Patent Description:
<CIT> discloses a structure in which an inverter is mounted on a vehicle via a mounting bracket and an inverter tray. In this structure, when a collision load is applied to a front portion of the vehicle, the inverter is tilted together with the mounting bracket and the inverter tray, thereby reducing the collision load applied to the inverter. In addition, since a rear end of the inverter tray comes into contact with a power unit mount, interference of the inverter with the power unit mount, which is a high rigidity member, is prevented. A pertinent vehicle mounting structure is known from <CIT>.

In a vehicle, an electric motor unit including a drive unit with a drive motor and a power generation unit with a power generation motor may be disposed in a motor room as follows. That is, the drive unit and the power generation unit may be individually mounted on a vehicle body, and the drive unit may be provided behind the power generation unit in a vehicle front-rear direction.

In such a vehicle, when the vehicle collides head-on, the power generation unit interferes with the drive unit and pushes the drive unit rearward. At this time, the drive motor is likely to rotate with respect to a rotation shaft of the drive motor due to its structure. Therefore, at this time, when the drive motor rotates in a direction in which an upper portion of the drive unit is directed rearward, the upper portion of the drive unit may locally interfere with another component disposed behind the drive unit.

In order to prevent the interference between the upper portion of the drive unit and the other component, for example, it is conceivable to attach another structure to the drive unit to provide cushioning at the time of a head-on collision. However, in this case, there is a risk of an increase in the number of components and an increase in a weight in addition to a complicated structure.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to prevent local interference of an upper portion of a drive unit by using a simple structure when a vehicle collides head-on.

A vehicle mounting structure for an electric motor unit according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a drive unit with a drive motor; and a power generation unit with a power generation motor, wherein the drive unit and the power generation unit are individually mounted on a vehicle body. The drive unit is provided behind the power generation unit. The drive unit and the power generation unit include an interference portion lower than a rotation shaft center of the drive motor and a rotation shaft center of the power generation motor. A clearance between the drive unit and the power generation unit is narrower in the interference portion than in a portion other than the interference portion.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<FIG> is a view of an electric motor unit <NUM> as viewed from a left side with respect to a vehicle. <FIG> is a view of the electric motor unit <NUM> as viewed from a right side with respect to the vehicle. <FIG> is an external view of a drive motor <NUM>. <FIG> is an external view of a power generation motor <NUM>. <FIG> is a view showing a state in which the electric motor unit <NUM> is mounted on a vehicle body. <FIG> shows the drive motor <NUM> together with an inverter <NUM>. In <FIG> and the like, front and rear indicate front and rear in a vehicle front-rear direction, and up and down indicate up and down in a vertical direction.

The electric motor unit <NUM> is mounted on the vehicle and includes a drive unit <NUM> and a power generation unit <NUM>. The drive unit <NUM> includes the drive motor <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and the power generation unit <NUM> includes the power generation motor <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The drive motor <NUM> and the power generation motor <NUM> are both mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle is a series hybrid vehicle that travels by driving the drive motor <NUM> constituting a drive source of the vehicle using electric power generated by the power generation motor <NUM> using power of an internal combustion engine. The electric motor unit <NUM> is provided in a motor room located in a front portion of the vehicle.

The inverter <NUM> is disposed on an upper part of the drive motor <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> and the inverter <NUM> are integrally formed by bolt fastening, and a case of the inverter <NUM> is fixed to a case of the drive motor <NUM> by bolt fastening. The drive motor <NUM> and the power generation motor <NUM> are separate structures. Therefore, the drive unit <NUM> including the drive motor <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> including the power generation motor <NUM> are separate structures.

The drive unit <NUM> further includes a speed reducer <NUM>. The speed reducer <NUM> is connected to the drive motor <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> and the speed reducer <NUM> are integrally formed by bolt fastening. The speed reducer <NUM> includes an output shaft 13a. The drive motor <NUM> transmits the power to the output shaft 13a via the speed reducer <NUM>, and the power is transmitted to drive wheels of the vehicle via the output shaft 13a and a drive shaft of the vehicle connected to the output shaft 13a. The output shaft 13a is located lower than the drive motor <NUM>.

The power generation unit <NUM> further includes a speed increaser <NUM>. The speed increaser <NUM> is connected to the power generation motor <NUM>. The power generation motor <NUM> and the speed increaser <NUM> are integrally formed by bolt fastening. The speed increaser <NUM> includes a rotation shaft 22a. The power is transmitted from the internal combustion engine to the rotation shaft 22a. Therefore, the power generation motor <NUM> generates the electric power using the power of the internal combustion engine.

The drive unit <NUM> further includes a first support portion <NUM> and a second support portion <NUM>. The first support portion <NUM> is disposed under the drive motor <NUM> and supports the drive unit <NUM> from below. The first support portion <NUM> is connected to a suspension member <NUM> serving as the vehicle body shown in <FIG> from below and is connected to the drive unit <NUM> from above. The first support portion <NUM> is connected to the drive motor <NUM> and supports the drive unit <NUM> by supporting the drive motor <NUM>.

The first support portion <NUM> includes a first bracket <NUM>, a second bracket <NUM>, and a third bracket <NUM>. The first bracket <NUM> is disposed under the drive motor <NUM>. The first bracket <NUM> extends upward and is connected to the drive motor <NUM>.

The second bracket <NUM> is provided on a front portion of the first bracket <NUM>. The second bracket <NUM> extends upward and is connected to the drive motor <NUM>. The second bracket <NUM> is connected from the front to a boss provided on the case of the drive motor <NUM>.

The third bracket <NUM> is disposed under the first bracket <NUM>. The third bracket <NUM> is connected to the drive motor <NUM> from above and connected to the suspension member <NUM> from below.

The second support portion <NUM> is provided behind the first support portion <NUM>. The second support portion <NUM> is provided at a rear lower portion of the drive unit <NUM> and supports the drive unit <NUM> from below. The second support portion <NUM> is connected to the suspension member <NUM> from below and is connected to the drive unit <NUM> from above. The second support portion <NUM> is connected to the speed reducer <NUM> and supports the drive unit <NUM> by supporting the speed reducer <NUM>.

The second support portion <NUM> includes a bracket <NUM> and a mount member <NUM>. The bracket <NUM> is connected to the speed reducer <NUM> from the front and above, and is connected to the mount member <NUM> from the rear and below. The bracket <NUM> is connected to the mount member <NUM> at a position lower than the output shaft 13a.

The mount member <NUM> is connected to the bracket <NUM> via a mount bush from above and is connected to the suspension member <NUM> from below. The second support portion <NUM> is further provided with a bracket <NUM>. The bracket <NUM> connects the bracket <NUM> and the speed reducer <NUM>. The bracket <NUM> is connected from behind to a boss provided on a case of the speed reducer <NUM>.

The suspension member <NUM> is located below the electric motor unit <NUM>, and the drive unit <NUM> is fixed to the suspension member <NUM> via the first support portion <NUM> and is fixed to the suspension member <NUM> via the second support portion <NUM>, thereby a lower portion of the drive unit <NUM> is mounted on the vehicle body. The drive unit <NUM> is disposed in a forward tilting manner with respect to the vehicle.

The vehicle body includes a side member <NUM> and a bumper reinforcement <NUM> in addition to the suspension member <NUM>. The side member <NUM> is disposed above the suspension member <NUM>. The side member <NUM> is connected to the bumper reinforcement <NUM> on a vehicle front side, and extends from the bumper reinforcement <NUM> toward the rear of the vehicle. The output shaft 13a is located lower than the side member <NUM> and upper than the suspension member <NUM>, and the inverter <NUM> is disposed above the side member <NUM>.

The power generation unit <NUM> further includes a support portion <NUM>. The power generation unit <NUM> is fixed to the side member <NUM> via the support portion <NUM>. The power generation unit <NUM> is fixed in a state of being suspended from the side member <NUM> by the support portion <NUM>. The support portion <NUM> is fixed to a fixing portion 21a of the power generation motor <NUM> shown in <FIG> by bolt fastening, and is fixed to the side member <NUM> by bolt fastening. The support portion <NUM> is fixed to an upper surface of the side member <NUM>. Accordingly, an upper portion of the power generation unit <NUM> is mounted on the vehicle body.

The power generation motor <NUM> includes a convex portion 21b. The convex portion 21b is provided on a case of the power generation motor <NUM> and protrudes rearward. The convex portion 21b constitutes a first interference portion C1 together with the second bracket <NUM>. An interference portion C including the first interference portion C1 which will be further described later.

Next, a vehicle mounting structure for the electric motor unit <NUM> including the drive unit <NUM> with the drive motor <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> with the power generation motor <NUM> will be described.

The drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> provided as described above are individually mounted on the vehicle body. The drive unit <NUM> is provided behind the power generation unit <NUM>. In this case, when the vehicle collides head-on, interference occurs as described below.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a state in which the vehicle collides head-on. <FIG> shows a case of a comparative example. The comparative example is configured in the same manner as the electric motor unit <NUM> except that the interference portion C is not provided. <FIG> shows a case where a brake booster <NUM> as another component is disposed behind the drive unit <NUM>. The brake booster <NUM> is disposed behind an upper portion of the drive motor <NUM>. Also In the present embodiment, the brake booster <NUM> is disposed behind the drive unit <NUM> in the same manner as shown in <FIG>.

When the vehicle collides head-on, a barrier <NUM> provided in front of the power generation unit <NUM> interferes with the power generation unit <NUM> and pushes the power generation unit <NUM> rearward. The power generation unit <NUM> pushed rearward interferes with the drive unit <NUM> and pushes the drive unit <NUM> rearward. In this example, a clearance between the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> is the narrowest between the drive motor <NUM> and the power generation motor <NUM>. Therefore, in this example, the power generation motor <NUM> interferes with the drive motor <NUM>.

When the power generation unit <NUM> interferes with the drive unit <NUM>, the power generation unit <NUM> pushes the entire drive unit <NUM> rearward. On the other hand, the drive motor <NUM> includes a rotation shaft 11a indicated by a dashed line, and the drive motor <NUM> is likely to rotate with respect to the rotation shaft 11a due to its structure. Therefore, when the power generation unit <NUM> interferes with the drive unit <NUM>, the drive motor <NUM> may rotate in a clockwise direction in the drawing, that is, a direction in which an upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> is directed rearward. As a result, there is a concern that the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> may locally interfere with the other component disposed behind the drive unit <NUM>.

In particular, in this example, since the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> locally interferes with the brake booster <NUM>, the brake booster <NUM> pushes a brake pedal in a vehicle compartment rearward. As a result, in this case, there is a concern that an impact may be transmitted to the brake pedal to be depressed by a driver.

In addition, in this example, when the power generation unit <NUM> pushes the entire drive unit <NUM>, the drive unit <NUM> is to be pushed rearward with the second support portion <NUM> as a fulcrum. Therefore, in this example, combined with the above fact, the drive motor <NUM> is likely to rotate in the clockwise direction in the drawing.

In order to prevent the interference between the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> and the other component, for example, it is conceivable to attach another structure to the drive unit <NUM> to provide cushioning at the time of the head-on collision. However, in this case, there is a concern about an increase in the number of components and an increase in a weight in addition to a complicated structure.

In view of such circumstances, in the present embodiment, the interference portion C is provided as follows.

<FIG> is a first explanatory view of the interference portion C. <FIG> is a view of the electric motor unit <NUM> viewed from a VII-VII cross section shown in <FIG>. The VII-VII cross section is a cross section according to a horizontal plane including a vertical center position of the convex portion 21b. In <FIG>, a right side and a left side indicate a right side and a left side with respect to a vehicle forward direction.

As shown in <FIG>, the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> include the first interference portion C1 lower than a center of the rotation shaft 11a of the drive motor <NUM> and a center of a rotation shaft 21c of the power generation motor <NUM>, which are indicated by respective dashed lines. On a drive unit <NUM> side, the second bracket <NUM> constitutes the first interference portion C1, and on a power generation unit <NUM> side, the convex portion 21b constitutes the first interference portion C1. The rotation shaft 21c is located between the rotation shaft 11a and the output shaft 13a in the vertical direction.

In the first interference portion C1, the entire fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM> to the first bracket <NUM> on the drive unit <NUM> side is located lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a. This is for the following reason. That is, when the convex portion 21b interferes with the second bracket <NUM> at the time of the head-on collision of the vehicle, a collision load is transmitted from the second br"cket'<NUM> to the first bracket <NUM> via the fixing portion to the first bracket <NUM>. Therefore, specifically, the first interference portion C1 on the drive unit <NUM> side is the fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM> to the first bracket <NUM> from a viewpoint of transmitting the collision load. A line L1 indicates a vertical center position of the fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM>, which represents a vertical position of the fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM>.

Since the entire fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM> is located lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a, the collision load is input from the power generation unit <NUM> at a position lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a. The entire fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM> is located further lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c. Accordingly, the collision load is further input from the power generation unit <NUM> at a position lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c. The same applies to a case where the vertical center position of the fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM>, rather than the entire fixing portion, is lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a, and a case where the vertical center position is further lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c.

In the first interference portion C1, the entire tip end surface of the convex portion 21b on the power generation unit <NUM> side is located lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c. Specifically, the first interference portion C1 on the power generation unit <NUM> side is the tip end surface of the convex portion 21b from a viewpoint of the interference with the second bracket <NUM>. The tip end surface of the convex portion 21b is an interference portion with the second bracket <NUM>, and a line L2 indicates a vertical center position of the tip end surface, which represents a vertical position of the tip end surface of the convex portion 21b. The tip end surface of the convex portion 21b interferes with the fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM>. The fixing portion of the second bracket constitutes an opposing portion to the first interference portion C1 on the power generation unit <NUM> side, and the tip end surface of the convex portion 21b constitutes an opposing portion to the first interference portion C1 on the power generation unit <NUM> side.

Since the entire tip end surface of the convex portion 21b is located lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c, the collision load is transmitted from the power generation unit <NUM> to the drive unit <NUM> at a position lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c. The entire tip end surface of the convex portion 21b is further located lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a. Accordingly, the collision load is further transmitted from the power generation unit <NUM> to the drive unit <NUM> at a position lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a. The same applies to a case where the vertical center position of the tip end surface of the convex portion 21b, rather than the entire tip end surface, is lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c, and a case where the vertical center position is lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a.

The drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> include the first interference portion C1 lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a and the center of the rotation shaft 21c because the fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM> is lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a and the tip end surface of the convex portion 21b is lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c. The drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> include the first interference portion C1 lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a and the center of the rotation shaft 21c because both the fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM> and the tip end surface of the convex portion 21b are lower than both the center of the rotation shaft 11a and the center of the rotation shaft 21c.

According to the first interference portion C1, after the head-on collision of the vehicle, the power generation motor <NUM> interferes with the lower portion of the drive unit <NUM>. Accordingly, compared to a case of the comparative example described above with reference to <FIG>, the drive motor <NUM> is likely to rotate in a counterclockwise direction in the drawing, and thus the drive motor <NUM> is prevented from rotating in the clockwise direction in the drawing. Therefore, the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> is prevented from locally interfering with the other component. In addition, at this time, the power generation motor <NUM> is also prevented from pushing the entire drive unit <NUM> rearward with the second support portion <NUM> as the fulcrum. As a result, the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> is further prevented from locally interfering with the other component.

As shown in <FIG>, the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> further include a second interference portion C2 as the interference portion C. The second interference portion C2 includes a convex portion 13b and a convex portion 22b. The convex portion 13b is provided on the speed reducer <NUM>, and the convex portion 22b is provided on the speed increaser <NUM>. The convex portion 13b is implemented by a part of the case of the speed reducer <NUM>, and is disposed on a front portion of the case. The convex portion 22b is implemented by a part of a case of the speed increaser <NUM>, and is disposed on a rear portion of the case. As s"own 'n <FIG> to be described later, the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> include the second interference portion C2 lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a of the drive motor <NUM> and the center of the rotation shaft 21c of the power generation motor <NUM>, similarly to the first interference portion C1.

The interference portion C has a clearance CL. A first clearance CL1 indicates the clearance CL of the first interference portion C1, and a second clearance CL2 indicates the clearance CL of the second interference portion C2. The clearance CL is a clearance in the vehicle front-rear direction. The clearance CL is used as a clearance indexing a clearance in a direction in which the power generation unit <NUM> is actually pushed and interferes with the drive unit <NUM> at the time of the head-on collision of the vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as an interference direction of the power generation unit <NUM>), instead of the clearance. In other words, the clearance CL is substituted for the clearance of the power generation unit <NUM> in the interference direction.

In relation to the above, in each of the first interference portion C1 and the second interference portion C2, the opposing portions of the interference portion C on the drive unit <NUM> side and the interference portion C on the power generation unit <NUM> side are close to each other in a vehicle left-right direction, but do not overlap each other. This is because, in the present embodiment, the power generation unit <NUM> tends to be pushed to the right rear and interfere with the drive unit <NUM> at the time of the actual head-on collision of the vehicle.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in each of the first interference portion C1 and the second interference portion C2, the interference portion C on the drive unit <NUM> side is disposed on a right rear side with respect to the interference portion C on the power generation unit <NUM> side. That is, the interference portion C may be a portion where the interference occurs at the time of the actual head-on collision of the vehicle, and it is not necessary that the opposing portions of the interference portion C on the drive unit <NUM> side and the interference portion C on the power generation unit <NUM> side overlap each other in a vehicle left-right direction position or a vertical position.

The clearance between the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> is set to be narrower in the interference portion C than in portions other than the interference portion C. The other portions include a housing of the electric motor unit <NUM> and a support portion of the electric motor unit <NUM> other than the interference portion C. The housing of the electric motor unit <NUM> includes the cases of the drive motor <NUM>, the power generation motor <NUM>, the speed reducer <NUM>, and the speed increaser <NUM>, and the support portion of the electric motor unit <NUM> includes the first support portion <NUM> and the second support portion <NUM>.

A clearance CLX is an example of a clearance of the portions other than the interference portion C. The clearance CLX indicates a clearance that is relatively close in size to a clearance of an interference portion in the case of the comparative example described above with reference to <FIG> although a vertical position is different from that of the interference portion. Referring also to <FIG>, the clearance CL is sufficiently narrower than the clearance in the case of the comparative example.

The clearance CL is set to substantially the same size in the first clearance CL1 and the second clearance CL2. Accordingly, occurrence of local interference in either the first interference portion C1 or the second interference portion C2 is prevented. As a result, since the collision load is dispersed by the first interference portion C1 and the second interference portion C2, a large load is prevented from being applied to a part of the cases provided on the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM>.

<FIG> is a second explanatory view of the interference portion C. <FIG> is a view illustrating a state of interference with a dash panel <NUM>. The vehicle body further includes the dash panel <NUM>. The dash panel <NUM> is located behind the drive unit <NUM> and separates the motor room and the vehicle compartment. The dash panel <NUM> includes a forward projecting portion <NUM>. The forward projecting portion <NUM> is located behind a lower portion of the drive motor <NUM>, and the drive unit <NUM> interferes with the forward projecting portion <NUM> at the time of the head-on collision of the vehicle. The drive motor <NUM> interferes with the forward projecting portion <NUM>.

The first interference portion C1 is provided lower than an interference position P of the dash panel <NUM> with the drive unit <NUM>. The interference position P is included in the forward projecting portion <NUM>. The first interference portion C1 is provided lower than the interference position P because both a vertical position of the second bracket <NUM> and a vertical position of the convex portion 21b are lower than the interference position P. Similarly to the first interference portion C1, the second interference portion C2 is also provided lower than the interference position P.

As shown in <FIG>, when the vehicle collides head-on, the power generation motor <NUM> interferes with the drive unit <NUM> at the first interference portion C1. Accordingly, when the drive unit <NUM> is pushed rearward and interferes with the dash panel <NUM> at the interference position P, the collision load is transmitted at a position lower than the interference position P from the power generation motor <NUM> to the drive unit <NUM>. Therefore, the drive unit <NUM> is pushed rearward at a position lower than the interference position P.

As a result, above the interference position P, the drive unit <NUM> is pushed forward with the interference position P as a fulcrum. That is, the entire drive unit <NUM> is to be rotated counterclockwise in the drawing with the interference position P as the fulcrum. Therefore, the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> is prevented from locally interfering with the brake booster <NUM> with the brake booster <NUM> as a first interference point.

<FIG> is a third explanatory view of the interference portion C. In <FIG>, the convex portion 13b and the convex portion 22b are painted black in consideration of visibility. As shown in <FIG>, in the electric motor unit <NUM>, since the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> are separate bodies, the clearance between the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> may be reduced as a result of swinging of the units. At this time, since the drive unit <NUM> is supported from below, the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> swings more.

Therefore, in the electric motor unit <NUM>, the first interference portion C1 on a power generation motor <NUM> side, that is, the convex portion 21b, and the second interference portion C2 on a speed increaser <NUM> side, that is, the convex portion 22b, are provided at positions overlapping the first support portion <NUM> in the vertical direction. The convex portion 21b and the convex portion 22b are provided at positions overlapping the fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM>. A two-dot dashed line indicates a range of the vertical position of the entire fixing portion of the second bracket <NUM>.

Accordingly, the convex portion 21b and the convex portion 22b on the power generation unit <NUM> side are arranged with respect to a portion where the swing of the drive unit <NUM> is small. As a result, the first clearance CL1 and the second clearance CL2 are secured to be sufficiently large even in a situation where the swinging is large.

<FIG> is a first view of a fourth explanatory view of the interference portion C. <FIG> is a second view of the fourth explanatory view of the interference portion C. Hatching indicates a space formed below each of substantially cylindrical side wall portions of the cases of the power generation motor <NUM> and the speed increaser <NUM>. In <FIG>, a line L3 indicates a vertical center position of the tip end surface, which represents a vertical position of a tip end surface of the convex portion 22b, which is an interference portion with the convex portion 13b.

As shown in <FIG>, in the electric motor unit <NUM>, the first interference portion C1 on the power generation motor <NUM> side, that is, the convex portion 21b is disposed vertically lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c of the power generation motor <NUM>, and the second interference portion C2 on the speed increaser <NUM> side, that is, the convex portion 22b is disposed vertically lower than the center of the rotation shaft 22a of the speed increaser <NUM>. In the convex portion 21b, the entire convex portion 21b is disposed vertically lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c, and in the convex portion 22b, the entire convex portion 22b is disposed vertically lower than the center of the rotation shaft 22a.

By arranging the convex portion 21b and the convex portion 22b on the power generation unit <NUM> side in this way, the space indicated by the hatching can be effectively used. As a result, expansion of the electric motor unit <NUM> in the vehicle front-rear direction for arranging the convex portion 21b and the convex portion 22b is prevented, which contributes to miniaturization of the electric motor unit <NUM>. The same applies to a case where the vertical position of the tip end surface of the convex portion 21b, rather than the entire tip end surface, is lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c, and a case where the vertical position of the tip end surface of the convex portion 22b, rather than the entire tip end surface, is lower than the center of the rotation shaft 22a.

Next, a main function and effect of the present embodiment will be described.

A vehicle mounting structure for the electric motor unit <NUM> is the vehicle mounting structure for the electric motor unit <NUM> including the drive unit <NUM> with the drive motor <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> with the power generation motor <NUM>, and the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> are individually mounted on the vehicle body. The drive unit <NUM> is provided behind the power generation unit <NUM>. The drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> include the interference portion C lower than the center of the rotation shaft 11a of the drive motor <NUM> and the center of the rotation shaft 21c of the power generation motor <NUM>. As can be seen from the clearance CL, the clearance between the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM> is narrower in the interference portion C than in the portions other than the interference portion C.

According to such a configuration, after the head-on collision of the vehicle, the power generation motor <NUM> interferes with the lower portion of the drive unit <NUM>. Accordingly, compared to the case of the comparative example described above with reference to <FIG>, the drive motor <NUM> is likely to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, for example, in <FIG>, and thus the drive motor <NUM> is prevented from rotating in the clockwise direction in the drawing. Therefore, the local interference of the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> with a component other than the electric motor unit <NUM> can be prevented, the component being disposed behind the drive unit <NUM>.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the brake booster <NUM> as another component is disposed behind the drive motor <NUM>. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the transmission of the impact to the brake pedal depressed by the driver as a result of the local interference of the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> with the brake booster <NUM>.

In addition, at this time, the power generation motor <NUM> is also prevented from pushing the entire drive unit <NUM> rearward with the second support portion <NUM> as the fulcrum. As a result, the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> can be further prevented from locally interfering with the other component.

Further, according to such a configuration, compared to a case where another structure is attached to the drive unit <NUM> to provide cushioning at the time of the head-on collision, problems of the increase in the number of components and the increase in the weight in addition to the complicated structure can also be prevented. Therefore, the local interference of the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> can be prevented by using a simple structure when the vehicle collides head-on.

In the present embodiment, the vehicle body includes the dash panel <NUM> behind the drive unit <NUM>, and the interference portion C is provided lower than the interference position P of the dash panel <NUM> with the drive unit <NUM>.

According to such a configuration, after the head-on collision of the vehicle, after the drive unit <NUM> interferes with the dash panel <NUM> at the interference position P, the drive unit <NUM> can be pushed rearward at a position lower than the interference position P due to the collision load. As a result, the entire drive unit <NUM> is likely to rotate in a direction in which the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> is pushed forward with the interference position P as the fulcrum. Therefore, the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> can be prevented from interfering with the component other than the electric motor unit <NUM> with the component as the first interference point, thereby further preventing the local interference with the other component.

In the present embodiment, the drive unit <NUM> includes the speed reducer <NUM> connected to the drive motor <NUM>, and the power generation unit <NUM> includes the speed increaser <NUM> connected to the power generation motor <NUM>. The interference portion C includes the first interference portion C1 provided on the drive motor <NUM> and the power generation motor <NUM>, and the second interference portion C2 provided on the speed reducer <NUM> and the speed increaser <NUM>.

According to such a configuration, since the collision load is dispersed by the first interference portion C1 and the second interference portion C2, the large load can be prevented from being applied to a part of the cases of the drive unit <NUM> and the power generation unit <NUM>.

In the present embodiment, the drive unit <NUM> further includes the first support portion <NUM> that is fixed to the vehicle body and supports the drive motor <NUM> from below. The first interference portion C1 on the power generation motor <NUM> side, that is, the convex portion 21b, and the second interference portion C2 on the speed increaser <NUM> side, that is, the convex portion 22b, are provided at the positions overlapping the first support portion <NUM> in the vertical direction.

According to such a configuration, the convex portion 21b and the convex portion 22b on the power generation unit <NUM> side are arranged with respect to the portion where the swing of the drive unit <NUM> is small. Therefore, the first clearance CL1 and the second clearance CL2 can be secured to be sufficiently large even in the situation where the swinging is large.

In the present embodiment, the first interference portion C1 on the power generation unit <NUM> side, that is, the convex portion 21b is disposed vertically lower than the center of the rotation shaft 21c of the power generation motor <NUM>, and the second interference portion C2 on the speed increaser <NUM> side, that is, the convex portion 22b is disposed vertically lower than the center of the rotation shaft 22a of the speed increaser <NUM>.

According to such a configuration, the space formed below each of the substantially cylindrical side wall portions of the cases of the power generation motor <NUM> and the speed increaser <NUM> can be effectively used for arranging the convex portion 21b and the convex portion 22b. Therefore, the expansion of the electric motor unit <NUM> in the vehicle front-rear direction for arranging the convex portion 21b and the convex portion 22b can be prevented, and it is possible to contribute to the miniaturization of the electric motor unit <NUM>.

In the present embodiment, the power generation unit <NUM> is mounted on the vehicle body at the upper portion of the power generation unit <NUM>, and the drive unit <NUM> is mounted on the vehicle body at the lower portion of the drive unit <NUM>. According to such a configuration, since the power generation unit <NUM> mounted on the vehicle body at the upper portion is easily pushed rearward at the lower portion at the time of the head-on collision of the vehicle, the drive unit <NUM> an" the'power generation unit <NUM> can be made to interfere with each other more reliably at the interference portion C.

In the present embodiment, the drive unit <NUM> further includes the inverter <NUM>. The inverter <NUM> is disposed on an upper part of the drive unit <NUM>. That is, in the present embodiment, the local interference of the upper portion of the drive unit <NUM> with the other component can be prevented, and thus according to such a configuration, it is possible to integrate the drive motor <NUM> and the inverter <NUM> while preventing damage to the inverter <NUM> at the time of the head-on collision of the vehicle.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment merely exemplifies some of application examples of the present invention and does not intend to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiment.

Claim 1:
A vehicle mounting structure for an electric motor unit (<NUM>) comprising:
a drive unit (<NUM>) with a drive motor (<NUM>); and
a power generation unit (<NUM>) with a power generation motor (<NUM>), wherein
the drive unit (<NUM>) and the power generation unit (<NUM>) are individually mounted on a vehicle body,
the drive unit (<NUM>) is fixed to a suspension member of the vehicle body, and the power generation unit (<NUM>) is fixed to a side member of the vehicle body,
the drive unit (<NUM>) is provided behind the power generation unit (<NUM>),
characterized in that
the drive unit (<NUM>) and the power generation unit (<NUM>) include an interference portion (C) lower than a rotation shaft center of the drive motor (<NUM>) and a rotation shaft center of the power generation motor (<NUM>), and
a clearance between the drive unit (<NUM>) and the power generation unit (<NUM>) is narrower in the interference portion than in a portion other than the interference portion (C).