IP Library Granted Patent US 12,070,993
Granted Patent B2
US 12,070,993 · App. 17/273,645 · Granted Aug 27, 2024

Vehicle drive device

Inventors: Tomoyuki Suzuki (Anjo, JP); Naoya Odashima (Toyota, JP)
Assignees: AISIN CORPORATION; TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B60K1/00B60L15/00H02K5/20H02K7/006
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,070,993
App. No.
17/273,645
Granted
Aug 27, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle drive device includes a rotary electric machine, an inverter, and a case. The case includes a main body portion and a cover portion. The main body portion houses the rotary electric machine and at least a part of the inverter. The cover portion is joined to the main body portion so as to cover an opening portion of the main body portion. The inverter includes a cooler, a first unit that is fixed to the cooler so as to be along a first reference plane, and a second unit that is fixed to the cooler so as to be along a second reference plane. The cooler is fixed to the main body portion.

Claims (48)

1. A vehicle drive device comprising:

a rotary electric machine that has a cylindrical shape;

an inverter that drivingly controls the rotary electric machine; and

a case for housing the rotary electric machine and the inverter, wherein

the case includes a main body portion and a cover portion,

the main body portion houses the rotary electric machine and at least a part of the inverter,

the cover portion is joined to the main body portion so as to cover an opening portion of the main body portion,

a virtual plane parallel to a tangent plane set on an outer peripheral surface of the rotary electric machine is set as a first reference plane, and a virtual plane parallel to another tangent plane intersecting with the first reference plane is set as a second reference plane,

the inverter includes a cooler, a first unit that is fixed to the cooler via a first mounting surface that is parallel to the first reference plane, and a second unit that is fixed to the cooler via a second mounting surface that is parallel to the second reference plane,

the cooler is fixed to the main body portion, and

a joining plane at which the main body portion and the cover portion are joined is inclined with respect to both the first reference plane and the second reference plane.

2. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein

the main body portion includes a fixing portion to which the cooler is fixed,

the cooler is fixed to the fixing portion by N fastening members, N being a natural number,

the fixing portion includes fastening holes into which each of the N fastening members is inserted, and

each of the N fastening holes is provided so that a virtual line along an insertion direction, which is a direction in which the fastening member is inserted with respect to the fastening hole, passes through the opening portion.

3. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first unit and the second unit is disposed on an opposite side of the cooler from the rotary electric machine side.

4. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein

at least a part of the inverter protrudes from the opening portion, and

the cover portion houses the part of the inverter that protrudes from the opening portion.

5. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein

the case has a first wall portion disposed along the first reference plane so as to cover the first unit, and a second wall portion disposed along the second reference plane so as to cover the second unit,

the main body portion includes a main body flange portion that forms a main body side joining surface portion that is a joining plane on the main body portion side among the joining plane at which the main body portion and the cover portion are joined, and that is formed so as to protrude outward along the joining plane from an outer wall of the main body portion,

the cover portion includes a cover flange portion that forms a cover side joining surface portion that is the joining plane on the cover portion side among the joining plane, and that is formed so as to protrude outward along the joining plane from an outer wall of the cover portion, and

the main body flange portion and the cover flange portion joined to each other are formed so as to protrude outward of the case with respect to at least one of the first wall portion and the second wall portion.

6. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein

in an axial view with reference to a rotation shaft of the rotary electric machine, a direction along the first reference plane is set as a first direction, and one side in the first direction is set as a first direction first side and the other side in the first direction is set as a first direction second side,

in the axial view, a direction along the second reference plane is set as a second direction, and one side in the second direction is set as a second direction first side and the other side in the second direction is set as a second direction second side,

in the second direction, a side from the opening portion toward an inside of the main body portion is the second direction second side,

the second unit is disposed more to the first direction second side than the first unit,

an end portion on the second direction first side of the second unit is disposed more to the second direction second side than an end portion on the second direction first side of the first unit, and

the joining plane at which the main body portion and the cover portion are joined is inclined to the second direction second side, toward the first direction second side.

7. The vehicle drive device according to claim 6 , wherein a rotating body that has a rotation shaft with a different shaft from the rotation shaft of the rotary electric machine is disposed inside the case and more to the first direction first side than the first unit.

8. The vehicle drive device according to claim 6 , wherein

the main body portion includes a main body flange portion that forms a main body side joining surface portion that is a joining plane on the main body portion side among the joining plane at which the main body portion and the cover portion are joined, and that is formed so as to protrude outward along the joining plane from an outer wall of the main body portion,

the cover portion includes a cover flange portion that forms a cover side joining surface portion that is the joining plane on the cover portion side among the joining plane, and that is formed so as to protrude outward along the joining plane from an outer wall of the cover portion, and

the main body portion includes a third wall portion that covers the rotary electric machine and the inverter, on the first direction first side of the first unit,

the third wall portion includes a bulge portion that bulges to the first direction first side, on the second direction second side of the main body flange portion, and

end portions on the first direction first side of the main body flange portion and the cover flange portion are disposed more to the first direction second side than an end portion on the first direction first side of the bulge portion.

9. The vehicle drive device according to claim 8 , wherein a first connecting portion, which is a connecting portion of the first unit and an outside of the case, is provided more to the second direction second side than the main body flange portion and more to the second direction first side than the bulge portion, in the third wall portion.

10. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein

the case has a first wall portion disposed along the first reference plane so as to cover the first unit, and a second wall portion disposed along the second reference plane so as to cover the second unit, and

a second connecting portion, which is a connecting portion between the second unit and an outside of the case, is provided in a part that configures the second wall portion of the main body portion.

11. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the first reference plane and the second reference plane are orthogonal to each other.

12. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first unit includes a switching element unit including a plurality of switching elements that configure an inverter circuit, and

the second unit includes a smoothing capacitor.

13. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the cooler is fixed to the main body portion at a plurality of positions along the first reference plane and a plurality of positions along the second reference plane.

Assignments (5)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE THE ASSIGNEE'S ZIP CODE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 059230 FRAME: 0114. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Apr 21, 2022
From: AISIN CORPORATION
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 059750/0432 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 10, 2022
From: ODASHIMA, NAOYA
To: AISIN CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059229/0082 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 10, 2022
From: AISIN CORPORATION
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 059230/0114 →
MERGER Recorded Dec 13, 2021
From: AISIN AW CO., LTD.
To: AISIN CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058487/0162 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2021
From: SUZUKI, TOMOYUKI
To: AISIN AW CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 055499/0267 →