cover moves through the gap between the sliding member and the rod and moves into the other extended dust cover. The in-wheel motor system according to 1 or 2. The in-wheel motor system according to claim 1, wherein the dust cover part is made of rubber, resin, or waterproof cloth.

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