JP2008221917A - Conductor cable structure of electric automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conductor cable structure of an electric automobile to allow use of a conductor cable assuring easy wiring to the vehicle and capable of reducing the weight of the vehicle and the cost therefor. <P>SOLUTION: The conductor cable structure of the vehicle 50 driven by an electric motor 1, electric automobile, for connecting electrically a plurality of electric appliances 1 and 2 mounted on the vehicle 50 is composed of a conductor cable body 21 in which conductor wire(s) 21A formed from a conductive material is covered with a covering material 21B, a cover member 22 to make covering while a gap A is reserved in such a manner as protecting the conductor cable body 21 and deformable following bending of the cable body 21, and cooling fans 20A and 20B to send the cooling air forcedly to the gap A between the conductor cable body 21 and the cover member 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lead cable structure for an electric vehicle for electrically connecting a plurality of electric devices mounted on the vehicle in an electric vehicle.

In recent years, attention has been focused on electric vehicles including hybrid electric vehicles that drive vehicles with electric motors (hereinafter referred to as travel drive motors).
In general, an electric vehicle is configured to guide electric power from a battery or the like through a conductive cable and to supply electric power to an electric device such as a motor for driving the vehicle (for example, see Patent Document 1).
A conductor cable that electrically connects a plurality of electrical devices is generally formed by coating a conductor formed of a conductor with an insulating covering material such as vinyl chloride resin.
JP-A-6-122326

By the way, generally, the upper limit of the electric current which conduct | electrically_connects according to the cross-sectional area (namely, cable diameter) of a conducting wire cable is prescribed | regulated with the conducting wire cable.
This is because when an excessively large current is conducted with respect to the cross-sectional area of the conductor cable, the conductor cable generates a large amount of heat, and the covering material covering the conductor may be melted by heat. Thus, there is a possibility that inconveniences such as a short circuit of the electric circuit may occur when the conductive wire itself is exposed due to melting of the coating material due to heat generation of the conductive wire cable.

  On the other hand, since the lead wire cable has higher rigidity as the cable diameter increases, it is less likely to be elastically deformed. For this reason, when a conductor cable having a large cable diameter is routed inside the vehicle, a large bending radius (curvature radius) is required to gently bend the conductor cable, and a large cable conductor is required to be installed in the vehicle. Since it is necessary to secure a space, the mountability on the vehicle is reduced.

In general, the larger the cable diameter, the higher the cost of the conductive wire cable, which causes an increase in the cost of the vehicle. Of course, the larger the cable diameter, the higher the weight of the conducting wire cable, which causes a problem of increasing the weight of the vehicle.
The present invention was devised in view of such problems, and in an electric vehicle, a conductor cable that can be easily routed to the vehicle can be used, and the weight and cost of the vehicle can be reduced. An object is to provide a cable structure.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a conductive wire cable structure for an electric vehicle according to the present invention (Claim 1) is provided for electrically connecting a plurality of electric devices mounted on the vehicle in a vehicle driven by an electric motor. A conductor cable structure for an electric vehicle, wherein a conductor cable body is formed by covering a conductor formed by a conductor with a covering material, and the conductor cable body is covered with a gap so as to protect the conductor cable body, and the conductor cable body is bent. And a cooling fan that forcibly passes cooling air through the gap between the conductor cable body and the cover member.

  The cooling fan is provided at one end of the conducting cable, and includes a first cooling fan for forcibly sending cooling air into the gap between the conducting cable main body and the cover member, and the other end of the conducting cable. Preferably, at least one of a second cooling fan provided on the side and forcibly sending cooling air from the gap between the conductor cable body and the cover member is provided. .

Conductor cable temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the conductor cable body, and a cooling fan for stopping the cooling fan when the temperature of the conductor cable body detected by the conductor cable temperature detection means is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature And a controller. (Claim 3)
It is preferable that the conductor cable main body is a power supply cable connected to the electric motor.

  According to the conductor cable structure for an electric vehicle of the present invention (Claim 1), heat generated when conducting a large current (high power) by cooling the conductor cable by forcibly passing cooling air. Therefore, even if a conductor having a relatively small cross-sectional area (or a small diameter) is used, damage or the like due to heat generation of the conductor cable can be prevented. Thereby, a conductive wire cable having a small diameter and a small rigidity can be used, and the wiring of the conductive wire cable to the vehicle can be facilitated, and the weight and cost of the conductive wire cable can be reduced.

According to the conductor cable structure for an electric vehicle of the present invention (Claim 2), the conductor cable can be cooled more efficiently by forcibly passing cooling air from both ends of the conductor cable.
According to the conductor cable structure for electric vehicles of the present invention (Claim 3), when the temperature of the conductor cable body is not high, unnecessary cooling of the cooling fan is prohibited by stopping the cooling fan. Thus, energy efficiency as a vehicle can be improved.

  According to the conductor cable structure for an electric vehicle of the present invention (Claim 4), it is necessary to supply particularly large electric power to the electric motor in the electric vehicle, and the conductor cable is cooled by cooling the conductor cable connected to the electric motor. The effect of improving the mounting property to the vehicle and reducing the weight and cost can be obtained more greatly.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 4 are all for explaining a conductive cable structure for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view of a configuration of a connection portion between the electric device and the conductive cable. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a part of the configuration of the vicinity of the rear portion of the electric vehicle from a viewpoint from the rear of the vehicle, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the conductor cable. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration in the vicinity of the rear portion of the electric vehicle when viewed from above.

As shown in FIG. 2, this electric vehicle (vehicle) 50 includes a travel drive motor (electric motor, electric device) 1, MCU (motor control unit, electric device) 2, and DC / DC converter (electric device) 3. Have.
The traveling drive motor 1 applies a driving force for causing the vehicle 50 to travel, and is disposed on the rear axle in the present embodiment.

The MCU 2 is disposed above the travel drive motor 1, and a DC / DC converter 3 is disposed adjacent to the left side of the MCU 2.
The MCU 2 accommodates terminals (not shown) of a plurality of conductor cables 6 that connect between the traveling drive motor 1 and the battery and the MCU 2 disposed below and is connected to internal devices of the MCU 2. A connecting portion 2A is formed. Further, the MCU 2 has an inverter (not shown) and a controller (cooling fan controller) 2B (see FIG. 1) inside, and adjusts the electric power supplied from the battery (not shown). The travel drive motor 1 is supplied.

The DC / DC converter 3 is assembled by housing a charger (not shown) therein. The MCU 2 and the DC / DC converter 3 are also electrically connected so that the regenerative power generated by the traveling drive motor is once rectified inside the DC / DC converter 3 and then supplied to the battery. Has been.
The travel drive motor 1 causes the vehicle 50 to travel, and also functions as a generator during regenerative braking of the vehicle 50 to generate regenerative power.

The travel drive motor 1, MCU 2 and DC / DC converter 3 are fixed to a motor mount frame 4 via a bracket (not shown), and the motor mount frame 4 is fixed to a cross member of a vehicle 50 (not shown). Has been.
A battery (not shown) that stores electric power for driving the vehicle 50 is mounted on the front side of the MCU 2 and below the floor (not shown) of the vehicle 50.

The MCU 2, the driving motor 1 and the MCU 2 and the battery are electrically connected to each other via a plurality of conductor cables 6, and a direct current is supplied from the battery to the MCU 2, and a three-phase alternating current is supplied by an inverter in the MCU 2. The electric power is supplied to the travel drive motor 1 after being converted into the motor.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a drive system mechanism. The drive system mechanism 5 is a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the travel drive motor 1 to drive wheels (not shown). The drive system mechanism 5 includes a differential gear, various shafts, and the like (all not shown). The motor 1 is connected to be able to transmit power.

Here, the configuration of a power supply cable (conductor cable) 6 for supplying traveling power from the MCU 2 to the traveling drive motor 1 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each conductor cable 6 is composed of a conductor cable body 21 and a corrugator (cover member) 22.
As shown in FIG. 3, the conductor cable main body 21 is composed of a conductor 21A formed by a conductor that conducts electricity, and a covering material 21B that is formed of an insulator such as vinyl chloride resin and covers the conductor 21A. ing.

The corrugator 22 covers the conductor cable main body 21 with a gap (air gap) A, and is disposed so as to protect the conductor cable main body 21 from physical collision or the like.
The corrugator 22 is formed in a tubular shape by plastic or the like, and is formed in a so-called bellows shape in which a small diameter portion 22A having a relatively small diameter and a large diameter portion 22B having a relatively large diameter are alternately arranged in a coaxial manner. Has been. Since the small diameter portion 22A and the large diameter portion 22B can be easily deformed, the corrugator 22 can be deformed following the bending of the conductor cable main body 21.

Here, the structure of the connection part (one end side of the conducting wire cable 6) of each conducting wire cable 6 and MCU2 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the conductor cable 6, a first cooling fan (cooling fan, first cooling fan) 20A, a temperature sensor (in the vicinity of the connecting portion between each conductor cable 6 and the MCU 2). A conductor cable temperature detecting means) 24 is attached.
The first cooling fan 20A has a motor 23A at its shaft center, and a rotating blade (not shown) is rotated by driving the motor 23A. As shown by an arrow P in the figure, air from outside (cooling air) is supplied. It is forcibly introduced and sent to the gap A side between the lead wire main body 21 and the corrugator 22.

Here, a space other than the space surrounded by the travel drive motor 1, MCU 2, the first and second cooling fans 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B, and the conductive wire cable 6 is referred to as the outside.
The temperature sensor 24 detects the temperature of the conductor cable body 21 (or the ambient temperature in the vicinity of the conductor cable body 21), and the detected temperature information T detected by the temperature sensor 24 is input to the controller 2B in the MCU 2. It has become so.

On the other hand, the configuration of the connecting portion (the other end side of the conductor cable 6) between each conductor cable 6 and the travel drive motor 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, each conductor cable 6 and the travel drive motor 1 are connected. In the vicinity of the connecting portion, a second cooling fan (cooling fan, second cooling fan) 20 </ b> B is attached in addition to the conductor cable 6.
Similarly to the first cooling fan 20A, the second cooling fan 20B has a motor 23B in the shaft center portion, and when the motor 23B is driven, a rotating blade (not shown) rotates, which is indicated by an arrow Q in the figure. As described above, the air (cooling air) on the gap A side between the conductive wire main body 21 and the corrugator 22 is forcibly sent to the outside through the second cooling fan 20B.

Energization (on / off) of the motors 23A and 23B of the first cooling fan 20A and the second cooling fan 20B is controlled by a controller 2B inside the MCU 2.
Specifically, the controller 2B, the first and second cooling fans 20A when the detected temperature information T which is input from the temperature sensor 24 is the first predetermined temperature T ₁ below, stops the 20B, detection temperature information T is in the case where the second predetermined temperature T ₂ or higher and is configured to actuate the first and second cooling fans 20A, the 20B. The first predetermined temperature T ₁ may be set to a temperature lower than the second predetermined temperature T ₂ , and the first predetermined temperature T ₁ and the second predetermined temperature T ₂ may be set to the same temperature. However, at least, the second predetermined temperature T ₂ is set to a temperature in consideration of the melting or the like of the covering material 21B of the conductor cable body 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the conductor cable main body 21 is inserted into the MCU 2 through the flange 11 from below the terminal connection portion 2 </ b> A of the MCU 2 and is electrically connected to the internal equipment of the MCU 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the conductor cable main body 21 is inserted into the travel drive motor 1 via the flange 13 and is electrically connected to the internal devices of the travel drive motor 1.

  Bolt holes (not shown) in which thread grooves corresponding to the bolts 12 and 14 are cut are provided on the surfaces through which the flanges 11 and 13 and the conductor cables of the MCU 2 and the travel drive motor 1 are inserted, respectively. The flange 11 is crimped to the MCU 2 by a bolt 12, and the flange 13 is crimped to the travel drive motor 1 by a bolt 14. Thereby, the penetration of water into the inside of the MCU 2 and the driving motor 1 from the insertion part to the electric device on both ends of the conductive wire cable 6 is prevented, and the liquid-tightness of the electric devices 1 and 2 is ensured. It is like that.

Since the lead wire cable structure for an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, the following operations and effects are achieved.
First, the controller 2B of the MCU 2 sets a three-phase AC current value for causing the travel drive motor 1 to travel the vehicle 50 in response to a driving request, and power is supplied from the inverter in the MCU 2 to the travel drive motor 1. Is done. Since the battery voltage is a substantially constant voltage, the electric power of the driving force is adjusted by adjusting the current value supplied to the travel driving motor 1 in order to obtain the driving force according to the driving request. .

At this time, the controller 2B, when the detected temperature information T input from the temperature sensor 24 is the second predetermined temperature T ₂ or more, the first and second cooling fans 20A, each motor 23A of 20B, and 23B Electric power is supplied to operate the first and second cooling fans 20A and 20B.
Thereby, on the MCU 2 side of the conducting wire cable 6, as indicated by an arrow P, the relatively cool air (cooling air) on the outside side passes through the first cooling fan 20 </ b> A and the gap between the conducting wire main body 21 and the corrugator 22. Introduced into A. And the conducting wire main body 21 is cooled when this low temperature cooling air ventilates the gap A.

On the traveling drive motor 1 side of the conducting wire cable 6, as shown by an arrow Q, the air passing through the gap A between the conducting wire main body 21 and the corrugator 22 is discharged outside through the second cooling fan 20 </ b> B. Then, the air that has become hot due to contact with the conductive wire cable 21 is discharged to the outside.
On the other hand, if the detected temperature information T is the first predetermined temperature T ₁ or less, the controller 2B is first the first and second cooling fans 20A, each motor 23A of 20B, the power supply to 23B stop 1 Then, the second cooling fans 20A and 20B are stopped.

As described above, according to the lead cable structure for an electric vehicle of the present invention, the first and second cooling fans 20A and 20B are forcibly ventilated inside the relatively low-temperature cooling air gap A on the outside. Heat can be taken away from the conductor cable main body 21 that generates heat due to the conduction, and an increase in temperature of the conductor cable main body 21 can be suppressed.
Therefore, even if the diameter φ of the conducting wire 21A of the conducting wire cable 6 is set to be small (that is, the sectional area is made small), the conducting wire cable 6 can be prevented from being damaged by heat generation. Thus, by using the conductor 21A having a smaller diameter φ than the conventional one, the rigidity of the conductor cable 6 is reduced and the flexibility of the conductor cable 6 is improved, so that the conductor cable 6 can be easily routed to the vehicle 50. It becomes.

In addition, since the conductor cable 6 using the conductor 21A having a small diameter φ can be used, the weight of the vehicle 50 can be sufficiently reduced even if the weight and cost for installing the first and second cooling fans 20A and 20B are subtracted. Reduction effect and cost reduction effect can be obtained.
Further, cooling air is introduced into the gap A between the conductor cable main body 21 and the corrugator 22 at one end side of the conducting wire cable 6, and the air passing through the gap A is discharged to the outside side at the other end side of the conducting wire cable 6. Therefore, it is possible to enhance the cooling efficiency of the conductor cable body by discharging the cooling air that has become hot due to contact with the conductor cable body 21 to the outside while passing through the gap A. Furthermore, since the cooling air is introduced at one end side and the air that has passed through the gap A is discharged to the outside at the other end side, the air permeability of the cooling air inside the gap A can be improved, and the efficiency is increased. Thus, the lead wire cable 6 can be cooled.

In general, the diameter φ of the conducting wire 21A is set so as to sufficiently prevent damage to the maximum current that conducts the conducting wire 21A. Therefore, when the vehicle 50 travels normally, the diameter of the traveling drive motor 1 is not much. Large electric power is not necessary, and the frequency of conducting an excessively large current to the conducting wire cable 6 is not so high.
In the present embodiment, the first and second cooling fans 20A when the detected temperature information T which is input from the temperature sensor 24 is the first predetermined temperature T ₁ below, stops the 20B, the detection temperature information T since the case where the second predetermined temperature T ₂ higher actuates the first and second cooling fans 20A, the 20B, when the temperature of the conductor cable body 21 is not abnormally high, the first and second cooling By stopping the fans 20A and 20B, unnecessary power consumption by the motors 23A and 23B can be prohibited, and the energy efficiency of the vehicle 50 can be improved.

Further, by forming the corrugator 22 in a bellows shape, the followability to the conductor cable main body 21 can be improved, the surface area of the corrugator 22 can be increased, and the heat of the conductor cable 6 is increased by the surface area of the corrugator 22. There is also an effect that it is emitted more efficiently.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, the MCU is described as an example of the electrical device to which the conductor cable is connected. However, the electrical device to which the conductor cable is connected is not limited to the MCU, and any electrical device is applied. May be. In particular, a DC / DC converter and a vehicle drive motor in addition to the MCU need to conduct a relatively large current. Therefore, it is necessary to connect a larger-diameter and heavy-weight conductor cable, which is more effective. A cost reduction effect and a weight reduction effect can be obtained.

  In the embodiment, the cooling air (first cooling fan) that forcibly sends cooling air to the gap between the conductor cable body and the cover member, and the cooling air is forced from the gap between the conductor cable body and the cover member. However, it is not necessary to provide both of these cooling fans, and only one of them may be provided. The cooling fan may be of any type as long as the cooling air can be forced to flow through the gap between the conductor cable body and the cover member.

In the embodiment, one each of the first cooling fan and the second cooling fan is provided, but the number of cooling fans is not limited to this, and can be set as appropriate.
Furthermore, in the embodiment, the temperature sensor is provided as the conductor cable temperature detecting means, but the conductor cable temperature detecting means is not limited to this, and instead of using the temperature sensor, the current conducted to the conductor cable 6 is used. You may comprise so that the temperature of a conducting wire cable may be estimated by the controller in MCU from a value and its conduction | electrical_connection time.

  Further, the control mode of the cooling fan controller is not limited to that of the embodiment, and can be set as appropriate. For example, the cooling fan controller is configured to increase the operating strength of the cooling fan as the temperature of the conductor cable body increases, and conversely, the operating strength of the cooling fan as the temperature of the conductor cable body decreases. You may comprise so that it may become weak.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is for demonstrating the lead wire cable structure for electric vehicles which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a schematic diagram which shows typically the structure of the connection part of an electric equipment and a lead wire cable by a side view. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a vicinity of a rear part of a vehicle from a viewpoint from the rear of a vehicle, for explaining a lead wire cable structure for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross section of a conductive wire cable for explaining a conductive cable structure for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration in the vicinity of a rear portion of an electric vehicle, as viewed from above, for explaining a lead cable structure for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Driving drive motor (electric motor, electrical equipment)
2 MCU (motor control unit, electrical equipment)
2A Terminal connection part 2B Controller (cooling fan controller)
3 DC / DC converter 4 Motor mount frame 5 Drive system mechanism 6 Conductor cable 11 Flange 12 Bolt 20A First cooling fan (cooling fan, first cooling fan)
20B Second cooling fan (cooling fan, second cooling fan)
21 Conductor Cable Body 21A Conductor 21B Covering Material 22 Corrugator (Cover Member)
22A Small diameter part 22B Large diameter part 23A, 23B Motor 24 Temperature sensor (conductor temperature detection means)
50 vehicles

Claims (4)

In a vehicle driven by an electric motor, a lead cable structure for an electric vehicle for electrically connecting a plurality of electric devices mounted on the vehicle,
A conductor cable body in which a conductor formed of a conductor is covered with a covering material; and
A cover member that covers the conductor cable body with a gap so as to protect it, and that can be deformed following the bending of the conductor cable body;
A conductor cable structure for an electric vehicle, comprising a cooling fan for forcibly passing cooling air through the gap between the conductor cable body and the cover member. The cooling fan is provided at one end of the conducting cable, and includes a first cooling fan for forcibly sending cooling air into the gap between the conducting cable main body and the cover member, and the other end of the conducting cable. And at least one of a second cooling fan forcibly sending cooling air from the gap between the conductor cable body and the cover member. The lead wire cable structure for an electric vehicle according to 1. A conductor cable temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the conductor cable body; and
A cooling fan controller that stops the cooling fan when the temperature of the conductor cable body detected by the conductor cable temperature detecting means is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. 3. A lead wire cable structure for an electric vehicle according to 1 or 2. 3. The lead cable structure for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lead cable body is a power supply cable connected to the electric motor.

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