JP2001203476A - Electronic unit box - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a satisfactory electronic unit box which can efficiently cool an electronic unit and with which making a metallic inner case larger, which results in increased weight or higher costs, can be prevented. SOLUTION: This electronic unit box 45 has an inner case 47 which houses and holds an electronic unit 3 in a unit housing chamber 47a, and an outer case 49, which houses and holds the inner case 47 and provides a space 59 for allowing refrigerant air to flow around the inner case 47. The electronic unit 3 is cooled, by making refrigerant air flow from a refrigerant supply port 61 communicated with the space 59 to a refrigerant discharge port 62. The outer case 49 made of a synthetic resin has case holding section 64, 64 for regulating displacement of the lower portion of the inner case 47 inserted into a case-housing chamber 49a. The inner case 47 made of an aluminum die-cast is fastened together by a fixing flange 47d thereof, which is provided at the upper opening end, tightly to the upper opening end of the outer case 49.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic unit box, and more particularly, to an electronic unit box that accommodates an electronic unit disposed in a high-temperature environment such as in an engine room of a vehicle and protects the electronic unit from heat and impact. Regarding improvement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electronic unit for controlling the operation of an engine or a brake of an automobile is mounted in an engine room in a state of being housed in a so-called electronic unit box for protection from dust, water and the like. There are things that are. The electronic unit housed in such an electronic unit box is heated by a power transistor or the like mounted on a control board or the like as a heat source, and is heated to a high temperature by heat generated by an engine in an engine room. Therefore, an electronic unit box provided with a cooling structure for preventing a temperature rise of the electronic unit housed in the electronic unit box is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-207691.

A conventional electronic unit box 1 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 has a unit housing case 5 having a unit housing chamber 5a for housing an electronic unit 3, and an upper portion opened to house the unit housing case 5. Inner box 9a
And a cover 11 covering the upper opening of the main body 9. For example, as shown in FIG. It is installed in.

The unit housing case 5 of the electronic unit box 1 has a structure in which a flange portion 5b for closing a butt portion with the outer box portion 9b of the main body 9 is provided at an upper portion, and is an integrally molded product made of synthetic resin. Is configured as The main body 9 is an integrally molded product made of a synthetic resin in which a peripheral wall of an inner box portion 9a that accommodates the unit housing case 5 and a peripheral wall of the unit housing case 5 define a heat insulating space 17. The space 17 is provided with a coolant supply port 19 and a coolant discharge port 20 for flowing a coolant for cooling.

Here, the refrigerant supplied to the space 17 is, as shown in FIG. 6, cooling air which is pressure-fed from a fan 23 of a radiator 22 arranged in the engine room 13. That is, the above-mentioned electronic unit box 1
At the same time as the heating by the radiant heat in the engine room 13 is blocked by the space 17, the heat radiation of the unit housing case 5 is promoted by the cooling air flowing into the space 17, and the self-heating of the electronic unit 3 due to the heat generation is suppressed. .

In order to prevent the cooling air supplied to the space 17 from leaking from the abutting portion between the unit housing case 5 and the inner box portion 9a, a packing 2 is provided on the flange portion 5b.
5 is attached. A packing 27 is also attached to the butting portion between the lid 11 and the outer box 9b so that water droplets, dust and the like that have entered the engine room 13 do not enter the electronic unit box 1.

However, the electronic unit box 1 described above has both the unit housing case 5 and the main body 9 made of synthetic resin, and is excellent in the heat insulation performance of preventing heating by the radiant heat in the engine room 13, but conversely, the electronic unit box 1 With respect to the heat generated by the circuit elements in the unit 3, since the heat conductivity of the peripheral wall of the unit housing case 5 is not good, it is difficult to radiate the heat generated by the electronic unit 3 to the cooling air via the unit housing case 5. In spite of having a positive cooling structure, there is a problem that it is difficult to suppress the temperature rise of the electronic unit 3.

In order to solve such a problem, an electronic unit box 31 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 has been proposed. The electronic unit box 31 has an inner case 32 having a unit housing chamber 32a for housing the electronic unit 3, and an outer case 33 having a case housing chamber 33a for housing the inner case 32.

Then, the case housing chamber 3 of the outer case 33 is
The peripheral wall 33b forming the portion 3a defines a space 17 through which the cooling air flows around the inner case 32. The temperature of the electronic unit 3 is increased by the heat insulating effect of the space 17 and the forced cooling by the cooling air flowing through the space 17. The point of prevention is the same as that of the above-mentioned electronic unit box 1.

However, in the electronic unit box 31, the outer case 33 is made of synthetic resin, but the inner case 32 that houses the electronic unit 3 quickly transmits the heat generated in the electronic unit 3 to the space 17 side. As a result, it is made of metal such as aluminum die cast which has excellent thermal conductivity. The case accommodating chamber 33a of the outer case 33 has a cylindrical structure with an open top and bottom. Also, the inner case 32
The unit accommodating chamber 32a for accommodating the electronic unit 3 has a cylindrical structure that can be inserted into the case accommodating chamber 33a from below, and a mounting ear from the lower end of the cylindrical wall 32b forming the unit accommodating chamber 32a. The lug 32c is extended, and the lug 32c is fastened together with the lug 33c extending from the lower end of the outer case 33 by a screw member 34 so as to be fixed to a vehicle body or the like.

Further, the cylindrical wall 32b of the inner case 32
The upper end of the seal member 3 is attached to a flange portion 33d that projects inward from the upper end of the case storage chamber 33a of the outer case 33.
5, and the butted portions of the cases are sealed by the seal member 35. That is, in the electronic unit box 31 improved as described above, the inner case 32 made of aluminum die-casting
Since the heat generated by the electronic unit 3 is efficiently transmitted to the space 17, the cooling efficiency for the electronic unit 3 can be increased.

However, in the electronic unit box 31, the screwing position of each case is located at the lower part of each case, whereas the sealing member 35 at the butting portion of the cases is located at the upper end side of each case. Therefore, the tightening force by screwing does not sufficiently act on the seal portion, and it is difficult to secure the seal pressure. Therefore, for example, when resin molding distortion or the like occurs in the outer case 33 and distortion or the like occurs in the flange portion 33d serving as a seal portion, the distortion cannot be corrected by the tightening force of the screw member 34. In addition, the convection of the cooling air may be hindered by the deterioration of the sealing property, or the high temperature air heated by the heat radiation may enter the electronic unit 3 from the abutting portion.

In order to prevent such a problem, an electronic unit box 38 shown in FIG. 9 has been proposed. The electronic unit box 38 includes an aluminum die-cast inner case 39 having a unit housing chamber 39a for housing an electronic unit (not shown), and a synthetic resin outer housing having a case housing chamber 40a for housing the inner case 39. And a case 40.

The case storage chamber 4 of the outer case 40
The peripheral wall 40b forming the outer case 0a defines a space through which the cooling air flows around the inner case 39. The heat insulation effect of the space and the forced cooling by the cooling air flowing through the space prevent the temperature of the electronic unit from rising. This is similar to the electronic unit box 31 described above. However, the cylindrical wall 3 forming the unit housing chamber 39a of the inner case 39
9b is a case housing chamber 40a of the outer case 40 from above.
And a pair of mounting feet 39f is formed integrally with an end of a flange portion 39e projecting outward from an upper end edge of the cylindrical wall 39b. . A notch 40c corresponding to the mounting foot 39f is formed on the peripheral wall 40b of the outer case 40. After the mounting foot 39f is fitted into the notch 40c, the tip is attached to the vehicle body. Secure with screws.

In such a structure, when the tip of the mounting foot 39f is screwed, the screw tightening force acts on the flange 39e efficiently as a force for pressing the flange 39e against the upper end of the outer case 40. I do. for that reason,
For example, resin molding distortion occurs in the outer case 40,
Even when the abutting state between the flange portion 39e of the inner case 39 and the upper end portion of the outer case 40 is poor, the forming distortion of the outer case 40 is corrected by performing screw tightening while appropriately correcting the forming distortion of the outer case 40 by an external force. Can be firmly fixed in a proper butted state in which the case is corrected, and the sealing performance at the butted portion between the cases does not decrease.

[0016]

However, in the electronic unit box 38 shown in FIG. 9, mounting feet 39f for screw fixing integrally formed with the inner case 39 made of aluminum die-casting are provided at the upper end of the inner case 39. In this case, the size of the die-cast product is increased due to the size of the die-cast product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to efficiently cool an electronic unit, and to prevent an increase in the size of a metal inner case which causes an increase in weight and cost. It is to provide a good electronic unit box that can do.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an internal case for accommodating and holding an electronic unit in a unit accommodating chamber having an open top, and to accommodate and retain the internal case in a case accommodating chamber having an open top. A peripheral wall of the case accommodating chamber includes an outer case that forms a space through which the refrigerant flows around the inner case, and the refrigerant flows from a refrigerant supply port communicating with the space to a refrigerant discharge port, whereby the unit accommodating chamber is formed. In the electronic unit box that cools the electronic unit housed in the case, the outer case made of synthetic resin is a case holding portion that regulates displacement of a lower portion of the inner case inserted into the case housing chamber in a direction intersecting the insertion direction. The metal inner case has a fixed flange portion provided at an upper open end in close contact with an upper open edge of the outer case and is fastened together. Is the is achieved by an electronic unit box, characterized in that.

According to the above configuration, the metal inner case is restricted from being displaced in the direction intersecting the insertion direction by the case holding portion of the outer case, and the fixed flange provided at the upper open end. The part is fixed to the upper open edge of the outer case by being jointly fastened with screws or the like. Therefore, the inner case is tightly attached to the butted portion with the upper open edge of the outer case, and the fixed flange portion that closes the case accommodating chamber is jointly fastened. I do. Further, the lower part of the inner case opposite to the fixed flange part is restricted from being displaced by the case pressing part, so that the lateral vibration can be suppressed efficiently.

Therefore, for example, even when molding distortion or the like occurs in the outer case and the abutting state of the fixed flange portion of the inner case and the upper open edge of the outer case is bad, the fixed flange portion having the abutting surface is fastened together. Therefore, the external case can be firmly fixed while appropriately correcting molding distortion and the like by the tightening force. Further, the inner case, whose lower part is regulated by the case holding part of the outer case, is housed and held in the case housing chamber by simply fastening the fixed flange provided at the upper open end together with the upper open edge of the outer case. Therefore, there is no need to extend and fix a part of the fixed flange portion to a fixed portion such as a vehicle body, and the size of the inner case does not increase.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an electronic unit box according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electronic unit box according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electronic unit box shown in FIG. 1 with an outer case cover removed,
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the electronic unit box shown in FIG.

Electronic unit box 45 of the present embodiment
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the electronic unit 3 for controlling the operation of the engine and the brake of the vehicle is accommodated in the unit accommodation room 4 for accommodating the electronic unit 3.
7a, an outer case 49 for accommodating and holding the inner case 47 in a case housing chamber 49a having an open upper part, and an outer case cover 51 for covering the upper part of the outer case 49. For example, like the electronic unit box 1 shown in FIG. 6, it is installed in the engine room 13 of the vehicle.

The outer case 49 and the outer case cover 51 of the present embodiment are both made of synthetic resin having high heat resistance, while the inner case 47 is made of aluminum die-cast having better heat conductivity than synthetic resin. . The inner case 47 includes:
The electronic unit 3 is placed in the unit accommodation room 47a whose upper part is open.
The bottomed cylindrical peripheral wall 47b constituting the unit housing chamber 47a is inserted from above into a case housing chamber 49a of an outer case 49 described later.

The inner case 47 of the present embodiment is provided with a fixed flange portion 47d extending laterally at an upper open end where the unit accommodating chamber 47a opens. Further, screw fixing portions 47c arranged diagonally are connected to the fixing flange portion 47d as shown in FIG.
The outer case 49 is inserted along the insertion direction of the inner case 47.
A screw member 53 hanging vertically from an upper open edge of the first member is inserted.

Therefore, the fixing flange portion 47d of the inner case 47 is tightened with a nut member (not shown) to the screw member 53 inserted through the screw fixing portion 47c.
It is fastened to the upper open edge of the outer case 49 together. And
A seal member 57 is attached to the lower surface 55 of the fixed flange portion 47d, which is a portion where the upper flange of the outer case 49 abuts on the upper open edge, and is formed around the inner case 47 by the peripheral wall 49b of the case housing chamber 49a. 59 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the outer case 49, a peripheral wall 49b forms a space 59 around which the cooling air as a refrigerant flows around the inner case 47, and at an appropriate position on the peripheral wall 49b, A refrigerant supply port 61 and a refrigerant discharge port 62 communicating with the space 59 are provided. The case storage chamber 4a is provided in the case storage chamber 49a of the outer case 49.
Case holding portions 64, 64 are provided to sandwich the lower portion of the inner case 47 inserted into the insertion direction 9a from the direction intersecting the insertion direction and restrict the lower portion of the inner case 47 from displacing in the direction intersecting the insertion direction. ing.

First, when the inner case 47 is inserted into the case accommodating chamber 49a of the outer case 49, the lower part of the inner case 47 is sandwiched by the case pressing portions 64, 64 in a direction intersecting the insertion direction ( (Left and right directions in FIG. 1)
And the lower surface 55 of the fixed flange portion 47d is in close contact with the upper open edge of the outer case 49. At this time, on the lower surface 55 of the fixed flange portion 47d,
Since the seal member 57 is mounted, the space between the lower surface 55 of the fixed flange portion 47d and the upper open edge of the outer case 49 is tightly closed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the electronic unit box 45 of this embodiment is configured such that a nut member (not shown) is tightened to the screw member 53 inserted into the screw fixing portion 47c of the inner case 47. The fixed flange portion 47d is fastened to the upper open edge of the outer case 49 together, and the tightening force efficiently acts as a close contact force on the fixed flange portion 47d.
The inner case 47 has a lower portion on the opposite side to the fixed flange portion 47d whose displacement is regulated by the case pressing portions 64, 64, thereby effectively suppressing lateral (left and right in FIG. 1) vibrations. Can be.

Therefore, for example, the outer case 4 made of synthetic resin
9, even when the fixed flange portion 47d of the inner case 47 and the upper open edge of the outer case 49 are badly abutted against each other, the fixed flange portion 47d having the butted surface is fastened together, so that the The case 49 can be firmly fixed while appropriately correcting the molding distortion and the like by the tightening force.

The inner case 47, whose lower portion is regulated by the case holding portions 64, 64 of the outer case 49, fastens the fixed flange portion 47 d provided at the upper open end to the upper open edge of the outer case 49. Just case storage room 4
9a, the fixed flange portion 47d
There is no need to extend and fix a part of the inner case 47 to a portion to be fixed such as a vehicle body, and the inner case 47 made of aluminum die-cast does not increase in size.

Then, the above-mentioned electronic unit box 4
5, a peripheral wall 49 b forming a case accommodating chamber 49 a of the outer case 49 defines a space 59 through which cooling air flows around the inner case 47. The heat radiation effect by the flowing cooling air can be obtained.

That is, the outer case 49 is made of synthetic resin having poor heat conductivity, while the inner case 47 is made of aluminum die-cast having good heat conductivity. On the other hand, the outer case 49 and the space 59 defined around the inner case 47 exhibit excellent heat insulating properties. On the other hand, for the housed electronic unit 3, the inner case 47 having a high thermal conductivity absorbs the heat transmitted from the electronic unit 3 to the inner case 47 and simultaneously radiates the heat to the cooling air flowing into the space 59.
The temperature of the electronic unit 3 can be prevented from rising.

In addition, according to the electronic unit box 45 of this embodiment, the fixing flange portion 47 of the inner case 47 is provided.
The d and the upper open edge of the outer case 49 are firmly fixed in a proper abutting state, and a good sealing property at the abutting portion between the cases can be secured. Therefore, good heat insulation of the space 59 can be ensured, and problems such as leakage of cooling air flowing into the space 59 can be prevented. Heat is radiated well, and the electronic unit 3 can be efficiently cooled. Moreover, the inner case 4 made of aluminum die-cast, which causes weight increase and cost increase
7, the size is prevented from increasing, and the cost can be reduced.

It should be noted that the electronic unit box of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, but may take various forms based on the spirit of the present invention. For example, the material of the inner case in the electronic unit box of the present invention may be a metal material having better thermal conductivity than a synthetic resin, and is not limited to the aluminum alloy described in the above embodiment, and may include other metal materials. Can be used.

[0035]

According to the electronic unit box of the present invention, the lower portion of the metal inner case is restricted from being displaced in the direction intersecting the insertion direction by the case holding portion of the outer case, and the upper open end portion. Is fixed to the upper open edge of the outer case by being fastened together with screws or the like. Therefore, the inner case is tightly attached to the butted portion with the upper open edge of the outer case, and the fixed flange portion that closes the case accommodating chamber is jointly fastened. I do. Further, the lower part of the inner case opposite to the fixed flange part is restricted from being displaced by the case pressing part, so that the lateral vibration can be suppressed efficiently.

Therefore, for example, even when molding distortion or the like occurs in the outer case and the butted state of the fixed flange portion of the inner case and the upper open edge of the outer case is bad, the fixed flange portion having the butted surface is fastened together. Therefore, the external case can be firmly fixed while appropriately correcting molding distortion and the like by the tightening force. Further, the inner case, whose lower part is regulated by the case holding part of the outer case, is housed and held in the case housing chamber by simply fastening the fixed flange provided at the upper open end together with the upper open edge of the outer case. Therefore, there is no need to extend and fix a part of the fixed flange portion to a fixed portion such as a vehicle body, and the size of the inner case does not increase. That is, it is possible to provide a good electronic unit box that can efficiently cool the electronic unit and that can prevent an increase in the size of the metal inner case which causes an increase in weight and cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electronic unit box according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electronic unit box shown in FIG. 1 with an outer case cover removed.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the electronic unit box shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional electronic unit box.

5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the electronic unit box shown in FIG. 4 in an assembled state.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an arrangement of electronic unit boxes on a vehicle.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of another conventional electronic unit box.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the electronic unit box shown in FIG. 7 in an assembled state.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of yet another conventional electronic unit box.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Electronic unit 45 Electronic unit box 47 Inner case 47a Unit accommodation room 47c Screw fixing part 47d Fixing flange part 49 External case 49a Case accommodation room 53 Screw member 57 Seal member 59 Space 61 Refrigerant supply port 62 Refrigerant discharge port 64 Case holding part

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shunsaku Takeuchi 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor Corporation F-term (reference) 4E360 AB13 AB59 EA03 ED02 ED03 ED27 GA24 GA28 GA52 GA53 GB92 GC04 GC08

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An internal case for accommodating and holding an electronic unit in a unit accommodating chamber having an open top, and an internal case for accommodating and holding the internal case in a case accommodating chamber having an open top. An external case forming a space through which a refrigerant flows around the electronic unit box, wherein the electronic unit box cools an electronic unit housed in the unit housing chamber by flowing a refrigerant from a refrigerant supply port communicating with the space to a refrigerant discharge port. In the above, the outer case made of synthetic resin has a case holding portion that regulates displacement of a lower portion of the inner case inserted into the case housing chamber in a direction intersecting with the insertion direction, The electronic unit is characterized in that a fixed flange portion provided at an upper open end is tightly fixed together with an upper open edge of the outer case. Box.