JP7547934B2 - Structure of a generator unit for range extender vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the structure of a power generating unit for a range extender vehicle.

Some electric vehicles driven by electric motors are known to be equipped with a small power generation unit. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle in which a power supply unit is installed under the floor of the luggage space at the rear of the vehicle. The power supply unit includes, for example, a battery, an inverter, and a DC/DC converter.

The power supply unit is mounted at the rear end of the vehicle body and is therefore susceptible to the impact load of, for example, a rear-end collision. For this reason, a structure that is easy to absorb impact is required. On the other hand, when mounting the power supply unit on a small vehicle, a more compact configuration is required. In the power generation unit of the above example, an intermediate duct through which cooling air flows is arranged inside the case behind the electrical equipment such as the battery and inverter, and the intermediate duct absorbs the impact load input to the power generation unit due to a rear-end collision and suppresses damage to the electrical equipment, etc.

JP 2009-184577 A

Some power supply units installed at the rear of a vehicle are equipped with a generator that generates electricity using a generator engine. The generator supplies power to electrical equipment such as an inverter. In addition, such power generation units have a fuel tank that is filled with fuel to drive the generator engine.

In addition, in the above-mentioned power generating unit, the crankcase of the power generating engine, the generator, and the cooling device having a cooling fan, etc. are highly rigid components (rigid objects), whereas electrical equipment such as the inverter and the high-voltage harness, etc., have lower rigidity than the rigid objects and are easily interfered with by loads received in a rear-end collision, etc. Furthermore, it is desirable to be able to avoid interference with the fuel tank due to impact loads as well.

For example, in the power generating unit of the above example, which uses an intermediate duct to absorb the load of a rear-end collision, the impact load after the intermediate duct is crushed is easily transmitted to electrical equipment such as an inverter. Therefore, when the structure of the power generating unit of the above example is applied to a power generating unit equipped with a generator engine, there is room for improvement in terms of efficiently distributing the impact load to a rigid object when an impact load such as a rear-end collision is received.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a generator unit structure for a range extender vehicle that is compact and can generate electricity using a generator engine and efficiently receive and absorb impact loads.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a power generating unit for a range extender vehicle, the power generating engine having a generator that generates electricity by being driven by the generator engine, and a cooling device capable of cooling the generator engine, the power generating engine, the generator, and the cooling device being arranged inside a housing structure provided at the rear of the vehicle body. In the power generating unit for a range extender vehicle, the power generating engine has a case extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, an outer wall of the generator and an outer wall of the cooling device are arranged at a rear part of the case on the outer side in the vehicle width direction so as to face each other with the case therebetween, the cooling device has a cooling fan linked to the power generating engine, a fuel tank filled with fuel for driving the generator engine is arranged on the vehicle front side of the cooling device, an inner part of the fuel tank facing the case is inclined outward in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the rear of the vehicle, the case corresponding to the inner part is provided with an inclined part inclined along the inclination direction of the inner part, and an air guide part through which the cooling air blown by the cooling fan flows is provided along the inclined part .

According to the present invention, in a generator unit for a range extender vehicle, it is possible to reduce the size of the generator unit that generates electricity using a generator engine and to efficiently receive and absorb impact loads.

2 is a bottom view of the lower part of the vehicle body to which the power generating unit for a range extender vehicle according to the present invention is attached; FIG. FIG. 2 is a top view of the power generating unit of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a front view of the power generating unit of FIG. 2 as viewed from the front side of the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the power generating unit of FIG. 2 as seen from the rear side of the vehicle, with the fuel tank, inverter, etc. shown by imaginary lines. FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 2 with the muffler and exhaust gas piping removed. FIG. 3 is a top view of the tray of the power generating unit of FIG. 2 .

Below, one embodiment of the cooling structure for a power generating unit 1 for a range extender vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings (Figs. 1 to 6).

In the figure, the direction of the arrow Fr indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In the description of the embodiment, the "front (front end) and rear (rear end)" correspond to the front and rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Additionally, the arrows R and L indicate the right and left sides in the vehicle width direction, respectively, and "left and right" in this embodiment correspond to the "left side" and "right side" when the occupant faces forward of the vehicle.

The power generating unit 1 for a range extender vehicle in this embodiment is a power generating unit 1 that is detachably attached, for example, under the floor of a luggage space or the like provided at the rear of the vehicle, and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the vehicle width direction as a whole. In this case, the power generating unit 1 is fixed to the rear of the vehicle, for example, in a state where it is inserted into the vehicle through an opening provided at the rear of the vehicle. In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, it is disposed between the left and right rear wheels 2 in the vehicle width direction, and is attached to a rear side member 3 and a rear cross member 4, etc., via mounting parts, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rear side members 3 are arranged on both sides of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction, extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, and are highly rigid metal members that form the vehicle body frame. In this example, the rear side members 3 are arranged on the inside of the rear wheels 2 in the vehicle width direction. The rear cross member 4 is a member that extends in the vehicle width direction to connect the rear side members 3 on both sides, and is a highly rigid metal member that forms the vehicle body frame.

As shown in FIG. 2, the power generation unit 1 of this embodiment has a power generation engine 20, a fuel tank 25, a muffler 30, a generator 60, and a cooling device 70. The power generation unit 1 also has a housing structure 10 in which the above-mentioned devices and components are housed.

The storage structure 10 has a tray 11 and a top cover (not shown). As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the tray 11 has an installation surface 12 and a side wall 15. The installation surface 12 is a substantially rectangular shape extending in the vehicle width direction, and the above-mentioned generator engine 20, fuel tank 25, muffler 30, pedestal 40, generator 60, cooling device 70, etc. are installed on the installation surface 12. The side wall 15 is a vertical wall that protrudes upward from both ends of the installation surface 12 in the vehicle width direction and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. A side flange 16 that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction is provided on the upper part of the side wall 15, and a handle 17, etc. that is used for installation work and transportation is provided on the upper surface of the side flange 16. Although not shown in the figure, the top cover is a roughly rectangular box shape that covers the installation surface 12 of the tray 11 from above the vehicle, and is attached to the tray 11 so that the side of the top cover is positioned, for example, slightly inward from the handle 17.

The generator engine 20 has a case that houses the components, as shown in Figures 2 to 4. The case in this example has a cylinder case 21 that houses a cylinder (not shown) and a piston (not shown), and a crank case 23 that covers the crankshaft 23a. In this embodiment, detailed illustration of the piston is omitted, but in Figure 2, the sliding direction of the piston is indicated by arrow A. In addition, the approximate position of the crankshaft 23a is virtually shown in Figure 2. The crank case 23 is a member that extends in the vehicle width direction, and is disposed in the approximate center of the vehicle width direction at the rear of the installation surface portion 12 of the tray 11. The crankshaft 23a is housed inside the crank case 23 while extending in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the piston is housed inside the cylinder case 21 while extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and reciprocates in the vehicle front-rear direction (the direction of arrow A in Figure 2) when the generator engine 20 is driven.

The fuel tank 25 is a tank filled with fuel for driving the generator engine 20. The top surface of the fuel tank 25 is flat and has an opening (not shown) for refilling the fuel. A cap 26 that can be removed when refilling the fuel is attached to the opening. The fuel tank 25 is located in the right front corner of the installation surface portion 12 of the tray 11 of the storage structure 10.

The fuel tank 25 has multiple side walls. The side walls extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle between the upper surface and the installation surface portion 12. The side walls have a front wall 25a, a rear wall 25b, a right side wall 25c, a left side wall 25d, and an inner inclined wall 25e. The front wall 25a faces the front of the vehicle, extends in the vehicle width direction, and is located near the front end of the installation surface portion 12. The rear wall 25b faces the rear of the vehicle, extends in the vehicle width direction, and is located near the center of the installation surface portion 12 in the vehicle front-rear direction. The right side wall 25c extends in the vehicle front-rear direction so as to connect the right end of the front wall 25a and the right end of the rear wall 25b, and is located near the right end of the installation surface portion 12. The left side wall 25d extends from the left end of the front wall 25a to the rear of the vehicle. The rear end of the left side wall 25d is located between the front and rear ends of the fuel tank 25, slightly closer to the front end.

The inner inclined wall 25e is provided on the inside of the fuel tank 25 located between the rear side wall 25b and the left side wall 25d, and faces the air guide section 24 (described later) of the cylinder case 21 of the generator engine 20. In this example, the inner inclined wall 25e extends from the installation surface section 12 of the tray 11 to the upper surface above the vehicle, and in top view, is inclined outward in the vehicle width direction as it moves toward the rear of the vehicle. In other words, the inner inclined wall 25e is inclined so as to move away from the cylinder case 21 as it moves toward the rear of the vehicle.

The muffler 30 is a member extending in the vehicle width direction, through which the exhaust gas discharged from the generator engine 20 flows. As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the muffler 30 is disposed adjacent to the cylinder case 21 in the vehicle width direction, and the left end of the muffler 30 in the vehicle width direction is connected to the cylinder case 21 via a connecting pipe (not shown). When the muffler 30 extends in the vehicle width direction, the right end of the muffler 30 in the vehicle width direction is disposed at the left front corner of the installation surface portion 12 of the tray 11 of the storage structure 10. The muffler 30 is disposed on the opposite side (left side in the vehicle width direction) of the cylinder case 21 from the side where the fuel tank 25 is disposed. In other words, the muffler 30 and the fuel tank 25 face each other with the cylinder case 21 between them.

As shown in FIG. 4, a base 40 is provided on the top of the muffler 30. The base 40 is a hollow member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that covers the muffler 30 from above the vehicle. An inverter (electrical device) 50 is installed on the top of the base 40.

As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially cylindrical exhaust pipe 32 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is attached to the side of the muffler 30 located at the corner, i.e., the right side in the vehicle width direction of the rear side of the muffler 30. Exhaust gas that has flowed through the muffler 30 flows into the exhaust pipe 32, and the exhaust gas that has flowed in is exhausted from the rear of the exhaust pipe 32 to the outside of the power generation unit 1.

As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the generator 60 is a device extending in the vehicle width direction and is fixed to the installation surface portion 12 located on the left side of the crankcase 23 in the vehicle width direction. The generator 60 has a generator body 61 and an installation bracket 63. The generator body 61 is disposed on the left side of the crankcase 23 in the vehicle width direction, and the rear end of the generator body 61 is disposed near the rear end of the installation surface portion 12. The generator body 61 has a rotating shaft (not shown) extending in the vehicle width direction, and the left side of the crankshaft 23a is connected to the rotating shaft. The generator 60 generates electricity when the rotating shaft is rotated by the power generation engine 20. In addition, a cooling water pipe 82 through which the cooling water circulating in the radiator 71 described later flows is connected to the generator body 61.

The installation bracket 63 is a member for fixing the generator body 61 to the installation surface 12, and is disposed on the left side of the generator body 61 in the vehicle width direction. The installation bracket 63 extends from the installation surface 12 toward the top of the vehicle and has a vertical wall facing the vehicle width direction. The vertical wall is disposed between the exhaust pipe 32 and the generator body 61, and the left side of the generator body 61 is joined to the vertical wall with bolts or the like.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the cooling device 70 is fixed to the installation surface 12 located on the right side of the crankcase 23 in the vehicle width direction. The cooling device 70 is a device that extends in the vehicle width direction as a whole, and the rear end of the cooling device 70 is located near the rear end of the installation surface 12. The cooling device 70 has a radiator 71 to which multiple cooling water pipes 81, 82 are connected, and a cooling fan 75.

The cooling fan 75 is attached to the right side of the crankshaft 23a in the vehicle width direction via a reduction gear (not shown) and rotates coaxially in conjunction with the crankshaft 23a. In FIG. 2, the positional relationship between the cooling fan 75 and the crankshaft 23a is shown virtually. The cooling air generated by the rotation of the cooling fan 75 is blown, for example, against the cylinder case 21. The path of the air blown by the cooling fan 75 will be explained later.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the right outer wall of the generator body 61 of the generator 60 and the left outer wall of the cooling device 70 are arranged to face each other across the crankcase 23 at the rear of the crankcase 23 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the generator engine 20, the generator 60, and the cooling device 70 form a T-shape when viewed from above. The T-shape indicated by the dashed line in Figure 5 is an inverted T-shape when viewed from above.

As described above, the highly rigid crankcase 23 of the generator engine 20, the generator 60, and the cooling device 70 are arranged linearly in the vehicle width direction at the rear end of the power generating unit 1, and when an impact load is received due to a rear-end collision or the like, these highly rigid devices can receive the impact load over a wide area in the vehicle width direction, efficiently absorbing the impact load and dispersing the impact load over a wide area. In addition, such an arrangement of rigid objects can reduce interference caused by the impact load with electrical equipment such as the inverter 50, which has a lower rigidity than the generator engine 20, and the fuel tank 25.

2, in this embodiment, the case of the generator engine 20 corresponding to the inner part of the fuel tank 25 is provided with an inclined portion 24a along the inclination direction of the inner part. In detail, between the inner part of the fuel tank 25 and the cylinder case 21, an air guide section 24 for cooling air blown by the cooling fan 75 is provided, and the air guide section 24 is integrally provided on the right side of the cylinder case 21 and has a substantially triangular shape in a top view. The inclined portion 24a is provided on the right side of the air guide section 24 and extends along the inclination direction of the inner inclined wall 25e of the inner part of the fuel tank 25 with a gap therebetween. The right end of the air guide section 24 is disposed on the vehicle front side of the cooling fan 75 of the cooling device 70, and the front end of the air guide section 24 is disposed in the middle part of the cylinder case 21 in the vehicle front-rear direction. Cooling air is introduced by the cooling fan 75 from the right rear of the air guide section 24, and the cooling air that flows through the air guide section 24 flows into the inside of the cylinder case 21 from the connection between the air guide section 24 and the cylinder case 21.

The fuel tank 25 is positioned on one side of the cylinder case 21 in the vehicle width direction (on the right side in this example) to avoid the cylinder case 21 that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. This reduces interference of the rigid objects arranged in a T shape, i.e., the generator engine 20, generator 60, and cooling device 70, with the fuel tank 25, even if they move toward the front of the vehicle due to an impact load caused by a rear-end collision or the like.

Furthermore, the fuel tank 25 is provided with an inner inclined wall 25e facing the generator engine 20 and other components arranged in a T-shape, and the air guide section 24, in which a cooling path is formed, is arranged in a triangular shape with one corner of the T-shape as one of the corners, and the right side of the air blower is arranged so that it is inclined in the same direction as the inner inclined wall of the fuel tank 25. As a result, even if a rigid object such as the generator engine 20 moves forward of the vehicle due to a rear-end collision, the inclined walls move out of alignment, and the T-shape moves counterclockwise (left rotation) or diagonally to the left front side in this example when viewed from above, so that the load from the rigid object arranged in the T-shape acting on the fuel tank 25 can be reduced.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the installation surface 12 of the tray 11 in this embodiment is provided with a number of mounts supporting the generator engine 20, the generator 60, the cooling device 70, and the like. The number of mounts includes two front mounts 13A, 13B spaced apart on the left and right, i.e., the right front mount 13A and the left front mount 13B. Furthermore, the number of mounts includes two rear mounts 14A, 14B spaced apart on the vehicle rear side of the right front mount 13A and the left front mount 13B, i.e., the right rear mount 14A and the left rear mount 14B.

The right front mount 13A and the left front mount 13B are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, sandwiching the cylinder case 21 between them. The right rear mount 14A and the left rear mount 14B are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, sandwiching the crankcase 23 between them.

The left front mount 13B supports the generator engine 20 and the generator 60, etc. The left rear mount 14B supports the generator 60, etc. Also, the right front mount 13A supports the cylinder case 21 and the air guide section 24 of the generator engine 20, etc., and the right rear mount 14A supports the cooling device 70, etc.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the acute angle α1 formed by the first imaginary line L1 shown by a dashed line connecting the right front mount 13A and the right rear mount 14A on the side where the fuel tank 25 is located with respect to the cylinder case 21 of the generator engine 20, and the longitudinal imaginary line L3 shown by a dashed line extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, is set to be larger than the acute angle α2 formed by the second imaginary line L2 shown by a dashed line connecting the left front mount 13B and the left rear mount 14B on the opposite side, and the longitudinal imaginary line L3.

When the right front mount 13A, the left front mount 13B, the right rear mount 14A, and the left rear mount 14B are arranged as described above, a triangle TA (FIGS. 5 and 6) is virtually formed by the first virtual line L1, the second virtual line L2, and the widthwise virtual side L4 extending along the rear end of the installation surface portion 12, with the apex P located on the vehicle front side being slightly to the left of the center of the widthwise side L4. Therefore, when an impact load is input to the generating unit 1 from the rear of the vehicle, the mounts 13A, 14A on the right side in the vehicle width direction when viewed from above are pushed harder than the mounts 13B, 14B on the left side, so that, as a whole, the mounts rotate left or move diagonally forward to the left when viewed from above. This makes it possible to suppress the load from the rigid object arranged in a T shape from acting on the fuel tank 25.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first virtual line L1 described above extends along the inner inclined wall 25e of the inner part of the fuel tank 25. In this example, the inner inclined line 25e is inclined so as to move slightly away from the first virtual line L1 toward the rear of the vehicle. By making the inclination directions of the inner inclined wall 25e and the first virtual line L1 the same, it is possible to more effectively prevent the load from the rigid object that forms the T-shape from acting on the fuel tank 25.

As described above, in this embodiment, the muffler 30 and the fuel tank 25 are arranged to sandwich the cylinder case 21. When subjected to an impact load such as a rear-end collision, the rigid objects such as the generator engine 20 that form a T-shape rotate left or move diagonally forward to the left when viewed from above. If this deformation progresses further, the rigid objects such as the generator engine 20 will interfere with the muffler 30. At this time, the muffler 30 collapses, promoting load absorption and load distribution, so that the load can be received while reducing the load acting on important parts with relatively low rigidity such as the inverter 50.

The description of this embodiment is merely an example for explaining the present invention, and does not limit the invention described in the claims. Furthermore, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims.

For example, in this embodiment, the highly rigid crankcase 23 of the generator engine 20, the generator 60, and the cooling device 70 are arranged linearly in the vehicle width direction, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the generator 60 and the cooling device 70 may be arranged so as to be slightly inclined toward the front or rear of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle width direction.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Power generating unit 2 Rear wheel 3 Side member 4 Cross member 10 Storage structure 11 Tray 12 Installation surface 13A Right front mount 13B Left front mount 14A Right rear mount 14B Left rear mount 15 Side wall 16 Side flange 17 Handle 20 Power generating engine 21 Cylinder case 23 Crank case 23a Crankshaft 24 Air guide section 24a Inclined section 25 Fuel tank 25a Front wall 25b Rear wall 25c Right side wall 25d Left side wall 25e Inner inclined wall 26 Cap 30 Muffler 32 Exhaust pipe 40 Base 50 Inverter (electrical device)
60 Generator 61 Generator body 63 Installation bracket 70 Cooling device 71 Radiator 75 Cooling fan 81 Cooling water pipe 82 Cooling water pipe L1 First imaginary line L2 Second imaginary line L3 Front-rear imaginary line L4 Width-direction imaginary line

Claims (4)

A power generation engine, a generator that generates electricity by being driven by the power generation engine, and a cooling device that can cool the power generation engine,
In a structure of a generator unit for a range extender vehicle, the generator engine, the generator, and the cooling device are disposed inside a housing structure provided at a rear part of a vehicle body,
The generator engine includes a case extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle,
an outer wall of the generator and an outer wall of the cooling device are disposed at a rear portion of the case on an outer side in a vehicle width direction, so as to face each other with the case therebetween;
the cooling device includes a cooling fan that is linked to the generator engine,
a fuel tank filled with fuel for driving the generator engine is disposed on a vehicle front side of the cooling device,
An inner portion of the fuel tank facing the case is inclined outward in a vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle,
A structure of a power generating unit for a range extender vehicle, characterized in that the case corresponding to the inner portion has an inclined portion that inclines along the inclination direction of the inner portion, and an air guidance portion through which cooling air blown by the cooling fan flows is provided along the inclined portion . A power generation engine, a generator that generates electricity by being driven by the power generation engine, and a cooling device that can cool the power generation engine,
In a structure of a generator unit for a range extender vehicle, the generator engine, the generator, and the cooling device are disposed inside a housing structure provided at a rear part of a vehicle body,
The generator engine includes a case extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle,
an outer wall of the generator and an outer wall of the cooling device are disposed at a rear portion of the case on an outer side in a vehicle width direction, so as to face each other with the case therebetween;
a fuel tank filled with fuel for driving the generator engine is disposed on a vehicle front side of the cooling device,
a plurality of mounts for supporting at least the generator engine are provided on a bottom surface portion of the accommodation structure, the plurality of mounts including two front mounts and two rear mounts arranged at a distance from each other on the vehicle rear side of the two front mounts;
the two front mounts are disposed at intervals from each other in the vehicle width direction with the case therebetween, and the two rear mounts are disposed at intervals from each other in the vehicle width direction with the case therebetween,
A structure of a power generating unit for a range extender vehicle, characterized in that an acute angle formed by a first imaginary line connecting the front mount and the rear mount on the side where the fuel tank is located with respect to the case, and the vehicle fore-and-aft direction is set to be larger than an acute angle formed by a second imaginary line connecting the front mount and the rear mount on the opposite side, and the vehicle fore-and -aft direction. an inner portion of the fuel tank facing the case is inclined away from the case toward the rear of the vehicle;
3. The structure of the generating unit for a range extender vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the first imaginary line extends along a direction in which the inner portion of the fuel tank is inclined. 3. The structure of a generator unit for a range extender vehicle as described in claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that a muffler through which exhaust gas discharged from the generator engine flows is arranged on the side of the case opposite to the side on which the fuel tank is arranged.