JP2010118492A - Power control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an onboard power control device capable of ensuring a sufficient air-cooling effect only by an air current by a natural convection without depending upon the direction of an installation and without using a fan or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A heating element (such as a relay) is mounted on a heating element mounter 5a being approximately one third of the whole, and the other electronic circuits (not shown: the electronic circuits protected from heat generation) are mounted on an electronic-circuit mounter 5b. The heating element mounter 5a and the electronic-circuit mounter 5b are shielded by a parting plate on the inside of a case. In an upper case 2a, a side-face vent hole group A of 10a and 10b on a side with a connector 4a, a side-face vent hole group B of 11a and 11b on an opposed side and a top-face vent hole group C of 12a, 12b and 12c on the top are formed on four box-body surfaces configuring the heating element mounter 5a for mounting the heating element. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power control apparatus that performs power control inside a vehicle, for example.

  In a box-shaped in-vehicle power control unit (power control device) installed in a vehicle, its drive circuit (relay) is mounted in the vicinity of a connector (for power drive) to drive a large current, and an electronic control circuit Is implemented on the opposite side. For this reason, there has been a problem that heat generated in the drive circuit is easily transmitted to the electronic circuit unit.

  In addition, a fan or the like cannot be provided because it is a relatively small unit and power consumption must be suppressed, and it is necessary to cool a component that generates heat only by the flow of air. Further, when the vehicle is mounted, the mounting direction is not necessarily only a single direction, so that it is required to allow a plurality of mounting directions as much as possible. Therefore, there is a need for a heat dissipation structure that can provide an air cooling effect regardless of the mounting direction.

  Until now, several techniques for exhausting heat generated by electronic circuits have been proposed. For example, as one conventional technique, the housing is divided into a plurality of compartments, and heat generating parts are dispersed and arranged to prevent high temperature, and a forced air cooling exhaust fan is provided at the top to allow natural convection. There has been proposed a technique for radiating generated heat to the outside by an air flow caused by the above and forced exhaust by an exhaust fan (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, as another conventional technique, the apparatus is housed in a sealed casing (sealed chamber), and a blower and a duct for supplying air in the sealed chamber to the side wall surface exposed to the outside air are provided, and the side wall surface There has been proposed a technique for discharging heat generated by components by providing flat fins on the plate (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  As another conventional technique, in a thin display device, a cooling air passage is formed by a main frame, which is a support structure that also serves as a heat sink, and a rear cabinet, and heat generated from electronic circuit components is conducted to the main frame. And the technique which exhibits a cooling effect by making an electronic circuit component contact | abut to a main frame via a heat conductive member is proposed (for example, refer patent document 3).

JP 7-131953 A JP-A-8-271104 JP 2006-58679 A

  However, in the above-described conventional technology, it is necessary to provide a fan for forced cooling, which is not practical in terms of cost, reliability, etc., and is a vehicle-mounted power control unit that cannot be equipped with a fan or the like. It cannot be applied.

  In any conventional technology, the installation direction of the device is determined in advance, and the air cooling effect is designed to be obtained only in the installation direction, so the air cooling effect does not work depending on the installation direction. There is a problem that it cannot be applied to a vehicle-mounted power control unit that is required to be able to perform the above.

  Moreover, since the heat from the drive part (trans reactor part) with large heat generation passes through the side surface of the electronic circuit part, there is a problem that the heat of the drive part may be transmitted to the electronic circuit part.

  Therefore, the present invention can prevent the heat generated in the heating element (relay, etc.) from being transmitted to the electronic circuit, and does not depend on the installation direction, and does not depend on the forced air cooling means such as a fan. It aims at providing the electric power control apparatus which can ensure sufficient air-cooling effect only by a flow.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an in-vehicle power control device in which a board on which electronic components are mounted is mounted in a housing, and the housing is separated into at least two spaces by a partition plate, and at least one of them is separated. A heat generating component is mounted in one space, and a ventilation port for sucking outside air or discharging internal air is provided on three or more of the housing surfaces constituting the one space. And

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the vent has a lattice structure.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the vent is formed on a first vent provided on a first side surface of a casing constituting the one space, on second and third side surfaces orthogonal to the first side surface. It is characterized by comprising a second ventilation port provided and a third ventilation port provided on the upper surface orthogonal to the first, second and third side surfaces.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the third vent hole penetrates the upper surface of the housing through the partition plate.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the heat generating component is mounted in a space provided in the vicinity of a connector through which load current is input and output.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent heat generated in a heating element (such as a relay) from being transmitted to other electronic circuits, and without depending on the installation direction, without using forced air cooling means such as a fan, by natural convection. A sufficient air cooling effect can be ensured only by the air flow.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing the structure of an in-vehicle power control unit 1 according to this embodiment. In the figure, the housing is divided into an upper housing 2a and a lower housing 2b. The substrate 3 is fixed to the lower housing 2b with screws or the like. Various electronic components, connectors 4a and 4b, and the like are mounted on the substrate 3.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, in the electronic components mounted on the substrate 3, the heat generating elements (relays, etc.) are collected in about one third of the heat generating element mounting portions 5a and other electronic circuits (not shown: from heat generation). The electronic circuit mounting portion 5b for mounting the electronic circuit to be protected is separated. By separating the heating element mounting portion 5a and the electronic circuit mounting portion 5b, heat generated by the heating element is prevented from being transmitted to the electronic circuit mounting portion. Further, by providing the heating element mounting portion 5a in the vicinity of the connector 4a through which load current is input and output, the line length of the load current is shortened, and heat generation on the wiring is suppressed.

  The upper housing 2a is screwed or fitted to the lower housing 2b. The casing on which the substrate 3 is mounted is fixed to a mounting panel 6 for mounting on the vehicle body. The appearance of the final assembled state is shown in FIG. Further, in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a side ventilation hole (lattice structure) is formed on a side surface of the upper housing 2a where the heating element is mounted on the side surface where the connector 4a is located. Group A 10a, 10b, side vents (lattice structure) B groups 11a, 11b on the side, and top vent C groups 12a, 12b, 12c on the top.

  In addition, although mentioned later for details, about the opening path | route of upper surface vent C group 12a-12c, by shifting the opening part of an upper surface side and the opening part in a housing | casing 90 degree | times, side vent hole A group By making the openings of 10a, 10b and the side vent holes B group 11a, 11b into a lattice structure, intrusion of dust, water, etc. into the inside of the housing is prevented (realization of dustproof and dripproof).

  Next, FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing the structure of the upper housing of the in-vehicle power control unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2A shows the structure inside the upper housing 2a. Further, FIG. 2B shows a structure outside the upper casing 2a. Inside the upper housing 2a, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), there is a partition plate 13 for partitioning the heating element mounting portion 5a and the electronic circuit mounting portion 5b on the substrate 3 into the space inside the housing. Is provided. The partition plate 13 does not direct the heat generated by the heating elements mounted on the heating element mounting portion 5a on the substrate 3 to the electronic circuit mounting portion 5b by air convection, but to the upper surface vents C groups 12a to 12c. A plurality of vent holes 14a to 14c for guiding are provided.

  This prevents heat generated by the heat generating element mounted on the heat generating element mounting portion 5a from being transmitted to the electronic circuit mounting portion 5b. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), a side vent for discharging heat generated by the heating element mounted on the heating element mounting portion 5a to the outside is provided on the side surface of the upper housing 2a. A group 10a, 10b and side vent B group 11a, 11b are formed.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although the upper surface vent C group 12a-12c is made into the shape of a hole, it is made into slit shape like the side vent A group 10a, 10b and the side vent B group 11a, 11b. You can also. However, when a slit-shaped vent is provided on the upper surface of the housing, there is a concern that the rigidity of the entire housing is lowered.

  Next, FIGS. 3A to 3C are schematic views for explaining the installation direction of the in-vehicle power control unit according to the present embodiment. The in-vehicle power control unit 1 according to the present embodiment has the vents A group 10a, 10b, B group 11a, 11b, and C group 12a-12c having a structure in which the infiltrated water does not reach the inside of the casing when entering water. In addition, since the structure (grid structure) satisfies the protection grade IP40 (IEC standard) of the vehicle interior mounting parts, the vertical placement shown in FIG. 3 (a), the horizontal placement shown in FIG. 3 (b), and FIG. As shown in (3), it can be mounted horizontally in three directions.

  Next, FIGS. 4A to 4C illustrate the installation direction of the in-vehicle power control unit 1 according to the present embodiment and the mechanism of natural air cooling, and the positional relationship between the vent hole and the place to be air-cooled in each installation direction. It is a schematic diagram for doing.

  When the in-vehicle power control unit 1 is installed vertically as shown in FIG. 4A and horizontally as shown in FIG. 4B, the vents A group 10a and 10b and the vents C group 12a to 12c are installed. A heating element, that is, a place to be air-cooled is located in between. In this case, the lower vent holes A group 10a, 10b serve as intake ports, and the upper vent holes C group 12a-12c serve as exhaust ports. That is, air flowing in from the connector gap or the lower vents A10a, 10b group is warmed by the heating elements (relays, etc.) and discharged from the upper vents C group 12a-12c.

  In addition, when installed horizontally as shown in FIG. 4 (c), a heating element, that is, a place to be air-cooled, is located in the middle of the facing vent B groups 11a and 11b. In this case, the lower vents A group 10b, B group 11b, and C group 12c serve as intake ports, and the upper vent ports A group 10a, B group 11a, and C group 12a serve as exhaust ports. That is, the air flowing from the connector gap or the lower vents A group 10b, B group 11b, C group 12c is warmed by the heating elements (relays, etc.), and the upper vents A group 10a, B group 11a on the opposite side. , C group or 12a is discharged.

  That is, natural air cooling works regardless of the direction in which the in-vehicle power control unit 1 is installed, and the temperature rise can be suppressed. Moreover, the air whose temperature has risen is exhausted only through the region of the heating element mounting portion 5a, and does not go to the electronic circuit mounting portion 5b.

  Normally, when the internal air temperature rises, air convection occurs, and the lower vent serves as an inlet and the upper vent serves as an exhaust. When the installation direction is changed, each ventilation port becomes an intake port and an exhaust port in accordance with the direction of convection generated inside in the installation direction.

  From the above, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the X, Y, and Z coordinate axes () for the in-vehicle power control unit, the vent holes A group 10a, 10b, B group 11a, 11b. The positions of the C groups 12a to 12c can be generalized as follows.

(1) The vent groups A 10a and 10b are arranged on the housing surface in the X-axis direction.
(2) The vent B groups 11a and 11b are arranged on the housing surfaces in the Y-axis and −Y-axis directions.
(3) The vent C groups 12a to 12c are arranged on the housing surface in the Z-axis direction.
(4) The place to be air-cooled is arranged inside the casing, which is generally the center of each axis.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the partition provided in the housing between the heating element mounting portion 5a on which a heating element (such as a relay) generating a large amount of heat is mounted and the electronic circuit mounting portion 5b on which the electronic circuit is mounted. Since it is spatially blocked by the plate 13, it is possible to prevent heat generated in the heating element mounting portion 5a from being transmitted to the electronic circuit mounting portion 5b.

  Further, by providing the vents A10a, 10b and the B groups 11a and 11b on the side surface of the mirror body and the vents C groups 12a to 12c on the upper surface of the casing, the forced air cooling means such as a fan is not used. A sufficient air cooling effect can be ensured with respect to the installation direction of the direction (direction excluding the upward direction of the connector terminal portion).

  Furthermore, it is possible to perform air cooling while protecting the electronic circuit inside the housing, such as dustproof and dripproof, and ensuring the rigidity of the ECU case.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted power control unit 1 by this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the upper housing | casing of the vehicle-mounted power control unit by this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the installation direction of the vehicle-mounted power control unit by this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the positional relationship of the installation direction of the vehicle-mounted power control unit 1 by this embodiment, the mechanism of natural air cooling, and the vent hole in each installation direction and the place which wants to air-cool.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-vehicle power control unit 2a Upper housing | casing 2b Lower housing | casing 3 Board | substrate 4a, 4b Connector 5a Heating element mounting part 5b Electronic circuit mounting part 6 Mounting panel 10a, 10b Side vent hole A group 11a, 11b Side vent hole B group 12a 〜12c Top vent C group 13 Partition plate

Claims (5)

A power control device for mounting a board on which electronic components are mounted in a housing,
The inside of the housing is separated into at least two spaces by a partition plate, a heat generating component is mounted in at least one of the spaces, and outside air is sucked into three or more surfaces of the housing surfaces constituting the one space. An electric power control device provided with a vent for discharging air inside or exhausting the air inside. The power control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vent has a lattice structure. The vent is a first vent provided on a first side surface of a housing constituting the one space, and a second vent provided on second and third side surfaces orthogonal to the first side surface. The power control device according to claim 1, further comprising a third ventilation hole provided on an upper surface orthogonal to the first, second, and third side surfaces. The power control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the third vent hole penetrates the upper surface of the housing through the partition plate. 5. The power control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat generating component is mounted in a space provided near a connector through which load current is input and output.

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