JP5831280B2 - Power supply structure for in-wheel motor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply structure for an in-wheel motor of an electric vehicle.

  Some electric vehicles run using an in-wheel motor built in the wheel as a drive source. The in-wheel motor of such an electric vehicle needs to be supplied with power from a power source such as a battery mounted on the vehicle body or a control device via a power cable, but the wheel incorporating the in-wheel motor follows the road surface unevenness. Therefore, the power cable is required to have enough margin to allow the wheel to move, because it moves up and down and is steered left and right by a steering operation. Specifically, the power cable is bent for long and wired so that the movement of the wheel follows a wide range of bending without requiring local bending of the power cable.

  However, if there is a margin in the length of the power cable as described above, the power cable may interfere with the suspension, touch the road surface, or be damaged by stepping stones when the electric vehicle is traveling straight ahead. is there.

  Thus, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration in which a power cable extending from the motor housing is disposed on the vehicle body frame side through the turning shaft.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, the wiring from the control device to the in-wheel motor is connected between the lower arm and the vehicle body, between the vehicle body support member and the lower arm, and via a connecting device disposed in the turning shaft. At the same time, proposals have been made to configure each connection device by laminating an insulator, first and second conductors, and an insulator.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-112724 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-121930

  However, in the configuration proposed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to allow the power cable between the turning shaft and the vehicle body frame to have a sufficient length, and thus the conventional problem cannot be solved completely. .

  Further, the configuration proposed in Patent Document 2 requires a plurality of connection devices having a relatively complicated structure, and the wiring is exposed to the outside of the lower arm or the like, so that the wiring can be damaged by a stepping stone or the like. There is a problem of having sex.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is that the power cable can be routed with the shortest length while allowing the movement of the wheel, and the power cord is protected to An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply structure for an in-wheel motor that can improve durability.

In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a motor housing in which one end of a lower arm is swingably supported at both ends of the suspension frame in the vehicle width direction, and an in-wheel motor is built in the other end of each lower arm. A power supply structure for an in-wheel motor of a vehicle supported so as to be swingable through a ball joint, wherein a power cable extending from a power source mounted on a vehicle body is passed through the suspension frame and the lower arm and the ball The lower arm side electrode attached to the end of the power cable and the ball joint side electrode formed on the outer peripheral surface of the ball joint are slidably brought into contact with each other from the ball joint side electrode. connected to the in-wheel motor cable line through the interior of the ball joint extending Characterized in that was.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, a plurality of the ball joint side electrodes are electrically insulated by an insulator.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the suspension frame and the lower arm are connected by a cylindrical bellows rubber, and the power cable is passed through the bellows rubber. And

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, a connector for connecting and disconnecting the power cable is disposed at the lower arm side end of the suspension frame.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the power cable is routed through the suspension frame and the lower arm, the power cable is not exposed to the outside, and is protected from flying stones, rain and wind, etc. Durability can be increased. Further, since there is no restriction on the turning angle by the power cable, the power cable can be routed with the shortest length while allowing the wheel to move.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the plurality of ball joint side electrodes are electrically insulated by the insulator, no short circuit occurs between the ball joint side electrodes.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the power cable is passed through the cylindrical bellows rubber that connects the movable part between the suspension frame and the lower arm, the power cable is exposed between the suspension frame and the lower arm. In other words, the power cable is protected from wind and trauma by the bellows rubber.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, since the connector for connecting / disconnecting the power cable is arranged at the lower arm side end portion of the suspension frame, it is necessary to replace the lower arm for wear or repair of the ball joint side electrode. In some cases, the power cable can be separated by the connector and only the lower arm can be easily removed.

It is a typical front view of the front suspension part of an electric vehicle. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the electric power supply structure to the in-wheel motor which concerns on this invention. It is the A section expanded sectional view of FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a front suspension portion of an electric vehicle, FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing a structure for supplying power to an in-wheel motor according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of part A in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a motor housing 4 incorporating an in-wheel motor 3 is attached to the inner surface of a wheel 2 of a pair of left and right front wheels 1 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) of the electric vehicle. Is supported by the vehicle body 6 by a strut 5 and a lower arm 9 so as to be movable up and down and steerable.

  In addition, a suspension frame 7 is horizontally disposed in the vehicle width direction center portion of the lower part of the vehicle body 6, and the left and right sides of the suspension frame 7 are struts 8 (only one is shown) shown in FIG. Is attached to the frame of the vehicle body 6. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the lower arm 9 is swingably supported at both left and right ends (only one is shown in FIG. 2) of the suspension frame 7. That is, the front and rear ends of one end of each lower arm 9 are swingably supported by the left and right end portions of the suspension frame 7 via the rubber bushes 10 and 11, and the other end of each lower arm 9 can be moved up and down. ing. The other end of each lower arm 9 that moves up and down is connected via a ball joint 12 to the motor housing 4 that also serves as a knuckle. Through the ball joint 12, the front wheel 1 can be moved up and down (suspension movement) and steered.

  Thus, the electric vehicle travels by driving the in-wheel motor 3 built in the motor housing 4 and rotating the left and right front wheels 1. The in-wheel motor 3 is mounted on the vehicle body 6. Electric power is supplied from the battery (not shown) via the power cable 13, and each in-wheel motor 3 is driven by receiving the electric power.

  Incidentally, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the power cable 13 is routed to the ball joint 12 through the suspension frame 7 and the lower arm 9. Here, the suspension frame 7 and the lower arm 9 are connected by a bellows rubber 14 which is a cylindrical bendable resin pipe, and a power cable 13 is passed through the bellows rubber 14. Specifically, the bellows rubber 14 is attached to the vertical wall of the suspension frame 7 and the lower arm 9 facing each other between the rubber bushes 10 and 11 and extends along the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the power cable 13 is disposed therein. Thus, the power cable 13 is prevented from being exposed between the suspension frame 7 and the lower arm 9 to protect the power cable 13. Further, connectors 15 for connecting and disconnecting the power cable 13 are provided at both left and right end portions (end portions on the lower arm 9 side) of the suspension frame 7.

  Here, details of the internal structure of the ball joint 12 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The ball joint 12 is configured by fitting a spherical ball 17 inside the housing 16, and the fitting portion of the ball 17 to the housing 16 is fixed to the shaft portion 17 </ b> A and the housing 16 extending integrally from the ball 17. The rubber boot 18 is covered and protected.

  By the way, on the outer peripheral surface of the ball 17, three ring-shaped ball joint side electrodes 19a, 19b partitioned by an angle range of the maximum swing angle α (maximum swing angle when the ball joint 12 is used) of the shaft portion 17A. 19c are formed, and these ball joint side electrodes 19a to 19c are electrically insulated from each other by insulators 20 and 21 provided in the ball 17. That is, the ball joint side electrodes 19a, 19b, and 19c are arranged on the outer surface of the ball 17 along the axial direction of the shaft portion 17A, and each of the electrodes 19a to 19c has a range greater than the maximum swing angle when the ball joint 12 is used. And covers the outer surface of the ball 17. Cable wires 22a, 22b, and 22c extend from the respective ball joint side electrodes 19a, 19b, and 19c, and these cable wires 22a to 22c pass through the inside of the ball 17 (inside the shaft portion 17A). The joint 12 extends outside, and its end is connected to an in-wheel motor 3 (see FIG. 1) in the motor housing 4 via a connector 23.

  On the other hand, the three cable wires 13a, 13b, 13c included in the power cable 13 passed through the lower arm 9 pass through the housing 16 of the ball joint 12 and face the inside of the housing 16, and their respective ends. Lower arm side electrodes 24 a, 24 b, 24 c bonded to the respective portions are in contact with the respective ball joint side electrodes 19 a to 19 c formed on the outer periphery of the ball 17.

  Thus, power from a battery (not shown) is supplied from the three cable wires 13a to 13c of the power cable 13 to the lower arm side electrodes 24a to 24c, the ball joint side electrodes 19a to 19c, and the three cable wires 22a to 22c. Then, the in-wheel motor 3 is supplied to the in-wheel motor 3, and the in-wheel motor 3 receiving the power supply is driven. The left and right front wheels 1 are rotationally driven by the in-wheel motor 3 so that the electric vehicle travels.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the power cable 13 is routed through the suspension frame 7 and the lower arm 9, the power cable 13 is not exposed to the outside. It can be protected from being increased in its durability. Further, since power is supplied through the inside of the ball joint and the restriction of the turning angle by the power cable 13 is eliminated, it is possible to route the power cable 13 with the shortest length while allowing the movement of the front wheel 1 which is a steered wheel. it can.

  In the present embodiment, the arrangement of the lower arm side electrodes 24a to 24c and the sizes of the ball joint side electrodes 19a to 19c are set so that a short circuit does not occur in the angular range of the maximum swing angle α of the shaft portion 17A. Since the three ball joint side electrodes 19a to 19c are electrically insulated from each other by the insulators 20 and 21, no short circuit occurs between the ball joint side electrodes 19a to 19c.

  In this embodiment, since the power cable 13 is passed through the cylindrical bellows rubber 14 that connects the movable part between the suspension frame 7 and the lower arm 9, the power cable 13 is connected to the suspension frame 7 and the lower arm 9. The power cable 13 is protected from rain and wind and wounds by the bellows rubber 14.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the connector 15 for connecting and disconnecting the power cable 13 is provided at the end of the suspension frame 7 on the lower arm 9 side, the lower arm is used for wear and repair of the ball joint side electrodes 19a to 19c. When it is necessary to replace 9, the power cable 13 is separated by the connector 15, and only the lower arm 9 including the power cable 13 in the lower arm 9 portion can be easily removed, and the maintainability is improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front wheel 2 Front wheel 3 In-wheel motor 4 Motor housing 7 Suspension frame 9 Lower arm 12 Ball joint 13 Power cable 14 Bellows rubber 15 Connector 17 Ball joint ball 19a-19c Ball joint side electrode 20, 21 Insulator 24 Lower arm side electrode

Claims (4)

One end of the lower arm is swingably supported at both ends of the suspension frame in the vehicle width direction, and a motor housing incorporating an in-wheel motor is supported swingably via a ball joint at the other end of each lower arm. A power supply structure to the in-wheel motor,
A power cable extending from a power source mounted on the vehicle body is routed to the ball joint through the suspension frame and the lower arm, and is connected to the lower arm side electrode attached to the end of the power cable and the outer peripheral surface of the ball joint. Power supply to the in-wheel motor, wherein the formed ball joint-side electrode is slidably contacted, and a cable wire extending from the ball joint-side electrode is connected to the in-wheel motor through the inside of the ball joint. Construction.   The power supply structure for an in-wheel motor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ball joint side electrodes are electrically insulated by an insulator.   3. The power supply structure for an in-wheel motor according to claim 1, wherein the suspension frame and the lower arm are connected with a cylindrical bellows rubber, and the power cable is passed through the bellows rubber.   The power supply structure for an in-wheel motor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a connector for connecting and disconnecting the power cable is disposed at an end of the suspension frame on the lower arm side.

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