Electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10011324-B2
Application number	US-201214654898-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 25, 2012
Priority date	Dec 25, 2012
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

An electric vehicle includes an electric motor which generates a driving power for driving a wheel, a battery storing DC power to be supplied to the electric motor, a battery case accommodating the battery in a battery space in an interior of the battery case, an inverter which converts the DC power supplied from the battery and supplies electric power to the electric motor, and an electric wire connecting the inverter to the electric motor. The electric wire runs through an internal space of the battery case, and may penetrate an upper surface of the battery case, protrude upward, and connect to an inverter placed on an upper portion of the battery case. The electric wire may run through a cooling passage in the internal space. The electric wire may be interposed between the electric motor and the inverter. The electric wire may run vertically through the internal space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric vehicle comprising:
an electric motor which generates driving power for driving a wheel;
a battery case accommodating a plurality of batteries storing DC power to be supplied to the electric motor, in an internal space of the battery case;
an inverter which converts the DC power supplied from the batteries into AC power and supplies the AC power to the electric motor; and
an electric wire connecting the inverter to the electric motor,
wherein the electric wire includes a running portion running vertically through a space formed between the plurality of batteries in the internal space of the battery case.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the battery case is placed between the electric motor and the inverter.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a motor case accommodating the electric motor,
wherein the inverter is placed above the battery case, and the electric motor is placed below the battery case,
and
wherein an electric cable is provided between a lower portion of the battery case and the motor case to couple the lower portion of the battery case to the motor case, the electric cable electrically connecting the running portion to the electric motor and having a higher flexibility than the running portion.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electric wire includes three bus bars for a three-phase AC current which vertically runs through the internal space of the battery case, and
wherein surfaces of the three bus bars are joined to each other via an insulating material to form a bus bar module.

5. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electric wire includes a portion which runs through an interior of the battery case, penetrates an upper surface of the battery case, and protrudes upward, and the portion is connected to the inverter placed on an upper portion of the battery case.

6. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein in the internal space of the battery case, a cooling passage is constituted by the space formed between the plurality of batteries or a space formed between the batteries and the battery case, and
wherein the electric wire runs through the cooling passage in the internal space of the battery case.

7. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein a space in which the inverter is placed and the internal space are partitioned by a wall of the battery case, and
wherein the electric wire runs through the internal space interposed between the electric motor and the inverter.

8. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inverter is placed above the batteries,
wherein the electric motor is placed below the batteries, and
wherein the electric wire vertically runs through the internal space of the battery case.

9. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein in the internal space of the battery case, a cooling passage is constituted by the space formed between the plurality of batteries or a space formed between the batteries and the battery case, and
wherein the electric wire runs through the cooling passage along the cooling passage.

10. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electric wire includes a bus bar.

11. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inverter is fastened to the battery case and is placed above the batteries.

12. An electric vehicle comprising:
an electric motor which generates a driving power for driving a wheel;
a battery case accommodating a plurality of batteries storing a DC power to be supplied to the electric motor, in an internal space of the battery case;
an inverter which converts the DC power supplied from the batteries into an AC power and supplies the AC power to the electric motor; and
an electric wire connecting the inverter to the electric motor,
wherein the electric wire runs through a cooling passage formed in the battery case.

13. The electric vehicle according to claim 12 ,
wherein the cooling passage is formed between the batteries disposed in the battery case.

14. An electric vehicle comprising:
an electric motor which generates a driving power for driving a wheel;
a battery case accommodating a plurality of batteries storing a DC power to be supplied to the electric motor, in an internal space of the battery case;
an inverter which converts the DC power supplied from the batteries into an AC power and supplies the AC power to the electric motor; and
an electric wire which connects the inverter to the electric motor, the electric wire running through a cooling passage formed between the plurality of batteries in the internal space of the battery case; and
a cooling fan which blows air to the cooling passage.

15. An electric vehicle comprising:
an electric motor which generates a driving power for driving a wheel;
a battery case accommodating a plurality of batteries storing a DC power to be supplied to the electric motor, in an internal space of the battery case;
an inverter which converts the DC power supplied from the batteries into an AC power and supplies the AC power to the electric motor; and
an electric wire which connects the inverter to the electric motor, the electric wire running through a cooling passage formed between the plurality of batteries in the internal space of the battery case,
wherein the inverter is fastened to the battery case and placed above the batteries.

16. The electric vehicle according to claim 15 ,
wherein the inverter is placed above the battery case to be included within the battery case when viewed from above.

17. The electric vehicle according to claim 16 ,
wherein the inverter is placed inward relative to front and ear edges and right and left edges of an assembly of the battery case and the batteries when viewed from above.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Inoue Masafumi

Classifications

• B60L50/51

  characterised by AC-motors · CPC title

• B62K19/40

  for attaching accessories, e.g. article carriers, lamps · CPC title

• B60K1/00

  Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) · CPC title

• B62K2204/00

  Adaptations for driving cycles by electric motor · CPC title

• B60Y2200/12

  Motorcycles, Trikes; Quads; Scooters · CPC title