JP2000253538A - Electric junction box - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To install a heat pipe in a box without damaging by providing the heat pipe having a radiating part and a heat collecting part inside the box, and install a plurality of heat pipes even if the box is light, thin, short, and small. SOLUTION: A plurality of pipes 6 formed within the side of a box 2 are formed until they reach near a mounting part, passing by an intelligent power switch IPS 7. The pipe 6 has a capillary tube structure with a plurality of wicks. The pipe 6 is vacuum, however, sealed with hydraulic liquid such as pure water, replaceable fleon or alcohol. The pipe 6 is formed so that the heat collecting part may be installed near the IPS 7 and the radiating part may be arranged at an attachment part. It is possible to install the heat pipe in a box without damaging it, and install a plurality of heat pipes even if the box is light, thin, short, and small.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric junction box for use in, for example, automobiles, home electric appliances, and transportation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional electric junction box, a printed wiring board or a bus bar on which a circuit is formed is housed in a resin or metal casing to form an electric junction box. However, in recent years, with the integration of electronic components, many electronic components have been mounted on the electric connection box.

[0003] For example, electrical junction boxes used in automobiles are required to have many electronic control functions to improve convenience, but are also required to be lighter, thinner and shorter to improve livability. The LSI is mounted on a printed circuit board. In addition, when a higher level of comfort is required, a field effect transistor (FET) may be used as a substitute for a mechanical relay, or an IPS may be used.
(Intelligent power switches) are used as alternatives to fuses and mechanical relays, and are also used to add functions such as overcurrent cutoff and overheat cutoff.

In such an electric junction box, it is required that the temperature inside the electric junction box does not rise excessively so that the electronic parts do not deteriorate, and the semiconductor such as the FET and the IPS generates a large amount of heat. In an electric connection box in which a printed circuit board or a bus bar on which such a large heat-generating electronic component is mounted is housed in a housing, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the temperature in the electric connection box from rising too much. In particular, for an electrical junction box installed in a place with a high ambient temperature, such as an engine room of a car, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the temperature in the electrical junction box from rising excessively.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for example, a conventional electric connection box 12 has an IPS 7 attached by screws 8 in a housing 13 in which an attachment portion 14 is formed. And the mounting portion 1
4, a heat radiating portion is arranged, and a heat pipe 15 is fixed to the outside of the housing by screws 18, screws 19 and fixing hardware 16, fixing hardware 17.
The heat generated by the IPS 7 is radiated from the electric connection box 12 through the heat pipe 15 so that the temperature of the electric connection box 12 is not excessively increased. still,
In this electrical junction box 12, the heat collecting portion of the heat pipe 15 is
It is provided in the vicinity of PS7.

[0006]

However, in the conventional electric junction box 12, the heat pipe 15 is fixed to the fixing fitting 1 at the time of attachment.
6 or 17, or the heat pipe 15 may be crushed or damaged when the electric junction box 12 is assembled. When the heat pipe 15 is attached to the housing 13 or when the electric junction box 12 is assembled, heat may be applied. Pipe 15
There was a problem that great care had to be taken to prevent damage.

The heat collecting portion of the heat pipe 15 is preferably arranged near the heat generating portion, and is preferably housed in the housing 13 so as not to be damaged. Electrical junction box 12 that is lighter and shorter
In the case 13, there is no space in the space, and in this case, the heat collecting portion of the heat pipe 15 is arranged near the heat generating portion, and
There is also a problem that it may not be able to be stored in the inside.

Further, as described above, the electrical junction box 12 is required to have improved livability, and the housing 13 of the electrical junction box 12, which has been made lighter and thinner, has a plurality of heat In many cases, it is difficult to securely attach the pipe 15 to the housing 13. In such a case, for example, in an electrical junction box in which a large number of electronic components are mounted and a large amount of heat is generated, the number of the heat pipes 15 is insufficient. There has been a problem that the temperature of the electric junction box 12 cannot be reduced to a desired value.

In particular, in an electric junction box 12 as shown in FIG. 5 in which a housing 13 is provided with a mounting portion 14 and a heat pipe 15 is provided using the mounting portion 14, the width of the mounting portion 14 is limited. Since it is often provided smaller than the height of the housing, there is a problem that it is not possible to dissipate more heat from the electric connection box 12 by providing a plurality of heat pipes 15.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electric junction box in which a heat pipe can be securely provided in a housing without being damaged in view of the above problems. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an electric junction box in which a plurality of heat pipes can be provided even when the size of the housing is reduced.

[0011]

An electric connection box according to the present invention for achieving the above object is an electric connection box in which a printed wiring board or a bus bar on which a circuit is formed is housed in a housing. And a heat pipe provided with a heat radiating portion and a heat collecting portion.

When the housing of the electric junction box is formed of a heat pipe, the heat pipe can be provided on the housing without damaging the heat pipe. It can be easily provided.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of an electric junction box according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an electric connection box,
Is stored using the housing 2 and the cover 3.

The housing 2 is made of a copper alloy or an aluminum alloy, and a mounting portion 5 for mounting the electric connection box 1 to a member (for example, a vehicle body) on the other side is integrally formed and substantially L-shaped.
A cover mounting rib 2a for mounting the cover 3 and a printed circuit board mounting rib 2b for mounting the printed circuit board 4 (see FIG. 2) are formed.
The cover mounting rib 2a is provided with a fixing hole 2c for mounting and fixing the cover 3, and the printed board mounting rib 2b is provided with a fixing hole (not shown) for mounting and fixing the printed board.

The cover 3 is made of synthetic resin such as polybutylene terephthalate, nylon or polypropylene, but may be made of metal such as copper alloy, aluminum alloy or iron alloy. Reference numeral 3a denotes a fixing hole to be fixed to the housing 2.

The printed circuit board 4 has a circuit formed thereon, and electronic components such as IPS7, which integrate functions such as fuses and relays, are electrically connected by soldering or the like. A fixing hole (not shown) is formed in the printed circuit board 4, and the printed circuit board 4 is attached and fixed to the housing 2 using the fixing hole.

FIG. 3 shows an AA cross section in FIG. Reference numeral 6 denotes a plurality of conduits provided in the side surface of the housing 2, and is formed near the mounting portion 5 through the vicinity of the IPS 7. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the section B of the conduit 6, and the conduit 6 has a number of wicks 6a and a capillary structure. The inside of the conduit 6 is provided so as to be in a vacuum, and is sealed by an amount capable of transporting desired heat by a working fluid (not shown) such as pure water, alternative Freon or alcohol. Note that the conduit 6 is provided so that a heat collecting part is disposed near the IPS 7 and a heat radiating part is disposed in the mounting part 5.

Next, a method of forming the conduit 6 will be described. FIG.
, 2d is a side surface of the housing 2, 5a is a side surface of the mounting portion 5, and 2e is a bent portion. The housing 2 and the mounting portion 5 are integrally formed by the bent portion 2e. In the bent portion 2e, the attachment portion 5 may be formed integrally by processing a part of the housing 2, or may be formed integrally by joining another member. Then, IP is directed upward from the bottom side of the housing 2 in the figure.
Drill a hole through the vicinity of the S7 attachment part to the bent part 2e,
A conduit is formed in the side surface 2d. Similarly, a hole is drilled obliquely downward from the surface of the mounting portion 5 to the bent portion 2e, and
a, and the bent portion 2e forms the side surface 2d.
One conduit is provided through the inner conduit. At this time, the conduit may be provided in the side surface 3a and then provided in the side surface 2d, or both may be provided simultaneously.

After one of the holes is covered with a lid (made of copper alloy or aluminum alloy) and sealed by welding or the like, the inside of the conduit is evacuated from the other hole, and a certain amount of hydraulic fluid is injected. And sealing in the same manner. By these operations, the required number of conduits 6 are provided, and the housing 2 in which the heat pipe is formed so that the heat collecting unit is arranged near the IPS 7 and the heat radiating unit is arranged in the mounting unit 5.

FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) show cross sections of a wall constituting the housing 2. As a conduit, a hole having a square cross section as shown in FIG. A hole having a circular cross section, a wire 10 made of the same material as the housing 2 is provided in the hole, and a capillary structure is formed using a gap between the inner peripheral surface of the hole and the wire 10. 6 'may be used. With this configuration, a capillary phenomenon can be obtained without forming a wick in the hole.

As described above, since the housing 2 is formed as a heat pipe without using a mounting member, it is advantageous in terms of space, and has improved strength as compared with a commonly used rod-shaped heat pipe. I do.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the housing 2 is provided with mounting holes and parts such as the IPS 7 are mounted using screws or the like, the conduits 6 and 6 'should avoid the mounting holes. Provided.

Next, a method of assembling the electric junction box 1 according to the present invention will be described. After electronic components such as the IPS 7 are electrically connected to the printed circuit board 4 by soldering or the like, the printed circuit board 4 is disposed on the printed circuit board mounting rib 2b, and the housing is fixed to the housing with screws 9 using fixing holes (not shown). Fix to 2. Then, the IPS 7 is fixed to the housing 2 using the screws 8. Finally, the cover 3 is aligned with the fixing hole 3a and the fixing hole 2a, and then attached to the cover attaching rib 2a using screws (not shown) or the like, and provided on the housing 2, thereby completing the electrical connection box 1.

In forming a heat pipe in the housing 2, a plate 11 'obtained by pressing a flat plate 11 and embossing as shown in FIG. 6 (a) is used as shown in FIG. 6 (b). , A part of the end of the plate 11 ′ and the embossed portion are brazed to the housing 2, and if necessary, the brazed portion at the end of the plate 11 ′ is subjected to caulking,真空 A vacuum was drawn from the unbrazed end, and a working fluid (not shown) such as pure water, alternative chlorofluorocarbon or alcohol was injected at a predetermined volume, and the end was brazed and crimped as necessary. By applying and sealing, a heat pipe may be formed in the housing 2. The arrow in FIG. 6C indicates the flow of the working fluid in the heat pipe formed in the housing 2, and the heat in the housing 2 is radiated by the flow of the working fluid.

Further, a flat plate is provided without directly forming a heat pipe on the housing 2, and a heat pipe is provided using the flat plate and the plate 11 'in the same manner as described above. You may make it attach to. In this case, since the thickness of the flat plate is increased as compared with the case where the heat pipe is directly formed in the housing 2, there is no problem in terms of space.

Also, a required number of rod-shaped heat pipes each having a conduit formed therein and provided with a heat radiating portion and a heat collecting portion are set in a required number of molds, and a synthetic resin (polybutylene terephthalate, nylon, polypropylene, or the like) is poured. Alternatively, a heat pipe may be provided in the housing by insert molding.
In this case, since the heat pipe is provided in the housing without using the mounting member, it is advantageous in terms of space,
Also, compared to the commonly used rod-shaped heat pipe,
Strength is improved.

Furthermore, the conduit is not limited to being provided in the side surface of the housing, and may be provided on the bottom surface or the top surface of the housing, anywhere.

Although the electric connection box 1 is formed by housing the printed circuit board 4, the present invention is not limited to this, and a thin metal plate (made of copper, brass, copper alloy, or the like) is punched out of the circuit. The bus bar formed with the above may be housed, and an electronic component may be connected to the bus bar.

Further, the electric junction box according to the present invention is not limited to the one provided with the mounting portion in the housing. If the heat generated by the electronic components can be efficiently radiated to the outside of the electric connection box, the heat radiating portion need not be provided at the mounting portion of the electric connection box.

[0030]

As described above, according to the electric junction box of the present invention, in the electric junction box in which the printed wiring board or the bus bar on which the circuit is formed is housed in the housing, the heat radiating portion is provided in the housing. Since the heat pipe including the heat collecting portion is formed, the heat pipe can be provided on the housing without damaging the heat pipe, and a plurality of heat pipes can be easily provided even if the housing is light and thin.

Further, if the housing is provided with a mounting portion, and a heat radiating portion of a heat pipe formed in the housing is disposed in the mounting portion, and the electrical connection box is mounted on the mating member using the mounting portion. In addition, the heat of the electric connection box can be efficiently radiated through the member on the other side.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electric junction box of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the electric junction box with the cover removed according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the electric junction box of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a conduit formed in a housing of the electric junction box of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a conduit formed on a housing of the electric junction box of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a heat pipe formed on a housing of the electric junction box of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional electric junction box.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a conventional electric junction box.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electrical connection box 2 ... Case 2a ... Cover mounting rib 2b ... Printed circuit board mounting rib 2c ... Fixed hole 3 ... Cover 3a ... Fixed hole 4 ... Printed circuit board 5 ... Mounting part 6 ... Conduit 6 ' ... conduit 7 ... IPS 8 ... screw 9 ... screw 10 ... wire 11 ... flat plate 11 '... plate 12 ... electric connection box 13 ... housing 14 ... mounting part 15 ... heat pipe 16 ... fixing bracket 17 ... fixing bracket 18 ... Screws 19 ... Screws

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5E322 AA11 DB10 EA10 FA01 5G357 AA07 5G361 AA06 AB12 AC13 BA01 BC01

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An electric connection box in which a printed wiring board or a bus bar on which a circuit is formed is housed in a housing, wherein a heat pipe having a heat radiating portion and a heat collecting portion is formed in the housing. Electrical junction box. 2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein a mounting portion is provided on the housing, and a heat radiating portion of a heat pipe formed in the housing is disposed on the mounting portion.