JP2006274872A - Functional component for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a functional component for a vehicle with small outside dimensions and enabling the free setting of the installation position of a measuring means. <P>SOLUTION: This functional component for the vehicle comprises the measuring means 13 for measuring characteristic values for controlling the vehicle, an operation part 11 operated based on the characteristics measured by the measuring means 13, and a housing supporting the operating part 11. The electric wiring 15 of the measuring means 13 is formed by insert-molding in the housing 10 of the operation part 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle including a measuring unit for measuring a characteristic value for vehicle control, an operating unit that operates based on the characteristic value measured by the measuring unit, and a housing that supports the operating unit. Related to functional parts.

Examples of this type of functional component include those described in Patent Document 1 below.
In this Patent Document 1, as a functional component, a water temperature sensor (measuring means) for measuring the temperature of engine cooling water and a flow path of the cooling water are changed according to the value of the water temperature measured by the water temperature sensor. The thermostat case (functional part) provided with the thermostat (operation | movement part which acts as a switching valve) to perform, and the housing which supports a thermostat is described.

  In the thermostat case described in Patent Document 1, a thermostat opening for mounting a thermostat and a water temperature sensor opening for mounting a water temperature sensor are provided on the flange of the thermostat case. For this reason, a thermostat and a water temperature sensor can be arranged in the same direction and attached to a thermostat case. In addition, the thermostat case has an opening for the thermostat and an opening for the water temperature sensor juxtaposed in the same direction, so that the thermostat case mold is simplified and the number of processing steps is reduced. It is written that.

Another example of this type of functional component is described in Patent Document 2 below.
The functional component described here is an engine water housing, and a temperature detector is disposed in a mounting hole formed in the water housing made of synthetic resin. And the case part which accommodated the thermistor among temperature detectors is comprised with the metal pipe which protruded in the cooling water channel, and the one side of the thermistor electrode is connected to the metal pipe. Inside the case portion, a low-power thermistor that functions as a water temperature sensor and a high-power thermistor that functions as a water temperature gauge are spaced apart so as not to affect each other thermally.

Japanese Patent No. 3582551 (paragraph numbers 0017, 0021, FIG. 1) JP-A-9-170954 (paragraph number 0014, FIG. 1)

  In the functional part described in Patent Document 1, since the opening for attaching the thermostat and the opening for attaching the water temperature sensor are juxtaposed in the same direction, the mold of the thermostat case is simplified, and the number of processing steps is reduced. Is obtained, but a thermostat opening that attaches a thermostat (operation part) and a water temperature sensor opening that attaches a water temperature sensor (measuring means) leave a partition wall on the flange of the thermostat case Since each is provided in a form, there is a problem that the thermostat case is enlarged.

In the functional part described in Patent Document 2, an opening for attaching a water temperature sensor is provided in a part of the housing, and a water temperature sensor assembled in a separate process is inserted into the molded housing. Locked and assembled. The structure of the water temperature sensor includes a thermistor, which is a temperature-sensitive measuring unit, having components that require a large physique such as a connector portion, a lead wire holding portion, and a flange portion, and the component parts are completed by a resin molding process. ing. Moreover, the flange opposing part which is a latching | locking part is installed in the other party housing.
Furthermore, the installation location of the water temperature sensor that is integrally provided with the connector needs to secure an installation / removal work space for an in-vehicle harness (electrical wiring) that is connected to the ECU in the vehicle compartment during assembly / maintenance inspection in the in-vehicle state.
For the above reasons, in the conventional water temperature sensor configuration, the installation position is limited due to restrictions such as the size of the main body / mounting part and connector attachment / detachment work space, etc., and the most suitable location for measuring the physical property values of the object There was a problem that it was difficult to arrange freely. In addition, the above-described configuration has a problem in that the process for assembling the water temperature sensor itself and the housing is complicated, which requires man-hours and costs.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a functional component that requires a smaller external dimension in view of the above-described drawbacks of the functional component according to the conventional technology. Another object of the present invention is to provide a functional component that can set the installation position of the measuring means more freely.

A first characteristic configuration of the present invention includes a measuring unit for measuring a characteristic value for vehicle control, an operating unit that operates based on the characteristic value measured by the measuring unit, and a housing that supports the operating unit A functional part for a vehicle equipped with
The electrical wiring of the measuring means is in an insert formation in the housing of the operating part.

  In the functional component according to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, since the electric wiring of the measuring means is embedded in the housing of the operation unit by insert formation, an effect that the outer dimension of the functional component can be reduced is obtained. For this reason, there are less restrictions on the installation position of the measuring means, and the effect is obtained that the measuring means can be relatively freely arranged at the most suitable place for measuring the characteristic value of the measurement object. For example, if a long electric wiring is inserted into the housing, even if it is difficult to retrofit the electric wiring, the measuring element portion of the measuring means can be arranged at the place where measurement is most desired.

  In addition, there is no need to retrofit the electrical wiring of the measuring means. For example, after attaching the measuring means to the housing, there is no need to route the electrical wiring from the terminal of the measuring means to the connector for the measuring means. The effect that the assembly man-hour at the time of assembling is reduced can be obtained.

According to a second characteristic configuration of the present invention, a connector portion for connecting the electric wiring to a vehicle control portion is integrally formed with the housing.
Thus, if the connector part is integrally formed with the housing, it is not necessary to provide the connector part separately from the housing, so that the external dimensions of the functional component can be reduced. Furthermore, the effect that the number of assembling steps of the functional component itself can be reduced.

A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is that an attachment portion is formed in the housing for mounting the measurement element portion of the measurement means from the outside of the housing and conducting the connection with the electric wiring.
If the attachment portion of the measurement element portion is formed in advance as in this configuration, the attachment operation of the measurement element portion is simplified. Moreover, if it is the structure which retrofits a measurement element part, it can prevent that a measurement element part is damaged by a heat | fever or a mechanical impact at the time of shaping | molding of a housing.

A fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention is that means for regulating a relative position between the terminal of the measuring element portion and the mounting portion of the housing is formed.
With this configuration, when retrofitting the measurement element portion of the measurement means to the molded housing, the terminal of the measurement element portion is installed at a predetermined position with respect to the electrical wiring provided in the housing. Can do. For this reason, for example, since the conduction state of both is ensured, the assembly of the measurement element unit can be easily performed.

A fifth characteristic configuration of the present invention is that a measuring element portion of the measuring means is also integrally formed with the housing.
Thus, if not only the electrical wiring of the measuring means but also the measuring element portion of the measuring means are integrally formed in the housing, the assembly of the functional parts is further simplified.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an engine cooling apparatus 1 using functional parts according to the present invention. The engine cooling device 1 includes a cooling water passage 2 including a water jacket passage 3 a of the engine 3, a radiator 4 interposed in a part of the passage 2, and a water pump that creates a circulating flow of cooling water inside the passage 2. 5 and the cooling water flow path is switched between the main flow path 2a passing through the radiator 4 and the sub flow path 2b bypassing the radiator 4 in accordance with the temperature condition of the cooling water or the like. A flow path control device 6 (thermostat) for adjusting the flow rate is included.

(First embodiment)
Below, the case where the functional component of this invention is a water pump is shown.
As shown in FIG. 2, the water pump 5 includes a synthetic resin housing 10 and a rotor 11 (an example of an operation unit) that is rotatably supported inside the housing 10. Further, the housing 10 is integrally provided with a water temperature sensor 13 (an example of a measuring means) that measures the temperature of the cooling water sent from the engine 3. The rotor 11 is rotationally driven by a coil 12 provided inside the housing 10 at a rotational speed based on the value of the water temperature measured by the water temperature sensor 13.

  The housing 10 is formed by injection molding resin into a mold. At the time of this molding, the coil 12 and the electrical wiring 15 of the water temperature sensor 13 are insert-formed in the housing 10. At the same time, a connector 16a (terminal arrangement component) for connecting the electrical wiring 15 to the control CPU unit 17 and a connector 16b for connecting the control CPU unit 17 to the ECU 100 of the vehicle are also integrally formed with the housing 10.

  Further, when the housing 10 is injection molded, a thermistor 19 for detecting the temperature of the coil 12 is formed in the vicinity of the connector portion 16 a of the housing 10. In this case, at the same time, the two terminals 19a and 19b of the thermistor 19 are also insert-formed so that the free end side protrudes into the connector portion 16a. When the control CPU unit 17 is fitted into the housing 10 after the molding is finished and the mold is removed, the terminals 19 a and 19 b of the thermistor 19 are electrically connected to the terminals of the control CPU unit 17.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the housing 10 is formed with a mounting recess 18 for the thermistor portion 13 a (an example of a measuring element portion) of the water temperature sensor 13. When the housing 10 is molded, the thermistor portion 13a is not attached, and the thermistor portion 13a is mounted from the outside to the right in FIG. 4 in the mounting recess 18 of the housing 10 after the molding is completed and removed from the mold.

  Two protrusions 14a and 14b protruding in a specific radial direction are formed on the outer periphery of the thermistor portion 13a. On the other hand, grooves 18a and 18b for receiving the protrusions 14a and 14b of the thermistor portion 13a are formed on a part of the outer periphery of the mounting recess 18. Therefore, when the thermistor portion 13a is pushed into the mounting recess 18 at an angle at which the protrusions 14a and 14b are inserted into the groove portions 18a and 18b, respectively, the lead wire of the thermistor portion 13a is electrically deformed through the elastic deformation. Since it is pressed and held at the end of the wiring 15, as shown in FIG. 4A, an electrical conduction state between the thermistor portion 13 a and the electrical wiring 15 is ensured. That is, the protrusions 14a and 14b and the grooves 18a and 18b regulate the relative position between the terminal of the thermistor portion 13a and the mounting recess 18 so that the electrical connection between the thermistor portion 13a and the electric wiring 15 is obtained. Functions as a means. After the thermistor portion 13a is inserted, the vicinity of the opening of the mounting recess 18 is thermally welded to the projections 14a, 14b, etc., thereby preventing the thermistor portion 13a from falling off and ensuring the sealing performance.

Thus, since the electrical wiring 15 of the water temperature sensor 13 (measurement means) is embedded in the housing 10 by insert formation, the physique of the water pump 5 (functional component) becomes small. In addition, there is no need to retrofit the electrical wiring 15 of the water temperature sensor 13, and after the water temperature sensor 13 is attached to the housing 10, a process such as routing the electrical wiring from the terminal of the water temperature sensor 13 to the connector becomes unnecessary. Assembling man-hours is reduced.
Furthermore, since the electrical wiring 15 of the water temperature sensor 13 is embedded in the housing 10 in advance, the installation position of the water temperature sensor 13 is less restricted, and the water temperature sensor 13 is more suitable for measuring the water temperature. Can be placed freely. Here, since the method of embedding the electrical wiring 15 of the water temperature sensor 13 in the housing 10 by insert formation is adopted, the thermistor portion 13a is referred to as the discharge port 5a side of the water pump 5 on the downstream side of the rotor 11. (Engine inlet side) It is possible to arrange in a place where it is difficult to arrange with a conventional configuration, such as a space between the water pump and the engine body. In other words, in this configuration, the cooling water sufficiently stirred by the rotor 11 passes in the vicinity of the thermistor portion 13 a, so that the water temperature sensor 13 is connected to the cooling water heated by the water jacket channel 3 a of the engine 3 and the radiator 4. The temperature of the cooling water that is well mixed with the sent cooling water can be accurately detected.

(Second Embodiment)
Below, the case where the functional component of this invention is a flow-path control apparatus which adjusts the circulation path of engine cooling water is shown.
As shown in FIG. 3, the flow path control device 6 includes a housing 20 made of synthetic resin and a thermostat 21 (an example of an operation unit) supported by the housing 20. The housing 20 is integrally provided with a water temperature sensor 23 (an example of a measuring unit) that measures the temperature of the cooling water returned from the radiator 4.
The housing 20 is connected to a main inlet pipe line 20a connected to the main flow path 2a downstream of the radiator 4 and a sub flow path 2b in which cooling water sent from the engine 3 or the water pump 5 flows bypassing the radiator 4. The secondary inlet pipe 20b and the outlet pipe 20c connected to the double path 2c upstream of the water pump 5 are provided in a branched tubular shape. Specifically, in the housing 20, the cooling water from the main inlet pipe line 20 a via the mixing control valve 32 and the auxiliary flow path 20 d (shown by a broken line) that bypasses the mixing control valve 32 from the sub inlet pipe line 20 b. The cooling water joins at the outlet pipe line 20c. Since the water temperature sensor 23 is disposed in the main inlet pipe line 20a immediately before the mixing control valve 32, the temperature of the cooling water from the radiator 4 flowing downstream of the mixing control valve 32 can be detected with high accuracy and speed. .

  The thermostat 21 is disposed adjacent to the sub inlet pipe 20b, and includes a temperature sensing part 30 filled with wax 30a, a support rod 31 extending from the inside of the temperature sensing part 30 toward the outlet pipe 20c, and a support. The mixing control valve 32 attached to the tip of the rod 31 and the electric heater 33 capable of forcibly heating the temperature sensing unit 30 are included. The mixing control valve 32 is supported so as to be displaceable between a closed posture in which the outlet pipe 20c is closed and an open posture in which the outlet pipe 20c is opened. While the temperature of the cooling water from the engine 3 is low, such as during normal engine startup, the mixing control valve 32 is held in a closed position by the compression coil spring 32a. On the other hand, when the temperature of the cooling water exceeds a predetermined value and the wax 30a of the temperature sensing unit 30 is thermally expanded and the support rod 31 is pushed out, the mixing control valve 32 is opened against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 32a. It becomes.

  In the flow path control device 6 of this configuration, the engine control water temperature can be finely adjusted by actively changing the opening of the mixing control valve 32. For example, when the accelerator of the vehicle is depressed and the engine operation is in a high load state, it is necessary to lower the engine control water temperature in order to prevent knocking and increase the intake air amount. In this apparatus, in such a case, the flow rate ratio of the low-temperature cooling water from the radiator is increased. That is, in this apparatus, the temperature of the cooling water downstream of the radiator is monitored by a water temperature sensor 23 arranged in the main inlet pipe 20a as shown in FIG. 3 together with an engine control water temperature sensor (not shown). The energization amount to be applied to the electric heater 33 is determined according to the temperature detection value. For example, when the cooling water temperature downstream of the radiator is low, the water temperature can be lowered to the control target water temperature by slightly increasing the flow rate ratio of the cooling water. In this case, the energization amount to be applied may be small. On the other hand, when the temperature downstream of the radiator is high, the control target water temperature is lowered by controlling the energization amount to increase the flow rate ratio of the cooling water.

The water temperature sensor 23 is attached to the housing 20 in the following manner, for example.
The housing 20 is formed by injection molding resin into a mold. At the time of molding, the thermostat 21, the electric heater 33, and the electric wiring 25 of the water temperature sensor 23 are formed in the housing 20 by insert formation. At the time of this injection molding, a connector part 26 (terminal arrangement constituent part) for connecting the electric wiring 25 of the water temperature sensor 23 and the electric wiring of the electric heater 33 to the ECU 100 of the vehicle is also integrally formed in the housing 20.

  Further, a mounting recess 28 for the thermistor portion 23a (an example of a measurement element portion) of the water temperature sensor 23 is formed in the main inlet pipe line 20a of the housing 20. When the housing 20 is molded, the thermistor portion 23a is not attached, and the thermistor portion 23a is mounted from the outside in the mounting recess 28 of the housing 20 after the molding is completed and removed from the mold.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the thermistor portion 23a includes a metal cap 23c having a cylindrical portion 23p closed at one end, a thermistor 23t housed at the tip of the cylindrical portion of the cap 23c, and a metal It consists of a disk-shaped first base part 23b. The cap 23c also serves as one terminal of the thermistor 23t, and the first base portion 23b also serves as the other terminal of the thermistor 23t. The cap 23c has a second base portion 23q that is bent at a right angle from the base end side of the cylindrical portion 23p and expands in a disk shape.

As shown in FIG. 6, after the housing 20 is removed from the mold, the cylindrical portion 23p of the cap 23c in which one lead wire of the thermistor 23t is joined to the through hole 28h formed in the vicinity of the center of the mounting recess 28 together with the thermistor 23t. When the first base portion 23b inserted and sandwiched between the insulating plates 27 and the other lead wire of the thermistor 23t is pressed against the end surface of the mounting recess 28, the first base portion 23b and the second base portion 23q are Each is electrically connected to two electrical wires 25. The cap 23c or the first base portion 23b may be joined to the lead wire of the thermistor 23t by soldering or fusing.
Finally, the resin cover plate 29 is fitted into the mounting recess 28, and the peripheral portion of the mounting recess 28 and the cover plate 29 are welded while the first base portion 23b is pressed. Thereby, the thermistor part 23a is mounted in a state in which the retaining and sealing properties are maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 5, an annular recess 28r inclined in a funnel shape is formed around the through hole 28h. When the thermistor portion 23a is attached, the rubber O-ring 24 is fitted on the circular outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 23p of the cap 23c and inserted into the through hole 28h. As a result, the O-ring 24 is sandwiched between the cylindrical portion 23p and the annular recess 28r, and cooling water is prevented from entering the vicinity of the electric wiring 25 from the gap between the housing 20 and the cylindrical portion 23p.

  Since the cooling water is usually mixed with LLC (long life coolant), the resin constituting the housing 10 of the water pump 5 and the housing 20 of the flow path control device 6 is ethylene glycol contained in the LLC. And by using a synthetic resin material that is impermeable to additives such as rust inhibitors, antioxidants, and antifoaming agents, such as PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), the rust prevention treatment of the inserted electrical wiring It is simplified.

  In addition, the material used at the time of shaping | molding of the housing 10 of the water pump 5 and the housing 20 of the flow-path control apparatus 6 is not necessarily a resin, For example, an electrical wiring is coat | covered with resin and other insulating materials, a metal etc. Insert molding may be performed using the conductive material.

  The present invention includes a measuring means for measuring a characteristic value for vehicle control, such as a water temperature detecting means, an operating part that operates based on the characteristic value measured by the measuring means, and a housing that supports the operating part. It can be used as a functional component for a vehicle, such as a water pump for cooling water or a flow path control device. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a functional component that has a smaller outer dimension and that can easily place the measuring means at an optimal location. The measuring means is not limited to the water temperature detecting means, but may be an air temperature detecting means, an oil temperature detecting means, or a detecting means for detecting characteristics other than temperature.

The schematic block diagram of the engine cooling device using the functional component by this invention Partially cutaway side view of a water pump used in an engine cooling device Partially cutaway side view of a flow path control device used in an engine cooling device Schematic showing the thermistor section of the water pump Schematic showing the thermistor part of the flow path control device Exploded view of the thermistor part of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine cooling device 2 Cooling water channel | path 3 Engine 4 Radiator 5 Water pump 10 Housing 11 Rotor (operation | movement part)
12 Coils (operation part)
13 Water temperature sensor (measuring means)
14 Projection 15 Electric wiring 16a Connector portion 17 Control CPU unit 18 Groove portion 19 Thermistor 18 Mounting recess 6 Flow path control device 20 Housing 21 Thermostat (operation portion)
23 Water temperature sensor (measuring means)
30 Wax case (operation part)
31 Support rod (operation part)
32 Mixing control valve (operation part)
33 Electric heater (operation part)
100 ECU

Claims (5)

A functional component for a vehicle, comprising: a measuring unit for measuring a characteristic value for vehicle control; an operating unit that operates based on the characteristic value measured by the measuring unit; and a housing that supports the operating unit. Because
A functional part for a vehicle in which an electrical wiring of the measuring means is inserted in the housing of the operating portion.   The functional part for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a connector part for connecting the electric wiring to a control part of the vehicle is formed integrally with the housing.   The functional part for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an attachment portion for mounting the measurement element portion of the measurement means from the outside of the housing and conducting with the electric wiring is formed on the housing.   The functional component for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein means for regulating a relative position between the terminal of the measurement element portion and the attachment portion is formed.   The functional component for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a measuring element portion of the measuring means is also formed integrally with the housing.

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