JP6438228B2 - Power line routing structure for in-wheel motor drive - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-wheel motor drive device that is attached to a vehicle body via a suspension member, and more particularly, to a power line that extends from the vehicle body to the in-wheel motor drive device.

  Since the in-wheel motor drive device is electrically driven, the in-wheel motor drive device is not only less burdensome on the environment than the engine vehicle, but also installed in the wheel of the vehicle to drive the wheel. Compared with this, it is possible to secure a large vehicle compartment space, which is advantageous. As a technique for attaching the in-wheel motor drive device to the vehicle body side via the suspension device, a technology as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-308033 (Patent Document 1) is conventionally known.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a prior art in-wheel motor described in Patent Document 1, and is a cross-sectional view seen in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Referring to FIG. 6, a knuckle arm 112 extending upward is provided on the upper portion of the in-wheel motor 111. The upper end of the knuckle arm 112 is attached to the upper arm 113 of the suspension device. The lower portion of the in-wheel motor 111 is attached to the lower arm 115 of the suspension device via the ball joint 114. A motor drive wiring 117 is connected to the terminal box 116 of the in-wheel motor 111. The motor drive wiring 117 is routed along the knuckle arm 112 and extends to the vehicle body 120 side.

JP 2008-308033 A

  However, the conventional in-wheel motor 111 has a problem that the motor drive wiring extending from the vehicle body side to the in-wheel motor 111 is not sufficiently protected. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the motor driving wiring 117 is exposed outward along the surface of the knuckle arm 112. The motor driving wiring 117 extends further upward from the upper end of the knuckle arm 112, is suspended in the wheel housing 118, and extends further downward along the inner wall surface of the wheel housing 118. Thus, the motor drive wiring 117 is routed near the wheel 119 and exposed outside in the wheel housing 118. In the wheel housing 118, foreign objects such as pebbles are wound up by the rotating wheel 119 and collide with the motor driving wiring 117. Further, since the suspended motor drive wiring 117 moves freely to some extent, when the in-wheel motor 111, the knuckle arm 112, and the wheel 119 are steered, vehicle components may interfere with the motor drive wiring 117. Then, the durability of the motor driving wiring 117 is deteriorated.

  In view of the above situation, the present invention relates to a power line extending from a vehicle body side to an in-wheel motor drive device, and an object thereof is to protect a power line routed in the vicinity of a wheel and improve durability of the power line.

For this purpose, the power line routing structure of the in-wheel motor driving device according to the present invention includes an in-wheel motor driving device arranged in the inner space of the wheel, a projecting extension from the in-wheel motor driving device, and a suspension on the vehicle body side. The arm part connected with a member and the electric power line which is passed through the elongate through-hole provided in this arm part, and extends from a vehicle body side to an in-wheel motor drive device are provided. The arm portion extends from the inner space of the wheel to the outer diameter side beyond the outer peripheral edge of the wheel. The elongated through hole is provided in a region located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction than the suspension member and directly above the wheel in the arm portion.

  According to the present invention, since the power line is passed through the elongated through hole provided in the arm portion, the power line is not exposed to the outside in the length dimension of the through hole. In addition, the power line is not suspended in the air, and free movement is restricted. Therefore, even if a foreign object such as a stepping stone flies, it collides with the arm part, but the power line is protected by the arm part. Moreover, there is no possibility that the vehicle parts interfere with the power line. Therefore, the durability of the power line extending from the in-wheel motor drive device to the vehicle body side can be improved. As one embodiment, a part or most of the arm portion of the present invention is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, and the cylindrical hole may constitute the through hole of the present invention. The elongated through-hole is to be understood as a hole having a predetermined length that penetrates the arm portion with the overall length of the hole being larger than the cross-sectional dimension of the hole, and is an annular shape attached to the surface of the arm portion. It does not include a clamp hole constituted by a bracket, an annular clamp member, or the like. This is because such a clamp hole has a hole whose overall length is smaller than the cross-sectional dimension of the hole, and the bracket and the clamp member only support the power line with a point, and cannot protect the power line over a predetermined length.

When the wheel rotates at high speed, foreign matter such as pebbles on the wheel contact surface is wound up by the outer peripheral edge of the wheel, that is, the tread of the tire, and flies along the outer peripheral edge of the wheel. As one embodiment of the present invention, the through hole is provided in the tip end region of the arm portion. According to such an embodiment, even if the collision of foreign matter is frequently received near the tire of the wheel, such as an arm portion extending from the in-wheel motor drive device to the outer diameter side beyond the outer peripheral edge of the wheel, the power line Since the through-hole through which is passed is disposed in the tip region of the arm portion, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from colliding with the power line. In this embodiment, the tip end region of the arm portion is located, for example, immediately above the wheel, and is connected to the upper arm of the high-mount double wishbone suspension device. Thus, even if the power line is provided on the arm portion that extends upward from the in-wheel motor drive device beyond the outer peripheral edge of the wheel, the durability of the power line can be ensured.

  The arm portion that protrudes from the in-wheel motor drive device basically extends in the radial direction of the wheel, but changes its direction in the middle and extends along the circumferential direction of the wheel, or in the circumferential direction of the wheel in the tip region. It can be extended along and various shapes can be considered. As one embodiment of the present invention, the tip end region of the arm portion extends facing the outer peripheral edge of the wheel. According to such an embodiment, for example, when the in-wheel motor drive device is disposed in the inner space of the steered wheel, the tip region of the arm portion extending upward beyond the outer peripheral edge of the wheel has a high mount type double wishbone type. Even when the suspension device is connected to the upper arm of the suspension device and further extends in the vehicle front-rear direction from the connection location to be connected to the tie rod of the steering device, the power line provided in the tip region of the arm portion can be protected. .

  The through hole is provided in the arm portion in various modes. As one embodiment of the present invention, the arm portion is formed by attaching and fixing the first member and the second member extending in the extending direction of the arm portion to each other, and the through hole is defined between the first member and the second member. It is a created space. According to this embodiment, it is possible to easily install the power line in the through hole by attaching and detaching the second member to the first member without performing the work of passing the power line through the through hole, and the work efficiency is improved. Preferably, both the first member and the second member are made of a metal material. Thereby, even if the stepping stone collides with the arm portion at a high speed, the first member and the second member are not damaged. Specifically, the first member is made of metal integrally formed with the casing of the in-wheel motor drive device, and the second member is made of metal and is attached to the first member. Alternatively, as another embodiment, the first member is made of metal integrally formed with the casing of the in-wheel motor drive device, and the second member is made of resin and attached to the first member.

  As another embodiment of the present invention, the arm portion is integrally formed with the casing of the in-wheel motor drive device, and the through hole penetrates the inside of the arm portion. According to this embodiment, a special component for attaching the power line to the arm portion, such as a bracket and a clamp member, becomes unnecessary. Moreover, weight reduction can be achieved, ensuring the rigidity of an arm part.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the power line extending from the in-wheel motor drive device through the vicinity of the tire to the vehicle body side can be protected from a stepping stone or the like. Further, when the wheels are steered or when the suspension device bounces and rebounds, it is possible to prevent the power line from freely moving in the vicinity of the tire and to avoid interference between the power line and the vehicle parts. Therefore, the durability of the power line can be improved. According to the present invention, when a power line is routed to a suspension device that attaches an in-wheel motor drive device to a vehicle body, such as a high-mount type double wishbone suspension device or another type of suspension device, a stepping stone collides with the power line. Can be prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a general view which shows the power line wiring structure which becomes one Embodiment of this invention, and represents the state seen from the vehicle width direction outer side. FIG. 2 is an overall view showing the embodiment, showing a state seen from the front of the vehicle. It is a general view which shows the same embodiment, and represents the state seen from the vehicle back. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which expands and shows the front-end | tip area | region of an arm part. It is a cross-sectional view of the tip region of the arm part. It is sectional drawing which shows a prior art.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall view showing a power line routing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction. FIG. 2 is an overall view showing the embodiment, and shows a state seen from the front of the vehicle. FIG. 3 is an overall view showing the embodiment, and shows a state viewed from the rear of the vehicle. This embodiment is provided in an in-wheel motor drive device that drives steered wheels of an electric vehicle. This electric vehicle is a passenger car and can travel on public roads like a general engine car.

  First, the in-wheel motor drive device 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-wheel motor drive device 11 includes a motor portion 11A, a speed reduction portion 11B, and a hub portion 11C. The motor part 11A, the reduction part 11B, and the hub part 11C are sequentially arranged in series in the direction of the axis O of the hub wheel 12M that is a rotating member of the hub part 11C, and are arranged coaxially. The in-wheel motor drive device 11 drives a wheel W (virtual line) arranged on the outer side (outboard side) in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, and is provided in an inner space area of the road wheel W1 of the wheel W. The hub portion 11C is disposed on the outboard side, and the motor portion 11A is disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction (inboard side). The wheel W is a front wheel of the electric vehicle and a steered wheel.

  The motor part 11A has a cylindrical casing, the reduction part 11B has a cylindrical casing having the same outer diameter as the motor part 11A on the outboard side of the motor part 11A, and the hub part 11C is out of the reduction part 11B. An outer ring member 12L having a frustoconical outer diameter that is tapered toward the board side is provided. These casing and outer ring member 12 </ b> L are non-rotating members that form an outline of the in-wheel motor drive device 11. On the other hand, the hub wheel 12M is a rotating member that protrudes from the outer ring member 12L to the outboard side. The shaft portion 12S of the hub wheel 12M penetrates the central hole of the outer ring member 12L and is rotatably supported by the outer ring member 12L via a plurality of rolling elements. A load wheel W1 of a wheel W indicated by an imaginary line is connected and fixed to a flange portion 12F extending in the outer diameter direction from the tip of the shaft portion 12S with a plurality of bolts (not shown).

  The motor unit 11A incorporates a rotating electrical machine in the casing, drives the hub wheel 12M of the hub unit 11C, or regenerates power using the rotation of the hub wheel 12M. The speed reduction part 11B incorporates a speed reduction mechanism such as a cycloid speed reducer in the casing, and reduces the rotation of the motor part 11A and transmits it to the hub wheel 12M. In addition, the lower part of the deceleration part 11B has an oil tank 11R that protrudes further to the outer diameter side than the casing of the motor part 11A and the deceleration part 11B and stores oil. Note that the speed reducer 11B may employ a speed reducer such as a planetary gear speed reducer or a parallel biaxial speed reducer. Further, a so-called direct motor type in-wheel motor drive device that does not employ a reduction gear may be used.

  The hub portion 11C relatively positioned on the outboard side is disposed in the inner space of the cylindrical load wheel W1. On the other hand, the motor portion 11A located relatively on the inboard side partially protrudes from the inner space of the road wheel W1 to the inboard side. As shown in FIG. 1, a box-shaped terminal box 11T is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the motor unit 11A located outside the inner space of the road wheel W1. A plurality of power lines 26 and signal lines (not shown) are connected to the terminal box 11T.

  An arm portion 13 extending upward from the casing of the speed reduction portion 11B is provided on the upper portion of the speed reduction portion 11B. As shown in FIG. 1, the base portion 131 of the arm portion 13 is disposed on the rear side (referred to as the rear of the vehicle) from the axis O, and the base portion is integrally coupled to the casing of the speed reduction portion 11B. That is, the arm part 13 is a knuckle arm fixed to the casing of the speed reducing part 11B. The distal end side of the arm portion 13 extends beyond the outer peripheral edge W2 of the wheel W to the outer diameter side of the wheel W as shown in FIG. The casing of the arm part 13 and the speed reduction part 11B is made of metal.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the arm portion 13 extending in the outer diameter direction of the wheel W temporarily extends from the base portion 13l to the intermediate portion 13m toward the inboard side, and then has a region from the intermediate portion 13m to the tip portion 13n. , Project to the outboard side and avoid interference with the wheels W. Referring to FIG. 1, the arm portion 13 extends from the intermediate portion 13 m to the front side, straddles the axis O, and reaches the tip portion 13 n. Since the region from the intermediate portion 13m to the tip portion 13n of the arm portion 13 includes the tip of the arm portion 13, it is referred to as a tip region 13u of the arm portion 13. The tip region 13u is located on the outer diameter side of the outer peripheral edge W2 of the wheel W, extends facing the outer peripheral edge W2 of the wheel W, and its extending direction is substantially equal to the circumferential direction of the wheel W. The tip region 13u of the present embodiment is located immediately above the wheel W.

  A tie rod of a steering device (not shown) is connected to the tip region 13u through a ball joint. When a steering force is input from the steering device to the arm unit 13, the in-wheel motor drive device 11 steers in the left-right direction of the vehicle around the kingpin K extending in the vertical direction together with the wheels W. When the turning angle of the wheel W is 0 °, the axis O of the in-wheel motor drive device 11 extends in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG. As a result, the vehicle travels straight.

  Next, a suspension device for suspending the in-wheel motor drive device 11 will be described.

  The tip region 13u of the arm portion 13 positioned above the wheel W is connected to the outboard side of the upper arm 22 extending in the vehicle width direction via a ball joint (not shown). The oil tank 11R of the in-wheel motor drive device 11 is connected to the outboard side of the lower arm 23 extending in the vehicle width direction via a ball joint (not shown). The inboard side of the upper arm 22 and the lower arm 23 is connected to a vehicle body frame (not shown). The upper arm 22 arranged on the upper side and the lower arm 23 arranged on the lower side are suspension members of the double wishbone type suspension device, with the inboard side end as a base end and the outboard side end as a free end, It can swing in the vertical direction. Thereby, the in-wheel motor drive device 11 can be bound and rebounded in the vertical direction together with the wheels W.

  An imaginary straight line connecting the ball joint provided at the outboard side end of the upper arm 22 and the ball joint provided at the outboard side end of the lower arm 23 constitutes a kingpin K.

  Next, the power line of the in-wheel motor drive device 11 will be described.

  The power line 26 is a power cable in which an electric conducting wire is covered with a non-conductor, and can be bent. The power line 26 is routed along the arm portion 13 as shown in FIGS. In the present embodiment, three power lines 26 are provided to supply three-phase AC power to the motor unit 11A. The lower end of each power line 26 extending in the vertical direction is connected to the terminal box 11T. The upper end of the power line 26 extends to a vehicle body (not shown).

  The power line 26 extending upward from the terminal box 11T extends so as to face the rear surface 16 of the arm portion 13. Next, the power line 26 changes its direction and extends forward, and is passed through the through hole 14 provided in the arm portion 13. Next, the power line 26 extends further forward from the tip of the through hole 14.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the encircled portion indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 1, and represents the tip region 13 u of the arm portion 13. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the tip region 13u, showing a state cut along VV in FIG. 4 and viewed from the arrow direction. 4 and 5 show the inside of the through hole 14. A middle portion of the power line 26 is installed in the through hole 14 of the arm portion 13.

  The distal end region 13u of the arm portion 13 is formed in a tubular shape, and the through hole 14 extends in the extending direction of the distal end region 13u. The cross-sectional shape of the through-hole 14 is generally rectangular as shown in FIG. 5 having a large width dimension and a small vertical dimension. Strictly speaking, the vertical dimension of the outboard side portion is constant over the width direction. On the other hand, the vertical dimension of the inboard side portion becomes smaller toward the inboard side. As shown in FIG. 4, the through-hole 14 is formed over substantially the entire length of the tip region 13u from the intermediate portion 13m to the tip portion 13n. The through hole 14 has an elongated shape, and the entire length of the through hole 14 shown in FIG. 4 is longer than the vertical dimension and the width dimension of the rectangular cross section of the through hole 14 (FIG. 5).

  A block body 15 made of an insulating material such as plastic is provided inside the through hole 14. The block body 15 is provided with small holes corresponding to the power lines 26 and the signal lines 27, and the block body 15 holds the power lines 26 and the signal lines 27. When the block body 15 firmly fixes the power lines 26 and the signal lines 27, the power lines 26 and the signal lines 27 are restricted from freely moving inside the through holes 14. The signal line 27 is routed along the power line 26. The signal line 27 also extends from the terminal box 11T to the vehicle body, is routed along the arm portion 13, and passes through the through hole 14.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the tip region 13u of the arm portion 13 is formed by attaching and fixing the first member 13ui and the second member 13uo to each other. As shown in FIG. 4, the first member 13ui is a metal member that extends in the extending direction of the arm portion 13 and is integrally formed with the root portion 131 of the arm portion 13. The second member 13uo is also a metal member that extends in the extending direction of the arm portion 13, but is separate from the root portion 13l.

  The first member 13ui has a groove constituting the hole wall surface of the through hole 14, and has a U-shaped cross section or a U-shaped cross section. The groove bottom of the first member 13ui is directed to the inboard side, and the groove opening opposite to the groove bottom is directed to the outboard side. The second member 13uo is disposed on the outboard side with respect to the first member 13ui, and covers the groove opening of the first member 13ui. Thus, the through hole 14 of the present embodiment is a passage-shaped space defined between the first member 13ui and the second member 13uo.

  If it adds here, the 1st member 13ui and the 2nd member 13uo may mutually be formed integrally as a modification. The through hole 14 passes through the inside of the arm portion 13.

  By the way, according to the present embodiment, the power line 26 extending from the vehicle body side to the in-wheel motor drive device 11 is passed through the elongated through hole 14 provided in the arm portion 13. As a result, the power line 26 is protected by the arm portion 13, and even if a foreign object such as a pebble flies, the foreign object does not collide with the power line 26.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, the arm part 13 is extended from the in-wheel motor drive device 11 arrange | positioned in the inner space area | region of the wheel W over the outer periphery W2 of the wheel W to the outer-diameter side. The through-hole 14 is disposed in the arm portion tip region located on the outer diameter side of the outer peripheral edge W2 of the wheel W in the arm portion 13. Thus, the power line 26 is protected in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge W2 of the wheel W, and even if a foreign object such as a pebble is wound up by the rotation of the wheel W, the foreign object does not collide with the power line 26.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the distal end region 13u of the arm portion 13 extends to face the outer peripheral edge W2 of the wheel W. However, since the power line 26 passes through the distal end region 13u, no foreign matter collides with the power line 26. .

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the arm portion 13 attaches and fixes the first member 13ui and the second member 13uo to each other, and the through hole 14 is a space defined between the first member 13ui and the second member 13uo. Therefore, the operation of passing the power line 26 through the through hole 14 can be easily performed by attaching and detaching the second member 13uo.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment within the same range or equivalent range as the present invention. For example, a cover may be attached to the rear surface 16 of the arm portion 13 to cover the power line 26 and the signal line 27 between the tip region 13u and the terminal box 11T. Thereby, the power line 26 and the signal line 27 are further protected. This cover may be made of resin since the speed and number of stepping stones that collide with the rear surface 16 are small compared to stepping stones that collide with the tip region 13u.

  The in-wheel motor drive device power line routing structure according to the present invention is advantageously used in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles.

11 In-wheel motor drive device, 11A motor part,
11B Speed reducer, 11C Hub, 11T Terminal box,
13 arm part, 13l root part, 13m middle part,
13n tip, 13u tip region, 13ui first member,
13uo second member, 14 through hole, 15 block body,
16 rear surface, 26 power line, 27 signal line, K king pin,
O Axis, W wheel, W1 road wheel, W2 wheel outer periphery.

Claims (5)

An in-wheel motor drive device disposed in the inner space of the wheel;
An arm portion projecting from the in-wheel motor drive device and connected to a suspension member on the vehicle body side;
A power line extending from the vehicle body side to the in-wheel motor drive device through an elongated through-hole provided in the arm portion ,
The arm part extends from the inner space of the wheel to the outer diameter side beyond the outer peripheral edge of the wheel,
The through-hole is a power line routing structure for an in-wheel motor drive device provided in a region located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction than the suspension member and directly above the wheel in the arm portion . The power line routing structure for an in-wheel motor drive device according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is provided in a tip end region of the arm portion.   The power line routing structure of the in-wheel motor drive device according to claim 2, wherein the arm portion tip end region extends facing the outer peripheral edge of the wheel. The arm portion is formed by fixing and fixing a first member and a second member extending in the extending direction of the arm portion,
The power line routing structure for an in-wheel motor drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the through hole is a space defined between the first member and the second member. The arm portion is integrally formed with a casing of the in-wheel motor drive device,
The power line routing structure for an in-wheel motor drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the through hole penetrates the inside of the arm portion.

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