JP2012155943A - Connector with built-in fuse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector with a built-in fuse in which only removing the connector eliminates the effort of removing a service cover, and the service cover and the number of components of an interlock circuit for the service cover, and the like, can be reduced.SOLUTION: A housing 36 of a connector 21 with a built-in fuse has an aperture 35 on the male pole side for connection with a female connector 22. A fuse 26, inverter connection terminals 25a and 25b, and an interlock terminal 29 for interrupting electrification by detecting removal of a male connector are provided at the aperture 35. The housing 36 also has a positive electrode battery cable 23a and a negative electrode battery cable 23b connected with a battery, and a positive electrode A/C cable 24a and a negative electrode A/C cable 24b branched from the battery cable and connected with an electric air conditioner.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuse built-in connector, and more particularly to a fuse built-in connector for bringing a part of an electric circuit into a conductive state or a non-conductive state.

  In recent years, hybrid vehicles in which a motor and an engine are combined and electric vehicles that drive the vehicle by a single motor have come to be known. Such an electric vehicle includes a battery for supplying power to the motor, a power control device including an inverter that controls the power output from the battery to drive the motor, and an electric air conditioner that is driven by the power of the battery. There is something that has.

  As a device for connecting a power control device and an electric air conditioner, a terminal block as shown in Patent Document 1 is disclosed, and an inverter for driving a vehicle and an inverter for an air conditioner are connected to a terminal block attached to an inverter case. And a fuse box for incorporating a fuse into the terminal block. In Patent Document 1, since the fuse is housed in the fuse box and then attached to the terminal block, it is necessary to remove the fuse box when taking out the fuse. Therefore, Patent Document 2 discloses a fuse built-in connector in which a plurality of fuses are compactly incorporated in a connector using a connector body instead of a fuse box.

  FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a conventional fuse built-in connector C1 and a mating connector C2 fitted thereto. The fuse built-in connector C1 includes a housing 101 formed by the housing main body 102 and the cover 103, a first terminal 105 provided at an end portion of the electric wire 104, and a wire 107a that functions as a fuse. .

  The housing main body 102 has a cavity 110 formed by an upward opening and a cover 103 at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction, a first terminal holding hole 111 reaching the cavity 110 from the rear end portion, and a cavity 110 from the front end portion. It has the 2nd terminal holding hole 112 which reaches | attains, and the terminal 105,106 hold | maintained at each terminal holding hole 111,112. By fitting the terminal 106 and the terminal 108 of the mating connector C2, the fuse built-in connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected. Further, elastically swingable terminal locking portions 113 and 114 are provided below the terminal holding holes 111 and 112 of the housing main body 102, and the terminals 105 and 106 are connected by the terminal locking portions 113 and 114. It is locked. Although having such a structure makes it possible to form a compact fuse built-in connector, it is not suitable for a connector through which a large current flows, and it is necessary to take measures against waterproofing.

JP 2010-33845 A JP-A-9-139256

By the way, in the connector disclosed by patent document 1 and patent document 2, it will be a structure which can remove a cover carelessly. FIG. 7 shows a fuse built-in connector C5 that can ensure a safe operation even if the cover is removed carelessly. FIG. 7A is a top view of a reference fuse-incorporating connector C5, and FIG. The fuse built-in connector C5 (female connector) in FIG. 7 is a high voltage battery connector (male connector) C4 in which a waterproof O-ring 134 is attached to a power cable extending from a high voltage battery, and an air conditioner (A / C) similarly. An air conditioner (A / C) connector (male connector) C3 in which a waterproof O-ring 134 is attached to an A / C cable extending from the cable, and a fuse 127 in a female connector of the power control device 120 and an air conditioner (A / C Electrodes 123, 124, 125 for branching to C), connecting screws 132, 133 for connecting the electrodes to each other, a service cover 131 for fuse replacement, and an interlock electrode provided on the service cover 131 An interlock circuit comprising an interlock socket 128 on the terminal block 126 is provided. In Rukoto, the power is turned off structure by the interlock circuit is also open carelessly cover.

  However, the fuse built-in connector C5 in FIG. 7 includes an interlock circuit including a service cover 131 for fuse replacement, an interlock electrode provided on the service cover 131, and an interlock socket 128 on the terminal block 126. It is necessary to provide. Further, since the air conditioner (A / C) connector C3 and the high voltage battery connector C4 are attached to the connector, it is necessary to connect them using four fixing screws, which increases the size of the connector. Furthermore, in order to replace the fuse, it is necessary to remove the service cover 131, which is an obstacle to the reduction in the number of parts of the fuse built-in connector and further miniaturization.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fuse built-in type connector that can reduce the number of parts such as a service cover and an interlock circuit for the service cover without removing the service cover simply by removing the connector.

  In order to achieve the above object, a fuse built-in connector according to the present invention connects a power cable having a positive electrode and a negative electrode to a first inverter, and connects the power cable to a cable extending to the second inverter. The connector housing to be connected, the first terminal connected to one electrode of the power cable, one end connected to the first terminal, and the other end to the connection terminal connected to the cable extending to the second inverter A fuse connected to the other electrode of the power cable, and a second terminal connected to the cable extending to the second inverter, the other end of which is connected to the housing of the first inverter. A fuse that has an opening on the mating connector side, and the first terminal and the second terminal are fitted to the mating connector of the first inverter, so that the fuse is disposed in the opening. Characterized in that it is covered by the housing.

  In the fuse built-in connector according to the present invention, the fuse is detachably attached to the first terminal and the connection terminal, and the fuse is replaced by removing the housing. Thus, by providing the housing with the function of the service cover, the fuse can be easily accessed by the operation of removing the connector.

  In the fuse built-in connector according to the present invention, the connector housing has an interlock switch connected to the control device, and when the housing is removed from the mating connector of the first inverter, the control device The power supply to the power cable is cut off.

  In the fuse built-in connector according to the present invention, the first inverter and the second inverter are at least one of an air conditioning inverter, a DC / DC converter for charging an auxiliary battery, or a motor driving inverter. It is characterized by.

  By using the fuse built-in type connector according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the parts required for the service cover and the interlock circuit for the service cover and the man-hours for attaching them, which are conventionally required, and it is possible to reduce the size and cost. There is an effect.

1 is an external view of a fuse built-in connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the power control unit and transaxle to which the fuse built-in type connector of FIG. 1 was attached. It is a circuit block diagram of the power supply system containing the fuse built-in type connector of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the connection state inside the connector with a built-in fuse shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the internal electrode of the fuse built-in type connector shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the connection condition in the fuse built-in type connector which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of a fuse built-in type connector C5 that is helpful in understanding the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the conventional fuse built-in type connector C1 and the other party connector C2 fitted to this.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows the appearance of the fuse-incorporated connector 21, FIG. 1 (A) shows the front, FIG. 1 (B) shows the top surface, and FIG. 1 (C) shows the AA cross section. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the installation location of the fuse-incorporated connector 21 of FIG. 1, and a power control unit 10 (PCU) to which the fuse-internal connector 21 is attached and a transaxle to which the power control unit 10 is attached. 30. The outline will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  The power control unit 10 of FIG. 2 has a power connector 20 on the vehicle rear side, and the fuse built-in connector 21 is connected to a female connector 22 arranged on the vehicle rear side of the power control unit 10. The fuse-embedded connector 21 is connected to a cable for supplying a high voltage from the battery to the power control unit 10 and supplying power to an electric air conditioner (not shown). Further, a battery cable and a cable for an electric air conditioner are connected, the fuse built-in type connector 21 is fitted into the female connector 22, and the fuse built-in type connector 21 is screwed to the power control unit 10 to prevent dropping.

The power control unit 10 shown in FIG. 2 includes a control board 11 that controls the power, a power module 12 that controls power, a water jacket 15 that cools the heat generating power module 12 with cooling water, and a back surface of the water jacket 15. The attached DC / DC converter 16 and the capacitor | condenser 18 and the reactor 17 attached under these are arrange | positioned. With this configuration, it is possible to achieve downsizing.
The transaxle 30 includes a first motor generator 31, a second motor generator 32, and a differential gear 33, and each motor generator is controlled by the power control unit 10 that is a power control device. Yes. Next, the fuse built-in connector 21 will be described in detail.

  The housing 36 of the built-in fuse-type connector 21 in FIG. 1A has an opening 35 on the male pole side that is connected to the female connector 22, and the opening 35 has a fuse 26, inverter connection terminals 25a and 25b, and a male. And an interlock terminal 29 for detecting the removal of the connector to cut off the energization. 1A includes a positive battery cable 23a and a negative battery cable 23b connected to the battery, and a positive A / C cable 24a and a negative electrode branched from the battery cable and connected to the electric air conditioner. A / C cable 24b. These cables are arranged in a line behind the power control unit, and the AA cross section of FIG. 1C shows the cross section of the fuse 26, the cross section of the positive inverter connection terminal 25a, and the cross section of the shaft electric wire 37. The housing 36 is sandwiched between two metal protective shells 27a and 27c from the front-rear direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the two protective shells 27a and 27c are coupled by a fixing screw 28, and a stopper 27b for fixing the fuse built-in connector 21 to the power control unit is connected to the protective shell 27a. Is provided. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide a fuse and a branch for an electric air conditioner in the power control unit, and the size can be reduced. Even if an external force is applied to the fuse built-in connector 21, the external force can be released from the protective shells 27a and 27c to the case through the stopper 27.

  When the fuse built-in connector 21 in FIG. 1C is connected to the female connector, the housing 36 covers the opening 35, and the O-ring 34 abuts against the inner wall of the female connector to seal the opening 35. As described above, by disposing the fuse 26 in the opening of the fuse built-in connector 21 (housing 36), the housing 36 covers the opening by attaching the fuse built-in connector 21 to the female connector. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a service cover that covers the fuse 26 by using the fuse built-in connector 21 shown in the present embodiment. Therefore, in contrast to the conventional structure in which a plurality of connectors of the battery cable and the A / C cable are individually fastened to the case, in the structure according to this embodiment, the plurality of connectors are collectively fastened as one connector. As a result, it is possible to reduce costs by omitting fixed parts and downsizing by integrating connectors. Next, the circuit configuration of the power supply system of this embodiment will be outlined.

  FIG. 3 is a circuit configuration diagram of the power supply system 50 including the fuse built-in type connector 21 of FIG. The power supply system 50 includes a plug module 55, a battery module 51, a system main relay module (SMRB) 56, an inverter 62 that drives the motor generator 63, and a built-in fuse connector that branches to the A / C inverter 59 of the electric air conditioner. 21 and an HV control computer 61. Next, each module will be described.

  The battery module 51 of FIG. 3 is divided into two submodules 51 a and 51 b, and the two submodules 51 a and 51 b are connected to the plug module 55. The plug module 55 includes a fuse 52 and a service plug 53, and the circuit of the battery module 51 can be cut off as necessary. The system main relay module 56 includes an SMRB connected to the positive battery cable 23a, an SMRG connected to the negative battery cable 23b, and an SMRP and a resistor 58 for precharging the capacitor. It controls on / off of the power system. The fuse built-in connector 21 constitutes an interlock with the fuse 26 connected to the positive A / C cable 24a branched from the positive battery cable 23a and the negative A / C cable 24b branched from the negative battery cable 23b. And an interlock terminal 29. With this configuration, it is not necessary to arrange the fuse 26 in the inverter. The HV control computer 61 reads the current value from the current sensor 54 and controls the inverter 62, the A / C inverter 59, and the system main relay module 56.

  One of the characteristic features of the power supply system 50 in FIG. 3 is that the fuse 52 of the plug module 55 is arranged as a fuse of the inverter 62 that consumes a large amount of power, and the fuse built-in connector 21 is used as a fuse of the A / C inverter 59. By arranging the fuse 26, the conventional fuse 62 is omitted, the fuse is transferred to the built-in fuse connector 21, and the service cover covering the fuse is reduced.

  Next, the interlock terminal 29 will be described. In the maintenance inspection by the service person, the service plug 53 of the power supply system is removed and the work is performed. Therefore, the process of turning off the system main relay by the interlock terminal 29 is not executed. However, when the service plug 53 is connected and the built-in fuse-type connector 21 is disconnected, the interlock terminal 29 is opened in the energized state, and the inverter 62 controls that the open state is the HV control. By transmitting to the computer 61, the HV control computer 61 turns off SMRB and SMRG of the system main relay module 56. By this processing, the energization to the fuse built-in connector 21 is cut off. Next, the connection state in the housing of the fuse built-in connector 21 will be described.

  FIG. 4 shows a connection state inside the fuse-incorporated connector 21 shown in FIG. 1, and the housing 36 is indicated by a broken line. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a connection state inside the fuse built-in connector. The fuse built-in connector 21 is formed by a molding method in which a resin is injected around a metal part inserted into a mold called insert molding, and the metal and the resin are integrated, as shown in FIGS. Is a metal part inserted and placed in the mold.

  The fuse-incorporated connector 21 of FIG. 4 connects battery cables 23a and 23b having positive and negative electrodes to a power control unit by inverter connection terminals 25a and 25b, and has an A / C having positive and negative electrodes extending to an electric air conditioner. The battery cables 23a and 23b are connected to the cables 24a and 24b. The fuse 26 is connected to the positive battery terminal 41a connected to the positive battery cable 23a, and the positive battery A / C terminal 41b to which the positive battery A / C cable 24a is connected to the positive battery terminal 41a and extends to the electric air conditioner. It is connected. The fuse 26 connected to the positive electrode A / C cable 24 a is provided outside the mold, that is, at the opening of the housing 36.

  One of the characteristic features of the fuse built-in connector 21 in FIG. 5 is that connector terminals are formed around the inverter connection terminals 25a and 25b connected to the power control unit. In particular, the positive inverter connection terminal 25 a connected to the positive battery cable 23 a and the positive A / C terminal 41 b function as a mounting base for the fuse 26, so that the fuse 26 is fixed by the connection screw 45 and the connection nut 44. can do. Further, the negative inverter connection terminal 25b connected to the negative battery cable 23b is formed integrally with the positive battery terminal 43a and the negative A / C terminal 43b, thereby connecting the negative battery cable 23b and the negative A / C cable 24b. It is realized.

  FIG. 6 shows a connection state inside the fuse-embedded connector 70 according to another embodiment, and shows a connector that branches the battery cable 23 into an A / C cable 24 and a DC / DC converter cable 71. This embodiment is also by insert molding. One of the characteristic matters in the present embodiment is that the DC / DC converter fuse 72 is disposed inside the fuse built-in connector 70 in a configuration in which the DC / DC converter is separated from the power control unit. The service cover for each fuse is made optional.

  A fuse 26 for an A / C inverter and a fuse 66 for a DC / DC converter are arranged in parallel at the positive battery terminal 41a of FIG. 6, and are branched and connected to the respective positive cables. The negative cable is also connected to the negative inverter connection terminal 25b. By disposing the fuse in the housing opening of the connector, energization can be ensured when the connector is connected, and the fuse is covered by the housing, and a service cover for the fuse becomes unnecessary.

  As described above, by using the fuse built-in connector according to the present embodiment, branching of the wiring can be realized, and components such as a service cover and a service cover interlock circuit that have been conventionally required, and The number of installation work steps can be reduced, and the size and cost can be reduced.

  In addition, although this embodiment demonstrated embodiment regarding the battery cable extended from a battery, it is not limited to this, For example, you may use the connector which concerns on this embodiment for the cable extended from a capacitor and a fuel cell, Any power cable is acceptable.

  In this embodiment, the fuse 26 is provided between the battery cable 23a and the A / C cable 24a in FIG. 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the negative electrode 23b of the battery cable and the A / C cable A fuse 26 may be provided between the negative electrode 24b. Further, the fuse built-in connector 21 may be provided as a connector to the A / C inverter 59 and a connector to the DC / DC converter 16 of FIG.

  10 Power Control Unit, 11 Control Board, 12 Power Module, 15 Water Jacket, 16 DC / DC Converter, 17 Reactor, 18 Capacitor, 20 Power Connector, 21, 70, C1, C5 Built-in Fuse Connector, 22 Female Connector, 23 Battery cable, 23a Positive battery cable, 23b Negative battery cable, 24a Positive A / C cable, 24b Negative A / C cable, 25a Positive inverter connection terminal, 25b Negative inverter connection terminal, 26, 52, 66, 127 Fuse, 27a, 27c Protective shell, 27b Stopper, 28 Fixing screw, 29 Interlock terminal, 30 Transaxle, 31, 32 Motor generator, 33 Differential gear, 34, 134 O-ring, 35 Open Part 36 housing 37 axis electric wire 41a positive battery terminal 41b positive A / C terminal 43a positive battery terminal 43b negative A / C terminal 44 connecting nut 45, 132, 133 connecting screw 50 power system 51 Battery module, 51a, 51b Submodule, 53 Service plug, 54 Current sensor, 55 Plug module, 56 System main relay module, 58 Resistor, 59 A / C inverter, 61 HV control computer, 62 Inverter, 63, MG1, MG2 Motor Generator, 71 DC / DC converter cable, 101 housing, 102 housing body, 103 cover, 104 electric wire, 105, 106, 108 terminal, 107a wire, 110 cavity, 111, 112 Terminal holding hole, 113, 114 Terminal locking part, 120 Power control device, 123, 124, 125 Electrode, 126 Terminal block, 128 Interlock socket, 131 Service cover, 132, 133 Connection screw, C2 Mating connector.

Claims (4)

A connector housing for connecting a power cable having a positive electrode and a negative electrode to the first inverter and connecting the power cable to a cable extending to the second inverter;
A first terminal connected to one electrode of the power cable;
A fuse having one end connected to the first terminal and the other end connected to a connection terminal connected to a cable extending to the second inverter;
A second terminal having one end connected to the other electrode of the power cable and the other end connected to a cable extending to the second inverter;
With
The connector housing has an opening on the mating connector side of the first inverter,
A fuse built-in connector, wherein a fuse disposed in an opening is covered with a housing by fitting a first terminal and a second terminal to a mating connector of a first inverter. The fuse built-in connector according to claim 1,
A fuse built-in connector, wherein the fuse is detachably attached to the first terminal and the connection terminal, and the fuse is replaced by removing the housing. The fuse built-in connector according to claim 1 or 2,
The connector housing has an interlock switch connected to the control device, and when the housing is removed from the mating connector of the first inverter, the control device shuts off the power supply to the power cable. Features a built-in fuse type connector. The fuse built-in connector according to claim 1,
The first inverter and the second inverter are at least one of an inverter for air conditioning, a DC / DC converter for charging an auxiliary battery, or an inverter for driving a motor.

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