JP7613096B2 - Vehicle drive device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a vehicle drive system.

A vehicle drive device is known in which a first power converter that drives a main machine (wheel drive rotating electric machine), a second power converter that drives an auxiliary machine (pump electric motor), and a capacitor module are arranged so as to overlap when viewed in the vertical direction within a storage chamber formed by a storage member. In this vehicle drive device, the AC connector for the second power converter (connector for electrically connecting the second power converter with the pump electric motor and power source) is provided on the side wall of the storage member above the capacitor module in the vertical direction.

JP 2015-223946 A

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, even though the various components are arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction within the accommodation chamber, there is still room for further miniaturization of the size of the accommodation member in the direction intersecting the vertical direction. In addition, the AC connector is attached to the accommodation member (e.g., a metal housing), and it is necessary to ensure the necessary insulation between the accommodation member and the AC connector.

Therefore, in one aspect, the present disclosure aims to reduce the size of the housing member while making it easier to ensure the necessary insulation distance between the connector and its surrounding components.

In one aspect, a storage member forming a storage chamber;
a first power converter that drives a first motor;
a second power converter that drives a second motor different from the first motor;
a circuit board on which the second power converter is mounted;
a capacitor module including a smoothing capacitor electrically connected to the first power converter and the second power converter;
a connector for electrically connecting the second power converter and the second motor,
the first power converter, the circuit board, and the capacitor module are accommodated in the accommodation chamber in a manner overlapping one another when viewed in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the circuit board;
A vehicle drive device is provided in which the connector overlaps the capacitor module when viewed in the direction and is attached to the capacitor module.

In one aspect, the present disclosure makes it possible to reduce the size of the housing member while making it easier to ensure the necessary insulation distance between the connector and its surrounding components.

1 is a diagram showing an example of an overall configuration of a motor drive system for an electric vehicle. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main portion of a vehicle drive device; 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inverter case section taken along a plane passing through a water channel forming portion. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view taken along the arrow V1 in FIG. 2 . 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a connector arrangement according to a comparative example. 13 is a schematic plan view illustrating a connector arrangement according to a comparative example. FIG. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for attaching a connector. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view taken along the arrow V3 in FIG. 6.

Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are merely examples and are not limiting. Also, shapes in the drawings may be partially exaggerated for the sake of explanation.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a motor drive system 1 for an electric vehicle. The motor drive system 1 is a system that drives a vehicle by driving a main motor 5 using power from a high-voltage battery BT1. Note that the details of the electric vehicle and its configuration are arbitrary, so long as the electric vehicle runs by driving the main motor 5 using power. Electric vehicles typically include hybrid vehicles whose power sources are an engine and the main motor 5, and electric vehicles whose power source is only the main motor 5. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the term "vehicle" refers to a vehicle equipped with the motor drive system 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the motor drive system 1 includes a high-voltage battery BT1, a smoothing capacitor 3, a main inverter 4, a main motor 5, and an inverter control device 6.

The high-voltage battery BT1 is any power storage device that stores power and outputs a DC voltage, and may include a capacitive element such as a nickel-metal hydride battery, a lithium-ion battery, or an electric double-layer capacitor. The high-voltage battery BT1 is typically a battery with a rated voltage of more than 100 V, for example, 288 V.

The main inverter 4 drives the main motor 5. The main inverter 4 includes U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase arms arranged in parallel between the positive and negative lines. The U-phase arm includes a series connection of switching elements (IGBTs: Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors in this example) Q1 and Q2, the V-phase arm includes a series connection of switching elements (IGBTs in this example) Q3 and Q4, and the W-phase arm includes a series connection of switching elements (IGBTs in this example) Q5 and Q6. Diodes D11 to D16 are arranged between the collector and emitter of each of the switching elements Q1 to Q6 to pass current from the emitter side to the collector side. In addition, the switching elements Q1 to Q6 may be switching elements other than IGBTs, such as MOSFETs (metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors).

The main motor 5 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor, with one end of each of the three coils of the U, V, and W phases connected together at a neutral point. The other end of the U-phase coil is connected to the midpoint M1 of the switching elements Q1 and Q2, the other end of the V-phase coil is connected to the midpoint M2 of the switching elements Q3 and Q4, and the other end of the W-phase coil is connected to the midpoint M3 of the switching elements Q5 and Q6. A smoothing capacitor 3 is connected between the collector of switching element Q1 and the negative line.

The inverter control device 6 is connected to various sensors, such as a current sensor (not shown) that detects the current flowing through the main motor 5. The inverter control device 6 controls the main inverter 4 based on sensor information from the various sensors. The inverter control device 6 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a main memory (all not shown), and various functions of the inverter control device 6 are realized by a control program recorded in the ROM or the like being read into the main memory and executed by the CPU. The main inverter 4 may be controlled in any manner, but basically, the two switching elements Q1 and Q2 associated with the U phase are turned on/off in opposite phases, the two switching elements Q3 and Q4 associated with the V phase are turned on/off in opposite phases, and the two switching elements Q5 and Q6 associated with the W phase are turned on/off in opposite phases.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cutoff switch SW1 for cutting off the power supply from the high-voltage battery BT1 is provided between the high-voltage battery BT1 and the smoothing capacitor 3. The cutoff switch SW1 may be configured as a semiconductor switch, a relay, or the like. The cutoff switch SW1 is normally on, and is turned off, for example, when a vehicle collision is detected. The on/off switching of the cutoff switch SW1 may be achieved by the inverter control device 6, or by another control device.

In this embodiment, the motor drive system 1 further includes an auxiliary inverter 4B and an auxiliary motor 5B as shown in FIG. 1. The auxiliary motor 5B forms an auxiliary. In this embodiment, as an example, the auxiliary motor 5B forms an electric oil pump that discharges oil to be supplied to the main motor 5. The auxiliary motor 5B may be connected to the high-voltage battery BT1 together with the corresponding auxiliary inverter 4B in a parallel relationship with the main motor 5 and the main inverter 4. In a modified example, the auxiliary motor 5B may be a motor that does not perform an auxiliary function for the main motor 5 (for example, a compressor motor for an air conditioning device).

The auxiliary inverter 4B drives the auxiliary motor 5B. The auxiliary inverter 4B has a circuit configuration similar to that of the main inverter 4 described above, but the electrical characteristics (rated current, withstand voltage, etc.) of the switching elements Q1 to Q6, etc. may be different. The auxiliary inverter 4B may have a lower rated current, withstand voltage, etc. than the main inverter 4, and can be mounted on a circuit board 60 as described below. Note that the switching elements Q1 to Q6, etc. that form the main inverter 4 are not mounted on a circuit board, but are arranged separately from the circuit board (circuit board 60 described below) as an inverter module.

As shown in FIG. 1, the motor drive system 1 further includes an inverter control device 6B that controls the auxiliary motor 5B. The method of controlling the auxiliary motor 5B is arbitrary, but basically, the method may be realized in such a manner that the two switching elements Q1, Q2 associated with the U phase are turned on/off in opposite phases, the two switching elements Q3, Q4 associated with the V phase are turned on/off in opposite phases, and the two switching elements Q5, Q6 associated with the W phase are turned on/off in opposite phases. Some or all of the functions of the inverter control device 6B may be realized by the inverter control device 6.

The inverter control device 6B and the inverter control device 6 operate based on power from the vehicle's low-voltage battery BT2. The low-voltage battery BT2 is a power source with a significantly lower rated voltage than the high-voltage battery BT1. The low-voltage battery BT2 has a rated voltage of, for example, 12 V. In a modified example, the inverter control device 6B and/or the inverter control device 6 may be capable of operating based on power from the high-voltage battery BT1 (for example, based on a backup power source generated by power from the high-voltage battery BT1).

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the motor drive system 1 does not include a DC/DC converter, but a DC/DC converter may be provided between the high-voltage battery BT1 and the main inverter 4.

Next, referring to Figure 2 onwards, we will explain the arrangement of the main inverter 4 and auxiliary inverter 4B, as well as the connector 841.

2 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of the main inverter 4 and the auxiliary inverter 4B, and is a diagram that shows a schematic cross section of a main part of the vehicle drive device 100. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross section of the inverter case part 20 when cut on a plane passing through the water channel forming part 70. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view seen along the arrow V1 in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, the Z direction (an example of the first direction) and the Z1 side and the Z2 side along the Z direction are defined. In this embodiment, the Z1 side is the upper side, and the Z2 side is the lower side, but in a modified example, the vehicle drive device 100 may be mounted on the vehicle in another direction. In addition, in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the X direction and the Y direction that are perpendicular to the Z direction and perpendicular to each other are defined. In the following, "top view" refers to a view seen in the Z direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. In addition, in the following, the "horizontal direction" (an example of the second direction) refers to a direction that intersects with the Z direction and is any direction in the XY plane.

The vehicle drive device 100 includes an inverter case section 20 on top of the case 2. The inverter case section 20 is formed of, for example, aluminum. The inverter case section 20 may be formed of multiple case members. A part or all of the inverter case section 20 may be integral with the case 2, or may be separate from the case 2 and attached to the case 2. The case 2 forms a chamber SP1 in which the main motor 5 and a drive transmission mechanism (not shown) are housed, both of which are not shown in FIG. 2. The drive transmission mechanism is provided in a power transmission path connecting the main motor 5 and the wheels, and transmits the rotational torque of the main motor 5 to the wheels. The drive transmission mechanism may include a counter gear mechanism, a differential gear mechanism, or the like.

The inverter case section 20 forms a chamber SP3. The inverter case section 20 has a side wall section 21 extending in the vertical direction, and the side wall section 21 separates the chamber SP3 from the outside on the side of the chamber SP3 (in a direction intersecting the vertical direction). That is, the side wall section 21 extends so as to surround the chamber SP3 in a top view. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the lower part of the side wall section 21 is formed by the side wall section 21b formed on the upper part of the case 2. The chamber SP3 formed by the inverter case section 20 houses an inverter module MJ. The inverter module MJ is a module that incorporates the main inverter 4 and the water channel forming section 70 described above with reference to FIG. 1. The inverter module MJ may further include a capacitor module 30 as an integral part. The inverter module MJ is attached to the inverter case section 20.

The inverter case part 20 is closed at the bottom by the bottom part 211 and is open at the top. The upper opening of the inverter case part 20 is covered by a cover member 25. The chambers SP3 and SP1 are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction via the bottom part 211 of the inverter case part 20, and the bottom part 211 of the inverter case part 20 may form the peripheral wall part of the case 2 that forms the chamber SP1.

The cover member 25 is provided on the upper part of the inverter case part 20. The cover member 25 may be fastened to the upper part of the inverter case part 20 by a bolt or the like. The cover member 25 may form a part of the side wall part 21 of the inverter case part 20. The cover member 25 may be formed of a metal such as aluminum. In this case, EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) measures related to the inverter module MJ can be appropriately realized, and problems such as spatial resonance can be reduced. The cover member 25 may be formed with a water channel (not shown) for cooling the converter chip 64 and the like. In this case, the water channel in the cover member 25 may be connected to the cooling water channel 72 described later. The room SP3 is isolated from the room SP1 by the bottom part 211 of the inverter case part 20, except for the part through which the wiring (such as the wiring between the main motor 5 and the inverter module MJ) is passed.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the smoothing capacitor 3 (capacitor module 30), the main inverter 4 (inverter module MJ), the inverter control device 6, and the inverter control device 6B (circuit board 60) are arranged in the room SP3. The smoothing capacitor 3 (capacitor module 30) and the main inverter 4 (inverter module MJ) may be attached to the inverter case section 20. The inverter control device 6 and the inverter control device 6B (circuit board 60) may be attached to the inverter case section 20 or the cover member 25.

The smoothing capacitor 3 is arranged in the chamber SP3 in the form of a capacitor module 30 whose periphery is sealed with resin or the like. That is, the capacitor module 30 is arranged in such a manner that the smoothing capacitor 3 is covered with resin (an example of an insulating material). The resin also serves to seal a portion of the wiring bus bar (see bus bar 80 in FIG. 2) and improve the insulation of the wiring bus bar. In this embodiment, the capacitor module 30 is provided below the water channel forming portion 70, which will be described later. The smoothing capacitor 3 may be arranged at the very bottom in the chamber SP3.

The main inverter 4 may be in the form of a module in which the various semiconductor elements (switching element Q1, etc.) and a portion of the wiring bus bar (not shown) described above are sealed with resin or the like. The main inverter 4 is provided below the circuit board 60.

The main inverter 4 may include a water channel forming section 70 in the form of an inverter module MJ, as shown in FIG. 2. A part or all of the water channel forming section 70 may be integral with the inverter case section 20, or may be separate from the inverter case section 20 and attached to the inverter case section 20. As shown in FIG. 3, a cooling water channel 72 is formed in the water channel forming section 70. The cooling water channel 72 may be a space as shown in FIG. 3, or may be partitioned by a plurality of fins, grooves, or the like. Although not shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a pipe or the like for supplying/discharging cooling water may be connected to the cooling water channel 72.

The water channel forming part 70 is formed of a material with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. The water channel forming part 70 preferably has an upper surface that abuts against the lower heat dissipation surface of the main inverter 4 (one example of the range of the heat dissipation surface is shown by the dashed line SC1 in FIG. 3) as shown in FIG. 2. The water channel forming part 70 also preferably has a lower surface that faces the upper heat dissipation surface of the capacitor module 30 as shown in FIG. 2. This allows the main inverter 4 and the capacitor module 30 to be cooled simultaneously and efficiently by the cooling water passing through the cooling water channel 72 in the water channel forming part 70. Note that a heat conductive member or material such as a thermal sheet may be disposed between the water channel forming part 70 and the capacitor module 30.

The inverter control device 6 and the inverter control device 6B are realized by a circuit board 60. In this embodiment, the circuit board 60 is realized by a single board. Note that the circuit board 60 may be realized by two or more boards separated vertically or horizontally.

The circuit board 60 may be, for example, a rigid type and a multi-layer board. The circuit board 60 is, for example, rectangular, but may be another shape. The circuit board 60 overlaps the inverter module MJ and the capacitor module 30 when viewed from above. The circuit board 60 may be approximately the same size as the capacitor module 30 when viewed from above, or may be significantly smaller than the capacitor module 30.

Various electronic components that form the inverter control device 6 are mounted on the circuit board 60. For example, the circuit board 60 is mounted with a drive circuit that drives the switching elements Q1 to Q6, a microcomputer, a power supply circuit, etc.

In addition, the converter chip 64 is mounted on the circuit board 60 together with various electronic components forming the inverter control device 6B. The converter chip 64 forms the auxiliary inverter 4B. That is, the converter chip 64 includes switching elements Q1 to Q6 and diodes D11 to D16 of the auxiliary inverter 4B. The converter chip 64 is in the form of a single integrated circuit chip, but may be realized in the form of a combination of two or more integrated circuit chips. The converter chip 64 may incorporate a drive circuit (gate driver circuit) for the auxiliary inverter 4B. The converter chip 64 may also incorporate a circuit section having a specific function such as an overcurrent protection function and other related elements. The converter chip 64 may be, for example, a surface mount type, and may be in the form of an IPM (Intelligent Power Module). The converter chip 64 may be mounted on the upper surface of the circuit board 60 (i.e., the surface facing the cover member 25) as shown in FIG. 2.

A harness 84 is electrically connected to the circuit board 60. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the harness 84 is electrically connected to the lower surface of the circuit board 60, but the harness 84 may also be electrically connected to the upper surface of the circuit board 60. The harness 84 is a high-voltage harness, and at one end (circuit board 60 side), terminals 814, 815 (see FIG. 1) are electrically connected to the smoothing capacitor 3, and terminals 816, 817, 818 (see FIG. 1) are electrically connected to the auxiliary motor 5B via a connector 841 described later. In FIG. 2, the other end (lower end) of the harness 84 is omitted from the illustration.

The other end (lower end) of the harness 84 extends to the connector 841 as shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the harness 84 may extend to the capacitor module 30, for example, through the wiring space WS1 (see FIG. 3) on the side of the circuit board 60, the inverter module MJ, and the smoothing capacitor 3. The wiring space WS1 extends in a manner that passes through a portion of the space SP30 described above.

As described above, the connector 841 is connected to a portion of the lower end side of the harness 84. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the harness 84 includes wiring 840(U), 840(V), and 840(W) for three-phase current and wiring 840(P) and 840(N) for power supply, and the wiring 840(U), 840(V), and 840(W) for three-phase current are connected to the connector 841. The connector 841 forms terminals 8411, 8412, and 8413 (see FIG. 1) that are electrically connected to the auxiliary motor 5B.

The connector 841 is attached to the lower part of the capacitor module 30. Therefore, the connector 841 is disposed between the capacitor module 30 and the bottom 211 of the inverter case section 20 in the vertical direction. In this case, wiring from the connector 841 to the auxiliary motor 5B is facilitated. For example, the connector 841 may be electrically connected to the auxiliary motor 5B via a connector 842 and a harness 8421 disposed in the chamber SP1, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2.

In this embodiment, the connector 841 overlaps the capacitor module 30 in a top view as shown in FIG. 4. This allows the horizontal size of the inverter case section 20 to be reduced compared to the comparative example (see FIGS. 5A and 5B) in which the connector 841 is arranged without overlapping the capacitor module 30.

Specifically, Figs. 5A and 5B show the arrangement of the connector 841 and the inverter case section 20' according to the comparative example in the same views as Figs. 2 and 4, respectively. In this case, the connector 841 is attached to the bottom 211' of the case 2' (corresponding to the bottom 211 of the present embodiment shown in Fig. 2). That is, the connector 841 is arranged in the chamber SP3' in a manner that does not overlap with the capacitor module 30 in a top view. According to this comparative example, as can be seen by comparing Figs. 2 and 4 and Figs. 5A and 5B, the space SP30' between the inverter case section 20' and the capacitor module 30 and the horizontal size of the inverter case section 20' tend to be large due to the arrangement of the connector 841.

In contrast, according to this embodiment, the connector 841 is arranged in the chamber SP3 in a manner that overlaps with the capacitor module 30 in a top view, so that the horizontal size of the inverter case section 20 can be prevented from becoming large due to the arrangement of the connector 841. In other words, the horizontal size of the inverter case section 20 can be reduced compared to the comparative example (see Figures 5A and 5B). Note that the layout and size of the inverter case section 20 are restricted by its relationship with the surrounding components, so that the design freedom can be increased by reducing the horizontal size of the inverter case section 20.

In this embodiment, preferably, the connector 841 entirely overlaps the capacitor module 30 when viewed from above. In this case, there is no need to provide a local recess (a recess that recesses in a direction that increases the horizontal size) in the side wall portion 21 of the inverter case portion 20 to ensure the necessary insulation distance for the connector 841. Therefore, in this case, it is possible to minimize the horizontal size of the inverter case portion 20.

In other words, in this embodiment, the connector 841 is not arranged in the space SP30 (see FIG. 4) between the side wall portion 21 of the inverter case portion 20 and the capacitor module 30, so that the space SP30 can be minimized over the entire circumference of the side wall portion 21. That is, in the horizontal direction, the space SP30 can be made smaller than the mounting space for the connector 841 (or the size of the connector 841). In addition, in this embodiment, since the capacitor module 30 is covered with resin, it is easy to ensure the insulation distance, and the space SP30 can be made relatively small. Therefore, the space SP30 may be minimized from the viewpoint of ensuring various mounting and wiring spaces (for example, the wiring space WS1). The space SP30 is a part of the room SP3, and extends in a range in the Z direction corresponding to the extension range of the capacitor module 30 in the Z direction.

However, the capacitor module 30 tends to become larger as the smoothing capacitor 3 becomes larger due to the increased output of the main motor 5. When the horizontal size of the capacitor module 30 increases, the horizontal size of the inverter case section 20 also tends to increase accordingly.

In this regard, according to this embodiment, as described above, the space SP30 between the inverter case section 20 and the capacitor module 30 is minimized, so that the horizontal size of the inverter case section 20 can be minimized in accordance with the horizontal size of the capacitor module 30. In this way, according to this embodiment, the horizontal size of the inverter case section 20 can be minimized in a manner that corresponds to the horizontal size of the capacitor module 30.

In other words, in this embodiment, it is possible to maximize the size of the capacitor module 30 that can be formed for an inverter case section 20 of a specific size (horizontal size). As the size of the capacitor module 30 increases, the heat dissipation properties of the smoothing capacitor 3 and the wiring bus bar can be improved accordingly. Therefore, by efficiently increasing the size of the capacitor module 30, it may be possible to eliminate temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors) for monitoring the temperature of the smoothing capacitor 3.

In addition, according to this embodiment, as described above, the connector 841 is provided below the capacitor module 30, so unlike when the connector 841 is provided to the side of the capacitor module 30, the capacitor module 30 can be positioned between the connector 841 and the circuit board 60. This minimizes the effect of noise (effect on the circuit board 60) that may be radiated from the connector 841 through which the three-phase AC current supplied to the auxiliary motor 5B flows. In other words, the capacitor module 30 can function as an electromagnetic shield between the connector 841 and the circuit board 60.

In this embodiment, the connector 841 is attached to the capacitor module 30. The method of attaching the connector 841 to the capacitor module 30 is arbitrary, but may be realized, for example, as shown in Figures 6 and 7.

Figures 6 and 7 are explanatory diagrams of an example of a method for attaching the connector 841 to the capacitor module 30, where Figure 6 is a plan view showing the V2 portion of Figure 4 in more detail, and Figure 7 is a schematic plan view seen along the arrow V3 of Figure 6.

In the example shown in Figures 6 and 7, the connector 841 is fixed to the resin part 31 of the capacitor module 30. Specifically, the resin part 31 of the capacitor module 30 has a boss portion 311, and a bracket 85 that holds the connector 841 is fastened to the boss portion 311 by a fastener 86. In this case, the fastener 86 is in the form of a bolt having a washer portion 851, and may be fastened to the boss portion 311 via a washer 852.

In the example shown in Figures 6 and 7, the connector 841 is fixed to the resin part 31 of the capacitor module 30, so the distance between the connector 841 and the capacitor module 30 can be minimized without considering the insulation distance between them. In other words, the connector 841 can be fixed to the capacitor module 30 while ensuring the necessary insulation between the connector 841 and the capacitor module 30 without taking any special measures on the capacitor module 30 side or the connector 841 side.

Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. It is also possible to combine all or a combination of multiple components of the embodiments described above. Furthermore, among the effects of each embodiment, the effects related to the dependent claims are additional effects that are distinguished from the superordinate concept (independent claim).

20: inverter case (housing member), 3: smoothing capacitor, 4: main inverter (first power converter), 4B: auxiliary inverter (second power converter), 5: main motor (first motor), 5B: auxiliary motor (second motor), 30: capacitor module, 31: resin part (insulating material part), 60: circuit board, 211: bottom, BT1: high voltage battery (power source), SP3: chamber (housing chamber), SP30: space

Claims (4)

A storage member that forms a storage chamber;
a first power converter that drives a first motor;
a second power converter that drives a second motor different from the first motor;
a circuit board on which the second power converter is mounted;
a capacitor module including a smoothing capacitor electrically connected to the first power converter and the second power converter;
a connector for electrically connecting the second power converter and the second motor,
the first power converter, the circuit board, and the capacitor module are accommodated in the accommodation chamber in a manner overlapping one another when viewed in a first direction perpendicular to a board surface of the circuit board;
The connector overlaps the capacitor module when viewed in the first direction and is attached to the capacitor module. The housing member has a peripheral wall portion surrounding the housing chamber as viewed in the first direction,
The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein a space between the peripheral wall portion and the capacitor module in a second direction intersecting the first direction is smaller than a mounting space of the connector in the second direction. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connector is provided on the opposite side of the circuit board across the capacitor module in the first direction. The capacitor module is configured to cover the smoothing capacitor with an insulating material,
The vehicle drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the connector is fixed to a portion of the capacitor module made of the insulating material.