JP2004220890A - Waterproof structure of electric unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waterproof structure of an electric unit composed of electric parts mounted on an electric case so as to block an opening thereof, preventing water permeation in the electric case with a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: A separation wall 28, surrounding a peripheral part where a plate-shaped terminal 13 of a power supply side connector housing 9 penetrates toward the inside of a case main body 5 so as to separate the peripheral part from an inner space K of the case main body, is arranged on the case main body 5 of the electric case 2 having the power supply side connector housing 9 which can be electrically connected to the external electric parts, and a sealing member S is filled in a surrounding part 29 formed by the separation wall 28. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a waterproof structure of an electrical unit in which an electrical component is attached to an electrical case so as to close an opening thereof.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a waterproof structure of an electrical component unit in which electrical components are attached to an electrical component case so as to close an opening thereof, for example, the entirety of the electrical component attached to the electrical component case is covered with a sealing member to open the electrical component case. Some parts are sealed. When the electrical case is provided with a harness or the like that can be electrically connected to external components, a portion around the harness in the electrical case is sealed with a sealing material or the like, and the electrical component attached to the electrical case and the harness The connection portion with the connector provided at the tip is also sealed with a sealing material or the like (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-184514
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-mentioned conventional waterproof structure of the electric unit, there is a problem that covering the entire surface of the electric component with the sealing member increases the weight and cost of the electric unit. In addition, when the electrical case includes electrical components such as a harness that can be electrically connected to external components, the waterproof structure around the electrical components can be simplified, but the waterproof structure of the electrical case itself can be achieved. Is complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof structure of an electrical component unit in which an electrical component is attached to an electrical component case so as to close an opening thereof, and to prevent water from entering the electrical component case with a simple configuration.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a means for solving the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 provides an electric component (for example, the electric case 2 in the embodiment) so that the opening (for example, the opening 3 in the embodiment) is closed by the electric component (for example, the opening 3). For example, the waterproof structure of the electrical unit to which the circuit board 4) according to the embodiment is attached, which has a connector portion (for example, the power supply side connector housing 9 according to the embodiment) that can be electrically connected to external electrical components. In the case body of the electrical case (for example, the case body 5 in the embodiment), the periphery of a portion where the terminal of the connector part (for example, the plate-like terminal 13 in the embodiment) penetrates inside the case body is defined as the internal space of the case body. A partition wall (for example, the partition wall 28 in the embodiment) that surrounds the partition wall is provided, and a portion surrounded by the partition wall (for example, the partition wall in the embodiment). Providing a waterproof structure of the electrical unit, characterized in that filled with sealing members S) in the sealing member (e.g. embodiment the enclosure 29).
[0006]
According to the waterproof structure of the electrical unit, a portion where the terminal of the connector portion penetrates inside the case body can be sealed by filling the surrounding portion defined by the partition wall with the sealing member. In addition, since the connector part is provided on the case body, a connector or a harness connected to the outside of the electric component that closes the opening of the electrical component case becomes unnecessary, and it is only necessary to seal the boundary between the electric component and the case body. The opening may be sealed.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, an electrical component (for example, a circuit board in the embodiment) is closed so that an opening (for example, the opening 3 in the embodiment) is closed in the electrical case (for example, the electrical case 2 in the embodiment). 4) A waterproof structure of an electrical unit to which the electrical unit is attached, wherein the electrical case has the opening and a busbar (for example, the busbar 12 in the embodiment) is provided on a bottom wall (for example, the bottom wall 7 in the embodiment). A case main body (for example, the case main body 5 in the embodiment) to be inserted, and a heat sink (for example, the heat sink 6 in the embodiment) mounted on the bottom wall of the case main body. For accommodating an insert portion (e.g., the insert portion 30 in the embodiment) into which a hole is inserted (for example, The accommodating portion 27 in the embodiment is provided, and a gap between the insert portion and the accommodating portion (eg, the gap 37 in the embodiment) is filled with a sealing member (eg, the sealing member S in the embodiment). And a waterproof structure for the electrical unit.
[0008]
According to the waterproof structure of the electric unit, the electric case is divided into the case body and the heat sink, so that the degree of freedom of design of the case body is increased, and the modularization such as inserting a bus bar into the case body is facilitated. By filling the sealing member in the gap formed between the insert portion and the heat sink accommodating portion on the bottom wall of the main body, various bus bars formed on the insert portion are exposed for convenience of manufacturing the case main body. The hole can be sealed, and the insert part and the heat sink can be insulated.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector unit (for example, a power supply side connector housing in the embodiment) in which the case main body can be electrically connected to an external electrical component on a peripheral wall (for example, the front wall 8 in the embodiment). 9), and the case body includes a partition wall surrounding a portion where the terminal of the connector portion (for example, the plate-like terminal 13 in the embodiment) penetrates inside the case body so as to be separated from the internal space of the case body. For example, it is assumed that the partition 28 in the embodiment is provided, the surrounding portion (for example, the surrounding portion 29 in the embodiment) by the partition communicates with the gap, and the sealing member is filled in the surrounding and the gap. A waterproof structure for an electrical component unit according to claim 2 is provided.
[0010]
According to the waterproof structure of the electrical unit, a portion where the terminal of the connector portion penetrates inside the case body can be sealed by filling the surrounding portion defined by the partition wall with the sealing member. At this time, since the surrounding portion communicates with the gap, the surrounding portion and the gap can be simultaneously filled with the sealing member. In addition, since the connector is provided in the case body, the configuration of the electrical component can be simplified, and the opening can be sealed only by sealing the boundary between the electrical component and the case body.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle electrical unit (hereinafter simply referred to as an electrical unit) such as a regulator according to the present invention, and a circuit board (electric component) 4 is attached to an electrical case 2 so as to close the opening 3 thereof. It is attached integrally from above and configured integrally.
[0012]
The electrical case 2 is divided into a case body 5 formed of an insulating resin and a heat sink 6 made of an aluminum alloy.
The case main body 5 is formed in a flat and substantially box shape, an opening 3 to which a circuit board 4 is attached is formed at an upper part, and a heat sink 6 is attached to a bottom wall 7 from below. A power supply connector housing (connector portion) 9 electrically connectable to external electrical components is provided on a front wall (peripheral wall) 8 of the case body 5, and a pair of output connector housings are provided on a rear wall 10 of the case body 5. 11, 11 are each formed integrally with the case body 5.
[0013]
A plurality of busbars 12 made of a conductive metal plate are insert-molded on the bottom wall 7 of the case body 5 (see FIG. 4), and a desired circuit network is formed in the bottom wall 7 by these busbars 12. Each bus bar 12 is electrically connected to a plurality of plate terminals 13 provided in the power supply side connector housing 9, and a plurality of connection terminals 14 are erected from each bus bar 12 upward from the bottom wall 7. ing. Each of the connection terminals 14 is electrically connected to a predetermined portion of the circuit board 4 attached to the case main body 5 to form an electric circuit of the electrical component unit 1. The plurality of output terminals 15 of the output-side connector housings 11 penetrating the inside of the case main body 5 are erected upward through a pedestal portion 16 provided on the rear wall 10 and electrically connected to the circuit board 4. It can be connected to.
[0014]
The circuit board 4 is formed by mounting various electrical components (not shown) on one surface of a substrate 17 made of a single layer or a multilayer substrate, and accommodates the various electrical components in the internal space K of the case body 5. Is mounted on the case body 5 with the mounting surface facing downward. A plurality of support columns 18 are erected in the case main body 5, and the mounting pins 19 formed on each of the support columns 18 are inserted into mounting holes 20 formed in the substrate 17 correspondingly to these columns. The circuit board 4 is attached to the main body 5. The opening 3 of the case main body 5 is closed by the substrate 17 of the circuit board 4, and the opening 3 is sealed by sealing the boundary between the substrate 17 and the case main body 5.
[0015]
The heat sink 6 is formed in a substantially plate shape that is aligned with the bottom wall 7 of the case body 5, and a plurality of heat radiation fins 21 are provided on the lower surface side. A groove 22 is provided around the entire periphery of the upper surface of the heat sink 6, and this groove 22 is aligned with a bead 23 provided on the lower surface of the bottom wall 7 of the case body 5. . At both edges 24 of the heat sink 6 corresponding to both side walls of the case body 5, mounts 25 for fixing the electrical unit 1 to a vehicle body or the like are appropriately provided. On the upper surface 26 of the heat sink 6, a housing portion 27 for housing a portion of the bottom wall 7 of the case main body 5 into which the bus bar 12 is inserted is recessed.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of plate-shaped terminals 13 provided in the power supply side connector housing 9 of the case main body 5 penetrate the front wall 8 inside the case main body 5, and each of the busbars 12 inserted into the bottom wall 7. They are electrically connected (see FIG. 4). The periphery of the portion where each plate-shaped terminal 13 penetrates inside the case main body 5 is surrounded by a partition wall 28, and the surrounding portion 29 defined by the partition wall 28 is in a state of being isolated from the internal space K of the case main body 5. .
[0017]
Assuming that the portion of the bottom wall 7 where the bus bar 12 is inserted is the insert portion 30, the insert portion 30 is located near the middle of both side walls of the case body 5 and from below the surrounding portion 29 to the output terminal 15 of the output side connector housing 11. Are provided over a range up to the vicinity of the pedestal portion 16 that supports Further, the insert portion 30 is formed so as to increase its thickness downward as compared with the general portion 31 on the bottom wall 7 because the bus bar 12 is inserted. Then, in a state where the heat sink 6 is mounted on the case body 5, the insert portion 30 is housed in the housing portion 27 which is recessed on the upper surface 26 of the heat sink 6. At this time, the general portion 31 of the bottom wall 7 is substantially in contact with the upper surface 26 of the heat sink 6, so that a predetermined gap is formed between the insert portion 30 and the housing portion 27 (see FIG. 4).
[0018]
Here, at the time of manufacturing the case body 5, since the bus bar 12 to be inserted is formed while being held by the plurality of holding pins in the molding die, the insert portion 30 remains at a portion corresponding to the holding pin. A plurality of holes 32 will be formed. Further, due to the workability at the time of manufacturing the case main body 5, the molding is performed in a state where the adjacent bus bars 12 are connected. However, after forming the case main body 5, the connecting portion of the bus bar 12 is cut and a desired circuit is formed. A plurality of working holes 33 for forming a net are formed at predetermined portions of the insert portion 30. A part of the bus bar 12 is exposed inside the remaining hole 32 and the working hole 33.
[0019]
The general portion 31 of the bottom wall 7 is provided with a conductor exposed portion 34 for fixing a large current component such as an FET (Field Effect Transistor). The heat dissipation of high current components is improved. The upper surface 26 of the heat sink 6 is provided with a screw hole 35 for screwing the large current component with the conductor exposed portion 34 interposed therebetween (see FIG. 1).
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3, the insert portion 30 is provided with a communication port 36 for opening the surrounding portion 29 to the lower surface side of the insert portion 30. Further, the remaining holes 32 and the working holes 33 are similarly formed on the lower surface side of the insert portion 30, and each expose a part of the bus bar 12. Note that a part of the bus bar 12 is also exposed inside the communication port 36. The pedestal portion 16 supporting the output terminal 15 of the output side connector housing 11 is exposed on the lower surface side of the bottom wall 7 by an exposure hole provided in the bottom wall 7. The bead 23 is provided on the lower surface side of the bottom wall 7 in the vicinity of the peripheral edge over the entire periphery.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 4, the opening 3 of the case body 5 is closed by the board 17 of the circuit board 4, and the boundary between the case body 5 and the board 17 is sealed to be sealed. Further, the bead 23 of the case body 5 and the groove 22 of the heat sink 6 are aligned with a sealing material or the like interposed therebetween, whereby the space between the case body 5 and the heat sink 6 is sealed. Then, the portion of the power supply side connector housing 9 where the plate-like terminal 13 penetrates inside the case body 5 can be sealed by filling the enclosing portion 29 defined by the partition wall 28 with the sealing member S. . The sealing member S is made of, for example, epoxy-based soft rubber or soft resin and has insulation and waterproof properties. The sealing member S in a flowing state is poured into the surrounding portion 29 and then cured to seal a predetermined portion. It stops.
[0022]
In addition, the gap 37 between the insert portion 30 and the housing portion 27 defined by the housing portion 27 communicates with the surrounding portion 29 through the communication port 36 provided in the insert portion 30, and thus the sealing member is attached to the surrounding portion 29. By pouring in the S, the gap 37 can be filled with the sealing member S. By filling the gap portion 37 with the sealing member S, the lower surface side of the insert portion 30 is covered with the sealing member S and the insert portion 30 and the housing portion 27 can be insulated. Since the general portion 31 of the bottom wall 7 is substantially in contact with the upper surface 26 of the heat sink 6, the sealing member S does not flow out of the gap portion 37.
[0023]
According to the above-described embodiment, in the electrical component unit 1, the circuit board 4 is mounted so as to accommodate various electric-related components in the case main body 5, and the board 17 closes the opening 3 of the case main body 5, The opening 3 can be sealed only by the seal at the boundary between the substrate 17 and the case main body 5. In addition, a portion of the power supply side connector housing 9 where the plate-like terminal 13 penetrates inside the case body 5 can be sealed by filling the surrounding portion 29 defined by the partition wall 28 with the sealing member S. The space between the case body 5 and the heat sink 6 can be sealed by aligning the bead 23 and the groove 22.
[0024]
Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent water and dust from entering the case main body 5 without sealing the entire surface of the circuit board 4 with a sealing member or the like or adopting a waterproof structure for the power supply side connector housing 9. Thus, it is possible to maintain the favorable operation of the electrical component unit 1 while suppressing the influence on the electrical components and the like accommodated in the case body 5.
[0025]
In addition, by filling the gap 37 between the insert portion 30 and the housing portion 27 with the sealing member S, the lower surface side of the insert portion 30 is covered with the sealing member S and the insert portion 30 and the housing portion 27 are insulated. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of dew condensation in the remaining holes 32 and the working holes 33 to cause a short circuit between the bus bars 12 and a short circuit between the bus bar 12 and the heat sink 6.
[0026]
Furthermore, since the surrounding portion 29 defined by the partition wall 28 and the gap portion 37 defined by the housing portion 27 are communicated through the communication port 36, the sealing member S can be simultaneously filled in two places, The man-hour for filling the stopper member S can be significantly reduced, problems due to the protrusion of the filling member S and the like can be suppressed, and the yield of the sealing member S can be improved.
[0027]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a portion where the output terminal 15 of the output side connector housing 11 penetrates inside the case body 5 may be sealed with the sealing member S. . Further, as the sealing member S, a sheet-like member may be bonded or a seal-like member may be used. Further, the electric components attached to the case main body 5 are not limited to the circuit boards, but may be accessory modules or the like. The electrical unit 1 in the above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and is not limited to the electrical unit for a vehicle, and it is needless to say that the electrical unit 1 can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the invention.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1, by filling the surrounding portion defined by the partition wall with the sealing member, it is possible to seal the portion where the terminal of the connector portion penetrates into the case body, Since the opening of the electrical case can be sealed only by sealing the boundary between the electrical component and the case body, the intrusion of water into the electrical case can be prevented with a simple configuration, and the good operation of the electrical unit The state can be maintained.
[0029]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the electrical case is divided into the case body and the heat sink, so that the degree of freedom of design of the case body is increased. Can be reduced. At this time, by filling the gap formed between the insert portion and the heat sink accommodating portion on the bottom wall of the case body with a sealing member, each hole in the manufacture of the insert portion is sealed and the space between the bus bars is formed. A short circuit can be prevented, and a short circuit between the insert portion and the heat sink can be prevented, so that a favorable operation state of the electrical unit can be maintained.
[0030]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the sealing member can be simultaneously filled in the gap defined by the surrounding portion, the insert portion, and the housing portion defined by the partition, and the number of manufacturing steps for the electrical unit can be reduced, and the connector can be reduced. Since the terminal of the part can penetrate the inside of the case body and can seal the opening of the electrical case only by sealing the boundary part between the electric component and the case body, the electrical case has a simple configuration Water can be prevented from entering the inside, and the good operation state of the electrical unit can be maintained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a case main body.
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the case body.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical unit 2 Electrical case 3 Opening 4 Circuit board (electric part)
5 Case body 6 Heat sink 7 Bottom wall 8 Front wall (peripheral wall)
9 Power supply side connector housing (connector part)
12 Bus bar 13 Plate terminal (terminal)
27 receiving part 28 partition wall 29 surrounding part 30 insert part 37 gap part S sealing member

Claims (3)

A waterproof structure of an electrical unit, wherein electrical components are attached to an electrical case so as to close an opening thereof,
A partition wall surrounding a case body of the electrical component case having a connector portion electrically connectable to an external electrical component so as to separate a periphery of a portion through which a terminal of the connector portion penetrates inside the case body from an internal space of the case body; And a sealing member is filled in a portion surrounded by the partition wall. A waterproof structure of an electrical unit, wherein electrical components are attached to an electrical case so as to close an opening thereof,
The electrical case includes a case main body having the opening and a bus bar inserted into a bottom wall thereof, and a heat sink attached to the bottom wall of the case main body.The bus bar of the bottom wall is inserted into the heat sink. A housing for accommodating the inserted part, wherein a sealing member is filled in a gap between the insert and the housing. The case main body has a connector portion on its peripheral wall that can be electrically connected to external electrical components, and the case main body has an internal space around the portion where the terminals of the connector portion penetrate inside the case main body. 3. The electrical component unit according to claim 2, wherein a partition wall surrounding the partition wall is provided, and the surrounding portion formed by the partition wall is communicated with the gap portion, and the surrounding portion and the gap portion are filled with the sealing member. 4. Waterproof structure.

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