Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A motor vehicle (100), said vehicle (100) comprising of :
a frame structure (200) providing skeletal support to said vehicle (100);
said frame structure (200) includes a pair of rear frame members (214);
said pair of rear frame members (214) includes a plurality of connecting bridges (204, 208, 209, 210, 211); and
a charger unit (600) mounted at least on one of said plurality of connecting bridges (204, 208, 209, 210, 211) of said vehicle (100).
2. The motor vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a passenger seat backrest (123) supported by a connecting bridge member (204),
wherein, said back rest (123) extends laterally along said vehicle (100) and extends parallel to said connecting bridge member (204), and
said charger unit (600) is mounted to one or more of said plurality of connecting bridges (204,208,209,210,211) disposed behind said back rest (123) and at a predetermined lateral offset to a vehicle longitudinal axis (XX’),
3. The motor vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said charger unit (600) is mounted to said connecting bridge member (204) through a mounting plate (607) of said charger unit (600).
4. The motor vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein said mounting plate (607) is either fixedly or removably mounted on the connecting bridge member (204),
wherein, said mounting plate (607) is fixedly attached to the at least one of said plurality of connecting bridge members (204, 208, 209, 210, 211) through welding, and
said removably attached to the connecting bridge member (204) through one or more fasteners.
5. The motor vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein said charger unit (600) comprises a primary charger (602), an auxiliary charger (602) and a cooling fan (604). disposed on a mounting plate (607
6. The motor vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein said cooling fan (604) of said charging unit (600) faces towards a rear portion of the vehicle (100) to dissipate heat.
7. The motor vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said controller (215) disposed laterally perpendicular to said vehicle longitudinal axis (XX’),
wherein, a lateral central plane (CC’) of said controller (215) intersects with said vehicle longitudinal axis (XX’), and
said controller (215) disposed behind connecting bridge member (204) with said charging unit (600) in proximity to said energy storage device (218).
8. The motor vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein an energy storage device (218) is disposed behind backrest (123).
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter generally relates to a vehicle. The present subject matter specifically but not exclusively relates to a vehicle charger unit mounting in a three wheeled vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A three wheeled motor vehicle is a significant mode of public transportation in developing nations. It is vastly used as a point to point mode of transport in rural and urban areas also referred to as auto rickshaw. Generally, the motor vehicle has a driver compartment in a front portion and a passenger load compartment or a loading deck in a rear portion. In case of a passenger vehicle, the rear compartment comprises of a passenger seat. The vehicle may have one or more energy sources like Li-ion primary and auxiliary batteries, which powers the vehicle. A driver operates the vehicle from the first compartment. A driver seat is provided in the front compartment so that the driver operates the vehicle in a sitting position. The suspension structure for three wheeled vehicles normally employs separate trailing arm with rear suspension system to support the body on the two rear wheel assemblies. Also, a storage compartment provided behind a rear seat of the vehicles provides space for storage of goods.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The detailed description is described with reference to an embodiment of a three wheeled vehicles along with the accompanying figures. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0004] Fig. 1 illustrates a side view of a motor vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0005] Fig. 1a illustrates a rear view of a motor vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0006] Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a frame structure of the motor vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0007] Fig. 2a illustrates a top view of the rear compartment of the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0008] Fig. 2b illustrates a perspective view of the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0009] Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b illustrates a top view of the vehicle (200) with the charger unit mounting, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[00010] Fig. 3c illustrates a side view of a motor vehicle with the charger unit mounting, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[00011] Fig. 4a and Fig. 4b illustrates a charger unit to charge the battery, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00012] The arena of technology pertaining to transportation has undergone a tremendous transformation over the years, such that the present concentration is focused upon the efficiency and cost of manufacturing, which includes the cost of materials, assembly cost, cost of inventory handling etc. Simultaneously, there has also been need in the industry to provide stronger, lighter and economically advantageous vehicles that consume less power. Electric power storage device driven vehicles happen to be eco- friendly, in line with the Go-Green initiative of various organizations. These Vehicles may be two, three or four wheelers depending upon the requirement of the consumer and have multiple applications.
[00013] In automobile vehicle industry, electric vehicles are introduced to control air pollution caused due to IC engine powered vehicles. Currently, the electric vehicles are classified into two groups, namely pure electric and extended electric vehicles (also known as hybrid vehicles). The hybrid vehicles have a primary electric drive with associated energy storage device and an internal combustion engine coupled to an electric motor/generator.
[00014] In recent years, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles have become quite popular due to high oil prices and the environmental impact of pure gasoline fuel consumption vehicles. In particular, the hybrid vehicle has become an intermediate choice for those consumers wishing to reduce fuel consumption while at the same time increase their allowable travel distance. In most developing & under-developed markets, a low-cost three-wheeler is often employed as a popular public mode of transport or a goods carrier vehicle. In case of a passenger transport layout, the vehicle rear portion is configured with a passenger seating compartment while in case of a goods carrier, the rear portion has a loading trailer platform layout to carry goods. Unlike conventional four wheeled vehicles, the three-wheeled vehicle is compact, highly weight efficient & economical mode of transport.
[00015] Typically, such multi-track vehicles have a steering axis disposed centrally along the longitudinal mid-plane of the vehicle with the rider seated co-axially in the same mid-plane. Such vehicles are commonly powered by IC engines & electrification of such public transport vehicles has been of much interest to bring down emissions. Any major alteration or modification on a vehicle to adapt to different powertrains for given product is undesirable owing to adverse impact on manufacturing complexity, variety, logistics, supply chain challenges as well as cost. Often a manufacturer prefers to have a platform product solution wherein a basic structure of the vehicle can be common across the types of powertrains used. This enables great flexibility for the manufacturer to operate with a standardized platform of product across various markets, variants etc. with different powertrains e.g. IC engine or Hybrid etc. depending on the requirements.
[00016] The electric vehicle driven by DC power uses different types of batteries but all of them require charging from time to time in order to run the vehicle again after the batteries gets discharged. The batteries in the vehicle can be charged by an off-board charger, which supplies DC power to the vehicle battery and communicates with the vehicle controller to determine the amount of voltage and current required to supply the batteries. An off-board charger is provided outside the body of the vehicle e.g. in charging station which can supply different level of powers to charge batteries for different vehicle depending on load. But the charging process with the off-board system can be cumbersome as many a times the vehicle may run out of power and there might be absence of any nearby charging station which can lead to vehicle stranding in the middle of the road. Hence, an on-board charging overcomes the problems associated with the off-board charger. With the help of the onboard charger the vehicle can be connected to any charging socket wherever electricity is available including home and therefore does not depend on public infrastructure for charging.
[00017] But providing an additional component like an onboard charger in a compact vehicle like two seat row three wheeled vehicle may be challenging as it is important to ensure that the packaging of the on board charger remains compact. Some of the three wheeled vehicle provides on board charger unit located below passenger seat fixed to the chassis of the vehicle and used for charging the battery using external power supply. This allows the charger unit to directly expose to the external environment factors such as mud splash and pebbles which can damage the charger unit. Damage to the charger unit can render the vehicle immobile and lead to high cost of repair and maintenance which is undesirable. Therefore, there exists a need for an improved layout configuration of a three wheeled vehicle with a charger disposed in a secure, safe as well as accessible region while overcoming all problems cited above and other problems of known art.
[00018] Hence, it is an object of the present invention to configure a charger unit in a three wheeled vehicle, with a secure and stable mounting location, which overcomes the problem persisting in above. The present invention provides a charger unit mounting in one or more location in the three wheeled vehicle which eliminated the exposure of the charger unit from the outside environmental factors such as mud splashed, dirt and pebbles thereby achieving secure disposition. As per an aspect of the present invention, a connecting bridge member, which is capable of mounting a driver back rest, is enabled to mount the charger unit. The charger unit is mounted in a direction opposite to the passenger seat. The passenger seat is located on the left side of the connecting bridge member, when seen from the top, facing the front portion of the vehicle and the charging unit is mounted on the right hand side of the connecting bridge member, when seen from the top, and facing the rear portion of the vehicle. By providing the charger unit behind the passenger seat and on the connecting bridge, the charger unit remains secure and safely away from the external environmental factors. Also, mounting of the charger unit on the connecting bridge member and behind the passenger seat allows the charger unit to receive sufficient airflow to cool off.
[00019] Another embodiment of the present invention configures the charger unit securely disposed on one of a left side of a controller or on a right hand side of a controller wherein the controller is disposed behind the passenger seat. Providing the charger unit in proximity of the ccontroller eliminates the requirement of lengthy wiring harness. The controller is mounted with a mounting bracket assembly in between the pair of rear frame member , between the pair of connecting bridges and behind the passenger seat assembly (108).
[00020] Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a charger unit mounted on the connecting bridge member through a mounting plate. The mounting plate is either removably or fixedly mounted on the connecting bridge member. The mounting plate is fixedly attached to the connecting bridge member through welding and removably attached to the charger unit through one or more fasteners. The mounting plate of the charger unit is adapted to support a primary charger, an auxiliary charger and a cooling fan.
[00021] Another embodiment of the present invention configures a charger unit (provided with a cooling fan) mounting in which a cooling fan faces towards the rear portion of the vehicle to dissipate the heat generated during charging process. The charger unit is electrically connected to a controller such that the controller is mounted through a mounting bracket assembly in between a pair of rear frame member.
[00022] Still another embodiment of the present invention configures the charger unit below a driver seat assembly, housing area (110) under the driver seat, wherein the energy source such as a battery or CNG cylinder is located below or in the vicinity of the driver seat assembly. The housing area (110) is covered from all direction from sheet metal and preventing any outside environmental factors thereby providing a safe and secure space for the charging unit. The housing area (110) is like a cavity created between a floorboard and seat of the driver. The housing area (110) is large enough to accommodate energy storage devices like battery or a CNG cylinder. But in the case of a passenger seat, there is no such housing or enclosed area provided which can provide protection to the charging unit from the external factors like mud splashed or pebble. Below the passenger seat there is no such enclosed space where a component can be securely disposed because of the rear wheels. The presence of rear wheels discourages in providing an enclosed housing below the passenger seat and if the charging unit is placed below the passenger seat, a support from the chassis i.e. frame member is required. The frame member located below the seat is exposed to dust, pebbles and mud splashes. Hence, disposing the charging unit below the passenger seat makes the charging unit susceptible to any impact or contact with the mud or pebbles. The charging unit is an electronic component responsible for charging the battery after converting the raw power from AC to DC and for proper functioning of the charging unit, location below the passenger seat damages the charging unit. If water seeps inside the charging unit, then serious accidents may occur such as short circuit. Such accidents may cause explosion and also burn the vehicle and posing a great risk to the lives of the people sitting inside the vehicle.
[00023] The exemplary embodiments detailing features regarding the aforesaid and other advantages of the present subject matter will be described hereunder with reference to an embodiment of a two wheeled saddle type motorcycle along with the accompanying drawings. Various aspects of different embodiments of the present invention will become discernible from the following description set out hereunder. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate principles of the present subject matter. Various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, encompass the principles of the present subject matter. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and examples of the present subject matter, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof. Further, it is to be noted that terms “upper”, “down”, “right”, “left”, “front”, “forward”, “rearward”, “downward”, “upward”, “top”, “bottom”, “exterior”, “interior” and like terms are used herein based on the illustrated state or in a standing state of the two wheeled vehicle with a driver riding thereon. Furthermore, arrows wherever provided in the top right corner of figure(s) in the drawings depicts direction with respect to the vehicle, wherein an arrow F denotes front direction, an arrow R indicates rear direction, an arrow T denotes upward direction, an arrow D denotes downward direction, an arrow R denotes right side, and an arrow L denotes left side. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[00024] Fig. 1 and Fig. 1a illustrates a side & rear view of a motor vehicle (100) and Fig.2 is a perspective view of a frame structure of the motor vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. In an embodiment, the frame structure (200)of the motor vehicle includes three compartments. A front compartment including a head tube (201) that mounts a handle bar assembly (106) of the motor vehicle and the head tube (201) is capable of steering a front wheel (101), a main tube (206) that connects the head tube (201) and a central frame member (203), a driver seat assembly (104) that is housed on top of the central frame member (203) and a pair of LH side frame member(205) and a RH side frame member(202). The motor vehicle also includes a pair of rear wheels (102) and a front fender (103) disposed above the front wheel (101). CNG cylinder etc. is housed in a housing area (110) under the driver seat assembly (104). In one embodiment, the frame structure(200) further includes a middle compartment that includes a passenger seat assembly (108) comprising of a seat base bottom and a back rest, a passenger barrier (107) restricting entry/exit of the passengers into the three wheeled vehicle from one direction, a connecting bridge member (204) capable of supporting a passenger back rest. Further, in one embodiment, the frame structure also includes a rear compartment that houses the cabin assembly (109), and the engine (111) is disposed substantially placed in the rear side of motor vehicle (fig. 1a). In another embodiment shown in Fig 2a, a motor is disposed in motor mounting area (216) between the pair of rear wheels (102).
[00025] Further, as per one embodiment of the present invention, a pair of rear frame member (214) extends upward from the left hand side frame member (205) and right hand side frame member(202) and further extends horizontally to the rearward of the vehicle (100). The pair of rear frame member (214) includes a left frame member (213) and a right frame member (212) extending horizontally to the rearward of the vehicle. The left frame member (213) and right frame member (212) are connected by a plurality of longitudinally (210, 211) and laterally (204, 208, 209) disposed connecting bridges, ensuring the rigid attachment of the frame members.
[00026] The pair of rear frame member (214) provides housing member for various electrical components like a controller, motor etc. The controller (215) shown in Fig 2a, is mounted with a mounting bracket assembly (217) in between the pair of rear frame member (214), between the pair of connecting bridges (204, 208) (as shown in fig. 2a) and behind the passenger seat assembly (108). The interfacing surface of the controller (215) is facing upward, ensuring the ease of assembly and ease of accessibility of the connecting wires. The area above the controller is covered with a first metal sheet or a cover(219) (as shown in fig. 2b). Further, the metal sheet or the cover is provided with a top opening having locking mechanism(220) (as shown in fig. 2b). The locking mechanism (220) is accessible from the top of the first metal sheet or cover(219), when the passenger seat (108) is removed, ensuring the restricted cum authorised access of the controller and also ensures the ease of accessibility of the controller during serviceability. As per another aspect of the present invention, the electrical components like controller, motor etc., are placed in between the pair of rear frame assembly (214) and are parallel to each other, thereby reducing the length of the wire required for routing and connecting each component. The decreased length of wire also ensures the reduction in the voltage drop and avoids undesirable bending of wires, thereby increasing the efficiency of the electrical components.
[00027] the front portion of the connecting bridge (204) or at least partially overlapping any of the connecting bridges. The connecting bridge (204) is disposed laterally with respect to the vehicle. The energy storage device (218) is mounted with a mounting bracket (207) having a substantially L shape profile, disposed vertically downwardly with respect to the connecting bridge (204) and housed below passenger seat (108). The mounting bracket (207) is integrally attached to the front of the connecting bridge (204) and houses the auxiliary energy storage device (218) in it, ensuring that the energy storage device is mounted to the front of the connecting bridge without extending outwardly of the passenger seat. This configuration also ensures that the energy storage device as mounted is not interfering with the leg of the passenger and hence no compromise is made with the user’s comfortFig. 3a and Fig. 3b illustrates a top view of the vehicle (200). A charger unit (600) is disposed to at least one of a left and right side of the controller (215) and is used to charge the energy source such as a battery. The connecting bridge member (204) which is capable of mounting a driver back rest also enables the mounting of the charger unit (600). The charger unit (600) is mounted in a location rearwards to the passenger seat backrest (123). The passenger seat 123 is attached on the front side of the connecting bridge member (204), when seen from the top, facing the front portion of the vehicle (100) and the charging unit (600) mounted on the rear side of the connecting bridge member (204), when seen from the top, and facing the rear portion of the vehicle (100). Further, the controller (215) is located adjacent to the charger unit (600). The charger unit (600) can be mounted either on the left or the right hand side of the controller (215) and this proximity to the controller (215) and the battery thereby reduces the length of the wire harness. In another embodiment, the charger unit (600) is mounted to at least one of the connecting bridges (204,208, 209, 210, 211) disposed behind the back rest (123) and at a predetermined lateral offset to a vehicle longitudinal axis (XX’). The controller unit (600) is offset towards one of a right hand side or a left hand side of the vehicle longitudinal axis (XX’) and along the width (vehicle width (W)) of the vehicle (100). The controller (215) is disposed laterally, perpendicular to the vehicle longitudinal axis (XX’)disposed laterally perpendicular to said vehicle longitudinal axis (XX’). The controller (215) is disposed laterally perpendicular to said vehicle longitudinal axis (XX’) and a lateral central plane (CC’) of said controller (215) intersects with said vehicle longitudinal axis (XX’).Fig. 3c illustrates another embodiment for disposing of the charger unit (600). The charger unit (600) is mounted below a driver seat assembly (104). As per this embodiment, the battery is located under the driver seat assembly (104) and the charger unit (600) is located under the driver seat assembly (104)
[00028] Fig. 4a and Fig. 4b illustrates a charger unit (600) to charge the battery. The charger unit (600) comprises of a primary charger (601), an auxiliary charger (602) and a cooling fan (604). An adapter plate (606) allows the mounting of the cooling fan (604) on the primary charger (601) to dissipate the heat during the charging process. The adapter plate (606) couples the cooling fan (604) on the primary charger (601) through one or more attachment means (605).
[00029] Similarly, the auxiliary charger (602) is mounted on the primary charger (601). The charger unit (600) is further provided with a mounting plate (607) (shown in Fig. 4b) to mount the charger (600) unit on the connecting bridge member (204). The mounting plate (607) is adapted to support a primary charger (601 ), an auxiliary charger (602) and a cooling fan (604) on the connecting bridge member (204). The cooling fan (604) of said charging unit (600) faces towards a rear portion of the vehicle (100) to dissipate heat in the direction of the wind flow while the vehicle (100) is in moving condition. The charging unit (600) is electrically connected to a controller (215) and the controller (215) is mounted through a mounting bracket assembly (217) in between a pair of rear frame member (214).
[00030] The mounting plate (607) can be either fixedly or removably mounted on the connecting bridge member (204). The mounting plate (607) is fixedly attached to the connecting bridge member (204) through welding and removably attached to the connecting bridge member (204) through one or more fasteners thereby enabling ease of service and assembly. The layout configured as per the above embodiments achieve a stable, secure and safe disposition of the charging unit thereby eliminating problems cited earlier. The charger unit so disposed on one or more of a cross members and protected by the one or more body panels of the vehicle in a safe compartment 109 achieves safety from mud splash, pebbles, while still enabling ease of access for easy charging and avoid being stranded.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

100: Motor Vehicle
106: Handle Bar Assembly
101: Front Wheel
104: Driver Seat Assembly
102: Rear Wheels
103: Front Fender
110: Power Storage Housing Area
108: Passenger Seat Assembly
108a: Seat base bottom
108b: Back Rest
107: Passenger Barrier.
109: Cabin Assembly
111: Internal Combustion Engine
201: Head Tube
206: Main Tube
203: Central Frame
205: LH Side frame member
202: RH Side frame member
214: A pair of rear frame member
207: Mounting Bracket for auxiliary energy storage device.
204, 208, 209, 210, 211: Connecting Bridges
217: Mounting Bracket for Controller.
212: Right Hand Rear Frame
213: Left Hand Rear Frame
218: Auxiliary Energy Storage Device
215: Controller
216: Motor mounting Area
219: First metal Sheet or a Cover
220:Lockingmechanism
123: back rest

600: charger unit
601: primary charger
602: auxiliary charger
604: cooling fan
606: adapter plate
605: fasteners
XX’: Vehicle longitudinal direction