Power control unit for electric vehicle

• US 7,306,063 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Morita, Hideki, Yamagishi, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Avery; Bridget
• Application Number:
  US11/028,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20050115749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/301, 180/302, 180/65.2, 361/699, 361/257, 361/704, 361/707, 361/710, 361/826, 361/827, 361/822, 361/823, 165/185, 165/80.4
• US Class Current: 180/65.1
• 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 3/0015 Prevention of collisions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/71 Arrangement of fuel cells within vehicles specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A power control unit for electric vehicle which can easily detach the high voltage cables even if the motor room is deformed, for example, by head-on collision and/or rear-end collision of the vehicle, which is difficult to be deformed, which can make small, and which can avoid an influence of heat generated by the reactor is disclosed. The power control unit 1 includes a box 10 which accommodates devices for controlling electric power supply of the electric vehicle; a reactor receiver 11a which is provided on a given external surface around the box 10 and supports a reactor R; a heat sink 12 connected to the lower end of the reactor receiver 11a, covering the bottom surface of the box 10, possessing passages including passage wall inside thereof, and performing heat-exchange with the box 10 by allowing coolant water to flow within the passage; and a partition 13a, which is laid on at least one side of the box 10 extending toward the longitudinal direction of the vehicle EV, and is detachably communicated with cables to be connected to the traction motor 4 disposed below the heat sink 12 to supply power.

Claims

1. A power control unit for an electric vehicle comprising:

a traction motor including a first side with an outputting shaft and a second side being free of an outputting shaft, said first and second sides being disposed adjacent to each other in a width direction of said electric vehicle;

a box which is provided above both said first side and said second side of said traction motor and which accommodates a device for controlling an electric power supply of said electric vehicle, wherein said traction motor and said box are provided at a center location of the width direction of said electric vehicle;

a connector case which is provided on the box; and

a plurality of electric cables which are connected to the connector case,

wherein a first part of the electric cables is connected to said traction motor, and

wherein a second part of the electric cables passes through said second side and is connected to a power supply apparatus disposed at a position displaced in a front-to-back direction against said traction motor.

2. A power control unit for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said power supply apparatus is a fuel cell.

3. A power control unit for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said second part of the electric cables is further connected to a power storage unit.

4. A power control unit for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a reactor receiver for supporting a reactor provided on a rear wall surface of said box.

5. An electric vehicle which mounts a power control unit according to claim 1.

6. A power control unit for an electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said power storage unit is a capacitor.

7. A power control unit for an electric vehicle according to claim 4, wherein a heat sink is connected to a lower end of said reactor receiver and covers a bottom surface of said box.

8. A power control unit for an electric vehicle comprising:

a box containing devices for controlling a power supply of the electric vehicle; and

a plurality of electric cables extending from the box;

wherein a first part of the electric cables is connected to a traction motor of the vehicle, the traction motor including a first side with an outputting shaft and a second side being free of an outputting shaft, the first and second sides being disposed adjacent to each other in a width direction of said electric vehicle and both the first and second sides being disposed below the box, said traction motor and said box being provided at a center location of the width direction of said electric vehicle, and

wherein a second part of the electric cables passes through the second side of the traction motor and extends to a rear side of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

9. A power control unit for an electric vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the first part of electric cables is connected to a traction motor, and wherein the traction motor is disposed below the box and has the outputting shaft at one end in a vehicle width direction.

10. A power control unit for an electric vehicle according to claim 8, wherein at least the second part of electric cables passes through a side of a box at the other end side in a vehicle width direction not having an outputting shaft in said traction motor and is connected to a power supply apparatus provided at rear of the vehicle.