ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN VEHICLE

• US 20140124278A1
• Filed: 08/21/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: TAKAMURA, Toshiaki, AOKI, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 9,216,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.51
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/003 with means for cooling the electrical propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 7/0007 the motor being electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/46 Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20918 the components being isolated from air flow, e.g. hollow heat sinks, wind tunnels or funnels
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

An electrically driven vehicle includes a first electric motor, a second electric motor, a first power drive device, a second power drive device, a first heat sink, a second heat sink, a baffle member, a first air guide passage, and a second air guide passage. The baffle member closes a space defined between the first power drive device and the second power drive device at a first end and a second end of the space. The first air guide passage houses the first heat sink. The first air guide passage is provided between a first partition wall and the first power drive device. The second air guide passage houses the second heat sink. The second air guide passage is provided between the first partition wall and the second power drive device.

Claims

1. An electrically driven vehicle comprising:

a first electric motor configured to generate motive power to operate a first driving wheel;

a second electric motor configured to generate motive power to operate a second driving wheel;

a first power drive device corresponding to the first electric motor and extending in a first direction;

a second power drive device corresponding to the second electric motor and extending in the first direction;

a first heat sink which has a plurality of first cooling fins extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and which is attached to a first lateral surface of the first power drive device;

a second heat sink which has a plurality of second cooling fins extending in the second direction and which is attached to a second lateral surface of the second power drive device, the second lateral surface being provided to face the first lateral surface;

a baffle member including a first partition wall which is provided integrally with the baffle member and which is arranged between the first heat sink and the second heat sink, the baffle member closing a space defined between the first power drive device and the second power drive device at a first end and a second end of the space, the first end being opposite to the second end in the first direction;

a first air guide passage which houses the first heat sink and in which cooling air is to flow in the second direction, the first air guide passage being provided between the first partition wall and the first power drive device; and

a second air guide passage which houses the second heat sink and in which cooling air is to flow in the second direction, the second air guide passage being provided between the first partition wall and the second power drive device.

2. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cooling fan to blow the cooling air into the first air guide passage and the second air guide passage through an end of the first air guide passage and an end of the second air guide passage, the cooling fan being mounted on the baffle member.

3. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the baffle member includes a second partition wall provided integrally with the baffle member such that an air passage provided independently of the first air guide passage and the second air guide passage is defined between the first partition wall and the second partition wall.

4. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the cooling fan is mounted on a lower end of the baffle member so as to circulate the cooling air upwardly within the first air guide passage and the second air guide passage, the first air passage housing the first heat sink having the plurality of first cooling fins extending in an upward and downward direction, the second air guide passage housing the second heat sink having the plurality of second cooling fins extending in the upward and downward direction.

5. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle body frame including

a cabin structure,

a left frame member extending backwardly from the cabin structure, and

a right frame member extending backwardly from the cabin structure,

wherein a first suspension arm extending outwardly so as to allow a left rear wheel as the first driving wheel to be suspended from the first suspension arm and being swingably supported on a first end of a rear wheel support frame which is fixedly secured to the left frame member and the right frame member to extend in a vehicle width direction,

wherein a second suspension arm extending outwardly so as to allow a right rear wheel as the second driving wheel to be suspended from the second suspension arm and being swingably supported on a second end of the rear wheel support frame opposite to the first end of the rear wheel support frame in the vehicle width direction, and

wherein the first power drive device and the second power drive device are arranged between the left frame member and the right frame member in a plan view of the electrically driven vehicle.

6. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising:

a first driving device including the first electric motor and supported on a knuckle on which the rear wheel is pivotally supported; and

a second driving device including the second electric motor and supported on the knuckle on which the rear wheel is pivotally supported,

wherein the first power drive device and the second power drive device are arranged between a first horizontal plane and a second horizontal plane, the first horizontal plane passing through an upper end of the first driving device and an upper end of the second driving device, the second horizontal plane passing through a lower end of the first driving device and a lower end of the second driving device.

7. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the baffle member includes a second partition wall provided integrally with the baffle member such that an air passage provided independently of the first air guide passage and the second air guide passage is defined between the first partition wall and the second partition wall, and

wherein the second air guide passage is provided between the second partition wall and the second power drive device.