JP2003002270A - Electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To realize a layout that can ensure good appearance of the entire vehicle while taking into consideration cooling of heat-generating components. SOLUTION: A charger 37 is mounted on the left side of a rear wheel 16 while avoiding interference with a motor 21 in consideration of a weight balance with a transmission. A cooling fan 43 is provided on the upper part of the charger 37, and the fan 43 is hidden by the side cover. Therefore, a favorable appearance can be ensured while the charger 37 is arranged outside the vehicle body which is easily cooled. The down converter 44 is provided in the space at the rear of the vehicle body 1
It is mounted in contact with 1. Therefore, heat can be diffused well through the vehicle body.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electric vehicle,
In particular, it is possible to cool well while maintaining a good appearance,
The present invention relates to an electric vehicle having a mounting structure for heat-generating components such as a charger (charger).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a power source for a drive motor of an electric vehicle, a secondary battery (battery) which is recharged by a chemical action and which can be repeatedly used is used. An example of a scooter type electric vehicle equipped with a charger for charging the battery is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-112270. In this electric vehicle, the charger is housed in the space provided in the lower rear part of the seat, and when charging is performed, the lid is opened and the internal cord is pulled out, which is connected to a commercial power source and can be energized. It

[0003]

The charger is a heating element and it is necessary to consider cooling. However, in the above conventional vehicle, the charger is housed in a space where it is difficult to contact the outside air, and therefore in terms of cooling performance. There is also a demand for the charger to be placed at a position where it can be easily exposed to the outside air, such as the vehicle body side part. In that case, there is also an advantage that a storage space under the seat can be secured. Further, it may be possible to provide a cooling fin on the charger in order to further improve the cooling performance, but the appearance in which the cooling fin is conspicuous may not be preferred. Therefore, a charger mounting structure that is excellent in both appearance and cooling performance and has excellent mountability is desired.

Further, a down converter, which is a heat generating component, is mounted on the electric vehicle in addition to the charger. There is also a demand for improving the cooling performance of the down converter.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle which has a charger mounting structure which is excellent in both appearance and cooling performance and is excellent in mountability, and which can also improve the cooling performance of the down converter. To provide.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an electric vehicle in which a transmission for transmitting power from a motor arranged in front of the rear wheels to the rear wheels is arranged on one side of a vehicle body. , A charger arranged on the opposite side of the transmission with the vehicle body sandwiched, a charger cooling fan provided on an upper portion of the charger, and a lower end position so as to cover the charger cooling fan. A first feature is that the body cover has a side cover portion.

According to the first feature, the charger and the transmission are arranged in a good balance with the vehicle body sandwiched therebetween, and the connecting portion between the charger cooling fan and the charger, which is apt to be complicated in appearance, is a side cover portion. Since it is covered with, it is possible to eliminate the complexity of the appearance.

Also, in the present invention, the motor extends in the vehicle body width direction with the motor shaft substantially horizontal, and the charger has its lowermost end located above the rear wheel shaft, The second point is that it is arranged to fit within the front-rear length of the rear wheel.
There is a feature of.

According to the second feature, the charger is arranged so as to avoid interference with the motor and is provided above the axis of the rear wheel, so that the bank angle of the vehicle body is sufficiently ensured and the charger is provided. The mountability of is improved.

The present invention has a third feature in that the charger cooling fan is set so as to take in air from below and discharge it upward, and a stay for attaching the charger to a vehicle body is provided. The stay is formed so as to form one wall portion of the air guide path extending in the up-down direction between the stay and the charger, and the charger cooling fan is provided above the air guide path. The fourth characteristic is that they are arranged. Further, the present invention has a fifth characteristic in that the charger is provided with a cooling fin on a surface facing the air guide passage.

According to the third to fifth characteristics, it is possible to form an upward air flow in the air guide passage regardless of the temperature of the air flow. This flow of air serves as cooling air that strikes the fins, which effectively cools the charger and also allows the cooling fan itself to be a small one, which leads to a compact system. Moreover, since the fins are not exposed to the outside, the appearance is also good.

A sixth feature of the present invention is that it includes a rear fender that covers the upper part of the rear wheel, and the upper part of the cooling fan is covered by the rear fender in plan view. According to the sixth feature, the exhaust port of the cooling fan is protected by the rear fender, and the cooling efficiency of the fan can be maintained.

Further, the present invention comprises a down converter arranged at the rear part of the vehicle body, wherein the down converter is mounted on a body frame made of a light alloy and accommodated in a rear body cover. An eighth characteristic is that the down converter is housed in a light metal box body having cooling fins extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body at least on the contact surface with the vehicle body frame. .

According to the seventh and eighth features, the down converter and its cooling fin can be formed by utilizing the space surrounded by the body cover at the rear of the vehicle body where the charger is not present. Further, since the down converter is in contact with the body frame having high thermal conductivity, it is possible to effectively release heat. Especially, according to the eighth feature, the cooling performance can be further enhanced by the cooling fins.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following explanation,
“Front”, “rear”, “upper”, and “lower” indicate directions viewed from the driver, and front Fr, rear Rr, left side L, right side R indicate positions in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a motorcycle having an attachment mode of a charger or the like according to the present invention. A motorcycle 10 which is a scooter type vehicle includes a vehicle body frame 11, a front fork 12 attached to a head pipe 11a of the vehicle body frame 11, a front wheel 13 attached to the front fork 12, and a handle 14 connected to the front fork 12.
A power unit 15 mounted on the rear portion of the body frame 11 so as to be vertically swingable, a rear wheel 16 mounted on the power unit 15, and a rear cushion unit 17 having the rear end portion of the power unit 15 suspended on the body frame 11.
It has a storage box (luggage box) 18 attached to the upper rear part of the vehicle body frame 11, and a seat 19 arranged on the storage box 18 and attached so as to be openable and closable. The luggage box 18 accommodates a helmet or the like.

The body frame 11 is a head pipe 11a.
It is made of die-cast light alloy such as aluminum alloy which is integrally molded. The power unit 15 includes a motor 21 and a belt type continuously variable transmission 22 with a centrifugal clutch.
The motor 21 is a motor shaft 2 that extends substantially horizontally in the vehicle width direction.
11, the rotation of the motor shaft 211 is transmitted to the shaft (rear axle) 161 of the rear wheel 16 via the belt type continuously variable transmission 22 and the reduction mechanism. As the motor 21,
It is desirable to use a three-phase brushless motor that can obtain a high output, and a controller (not shown) including a semiconductor switching element for power supply control of the brushless motor is provided at the axial end portion of the motor 21. it can.

The body frame 11 is covered with a body cover 24. The body cover 24 includes a front cover 31 that covers the front part of the head pipe 11a, a leg shield 26 that covers the rear part of the front cover 31 with the head pipe 11a sandwiched between the front cover 31 and the front part of the driver's legs, and a step of mounting the driver's foot. A floor (low-floor footrest plate) 27, a pair of left and right floor side covers 28 extending downward from the outer edge of the step floor 27, an under cover 29 covering the lower edges of these floor side covers 28, and a seat 19 The seat lower cover 36 covers the front part around the seat, the rear cover 32 covers the lower rear part of the seat 19 and the upper part of the rear wheel 16, and a pair of left and right side covers 33.

A battery device 35 is arranged below the step floor 27. The battery device 35 is supported by stays 355, 356 and a support shaft 35a as a connecting means on a portion (lower frame) 11L that is below the step floor 27 and extends substantially horizontally in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. The support shaft 35a is attached coaxially with a pivot shaft of a swing arm that fixes the power unit 15 to the vehicle body frame 11. The lower frame 11L is branched to the left and right of the vehicle body, and the battery device 35 is arranged by utilizing the space between the branches.

Fans 38 and 39 for cooling the battery are provided at the front and rear of the battery device 35. The front fan 38 is provided immediately in front of the battery device 35, and the rear fan 39 is provided near the rear end of the upper portion of the battery device 35. In particular, the rear fan 39 is provided with a duct 41 for feeding cooling air to each battery of the battery device 35. The fans 38 and 39 are of the same size,
Since the battery device 35 is cooled by these two fans, the size of each fan can be reduced. The downsized fan 39 can be stored by effectively utilizing the space below the storage box 18.

A charger 37 for charging the battery of the battery device 35 is provided at the rear portion of the vehicle body. The charger 37 is suspended on the body frame 11 by the stay 42 on the right side of the body frame 11, that is, on the side opposite to the side where the belt type continuously variable transmission 22 is arranged. A cooling fan 43 is provided above the charger 37. The arrangement and size of the charger 37 are set such that the lowermost end of the charger 37 is located above the rear axle 161 and is within the front-rear length of the rear wheel 16 in a side view. With such a size and arrangement, the motor 21 located in front of the rear wheel 16
It is possible to effectively use the space by preventing the interference with and securing the bank angle.

A down converter 44 is mounted on the rear portion of the body frame 11, and a breaker 45 is mounted on the body frame 11 above the support shaft 35a. The charging plug 34 is drawn into the storage box 18 from the charger 37 and hooked on a hook (not shown) provided in the storage box 18. The upper portion of the down converter 44 is covered by the rear cover 32.

On the rear upper portion of the vehicle body frame 11, the seat 1
A seat catch 46 is provided corresponding to the hook 19a provided on the seat 9. The rear wheel 16 has a rear fender 47a.
And a second rear fender 47b extending downward and rearward from the body frame 11 is provided on the outer periphery of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the charger, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the charger, and FIG. 5 is a side view (partial cross section) of the charger. In these figures, the charger 37 is
Box-shaped body 3 made of light metal such as aluminum alloy
71 and a lid 372 made of resin. On one surface of the main body 371 (the surface opposite to the lid 372), fins 373 for air cooling are formed integrally with the main body 371. The stay 42 is fixed to the main body 371 by a bolt 374 so as to face the fin 373. The stay 42 has an upper body frame 11
The mounting hole 375 is provided, and it is three-dimensionally molded so as to form the air guide path 50 with the charger 37.

The cooling fan 43 provided above the charger 37 is set so as to take in air from below and discharge it upward. When the cooling fan 43 is driven, air is taken into the air guide passage 50 from below and passes through upward. The fins 373 are further enhanced in cooling performance by the air flow (cooling air) CA at this time, and the main body 371 of the charger 37 is effectively cooled.

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the motorcycle 10 showing a mounting mode of the charger 37, and FIG. 2 is a rear side view of the same. In FIG. 1, the charger 37 is fixed to the vehicle body frame 11 by the stay 42 near the center of the vehicle body, and is fixed to the vehicle body frame 11 by a bracket 52 on the front surface of the vehicle body. The cooling fan 43 provided in the upper portion of the charger 37 has a skirt 431 formed so as to efficiently take in air from the air guide passage 50.
Have.

The second rear fender 47b has a portion RFD extending from the rear end side of the vehicle body to the front upper side of the vehicle body, and a portion RFH extending horizontally forward from the portion RFD.
In a plan view, the cooling fan 43 is set at a position over the exhaust port of the cooling fan 43. As a result, the exhaust port of the cooling fan 43 is protected. The down converter 44 mounted on the rear portion of the vehicle body frame 11 is covered with the second rear fender 47b at a part of the rear side and the side surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the side cover 33 is attached, the upper portion of the charger 37 and the cooling fan 43 are covered with the side cover 33. Therefore, the charger 37 has a lower portion, that is, a linear outer shape, which is exposed to the human eye, and thus is provided with a charger mounting structure that is not complicated and has a simple appearance even though it is exposed to the outside. It

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the down converter 44, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the down converter. Like the charger 37, the main body of the down converter 44 is housed in a box 441 formed of light metal such as aluminum. The box 441 is provided with a lid 442 made of resin. And
Fins 443 for air cooling are formed on the box body 441 and extend over the front and rear sides of the vehicle body and the lower surface.

FIG. 8 is a left side view of the rear part of the vehicle body, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rear part of the vehicle body seen from the rear. In both figures, the down converter 44 is mounted on the rear portion of the vehicle body with the fin 443 in contact with the vehicle body frame 11. The heat generated by the down converter 44 is radiated by the fins 443. Particularly, the body frame 1 having good thermal conductivity
When the fins 443 are in contact with each other, heat dissipation is further promoted.

A support member 52 made of steel or the like having high strength is provided so as to straddle the front portion of the down converter 44, and is attached to the vehicle body frame 11 with bolts 53 and 54. The seat catch 4 is provided on the supporting surface member 52.
The plate 461 forming 6 is fixed.

As described above, the space formed in the rear portion of the vehicle body can be fully utilized as a storage place for the down converter 44, so that the cooling fin 443 having a large area can be provided in the down converter 44. As a result, the down converter 44 can be effectively air-cooled in combination with the high heat dissipation effect of the body frame 11 made of light metal.

[0033]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the inventions of claims 1 to 8, the charger can be arranged in a good weight balance with respect to the vehicle body, and the cooling fan, which tends to be complicated due to wiring, etc. It can be covered with a cover to improve its appearance. Further, according to the inventions of claims 3 to 6, the charger can be effectively cooled.

Further, according to the inventions of claims 7 and 8, the down converter having a box body having sufficiently large cooling fins can be mounted by effectively utilizing the space at the rear portion of the vehicle body. In particular, high cooling performance can be obtained due to heat diffusion through the body frame having high thermal conductivity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of essential parts of a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the right rear.

FIG. 2 is a right rear side view of the motorcycle according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a charger.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the charger.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the charger.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a down converter.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the down converter.

FIG. 8 is an exploded left side view of a main part showing the rear structure of the motorcycle according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the motorcycle according to the embodiment of the present invention seen from the rear.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a scooter type vehicle equipped with a charger and a down converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Motorcycle, 11 ... Body frame, 12 ... Front fork, 13 ... Front wheel, 14 ... Steering wheel,
15 ... Power unit 15, 16 ... Rear wheel, 21 ... Motor, 22 ... Transmission, 33 ... Side cover, 35 ...
Battery device, 37 ... Charger, 43 ... Cooling fan, 44 ... Down converter

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An electric vehicle in which a transmission for transmitting power from a motor arranged in front of a rear wheel to a rear wheel is arranged on one side of a vehicle body, and a charging arranged on a side portion of the vehicle body opposite to the transmission. A charger, a charger cooling fan provided on an upper portion of the charger, and a body cover having a side cover portion whose lower end position is set so as to cover a side portion of the charger cooling fan. Electric vehicle to be. 2. The motor extends in the width direction of the vehicle body with the motor shaft substantially horizontal, and the charger has its lowermost end located above the axis of the rear wheel, The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle is arranged so as to fit within a front-rear length. 3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the charger cooling fan is set so as to take in air from below and discharge it upward. 4. A stay for attaching the charger to a vehicle body is provided, and the stay forms one wall portion of an air duct extending vertically on a back surface of the charger between the charger and the vehicle body. The electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the charger cooling fan is arranged above the air guide passage. 5. The electric vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the charger is provided with a cooling fin on a surface facing the air guide passage. 6. The electric vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising a rear fender that covers an upper portion of a rear wheel, and an upper portion of the cooling fan is covered by the rear fender in a plan view. 7. A down converter arranged at a rear portion of a vehicle body, wherein the down converter is mounted on a vehicle body frame made of a light alloy and housed in a rear body cover. Electric vehicle. 8. The down converter is housed in a light metal box having a cooling fin extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body at least on a contact surface with the vehicle body frame. The electric vehicle according to 7.