Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11577599-B2
Application number	US-202117345741-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2021
Priority date	Jul 1, 2020
Publication date	Feb 14, 2023
Grant date	Feb 14, 2023

Abstract

To provide a vehicle, vehicle motion performance of which can be made high by downsizing a drive unit having an engine and a motor. A drive unit for vehicle travel has the engine and the motor. The motor is arranged adjacent to a rear side of the engine. In a housing of the motor, parts of oil control valves and motor cooling oil paths, through each of which motor cooling oil flows, are provided. The motor cooling oil flowing through first motor cooling oil paths exchanges heat with engine oil in a first heat exchanger. The motor cooling oil flowing through second motor cooling oil paths exchanges heat with an engine cooling coolant in a second heat exchanger.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
a drive unit that is a drive source for travel of the vehicle and includes an engine and a motor arranged adjacent to each other;
a motor cooling path that is connected to the motor and is a path of a refrigerant for cooling the motor and that includes:
a first motor cooling path; and
a second motor cooling path, a cooling performance of which by the refrigerant is higher than that of the first motor cooling path; and

a switch unit that is connected to both of the first motor cooling path and the second motor cooling path and switches between cooling of the motor by causing the refrigerant to flow through the first motor cooling path and cooling of the motor by causing the refrigerant to flow through the second motor cooling path, wherein
the motor includes a housing that accommodates a rotor-and-stator for outputting rotary power, and
at least a part of the switch unit and the motor cooling path are provided in the housing.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the refrigerant is oil, and
the switch unit is a switch valve.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
in the drive unit, the motor is arranged adjacent to a rear side of the engine in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle,
an output shaft of the drive unit is formed to extend from the engine toward the rear side,
the switch unit includes a first switch unit and a second switch unit, and
the first switch unit and the second switch unit are arranged above an axis of the output shaft of the drive unit in a vertical direction of the vehicle in a state of being separated to right and left in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
the first switch unit and the second switch unit are arranged at different height positions in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
when the engine, the first switch unit, and the second switch unit are seen from the rear side, the first switch unit and the second switch unit are arranged on an inner side of an outer circumference of the engine.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5 , further comprising:
an ebullient cooler including:
a circulation path for circulating an ebullient cooling refrigerant, a boiling point of which is lower than that of the refrigerant flowing through the motor cooling path;
an ebullient section that is disposed in the middle of the circulation path and in which the refrigerant and the ebullient cooling refrigerant exchange heat; and
a condensation section that condenses the ebullient cooling refrigerant.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein
the condensation section in the ebullient cooler is arranged adjacent to a rear side of the motor in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7 , further comprising:
an engine oil path as a path of engine oil for cooling the engine;
a coolant path as a path of a coolant for cooling the engine;
a first heat exchanger by which the engine oil flowing through the engine oil path and the refrigerant flowing through the first motor cooling path exchange heat; and
a second heat exchanger by which the coolant flowing through the coolant path and the refrigerant flowing through the second motor cooling path exchanging the heat.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an engine coolant temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the engine; and
a controller for controlling the switch unit on the basis of the temperature of the engine.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein
an end surface of the housing of the motor in an adjacent direction of the engine and the motor is covered with a cover member.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
in the drive unit, the motor is arranged adjacent to a rear side of the engine in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle,
an output shaft of the drive unit is formed to extend from the engine toward the rear side,
the switch unit includes a first switch unit and a second switch unit, and
the first switch unit and the second switch unit are arranged above an axis of the output shaft of the drive unit in a vertical direction of the vehicle in a state of being separated to right and left in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
the first switch unit and the second switch unit are arranged at different height positions in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein
when the engine, the first switch unit, and the second switch unit are seen from the rear side, the first switch unit and the second switch unit are arranged on an inner side of an outer circumference of the engine.

14. The vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
when the engine, the first switch unit, and the second switch unit are seen from the rear side, the first switch unit and the second switch unit are arranged on an inner side of an outer circumference of the engine.

15. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an ebullient cooler including:
a circulation path for circulating an ebullient cooling refrigerant, a boiling point of which is lower than that of the refrigerant flowing through the motor cooling path;
an ebullient section that is disposed in the middle of the circulation path and in which the refrigerant and the ebullient cooling refrigerant exchange heat; and
a condensation section that condenses the ebullient cooling refrigerant.

16. The vehicle according to claim 15 , wherein
the condensation section in the ebullient cooler is arranged adjacent to a rear side of the motor in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

17. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an engine oil path as a path of engine oil for cooling the engine;
a coolant path as a path of a coolant for cooling the engine;
a first heat exchanger by which the engine oil flowing through the engine oil path and the refrigerant flowing through the first motor cooling path exchange heat; and
a second heat exchanger by which the coolant flowing through the coolant path and the refrigerant flowing through the second motor cooling path exchanging the heat.

18. The vehicle according to claim 17 , further comprising:
an engine coolant temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the engine; and
a controller for controlling the switch unit on the basis of the temperature of the engine.

19. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
an end surface of the housing of the motor in an adjacent direction of the engine and the motor is covered with a cover member.

20. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the motor provided in the drive unit is arranged adjacent to a rear side of the engine, and
the engine and the motor have a direct-coupling structure to share an output shaft.

Assignees

• Mazda Motor

Inventors

• Tanaka Hiroshi
• Ueno Satoshi
• Yonemori Kei
• Harazawa Wataru

Classifications

• B60K11/02 Primary

  with liquid cooling · CPC title

• B60K2006/4825

  Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft · CPC title

• B60K6/40 Primary

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

• B60K6/46

  Series type · CPC title

• B60K11/04

  Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds · CPC title