Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10033324-B2
Application number	US-201715426976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2017
Priority date	Feb 12, 2016
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle includes a first and second motors, a high-voltage device, and a power converter. The power converter is disposed between the first and second motors. The power converter is configured to convert the electric power and to supply the converted electric power to the first and second motors. The power converter has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that has a first side wall, a second side wall opposite to the first side wall, a third side wall, and a fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall. The first connector is provided on the first side wall and is connected to a first three-phase line via which the first motor is electrically connected to the power converter. The second connector is provided on the third side wall and is connected to a second three-phase line via which the second motor is electrically connected to the power converter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a first motor and a second motor that are apart from each other in a front-rear direction;
a high-voltage device that supplies electric power to the first motor and the second motor; and
a power converter that performs electric power conversion when the electric power of the high-voltage device is supplied to the first motor and the second motor,
wherein the power converter is disposed between the first motor and the second motor in the front-rear direction,
wherein the power converter has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that extends in a left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and
wherein the power converter is provided with a first connector portion on an exterior side surface at one side in the front-rear direction and a second connector portion on an exterior side surface at one side in the left-right direction, the first connector portion being connected to a three-phase line that electrically connects the first motor to the power converter, the second connector portion being connected to a three-phase line that electrically connects the second motor to the power converter.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the power converter is provided with a control harness connector portion on the side surface at the one side in the left-right direction, the control harness connector portion being connected to a control harness that electrically connects a power-converter control device to the power converter.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the high-voltage device is disposed adjacent to the power converter at the other side of the power converter in the front-rear direction.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first connector portion extends from the exterior side surface at the one side in the front-rear direction, and the second connector portion extends from the exterior side surface at one side in the left-right direction.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the exterior side surface at the one side in the front-rear direction and the exterior side surface at the one side in the left-right direction are exterior side surfaces of a housing of the power converter that has the rectangular parallelepiped shape.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a fuel tank having a recess,
wherein the three-phase line that electrically connects the first motor to the power converter includes a portion disposed within the recess.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the power converter includes a plurality of inverters disposed adjacent to each other in the left-right direction.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the high-voltage device is disposed between the second motor and the power converter in the front-rear direction.

9. A vehicle according to claim 3 , comprising:
a first motor and a second motor that are apart from each other in a front-rear direction;
a high-voltage device that supplies electric power to the first motor and the second motor; and
a power converter that performs electric power conversion when the electric power of the high-voltage device is supplied to the first motor and the second motor,
wherein the power converter is disposed between the first motor and the second motor in the front-rear direction,
wherein the power converter has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that extends in a left-right direction,
wherein the power converter is provided with a first connector portion on a side surface at one side in the front-rear direction and a second connector portion on a side surface at one side in the left-right direction, the first connector portion being connected to a three-phase line that electrically connects the first motor to the power converter, the second connector portion being connected to a three-phase line that electrically connects the second motor to the power converter,
wherein the high-voltage device is disposed adjacent to the power converter at the other side of the power converter in the front-rear direction,
wherein the power converter is provided with a projecting portion on a side surface at the other side in the left-right direction, the projecting portion projecting toward the other side, and
wherein a high-voltage-line connector portion is provided on a side surface of the projecting portion at the other side in the front-rear direction, the high-voltage-line connector portion being connected to a high-voltage line that is connected to the high-voltage device.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the high-voltage-line connector portion is integrated with an output-cable connector portion connected to a low-voltage device.

11. A vehicle comprising:
a first motor and a second motor arranged along a front-rear direction of the vehicle, the front-rear direction being perpendicular to a height direction of the vehicle;
a high-voltage device to supply electric power; and
a power converter disposed between the first motor and the second motor in the front-rear direction and connected to the high-voltage device, the first motor, and the second motor, the power converter being configured to convert the electric power supplied from the high-voltage device and to supply the converted electric power to the first motor and the second motor, the power converter having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that has a longest side along a width direction of the vehicle perpendicular to the front-rear direction and to the height direction and that has a first side wall, a second side wall opposite to the first side wall in the front-rear direction, a third side wall, and a fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall in the width direction, the power converter comprising:
a first connector provided on the first side wall and connected to a first three-phase line via which the first motor is electrically connected to the power converter; and
a second connector provided on the third side wall and connected to a second three-phase line via which the second motor is electrically connected to the power converter.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein the power converter is provided with a control harness connector portion on the third side wall, the control harness connector portion being connected to a control harness that electrically connects a power-converter control device to the power converter.

13. The vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein the high-voltage device is disposed adjacent to the power converter so as to face the second side wall in the front-rear direction.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13 ,
wherein the power converter is provided with a projecting portion on the fourth side wall, and
wherein a high-voltage-line connector portion is provided on a side surface of the projecting portion opposite to the first side wall in the front-rear direction, the high-voltage-line connector portion being connected to a high-voltage line that is connected to the high-voltage device.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein the high-voltage-line connector portion is integrated with an output-cable connector portion connected to a low-voltage device.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fukazu Tomohiro
• Fujiyoshi Noboru
• Oguri Kosuke

Classifications

• B60L15/32

  Control or regulation of multiple-unit electrically-propelled vehicles · CPC title

• B60L2240/526

  Operating parameters · CPC title

• B60L50/15

  with additional electric power supply (with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61) · CPC title

• H02P27/06 Primary

  using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R16/02

  electric {constitutive elements} · CPC title