Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11772478-B2
Application number	US-202117500967-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2021
Priority date	Oct 22, 2020
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

A vehicle is provided which can reduce an influence on an occupant space due to location and arrangement of an inverter. The vehicle includes a longitudinal engine, a motor, a transmission, and an inverter. The motor is located behind the longitudinal engine. The transmission 13 has a transmission casing and is adjacently located behind the motor. The transmission is arranged below a floor tunnel. The inverter is mounted below the floor tunnel and on an upper portion of the transmission casing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a longitudinal engine that has cylinders and is installed such that the cylinders are positioned in a vehicle front-rear direction;
a motor that is arranged in rear with respect to the longitudinal engine in the vehicle front-rear direction and is capable of generating a driving force for vehicle traveling;
a transmission that has a transmission structure and a transmission casing housing the transmission structure, is adjacently arranged behind the motor in the vehicle front-rear direction, and is coupled with the motor;
an inverter that converts input direct-current electric power to alternating-current electric power and outputs the alternating-current electric power to the motor, wherein
a floor tunnel bulging toward an inside of a vehicle cabin and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed in a floor panel of the vehicle,
the transmission is arranged below the floor tunnel, and
the inverter is mounted below the floor tunnel and on an upper portion of the transmission casing;
an exhaust pipe that is connected to the longitudinal engine, guides exhaust gas exhausted from the longitudinal engine to a vehicle rear side, and discharges the exhaust gas; and
a front propeller shaft for transmitting a driving force output from the transmission to a front wheel, wherein
around the transmission casing, the exhaust pipe is arranged on one lateral side in a vehicle width direction and the front propeller shaft is arranged on another lateral side in the vehicle width direction.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the motor has a rotor, a stator, and a motor casing housing the motor and the stator, and
the upper portion of the transmission casing is placed in a lower position in a vehicle up-down direction than an upper end portion in an outer peripheral surface of the motor casing.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
when an imaginary line in parallel with an axis of a rotation shaft in the motor is drawn from the upper end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the motor casing, and the inverter is arranged to fall within a portion below the imaginary line.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
the transmission has an oil pan that is mounted on a lower portion of the transmission casing and is for storing hydraulic oil.

5. The vehicle according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a DC-DC converter that converts a voltage of input direct-current electric power and outputs the direct-current electric power to a load of the vehicle, wherein
the DC-DC converter is arranged below the floor panel and in a region adjacent to the floor tunnel in the vehicle width direction.

6. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
an engine room is provided in a front portion of the vehicle,
the floor tunnel is formed to extend from the engine room toward the vehicle rear side, and
the longitudinal engine and the motor are installed in the engine room.

7. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the transmission has an oil pan that is mounted on a lower portion of the transmission casing and is for storing hydraulic oil.

8. The vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a DC-DC converter that converts a voltage of input direct-current electric power and outputs the direct-current electric power to a load of the vehicle, wherein
the DC-DC converter is arranged below the floor panel and in a region adjacent to the floor tunnel in the vehicle width direction.

9. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
an engine room is provided in a front portion of the vehicle,
the floor tunnel is formed to extend from the engine room toward the vehicle rear side, and
the longitudinal engine and the motor are installed in the engine room.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the transmission has an oil pan that is mounted on a lower portion of the transmission casing and is for storing hydraulic oil.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a DC-DC converter that converts a voltage of input direct-current electric power and outputs the direct-current electric power to a load of the vehicle, wherein
the DC-DC converter is arranged below the floor panel and in a region adjacent to the floor tunnel in the vehicle width direction.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
an engine room is provided in a front portion of the vehicle,
the floor tunnel is formed to extend from the engine room toward the vehicle rear side, and
the longitudinal engine and the motor are installed in the engine room.

Assignees

• Mazda Motor

Inventors

• Hoshi Hideyuki
• Okada Masakazu
• Hirotaki Keishi

Classifications

• B60K6/46 Primary

  Series type · CPC title

• B60K6/24

  characterised by the combustion engines · CPC title

• B60K6/26

  characterised by the motors or the generators · CPC title

• B60K6/36

  characterised by the transmission gearings · CPC title

• B60K13/04

  concerning exhaust · CPC title