JPH05193374A - Cooling structure for control device for electric automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prohibit invasion of water or mud according to suction or discharge of cooling air by providing a discharge passage for discharging the cooling air used for cooling a control device into a cross member composing a car body frame member. CONSTITUTION:When a cooling fan is driven, cooling air in a car room is supplied to a control device 108 through suction passages 122a, 122b to cool this control device 108. The cooling air used for cooling the control device 108 is discharged into a cross member 22b composing a car body frame member to be discharged from a specified part of the car body frame member. Clean cooling air can thus be supplied to the control device, and invasion of water or mud according to discharge of the cooling air can be prohibited securely. By using the cross member 22 for discharge pipings, need of special pipings is obviated, thereby the structure can be simplified.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling structure for an electric vehicle controller for driving and controlling a traveling motor of an electric vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a control device for driving and controlling a traveling motor of an electric vehicle is likely to reach a high temperature, and it is necessary to cool the control device in order to effectively maintain its function. Therefore, for example, a control device provided with a radiation fin (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 55-130504), a cooling fan for supplying cooling air to the control device, and the like have been proposed.

When using this cooling fan, the problem is where to draw the cooling air from. This is because if the cooling air is directly sucked from the outside, water, mud, and the like will be supplied to the control device along with the cooling air.

Therefore, it has been proposed to provide an air intake opening to the inside of the passenger compartment and supply cooling air in the passenger compartment to the control device through the air intake (Actual Publication 5).
3-6193 gazette).

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the treatment of the cooling air after it has been used for cooling the control device poses a problem. In particular, when the control device is arranged in the room and the cooling air is directly discharged from the room to the outside, there is a possibility that external water, mud, or the like flows back into the room. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide an exhaust pipe line that extends to a position that is effectively separated from the control device, but there is a problem that the pipe becomes long and complicated.

The present invention solves this kind of problem, and can reliably prevent the ingress of water, mud, etc. accompanying the intake and discharge of the cooling air for cooling the control device, and the piping An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling structure for an electric vehicle control device that can be simplified.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a cooling structure for cooling a control device for driving and controlling a traveling motor of an electric vehicle, the cooling structure being opened in a vehicle compartment. A suction fan, a cooling fan for sucking cooling air from the vehicle compartment through the suction passage and supplying the cooling air to the control device, and a cooling fan used for cooling the control device. And a discharge passage for discharging the cooling air into the cross member that constitutes the vehicle body frame member.

[0008]

In the cooling structure for the control device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention, when the cooling fan is driven, the cooling air in the passenger compartment is supplied to the control device through the suction passage, and the control device is operated. To be cooled. Then, the cooling air used for cooling the control device is discharged into the cross member that constitutes the vehicle body frame member, and is discharged outside from a predetermined portion of the vehicle body frame member. For this reason, it is possible to supply clean cooling air to the control device, and it is possible to reliably prevent the entry of water, mud, etc. accompanying the discharge of this cooling air.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cooling structure for an electric vehicle controller according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2, reference numeral 10
[Fig. 3] shows an electric vehicle to which the cooling structure according to the first embodiment is applied. The electric vehicle 10 includes front wheels 12 and rear wheels 14 and a vehicle body 16. A frame member 18 forming the vehicle body 16 has a hollow shape and a front cross member 22a is provided between the side frames 20a and 20b. And a rear cross member 22b (see FIG. 2).

A battery box 30 is hung between the front wheels 12 and the rear wheels 14 on the side frames 20a and 20b. The battery box 30 accommodates, for example, nine batteries (not shown) for driving the electric vehicle 10, and the batteries each have 10 cells and 12 V, and are connected in series to each other. Top 1
Outputs 08V. A housing 42 for drawing in cooling air is provided at a front end portion of the battery box 30 in the vehicle body traveling direction.
On the other hand, cooling fans 50a and 50b for discharging the cooling air are attached to both sides on the rear side of the battery box 30 in the traveling direction.

Above the battery box 30, the passenger compartment 1
A floor 100 for forming 6a is formed. The floor 100 includes a lower floor 102 and an upper floor 104.
And a lower floor 102 and an upper floor 104
A chamber 106 is formed therebetween. In this room 106, a motor controller (control device) 108 and a distribution box 1
10 and a voltage converter 112 that steps down a high voltage supplied from a battery (not shown) to a predetermined low voltage (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

The motor controller 108 includes a power drive unit 116 housed in a cooling space 114a of a box (housing) 114. The power drive unit 116 is the cooling structure 10 according to the first embodiment.
It is cooled via 9. The cooling structure 109 includes a cooling fan 118 having an air supply port 118a fixed to the tip of a box 114, and an exhaust duct 1 having both ends fixed to the rear end of the box 114 and a cross member 22b.
20a, 120b, a discharge passage 121a for communicating the inside of the box 114 with the inside of the cross member 22b,
121b and the tip of the upper floor 104,
Intake passage 122 opened into the vehicle interior 16a of the vehicle body 16
a and 122b (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

The cross member 22b is the side frame 2
This side frame 20 communicates with 0a and 20b.
Exhaust ports 124a and 124b are formed on the rear end side of a and 20b. If the positions of the exhaust ports 124a and 124b are provided so as to correspond to the negative pressure portion of the vehicle body 16 during traveling, the cooling air to be described later is smoothly discharged.

A drive motor 13 is provided on the rear end side of the vehicle body 16.
0 is mounted, and the motor 130 is connected to the rear wheel drive shaft 134 via the transmission 132. A cooling fan 138 is connected to the motor 130 via a duct 136, and an intake port of the fan 138 is opened toward a rear side of a bumper 139 of the vehicle body 16.
The duct 136 is curved upward between the fan 138 and the inside of the motor 130. The duct 136 supplies cooling air directly to the rotating shaft of the motor 130, and the cooling air passes through the inside of the cover 140 of the motor 130 and is discharged to the outside from the outlet 142.

An auxiliary battery 144 is provided at the rear end of the vehicle body 16.
The auxiliary battery 144 is used for lighting and the like.

Next, the electric vehicle 1 configured as described above
The operation of 0 will be described in relation to the cooling structure 109 according to the first embodiment.

First, the motor 1 is supplied via a motor controller 108 by electric power supplied from a battery (not shown).
30 is driven, and the rear wheels 14 rotate under the action of rotation of the rear wheel drive shaft 134 connected to the transmission 132,
This electric vehicle 10 runs. At this time, the batteries are connected in series and a high voltage of 108 V is actually output, so the voltage is reduced to a predetermined voltage via the voltage converter 112 and supplied to the motor 130.

During the traveling, the fan 118 constituting the cooling structure 109 is driven, and the air in the passenger compartment 16a serves as cooling air for the intake passage 1 of the upper floor 104.
Air is sucked into the fan 118 from the lower side of the fan 118 via the air supply ports 118a and 122b.
It is introduced into the cooling space 114a in the box 114 from a. This cooling air cools the power drive unit 116 housed in the cooling space 114a,
Exhaust passages 121a in the exhaust ducts 120a, 120b,
The side frame 20 which is led out into the cross member 22b through the 121b and communicates with the cross member 22b.
a, 20b exhaust ports 124a, 1 provided at the rear end side
It is discharged from 24b to the outside (see the arrow in FIG. 1).

In this case, the cooling structure 1 according to the first embodiment
In 09, the suction passage 122 is driven by the drive of the fan 118.
Air in the vehicle interior 16a is supplied to the power drive unit 116 as cooling air via a and 122b.
Therefore, the relatively clean air in the vehicle interior 16a can be used as the cooling air, and it is possible to effectively prevent the introduction of water, mud, or the like into the box 114.

Moreover, the cooling air used for cooling the power drive unit 116 is exhausted through the exhaust duct 120a,
The gas is discharged into the cross member 22b via the discharge passages 121a and 121b in the side frame 120b.
It is discharged to the outside through exhaust ports 124a and 124b provided in 0a and 20b. Therefore, external water or mud does not enter into the box 114 as in the case of directly discharging the cooling air from the box 114, and the hollow cross member 22b and the side frame 20a are also provided. , 20b themselves can be used as the exhaust pipe line, and the effect of simplifying the structure can be obtained as compared with the case where a dedicated pipe is provided.

Next, a cooling structure according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 200 indicates a cooling structure incorporated in the electric vehicle 10 according to the second embodiment. This cooling structure 200 cools a power drive unit 202 arranged in a chamber 106 formed between a lower floor 102 and an upper floor 104. The power drive unit 202 is a plurality of units arranged in the vehicle body traveling direction. The heat dissipation fin 204 is provided, and the tube body 206 is disposed so as to surround the heat dissipation fin 204. The cooling structure 200 includes an air supply port 20 at one end of the tubular body 206.
8a is fixed to the cooling fan 208, and the tubular body 20
6, an exhaust passage 212 formed in the exhaust duct 210, both ends of which are fixedly attached to the rear end portion and the cross member 22b,
Intake passage 12 formed at the tip of upper floor 104
2a and 122b.

In this cooling structure 200, when the fan 208 is driven, the cooling air in the vehicle interior 16a is sucked into the suction passage 1.
22a, 122b is sucked into the fan 208,
It is introduced into the tubular body 206 via the air supply port 208a. When the cooling air passes through the pipe body 206, the cooling air directly cools the power drive unit 202 via the plurality of heat radiation fins 204 of the power drive unit 202, and the cooling air flows from the discharge passage 212 of the exhaust duct 210 to the inside of the cross member 22b. Is discharged to. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the power drive unit 202 can be directly cooled, and the same effect as that of the cooling structure 109 according to the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0025]

According to the cooling structure for a control device for an electric vehicle of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

After the cooling air in the vehicle compartment is used for cooling the control device, it is discharged into the cross member constituting the vehicle body frame member and then discharged from a predetermined portion of the vehicle body frame member to the outside. For this reason, it is possible to supply clean cooling air to the control device, and it is possible to reliably prevent the entry of water, mud, etc. accompanying the discharge of this cooling air. Further, by using the cross member as the exhaust pipe, a dedicated pipe is not required and the structure is simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration side view of an electric vehicle incorporating a cooling structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a part of an upper floor is cut away, based on a frame member.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a state where the floor of the electric vehicle is removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective explanatory view of the cooling structure according to the first embodiment with the floor removed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective explanatory view of the cooling structure according to the second embodiment of the present invention with the floor removed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Electric vehicle 16 ... Car body 18 ... Frame members 22a, 22b ... Cross member 30 ... Battery box 102 ... Lower floor 104 ... Upper floor 106 ... Room 108 ... Motor controller 109 ... Cooling structure 114 ... Box 116 ... Power drive unit 118 ... Fan 120a, 120b ... Exhaust ducts 121a, 121b ... Exhaust passages 122a, 122b ... Intake passages 200 ... Cooling structure 202 ... Power drive unit 204 ... Radiating fins 206 ... Tubular body 208 ... Fan 210 ... Exhaust duct 212 ... Exhaust passage

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cooling structure for cooling a control device for driving and controlling a running motor of an electric vehicle, comprising: a suction passage opened to a passenger compartment; and a cooling passage from the passenger compartment through the suction passage. A cooling fan for sucking in air and supplying the cooling air to the control device, and the cooling air used for cooling the control device are discharged into a cross member forming a body frame member. A cooling structure for a control device for an electric vehicle, comprising: 2. The cooling structure according to claim 1, further comprising an upper floor and a lower floor, the control device and the cooling fan being housed between the upper floor and the lower floor, and the upper floor. A cooling structure for a control device for an electric vehicle, comprising a suction passage opened in a vehicle compartment. 3. The cooling structure according to claim 1, further comprising a housing for accommodating the control device, wherein the housing is provided with cooling air in a cooling space formed in the housing. A cooling structure for an electric vehicle control device, comprising a cooling fan for cooling the device. 4. The control system for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control device includes a radiation fin, and the cooling fan directly supplies cooling air to the radiation fin. Cooling structure.