Power unit structure for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11095190-B2
Application number	US-201916518475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2019
Priority date	Aug 28, 2018
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A power unit structure for a vehicle includes a motor disposed in a power unit room of the vehicle and configured to transmit a driving force to drive wheels of the vehicle, an electric power converter disposed in the power unit room of the vehicle, and an electric power distributor disposed in the power unit room of the vehicle. The electric power converter is configured to convert supplied electric power into electric power to be supplied to the motor and is disposed on an upper side of the motor. The electric power distributor is configured to distribute electric power supplied from a power supply to the electric power converter and is disposed at a position where at least a part of the electric power distributor overlaps the electric power converter in an up-down direction of the vehicle when viewed from a vehicle front-rear direction or a vehicle width direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power unit structure for a vehicle, the power unit structure comprising:
a motor disposed in a power unit room of the vehicle and configured to transmit a driving force to drive wheels of the vehicle;
an electric power converter disposed in the power unit room of the vehicle, the electric power converter being configured to convert supplied electric power into electric power to be supplied to the motor and being disposed on an upper side of the motor; and
an electric power distributor disposed in the power unit room of the vehicle, the electric power distributor being configured to distribute electric power supplied from a power supply to the electric power converter and being disposed at a position where at least a part of the electric power distributor overlaps the electric power converter in an up-down direction of the vehicle when viewed from a front-rear direction of the vehicle or a vehicle width direction of the vehicle, wherein:
the electric power distributor is mounted on a mounting part provided on a vehicle body constituent member of the vehicle;
the vehicle body constituent member configures a part of a side portion in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle;
the vehicle body constituent member is a pair of front side members of the vehicle; and
the mounting part is laid in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle between the front side members;
each of the front side members includes a shaft part that protrudes to an inner side in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and is used for mounting of the mounting part; and
the mounting part includes an insertion portion configured such that the shaft part is inserted into the insertion portion in an axial direction of the shaft part, and a fuse portion that is provided adjacent to the insertion portion and permits relative displacement in the front-rear direction of the vehicle between the shaft part and the insertion portion by being plastically deformed when a load having a magnitude equal to or larger than a predetermined value, toward a front side of the vehicle, acts on the mounting part.

2. The power unit structure according to claim 1 , wherein the electric power distributor is disposed at a position where at least a part of the electric power distributor overlaps the electric power converter when viewed from the vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

3. The power unit structure according to claim 1 , wherein:
the pair of front side members includes a pair of suspension towers of the vehicle; and
the mounting part is laid in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle between the suspension towers.

4. The power unit structure according to claim 1 , wherein:
a connection portion for charging, to which electric power is supplied from an external power supply as the power supply, is disposed at a fender portion configuring a part on a design surface side of a side portion in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle; and
the electric power distributor is disposed at a position closer to the connection portion than the electric power converter and the connection portion and the electric power distributor are connected to each other by a wire harness.

5. The power unit structure according to claim 1 , wherein the electric power converter is fixed to the motor.

6. The power unit structure according to claim 5 , wherein:
the motor includes a motor side connector that is disposed on the upper side of the motor; and
the electric power converter includes an electric power converter side connector that is disposed on a lower side of the electric power converter and configured to be electrically connected to the motor side connector.

7. The power unit structure according to claim 1 , wherein the electric power converter and the electric power distributor are electrically connected to each other by a power unit side wire harness.

8. The power unit structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a water heating heater disposed on the upper side of the electric power converter, wherein:
the water heating heater is configured to receive electric power that is supplied from the electric power distributor; and
the water heating heater is disposed at a position overlapping the electric power distributor when viewed from the vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Murai Daisuke

Classifications

• B60K1/00 Primary

  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

• B60L53/20

  characterised by converters located in the vehicle · CPC title

• H02K5/04

  Casings or enclosures characterised by the shape, form or construction thereof · CPC title

• B60L50/53

  in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines · CPC title

• B62D25/08

  Front or rear portions {(sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions B62D21/11)} · CPC title