Work vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9739035-B2
Application number	US-201414903669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2014
Priority date	Aug 9, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A work vehicle includes a vehicle body frame, an outer cover, an engine compartment, a cooling compartment, a partition wall, an inverter, and a capacitor. The engine compartment contains an engine. The cooling compartment contains a cooling device. The partition wall separates the cooling compartment from the engine compartment. The inverter and the capacitor are disposed between the partition wall and the cooling device. The inverter is positioned above the capacitor. A length of the capacitor in the vehicle width direction is greater than a length of the inverter in the vehicle width direction. At least one of a first side surface of the outer cover positioned leftwards of the left side surface of the inverter and a second side surface of the outer cover positioned rightwards of a right side surface of the inverter is separated from the inverter by a gap.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hybrid work vehicle in which a driving force is generated by an engine and by an electric motor, comprising:
a vehicle body frame;
an outer cover;
an engine compartment internally housing the engine;
a cooling compartment internally housing a cooling device, the cooling device including a radiator for cooling the engine;
a partition wall separating the cooling compartment from the engine compartment;
an inverter disposed between the partition wall and the cooling device; and
a capacitor disposed between the partition wall and the cooling device;
the capacitor being supported upon the vehicle body frame;
the inverter being positioned above the capacitor;
a length of the inverter in a vehicle width direction being shorter than a length of the capacitor in the vehicle width direction; and
at least one of a first side surface of the outer cover positioned leftwards from a left side surface of the inverter and a second side surface of the outer cover positioned rightwards from a right side surface of the inverter being separated from the inverter by a gap.

2. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
a first distance in the vehicle width direction between a left side surface of the outer cover and the left side surface of the inverter is greater than or equal to a second distance in the vehicle width direction between the left side surface of the outer cover and a left side surface of the capacitor; and
a third distance in the vehicle width direction between a right side surface of the outer cover and the right side surface of the inverter is greater than or equal to a fourth distance in the vehicle width direction between the right side surface of the outer cover and a right side surface of the capacitor.

3. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
a fifth distance in the vehicle width direction between a left side surface of the vehicle body frame and the left side surface of the inverter is greater than or equal to a sixth distance in the vehicle width direction between the left side surface of the vehicle body frame and the left side surface of the capacitor; and
a seventh distance in the vehicle width direction between a right side surface of the vehicle body frame and the right side surface of the inverter is greater than or equal to an eighth distance in the vehicle width direction between the right side surface of the vehicle body frame and the right side surface of the capacitor.

4. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
at least one of the first side surface and the second side surface includes an opening portion for taking in external air;
the opening portion and the inverter are overlapped in a side view; and
the opening portion and the inverter are separated by a first gap.

5. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
the longest side of the capacitor extends along the vehicle width direction; and
the shortest side of the inverter extends along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

6. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein
the longest side of the inverter extends in a vertical direction.

7. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein
the capacitor is elastically supported by a capacitor support portion provided to the vehicle body frame.

8. The hybrid work vehicle according to any one of claim 7 , wherein
the cooling device further includes an oil cooler, and an electric motor cooling device; and
the radiator, the oil cooler, and the motor cooling device are arranged in a row along the vehicle width direction.

9. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein
the cooling device further includes a hybrid cooler for cooling the capacitor and the inverter;
the hybrid cooler is disposed in front of the radiator, the oil cooler, and the motor cooling device, and behind the inverter; and
the inverter is spaced away by a gap from the hybrid cooler along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

10. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein
the inverter is separated from the capacitor in the vertical direction by a second gap.

11. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the first side surface and the second side surface includes an opening portion for taking in external air;
the opening portion and the inverter are overlapped in a side view; and
the opening portion and the inverter are separated by a gap.

12. Previously Presented) The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the inverter is separated from the capacitor in a vertical direction by a gap.

13. A hybrid work vehicle in which a driving force is generated by an engine and by an electric motor, comprising:
a vehicle body frame;
an outer cover;
an engine compartment internally housing the engine;
a cooling compartment internally housing a cooling device;
a partition wall separating the cooling compartment from the engine compartment;
an inverter disposed between the partition wall and the cooling device; and
a capacitor disposed between the partition wall and the cooling device,
the capacitor being supported upon the vehicle body frame such that a longest side of the capacitor extends along a vehicle width direction,
the inverter being positioned above the capacitor, a shortest side of the inverter extending along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a length of the inverter in the vehicle width direction being shorter than the longest side of the capacitor, and
at least one of a first side surface of the outer cover positioned leftwards from a left side surface of the inverter and a second side surface of the outer cover positioned rightwards from a right side surface of the inverter being separated from the inverter by a gap.

14. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein
the longest side of the inverter extends in a vertical direction.

15. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein
the capacitor is elastically supported by a capacitor support portion provided to the vehicle body frame.

16. A hybrid work vehicle in which a driving force is generated by an engine and by an electric motor, comprising:
a vehicle body frame;
an outer cover;
an engine compartment internally housing the engine;
a cooling compartment internally housing a cooling device;
a partition wall separating the cooling compartment from the engine compartment;
an inverter disposed between the partition wall and the cooling device; and
a capacitor disposed between the partition wall and the cooling device;
the capacitor being supported upon the vehicle body frame,
the inverter being positioned above the capacitor, a length of the inverter in a vehicle width direction being shorter than a length of the capacitor in the vehicle width direction; and
at least one of a first side surface of the outer cover positioned leftwards from a left side surface of the inverter and a second side surface of the outer cover positioned rightwards from a right side surface of the inverter being separated from the inverter by a gap,
the cooling device including a radiator, an oil cooler, and an electric motor cooling device, the radiator, the oil cooler, and the motor cooling device being arranged in a row along the vehicle width direction.

17. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 16 , wherein.
the cooling device further includes a hybrid cooler for cooling the capacitor and the inverter;
the hybrid cooler is disposed in front of the radiator, the oil cooler, and t

Assignees

• Komatsu Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Naito Makoto

Classifications

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• B60Y2200/415

  Wheel loaders · CPC title

• Y10S903/907

  Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor · CPC title

• B60Y2200/92

  Hybrid vehicles · CPC title

• E02F3/283

  with a single arm pivoted directly on the chassis (linkage mechanism for it E02F3/3405) · CPC title