JP2008189182A - On-vehicle electrical unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle electrical unit capable of making breathing function and water entering preventive function compatible while eliminating a shield case and attaining miniaturization and reduction of cost. <P>SOLUTION: In the on-vehicle electrical unit, an electric circuit board 5 is set in a case 1 and a breathing hole 8 for communicating a case inside space 6 with a case outside space 7 is opened on the case 1. A partition wall structure 9 is provided at a case inside position coincident with the breathing hole 8 of the case 1, and the partition wall structure 9 is made to a partition wall space 10 having the inside space communicated with the breathing hole 8. The partition wall space 10 is made to a means communicated with the case inside space 6 through a breathing opening 11 formed on the partition wall and communicated with the case outside space 7 through a water-discharge hole 12 opened on the case 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle electrical unit in which an electric circuit board is set in a case, and a breathing hole communicating with the case internal space and the case external space is opened in the case.

Conventionally, as an example of an in-vehicle electrical unit in which a breathing hole is opened in the case, the case is divided into an upper case and a lower case, the upper case has a breathing hole formed on the vehicle body mounting side, A vehicle outer mirror device in which a water drain hole is formed on the vehicle body mounting side, an eaves is formed in the upper part of the breathing hole, and each electric component constituting the drive circuit is arranged at an upper position than the joint surface of the lower case and the upper case Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-268159

  However, in the conventional outer mirror device for a vehicle, the breathing hole and the drainage hole are formed at positions away from the case, permitting the ingress of water from the breathing hole, and when the water has infiltrated, Because it is configured to prevent water from being accumulated in the case by discharging water from the hole, for example, it is a conventional configuration in an in-vehicle electrical unit where only an electric circuit board is set in the case, such as a radiator fan control unit Applying may cause a short circuit due to water intrusion from the breathing hole. In addition, in order to reduce short-circuiting, it is necessary to lay out each electrical component as far as possible in the upper part of the case with respect to the breathing hole and the drainage hole. In this case, there is a problem that the unit becomes large. It was.

  Thus, for example, in a radiator fan control unit or the like, the entire case having a breathing hole is covered with a shield case, so that both a breathing function and a water intrusion prevention function are achieved. However, in this case, there remains a problem that the additional setting of the shield case causes an increase in size and cost of the unit.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and provides an in-vehicle electrical unit capable of achieving both a breathing function and a water intrusion prevention function while eliminating the shield case and achieving compactness and cost reduction. With the goal.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, in the in-vehicle electrical unit in which an electric circuit board is set in the case, and a breathing hole communicating with the case internal space and the case external space is opened in the case.
Among the cases, a partition structure is provided at a position inside the case coinciding with the breathing hole,
The partition structure is a partition space whose internal space communicates with the breathing hole,
The partition space communicates with the case internal space through a breathing opening formed in the partition wall, and communicates with the case external space through a drainage hole opened in the case.

Therefore, in the in-vehicle electrical unit according to the present invention, a part of the space inside the case is a partition space, and a breathing function and a water intrusion prevention function are achieved through the partition space.
That is, when the outside air in the case outer space is sucked into the case inner space, the outside air is introduced into the case inner space through the breathing hole, the partition wall space, and the breathing opening. Further, when the inside air in the case internal space is discharged to the case outside space, the inside air is discharged to the case outside space through the breathing opening, the partition space and the breathing hole. Thereby, a respiratory function is achieved.
In addition, if water has entered from the breathing hole, the water that has entered the partition wall space is received immediately after the breathing hole without reaching the internal space of the case, and is passed through the drainage hole opened in the case. Drained outside the case. Thereby, the water intrusion prevention function to the case internal space is achieved.
As a result, the shield case can be eliminated, and both a breathing function and a water intrusion prevention function can be achieved while achieving compactness and cost reduction.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for realizing the in-vehicle electrical unit of the present invention will be described based on Example 1 shown in the drawings.

First, the configuration will be described.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a radiator to which a radiator fan control unit FCM (an example of an in-vehicle electrical unit) according to the first embodiment is attached. FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the radiator fan control unit FCM according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a front view of the mounted state, and FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the mounted state. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing an upper case of the radiator fan control unit FCM according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3A is a front view of the mounted state, and FIG. 3B is a bottom view of the mounted state. FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a lower case of the radiator fan control unit FCM according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A is a front view of the mounted state, and FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the mounted state. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the partition wall structure portion of the lower case of the radiator fan control unit FCM of the first embodiment. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5 showing an upper case and a lower case of the radiator fan control unit FCM according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the radiator fan control unit FCM according to the first embodiment attaches the case 1 to the rear surface position of the radiator 2 in the engine room (power unit room) in front of the vehicle, and the radiator fans 3 and 3 are installed in the case 1. An electric circuit board 5 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) on which an IC for controlling the fan motors 4 and 4 is mounted is set. The case 1 has a breathing hole 8 that communicates the case internal space 6 and the case external space 7 (= engine room).

In the radiator fan control unit FCM, a partition wall structure 9 is provided at a position inside the case that coincides with the breathing hole 8 in the case 1. The partition structure 9 is a partition space 10 whose internal space communicates with the breathing hole 8. The partition space 10 communicates with the case internal space 6 through a breathing opening 11 formed in the partition wall, and communicates with the case external space 7 through a drainage hole 12 opened in the case 1. Is adopted.
A specific configuration will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the case 1 is configured by a combination case including a lower case 1 a that houses an electric circuit board 7 and an upper case 1 b that closes an opening end surface of the lower case 11 in a watertight state.

  The upper case 1b has a breathing hole 8 and a labyrinth ridge 13 as shown in FIG.

  The breathing hole 8 is constituted by a pair of first breathing hole 8a and second breathing hole 8b which are opened adjacent to each other at a central lower position with the upper case 1b attached.

  The labyrinth ridge 13 is formed to protrude from the case surface at a position surrounding both the breathing holes 8a and 8b. And the labyrinth protrusion 13 is comprised by the 1st labyrinth protrusion 13a and the 2nd labyrinth protrusion 13b of the semicircle shape adjacent to concentric form.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lower case 1 a has a partition wall structure 9 and a drain hole 12.
In addition to the partition wall structure 9 and the drainage hole 12, the lower case 1a includes mounting flanges 14a and 14b for attaching the lower case 1a to the radiator 2, motor connectors 15 and 16 for connecting harnesses to the fan motors 5 and 6, and A power connector 17 connected to the power source and a support leg 18 supported away from the case mounting surface of the radiator 2 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the partition wall structure 9 includes three vertical walls 9a, 9b, and 9c that surround one side of the lower case 1a and extend from the upper end position of the case to a middle position of the case depth, A bottom wall 9d that closes the three vertical walls 9a, 9b, and 9c at the midpoint of the case depth. A breathing opening 11 having a slit structure is provided at the center of the vertical wall 9c. In the partition wall structure 9, a pair of first partition walls 9e and second partition walls 9f are provided upright on the bottom wall 9d.

  The drainage hole 12 is opened at a position on one side of the lower case 1a surrounded by the three vertical walls 9a, 9b, 9c and one bottom wall 9d. The drainage holes 12 are constituted by a pair of first drainage holes 12a and second drainage holes 12b opened adjacent to the lower case 1a.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the partition space 10 includes a first partition chamber 10a and a second partition chamber 10b disposed on both sides by the pair of first partition walls 9e and second partition walls 9f. And a third partition chamber 10c disposed at a central position between the both partition chambers 10a and 10b.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first partition chamber 10a communicates with the first breathing hole 8a and the first drainage hole 12a, and is connected to the third partition chamber 10c via the first partition gap t1. Communicate with.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second partition chamber 10b communicates with the second breathing hole 8b and the second drainage hole 12b, and is connected to the third partition chamber 10c via the second partition gap t2. Communicate with.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the third partition chamber 10 c communicates with the case internal space 6 through the breathing opening 11.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the pair of the first partition wall 9e and the second partition wall 9f has a wide wall distance at a position farthest from both the drainage holes 12a and 12b, so that both drainage holes 12a and 12b It is set to be an inverted C-shaped inclined arrangement that gradually narrows the wall interval as it approaches.

Next, the operation will be described.
When an in-vehicle control unit or the like is installed in a place where a high electromagnetic shielding function is not required or when the shielding function can be achieved by the circuit case, it is not always necessary to cover the entire circuit case with the shielding case. Therefore, the present inventor made it a technical problem to aim at achieving both a breathing function and a water intrusion prevention function, as in the case of covering with a shield case, while eliminating the shield case covering the entire case with the breathing hole opened. .

On the other hand, focusing on the fact that the water that has entered through the breathing hole is once received and the received water is immediately drained to the outside, so that the intruding water from the breathing hole can be drained without entering the case internal space. In the radiator fan control unit FCM of Example 1, a part of the case internal space 6 is set as a partition wall space 10 that receives intrusion water from the breathing hole 8, and a breathing route and a drainage route are set through the partition wall space 10. Therefore, a configuration that achieves both a breathing function and a water intrusion prevention function while eliminating the shield case was adopted.
Hereinafter, the [respiration action], [water intrusion prevention action], and [attachment angle change response action] will be described.

[Respiratory effect]
When the air in the engine room in the case outer space 7 is sucked into the case inner space 6, the route is divided into a route from the first breathing hole 8a and a route from the second breathing hole 8b. From one of the first breathing holes 8a, the air in the engine room is introduced into the case internal space 6 through the first partition chamber 10a → the first partition gap t1 → the third partition chamber 10c → the breathing opening 11. From the other second breathing hole 8b, the air in the engine room is introduced into the case internal space 6 via the second partition chamber 10b → second partition gap t2 → third partition chamber 10c → breathing opening 11.

  Further, when the inside air of the case internal space 6 is discharged to the case external space 7, the route is divided into a route from the case internal space 6 and the breathing opening 11 to the first breathing hole 8a and a route to the second breathing hole 8b. On the other hand, the inside air of the case internal space 6 is discharged to the case external space 7 through the third partition chamber 10c → the first partition gap t1 → the first partition chamber 10a → the first breathing hole 8a. On the other hand, the inside air of the case internal space 6 is discharged to the case external space 7 through the third partition chamber 10c → the second partition gap t2 → the second partition chamber 10b → the second breathing hole 8b.

  As described above, the breathing function that allows the air inside and outside the case to circulate achieves a breathing function that prevents the temperature and pressure in the case internal space 6 from rising. And this breathing action is made by two routes of the first breathing hole 8a and the second breathing hole 8b, so that, for example, even if one breathing hole is blocked by water or an adhering substance, the breathing function Can be secured.

[Prevention of water intrusion]
When water droplets are generated by dew condensation on the surface of the upper case 1b and the water droplets flow down along the surface of the case according to gravity as shown by arrows in FIG. Water droplets are received by the labyrinth ridge 13a, and the water droplets of the portion hitting the first labyrinth ridge 13a flow to both sides along the arc surface, and drop as they are below the case.

  Then, when the water droplets that could not be received by the first labyrinth ridge 13a get over the first labyrinth ridge 13a and reach the second labyrinth ridge 13b, similarly, the water droplets of the portion that hit the second labyrinth ridge 13b Flows to both sides along the circular arc surface and falls to the bottom of the case.

  In other words, the first labyrinth ridge 13a and the second labyrinth ridge 13b serve as a breakwater for water droplets that are directed toward the first breathing hole 8a and the second breathing hole 8b, and the first breathing hole 8a and the second breathing hole 8b. The first step of preventing water intrusion is achieved to minimize the amount of water reaching the water level.

  When water enters through the breathing hole 8, the water that has entered through the partition wall space 10 is received immediately after the breathing hole 8 without reaching the case internal space 6, and is shown in FIG. 2 (b). As described above, the water is drained outside the case through the drainage hole 12 opened in the case 1.

  For example, when water enters from the first breathing hole 8a, the water is drained outside the case through the first partition wall 10a → the first drainage hole 12a. Further, when water enters from the second breathing hole 8b, the water is drained outside the case through the second partition chamber 10b → the second drainage hole 12b.

  Water that has entered through at least one of the first breathing hole 8a and the second breathing hole 8b is received by the partition wall space 10 and immediately drained, so that the water enters the case internal space 6 by the second stage water entry preventing action. A water intrusion prevention function that reliably prevents water is achieved. Thereby, the short circuit prevention by dew condensation can be aimed at.

[Action to change mounting angle]
For example, when attaching the radiator fan control unit FCM to the rear surface position of the radiator 2, depending on the applicable vehicle model, as shown in FIG. 1, the attachment may be such that the breathing hole 8 is the lower surface position and the drainage hole 12 faces downward. There are cases where it is not possible.

On the other hand, in the radiator fan control unit FCM of Example 1, the pair of first partition walls 9e and the second partition walls 9f are set to have an inverted C-shaped inclined arrangement.
For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, when the attachment is performed such that the breathing hole 8 is set to the left surface position and the drainage hole 12 faces leftward, the following drainage action is shown. The water that has entered from the first breathing hole 8a on the upper side in the attached state enters the first partition wall 10a, and the first drainage hole 12a is formed by the first partition wall 9e inclined downward toward the first drainage hole 12a. To the outside of the case through the first drain hole 12a.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, when the breathing hole 8 is set to the right surface position and the drainage hole 12 is directed to the right, the following drainage action is shown. The water that has entered from the second breathing hole 8b on the upper side in the attached state enters the second partition chamber 10b, and the second drainage hole 12b is inclined by the second partition wall 9f inclined downward toward the second drainage hole 12b. To the outside of the case through the second drain hole 12b.

  As described above, if the attachment angle of the radiator fan control unit FCM is within a range of about ± 90 ° with the attachment state shown in FIG. 2 as a reference, any angle can be attached correspondingly.

Next, the effect will be described.
In the radiator fan control unit FCM of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) In an in-vehicle electrical unit in which an electric circuit board 5 is set in a case 1 and a breathing hole 8 communicating with the case internal space 6 and the case external space 7 is opened in the case 1, A partition wall structure 9 is provided at a position inside the case that coincides with the hole 8, and the partition wall structure 9 is a partition wall space 10 that communicates with the breathing hole 8, and the partition wall space 10 is a breathing space formed in the partition wall. Since it communicates with the case internal space 6 through the opening 11 and communicates with the case external space 7 through the drainage hole 12 opened in the case 1, the shield case is eliminated, and compactness and cost reduction are achieved. While aiming, it is possible to achieve both a breathing function and a water intrusion prevention function.

  (2) Since the case 1 has the labyrinth ridge 13 protruding from the surface of the case at a position surrounding the breathing hole 8, a preliminary water intrusion preventing function for minimizing water reaching the breathing hole 8 is achieved. can do.

  (3) The case 1 is constituted by a combination case of a lower case 1a that houses an electric circuit board 5 and an upper case 1b that closes an opening end surface of the lower case 1a in a watertight state, and the upper case 1b includes the breathing case. Since it has the hole 8 and the labyrinth ridge 13 and the lower case 1a has the partition wall structure 9 and the drainage hole 12, the upper case 1b side is left as it is, and the partition wall structure 9 and drainage are formed when the lower case 1a is molded. By simply adding the hole 12, an in-vehicle electrical unit with the shield case removed can be easily manufactured.

  (4) The partition wall structure 9 includes three vertical walls 9a, 9b, and 9c that surround one side of the lower case 1a and extend from the upper end position of the case to a middle position of the case depth, and the three vertical walls 9a, 9a, A bottom wall 9d for closing 9b, 9c at a midpoint of the case depth, and the drainage hole 12 is surrounded by the three vertical walls 9a, 9b, 9c and the one bottom wall 9d. Since the opening is made at one side of the lower case 1a, the breathing hole 8, the partition wall structure 9, and the drainage hole 12 can be concentrated on a part of the case 1, and the drainage route can be shortened.

  (5) The breathing hole 8 is constituted by a pair of first breathing holes 8a and second breathing holes 8b opened adjacent to the upper case 1b, and the partition wall structure 9 is paired with a first pair of first breathing holes 8d. A partition wall 9e and a second partition wall 9f are erected, and the drainage hole 12 is constituted by a pair of first drainage hole 12a and a second drainage hole 12b opened adjacent to the lower case 1a, The partition space 10 is formed by a pair of the first partition wall 9e and the second partition wall 9f, the first partition chamber 10a and the second partition chamber 10b disposed on both sides, and the center sandwiched between the partition walls 10a and 10b. A first partition chamber 10c disposed at a position, and the first partition chamber 10a communicates with the first breathing hole 8a and the first drainage hole 12a and has a first partition gap t1. And communicated with the third partition wall chamber 10c through the second partition wall chamber 10c. Is communicated with the second breathing hole 8b and the second drainage hole 12b, and is communicated with the third partition chamber 10c via the second partition gap t2, and the third partition chamber 10c is connected to the breathing opening 11. Since it communicates with the case internal space 6 via the two, the breathing action and the drainage action can be performed by two routes, respectively, and even if water is submerged from one breathing hole, Water that has entered through one of the breathing holes can be drained.

  (6) The pair of first partition walls 9e and second partition walls 9f increase the wall distance at the position farthest from both drainage holes 12a and 12b, and gradually approaches both drainage holes 12a and 12b. In order to reduce the wall spacing, the mounting position with the drainage hole 12 facing straight down is used as a reference, and any angle can be used as long as the mounting angle is within ± 90 °. Can be attached.

  (7) The on-vehicle electrical unit is a radiator in which the case 1 is attached to the rear surface position of the radiator 2 in the engine room, and the electric circuit board 5 for controlling the fan motors 4 and 4 of the radiator fans 3 and 3 is set in the case 1. Since it is a fan control unit FCM, it is a unit set in an engine room environment where there is a high possibility of inundation from the breathing hole 8, but it has the same breathing function and water intrusion prevention function as when a shield case is set. Both can be achieved.

  As mentioned above, although the vehicle-mounted electrical equipment unit of this invention has been demonstrated based on Example 1, it is not restricted to this Example 1 about a concrete structure, The summary of the invention which concerns on each claim of a claim As long as they do not deviate, design changes and additions are permitted.

  In the first embodiment, an example in which the respiratory action and the drainage action can be performed by two routes has been described. However, the respiratory action and the drainage action may be performed by one route, respectively. The drainage action may be performed by three or more routes. In short, a bulkhead structure is provided in the case at a position inside the case that coincides with the breathing hole, and the bulkhead structure is a bulkhead space that communicates with the breathing hole, and the bulkhead space has a breathing opening formed in the bulkhead. The first embodiment is not limited to the first embodiment as long as it communicates with the internal space of the case via the drainage hole opened in the case and communicates with the external space of the case.

  In the first embodiment, the application example to the radiator fan control unit FCM is shown as the in-vehicle electrical unit. However, it can be applied to various other in-vehicle electrical units. In short, the present invention can be applied to any vehicle-mounted electrical unit in which an electric circuit board is set in a case and a breathing hole communicating with the case internal space and the case external space is opened in the case.

1 is a perspective view showing a radiator to which a radiator fan control unit FCM (an example of an in-vehicle electrical unit) according to a first embodiment is attached. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a radiator fan control unit FCM according to the first embodiment, where (a) shows a front view of the mounted state, and (b) shows a bottom view of the mounted state. It is a figure which shows the upper case of the radiator fan control unit FCM of Example 1, (a) shows an attachment state front view, (b) shows an attachment state bottom view. It is a figure which shows the lower case of the radiator fan control unit of Example 1, (a) shows an attachment state front view, (b) shows an attachment state bottom view. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the partition structure part of the lower case of the radiator fan control unit FCM of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5 illustrating an upper case and a lower case of the radiator fan control unit FCM according to the first embodiment. It is drainage action explanatory drawing at the time of attaching the radiator fan control unit FCM of Example 1 where the breathing hole and the drainage hole are arrange | positioned on the left side. It is drainage action explanatory drawing at the time of attaching the radiator fan control unit FCM of Example 1 where the breathing hole and the drainage hole are arrange | positioned on the right side.

Explanation of symbols

FCM Radiator Fan Control Unit (In-vehicle electrical unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 1a Lower case 1b Upper case 2 Radiator 3 Radiator fan 4 Fan motor 5 Electric circuit board 6 Case internal space 7 Case external space 8 Breathing hole 8a First breathing hole 8b Second breathing hole 9 Bulkhead structure 9a, 9b, 9c Vertical wall 9d Bottom wall 9c First partition wall 9d Second partition wall 10 Partition space 10a First partition chamber 10b Second partition chamber 10c Third partition chamber 11 Breathing opening 12 Drain hole 12a First drain hole 12b Second drain hole 13 Labyrinth ridge 13a First labyrinth ridge 13b Second labyrinth ridge
t1 1st partition gap
t2 Second partition gap

Claims (7)

In the in-vehicle electrical unit in which an electric circuit board is set in the case, and a breathing hole communicating with the case internal space and the case external space is opened in the case,
Among the cases, a partition structure is provided at a position inside the case coinciding with the breathing hole,
The partition structure is a partition space whose internal space communicates with the breathing hole,
The partition wall space communicates with the case internal space through a breathing opening formed in the partition wall, and communicates with the case external space through a drainage hole opened in the case. unit. In the in-vehicle electrical unit according to claim 1,
The on-vehicle electrical unit according to claim 1, wherein the case has a labyrinth ridge protruding from the surface of the case at a position surrounding the breathing hole. In the in-vehicle electrical unit according to claim 2,
The case is composed of a combination case of a lower case that houses an electric circuit board, and an upper case that closes an opening end surface of the lower case in a watertight state,
The upper case has the breathing hole and the labyrinth ridge,
An in-vehicle electrical unit having the partition structure and the drainage hole in the lower case. In the on-vehicle electrical unit according to claim 3,
The partition structure surrounds one side of the lower case and has three vertical walls extending from the upper end position of the case to the middle position of the case depth, and a bottom wall blocking the three vertical walls at the middle position of the case depth. And having
The drainage hole is opened in a position on one side of the lower case surrounded by the three vertical walls and one bottom wall. In the in-vehicle electrical unit according to claim 4,
The breathing hole is constituted by a pair of first and second breathing holes opened adjacent to the upper case,
The partition structure has a pair of first and second partition walls standing on the bottom wall,
The drainage hole comprises a pair of first drainage hole and second drainage hole opened adjacent to the lower case,
The partition space is a first partition wall and a second partition chamber disposed on both sides by the pair of first partition walls and the second partition wall, and a third position disposed at a central position sandwiched between both partition chambers. And a partition wall,
The first partition chamber communicates with the first breathing hole and the first drainage hole, and communicates with the third partition chamber via the first partition gap,
The second partition chamber communicates with the second breathing hole and the second drainage hole, and communicates with the third partition chamber through a second partition gap,
The in-vehicle electrical unit, wherein the third partition chamber communicates with the case internal space through the breathing opening. In the in-vehicle electrical unit according to claim 5,
The pair of first partition walls and the second partition wall are set to have an inclined arrangement in which the wall distance at the position farthest from both drainage holes is widened, and the wall distance is gradually narrowed as approaching both drainage holes. An in-vehicle electrical unit characterized by that. The in-vehicle electrical unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The in-vehicle electrical unit is a radiator fan control unit in which a case is attached to a rear surface position of a radiator in a power unit room, and an electric circuit board for controlling a fan motor of the radiator fan is set in the case. .

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