Articulated bus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10369874-B2
Application number	US-201615580119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2016
Priority date	Jun 8, 2015
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

Provided is an articulated bus including a front vehicle including a steering wheel and a rear wheel positioned on a rear side of the steering wheel in a front-rear direction of a vehicle, a rear vehicle disposed on a rear side of the front vehicle in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and mounted with an engine, an articulating portion that swingably connects the front vehicle and the rear vehicle to each other, and a hybrid system including an electric generator that functions as an electric motor and a generator, and an HV battery that stores electric energy generated by the electric generator and supplies electric energy to the electric generator, in which the HV battery is disposed on a roof of the front vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An articulated bus comprising:
a front vehicle including a steering wheel and a rear wheel positioned on a rear side of the steering wheel in a front-rear direction of a vehicle;
a rear vehicle disposed on a rear side of the front vehicle in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and mounted with an engine;
an articulating portion that swingably connects the front vehicle and the rear vehicle to each other;
a hybrid system including an electric generator that functions as an electric motor and a generator, and an HV battery that stores electric energy generated by the electric generator and supplies electric energy to the electric generator;
a low-voltage electric wire; and
a high-voltage electric wire connected to the electric generator and the HV battery, a current of a higher voltage than a voltage of the low-voltage electric wire flowing through the high-voltage electric wire, wherein
the HV battery is disposed on a roof of the front vehicle,
the articulating portion includes a hood forming a passage space communicating with the front vehicle and the rear vehicle,
the low-voltage electric wire includes
a first low-voltage electric wire portion disposed inside the rear vehicle,
a second low-voltage electric wire portion disposed inside the front vehicle, and
a third low-voltage electric wire portion disposed inside the hood to connect the first low-voltage electric wire portion and the second low-voltage electric wire portion to each other, and

the high-voltage electric wire includes
a first high-voltage electric wire portion disposed on a roof of the rear vehicle to enter an inside of the rear vehicle from the roof of the rear vehicle at a front end portion of the rear vehicle,
a second high-voltage electric wire portion disposed on the roof of the front vehicle to enter an inside of the front vehicle from the roof of the front vehicle at a rear end portion of the front vehicle, and
a third high-voltage electric wire portion disposed inside the hood to connect the first high-voltage electric wire portion and the second high-voltage electric wire portion to each other.

2. The articulated bus according to claim 1 , wherein the HV battery is disposed at the same position as an axle of the steering wheel in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

3. The articulated bus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first shielding portion made of metal disposed between the first low-voltage electric wire portion and the first high-voltage electric wire portion at the front end portion of the rear vehicle to shield the first low-voltage electric wire portion and the first high-voltage electric wire portion; and
a second shielding portion made of metal disposed between the second low-voltage electric wire portion and the second high-voltage electric wire portion at the rear end portion of the front vehicle to shield the second low-voltage electric wire portion and the second high-voltage electric wire portion.

Assignees

• Hino Motors Ltd

Inventors

• Oko Atsushi

Classifications

• B60Y2200/1432

  Low floor busses · CPC title

• B60K6/48

  Parallel type · CPC title

• B60K6/40

  characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components · CPC title

• B62D47/025

  articulated buses with interconnecting passageway, e.g. bellows (coupling aspects B60D5/00) · CPC title

• B60K6/485 Primary

  Motor-assist type · CPC title