JP2013067254A - Vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more appropriately and simply prevent the humidity from increasing in an electronic component case.SOLUTION: A flexible hose 34 is configured: to cover a power cable 32 for connecting an inverter circuit 26 housed in an inverter case 28 installed in an engine room 12 in front of the vehicle, to a battery 30 mounted in the rear side of the vehicle from the engine room 12; and having a ventilation path 36 formed inside for allowing the inverter case 28 to communicate with an vehicle interior 14. The humidity in the inverter case 28 is prevented from increasing. The inverter case 28 communicates with the vehicle interior 14 by the ventilation path 36 in the flexible hose 34 covering the power cable 32 for connecting the inverter circuit 26 to the battery 30, thereby preventing the number of components from increasing more than necessary. As a result, the humidity increase in the inverter case 28 is more appropriately and simply prevented.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle, and more specifically, an electronic component case that is mounted in an engine room in front of the vehicle and stores electronic components, and is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle from the engine room and connected to the electronic components via an electric cable. It is related with a vehicle provided with a vehicle-mounted battery.

  Conventionally, as a technology related to this type of vehicle, there is a ventilation structure of a waterproof case that houses a circuit board on which an engine electronic control circuit or the like is mounted, and the connector of the wire harness that is plugged into the connector of the circuit board The air hole is formed to communicate with the atmosphere, and a water repellent filter having both air permeability and waterproofness is assembled to the air hole by welding or the like. Further, the wire harness connector is connected to the circuit board connector. There has been proposed one in which a communication hole is formed for communicating the inside of the case and the inside of the waterproof case (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this ventilation structure, the above-described structure prevents both a short circuit inside the connector and a short circuit board due to water absorption.

JP 2000-228243 A

  However, in the waterproof structure of the waterproof case described above, the moisture in the case may increase even if the waterproof (drip-proof) property and the breathability in the waterproof case are secured by a water repellent filter or the like. Steam (humidity) in the engine room slowly enters the case through the water-repellent filter due to temperature and humidity changes inside and outside the case, and temperature and humidity differences. Stays in the case. And if the engine operation and stoppage are repeated for several days, for example, the humidity in the case is saturated at the temperature in the engine room in the high temperature and high humidity state, due to the condensed moisture and high humidity state in the case There is a possibility that an abnormality may occur in the electronic component due to deterioration of a part of the electronic component in the case or a crack in the resin member.

  The main object of the vehicle of the present invention is to more appropriately and easily suppress the humidity in the electronic component case from increasing.

  The vehicle of the present invention employs the following means in order to achieve the main object described above.

The vehicle of the present invention
In a vehicle comprising: an electronic component case that is mounted in an engine room in front of the vehicle to store electronic components; and an in-vehicle battery that is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle from the engine room and connected to the electronic component via an electric cable. ,
A cable hose is provided that covers the electrical cable and has a ventilation path that communicates the electronic component case and the passenger compartment.

  In the vehicle according to the present invention, while covering an electric cable connecting an electronic component housed in an electronic component case mounted in an engine room in front of the vehicle and an in-vehicle battery mounted in the rear of the vehicle from the engine room, And a cable hose having a ventilation path communicating the electronic component case and the vehicle compartment. As a result, the cabin and the electronic component case communicate with each other at a relatively low humidity due to air conditioning, and the electronic component case can be prevented from increasing. Further, since the electronic component case and the vehicle compartment communicate with each other through the air passage in the cable hose that covers the electric cable connecting the electronic component and the vehicle-mounted battery, the number of components is not increased more than necessary. As a result, it is possible to more appropriately and easily suppress an increase in humidity in the electronic component case. That is, the electronic component in the electronic component case can be protected more appropriately and easily. Here, the “engine room” includes one that houses the engine, one that houses the engine and the traveling motor, one that houses the traveling motor without housing the engine, and the like. The “electronic component” includes an inverter circuit, a converter circuit, and the like.

  In such a vehicle of the present invention, the electronic component is connected to the in-vehicle battery using a resin coupler that is attached to the electronic component case and has a vent hole that communicates the inside and the outside of the electronic component case. The electronic component case may be connected to the electric cable, and may be communicated with the vehicle compartment by a vent hole of the resin coupler and a vent path in the cable hose. In this case, a boot member fixed to one end of the cable hose is fixed to the outer peripheral side of the mounting portion of the resin coupler in the electronic component case, and the electronic component case is connected to the resin coupler. The interior of the boot member and the air passage in the cable hose may communicate with the vehicle compartment.

  In the vehicle of the present invention, the cable hose is provided with a communication portion that communicates the air passage in the cable hose with the vehicle compartment, and the electronic component case is provided in the cable hose. It is also possible to communicate with the passenger compartment through the air passage and the communication portion. In this case, the communication part may be configured by a T-type union that is attached to the cable hose and through which the electric cable passes through two of the three holes. In addition, the communication portion may be configured by a stay attached to the cable hose and formed with a communication path that connects the air passage in the cable hose and the vehicle compartment. . Furthermore, the ventilation path in the cable hose is constituted by a narrow tube hose arranged in the cable hose, and the communication part is constituted by an end portion of the capillary hose. You can also

  Furthermore, in the vehicle of the present invention, a moisture absorbing material may be installed in the air passage in the cable hose.

  Alternatively, in the vehicle of the present invention, air is sucked from the vehicle interior to the inside of the electronic component case through the air passage in the cable hose using a blower device that blows air in the vehicle compartment. It is also possible to enable air circulation by exhausting from the inside to the outside of the electronic component case.

It is explanatory drawing explaining the external appearance of the hybrid vehicle 10 as one Example of this invention, and a mode that the apparatus required for driving | running | working was mounted. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a state in which an inverter circuit 26 mounted in an engine room 12 and a power cable 32 routed below the passenger compartment 14 are viewed from the left side of the vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows the (a) part around the inverter case 28 of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the AA cross section of the boot fixing | fixed part 29 and the resin coupler 40 of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows the (b) part below the compartment 14 of the power cable 32 of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode of the resin coupler 140 periphery of a modification by a cross section. It is sectional drawing which shows the AA cross section of the resin coupler 140 of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the compartment side communication part 150 of the modification. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the inside of the inverter case 28 of a modification communicates with the vehicle interior. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the inside of the inverter case 28 of a modification communicates with the vehicle interior. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure which enables the circulation of the air of the vehicle interior 14 and inverter case 28 of a modification.

  Next, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using an Example.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the appearance of a hybrid vehicle 10 as an embodiment of the present invention and a state in which equipment necessary for traveling is mounted on the vehicle. As shown in the figure, an engine room 12 at the front part of the vehicle is configured as an engine 22 that is an internal combustion engine that outputs driving power using a hydrocarbon-based fuel such as gasoline or light oil, and a known synchronous generator motor. A motor 24 that inputs and outputs driving power and an inverter case 28 that houses an inverter circuit 26 as an electronic component that drives the motor 24 are mounted. Further, a battery 30 as a secondary battery is mounted behind the rear seat (not shown) at the rear of the vehicle, and the inverter circuit 26 and the battery 30 are routed below (under the floor) of the passenger compartment (passenger compartment) 14. The motor 24 can be connected to the battery 30 via the inverter circuit 26 through the power cable 32. Thereby, the motor 24 can be driven by the electric power from the battery 30 to run the engine 22 intermittently, or the battery 30 can be charged by the electric power from the motor 24 during braking. The hybrid vehicle 10 according to the embodiment includes an air conditioner (not shown) including a compressor driven using electric power from the battery 30, a dashboard in front of the front seat in the passenger compartment 14, or an operation panel provided on the center console. The vehicle compartment 14 is air-conditioned by operating the air-conditioning device in accordance with the operation of the operation panel by the driver or the like.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing a state in which the inverter circuit 26 mounted in the engine room 12 and the power cable 32 routed below the passenger compartment 14 are viewed from the left side of the vehicle. FIG. 4 is an enlarged explanatory view showing the section (a) around the inverter case 28 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the AA section of the boot fixing portion 29 and the resin coupler 40 in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion (b) below the passenger compartment 14 of the power cable 32 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the power cable 32 is hollow and loosely covered with a resin-made flexible hose 34 for protecting the cable, and the inverter circuit 26 is a resin-made resin attached to an inverter case 28. A coupler 40 is used to connect the power cable 32 covered with the flexible hose 34.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a cylindrical boot fixing portion 29 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the mounting portion of the resin coupler 40 in the inverter case 28. The end portion on the large diameter side of the hollow and tapered rubber boot 35 made of rubber is fixed by a fastening band (not shown). Further, one end of the flexible hose 34 is fixed to an end portion on the small diameter side of the rubber boot 35 by a fastening band (not shown). In this way, with the rubber boot 35 fixed to the boot fixing portion 29 of the inverter case 28 and one end of the flexible hose 34 fixed to the rubber boot 35, the power cable 32 penetrates the resin coupler 40 and is connected to one end of the power cable 32. The attached terminal 33 is fastened by a bolt 27b to a terminal attaching portion 27a provided at the end of the inverter circuit 26. Thereby, the inverter circuit 26 is connected to the power cable 32. Here, the resin coupler 40 is fixed to the inverter case 28 so that the inside of the inverter case 28 is sealed (sealed) by an O-ring 41 attached to the smooth inner peripheral surface of the boot fixing portion 29. 28 is also configured as a basically sealed case for the purpose of drip-proof and moisture-proof. However, as shown in FIG. 5, since the resin coupler 40 has a vent hole 44 that communicates the inside and outside of the inverter case 28, the inside of the inverter case 28 is formed of the resin coupler 40 as shown in FIG. 3. The vehicle interior 14 communicates with the air hole 44, the inside of the rubber boot 35, and the air passage 36 as a space inside the flexible hose 34. As shown in FIG. 4, the resin coupler 40 includes a resin resin housing 42 that covers the two power cables 32 as covered wires, and a vent hole having a semicircular cross section covered with the resin housing 42. 44, and the vent hole 44 only needs to be formed when the resin coupler 40 is molded. Therefore, it is relatively easy to increase the diameter of the vent hole 44. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, in the flexible hose 34, a vehicle compartment side communicating with the air passage 36 in the flexible hose 34 and the vehicle compartment 14 is located below the vehicle compartment 14 (below the floor). A communication unit 50 is provided. Next, the compartment side communication part 50 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the compartment side communication portion 50 has an opening 38 formed so as to open upward at a portion below the compartment 14 of the flexible hose 34, and an outlet portion 54 is inserted into the opening 38. And a T-shaped union (T-type connector) 52 made of resin and a drip-proof lid 56 attached so as to close the outlet 54 of the T-type union 52 from above in the passenger compartment 14. It is configured. The T-type union 52 is configured such that the power cable 32 passes straight through two of the three holes, and the outlet portion 54 has the remaining one hole. The air passage 36 in the flexible hose 34 and the vehicle compartment 14 are communicated with each other by the vehicle compartment side communication portion 50 configured as described above, and thereby the interior of the inverter case 28 communicates with the vehicle compartment 14. The drip-proof lid 56 can be attached to a dashboard or a center console in the vehicle compartment 14 by fixing an extension hose or the like to the outlet portion 54 of the T-type union 52.

  Thus, in the hybrid vehicle 10 of the embodiment, the inverter circuit 26 housed in the inverter case 28 mounted in the engine room 12 in front of the vehicle is connected to the battery 30 mounted in the rear of the vehicle from the engine room 12. And a flexible hose 34 having a ventilation path 36 that communicates the inverter case 28 and the vehicle compartment 14. As a result, the humidity of the inverter case 28 mounted in the engine room 12 is relatively low and the humidity is relatively low due to a large change in humidity due to repeated operation and stop of the engine 22 (particularly a significant change in humidity when running on rainy weather). Since there is little change and communication with the passenger compartment 14 that is air-conditioned by the air conditioner at high temperature and high humidity, it is possible to suppress an increase in humidity inside the inverter case 28. Also, with this structure, it is relatively easy to increase the diameter of the vent hole 44 (that is, it is more effective for suppressing the condensation by speeding drying inside the inverter case 28) and fixing the boot of the inverter case 28. An O-ring 41 attached between the smooth inner peripheral surface of the portion 29 and the resin coupler 40, and a rubber boot having one end fixed to the boot fixing portion 29 of the inverter case 28 and the other end fixed to the flexible hose 34 35 and a rubber hose 35 and a flexible hose 34 having high moistureproofness and airtightness, the inverter case 28 is hermetically sealed, and a drip-proof lid 56 is attached to a T-type union 52 in the passenger compartment 14. In order to prevent liquids such as beverages and umbrellas from entering the flexible hose 34 via the T-type union 52, Can more reliably dry state inside the scan 28. Furthermore, since the inverter case 28 and the vehicle compartment 14 communicate with each other by the air passage 36 in the flexible hose 34 that covers the power cable 32 that connects the inverter circuit 26 and the battery 30, the number of parts is not increased more than necessary. The interior of the inverter case 28 can be in a dry state. As a result, it is possible to more appropriately and easily suppress the humidity in the inverter case 28 from rising, and it is possible to more appropriately and easily protect the inverter circuit 26 that is sensitive to condensation and moisture.

  According to the hybrid vehicle 10 of the embodiment described above, the inverter circuit 26 housed in the inverter case 28 mounted in the engine room 12 in front of the vehicle, and the battery 30 mounted in the rear of the vehicle from the engine room 12. Since the flexible hose 34 that covers the power cable 32 to be connected and has the air passage 36 that communicates the inverter case 28 and the vehicle compartment 14 therein is provided, it is possible to suppress an increase in humidity in the inverter case 28. . Further, since the inverter case 28 and the vehicle compartment 14 communicate with each other by the air passage 36 in the flexible hose 34 that covers the power cable 32 that connects the inverter circuit 26 and the battery 30, the number of parts is not increased more than necessary. . As a result, it is possible to more appropriately and easily suppress the humidity in the inverter case 28 from increasing.

  In the hybrid vehicle 10 of the embodiment, the resin coupler 40 includes the resin housing 42 that covers the two power cables 32 and the one air hole 44, but the state around the resin coupler 140 of the modified example of FIG. As shown in FIG. 6 and the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 showing the AA cross section of the resin coupler 140 in FIG. 6, there are two holding portions 143a that respectively cover the two power cables 32 and two support portions 143b that support the holding portion 143a. It is also possible to use a resin coupler 140 that includes a resin housing 142 made of resin and a plurality of (three in the example of FIG. 7) vent holes 144 formed in the resin housing 142.

  The vehicle compartment side communication portion 50 is configured by a T-type union 52 attached to the flexible hose 34, but as shown in the vehicle compartment side communication portion 150 of the modified example of FIG. The vehicle compartment side communication portion 150 may be configured by a resin stay 152 made of resin for fixing to the vehicle. In the drawing, the resin stay 152 attached to the flexible hose 34 is formed with a communication passage 154 for communicating the air passage 36 in the flexible hose 34 and the vehicle compartment 14 by integral molding with the resin stay 152 main body.

  In the hybrid vehicle 10 of the embodiment, the interior of the inverter case 28 includes the vent hole 44 of the resin coupler 40, the rubber boot 35, the air passage 36 in the flexible hose 34, and the vehicle compartment side communication portion 50 provided in the flexible hose 34. , And communicated with the vehicle compartment 14, but instead of the air passage 36 in the flexible hose 34, as shown in the state in which the interior of the inverter case 28 of the modified example of FIG. 9 communicates with the vehicle compartment 14, A hollow rubber thin tube hose 234 that is routed in the flexible hose 34 and has one end attached to the vent hole 44 of the resin coupler 40 is used, and the vehicle compartment of the flexible hose 34 is used instead of the vehicle compartment side communication portion 50. 14 The vehicle interior side communication portion constituted by the outlet portion 236 which is the other end of the thin tube hose 234 inserted into the opening formed in the lower portion. Or as using 50. That is, the inside of the inverter case 28 is formed by the vent hole 44 of the resin coupler 40, the narrow tube hose 234 in the flexible hose 34, and the vehicle compartment side communication portion 250 by the outlet 236 of the narrow tube hose 234 provided in the flexible hose 34. It may be in communication with the passenger compartment 14. In this case, the flexible hose 34 and the rubber boot 35 may be fixed by conventional tape winding because sealing is not required.

  In the hybrid vehicle 10 of the embodiment, the air passage 36 in the flexible hose 34 that communicates the inside of the inverter case 28 and the vehicle compartment 14 is merely a space, but the inside of the inverter case 28 of the modified example of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the air passage 36 may be filled with a hygroscopic material (drying material) 358 made of silica gel, a hygroscopic polymer, or the like. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the moisture absorbing material 358 may be filled also in the outlet portion 54 of the T-type union 52 as the cabin side communication portion 350. Thereby, the inside of the inverter case 28 can be more reliably dried.

  In the hybrid vehicle 10 of the embodiment, the inside of the inverter case 28 and the vehicle compartment 14 are configured to simply communicate with each other. However, a blower device including a pump or a blower that blows the air in the vehicle compartment 14 is used. By using this, air can be circulated by sucking air from inside the vehicle compartment 14 into the inverter case 28 through the air passage in the flexible hose 34 and exhausting air from the inside of the inverter case 28 to the outside. It is good also as what comprises. FIG. 11 shows a configuration that enables air circulation between the vehicle compartment 14 and the inverter case 28 of a modification. In the figure, a resin coupler 440 having an intake hole 444 and an exhaust hole 446 is used instead of the resin coupler 40. Further, instead of the air passage 36 in the flexible hose 34, a hollow thin tube hose 234 is used which is routed in the flexible hose 34 and has one end attached to the air intake hole 444 of the resin coupler 40. Instead of the communication portion 50, an outlet portion 236 which is the other end of the thin tube hose 234 inserted into an opening formed in a portion below the compartment 14 of the flexible hose 34, and a blower pump attached to the outlet portion 236 The vehicle interior side communication part 450 constituted by the engine 460 is used. With this configuration, the blower pump 460 is used to intake air from the vehicle compartment 14 to the inside of the inverter case 28 through the narrow tube hose 234 in the flexible hose 34 through the intake hole 444 of the resin coupler 440 and the inverter. Air can be circulated by exhausting from the inside of the case 28 to the outside through the exhaust hole 446 of the resin coupler 440. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the detection value of the sensor 462 for detecting the temperature and humidity of the air in the inverter case 28 and the detection value of the sensor 464 for detecting the temperature and humidity of the air in the passenger compartment 14 are obtained. In addition to being input by the electronic control unit 466, the electronic control unit 466 controls the blower pump 460 based on the input detection values, so that the dry air in the passenger compartment 14 can be converted into an inverter as necessary. It is good also as what is made to circulate in the case 28. FIG.

  In the hybrid vehicle 10 of the embodiment, the inverter circuit 26 as an electronic component has been described as applied to a structure that protects against moisture. However, instead of the inverter circuit 26, a converter circuit for power conversion and a part of these circuits are used. The present invention may be applied to a structure that protects electronic components such as a substrate and elements to be configured from moisture.

  In the embodiment, the present invention is applied to the hybrid vehicle 10. However, the vehicle includes only the engine without a travel motor as a travel power source, or only the travel motor without an engine as a travel power source. It is good also as what is applied to vehicles provided with.

  The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems will be described. In the embodiment, the inverter circuit 26 corresponds to “electronic component”, the inverter case 28 corresponds to “electronic component case”, the battery 30 corresponds to “vehicle battery”, and the power cable 32 corresponds to “electric cable”. The flexible hose 34 corresponds to a “cable hose”, and the air passage 36 corresponds to a “air passage”.

  The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problem is the same as that of the embodiment described in the column of means for solving the problem. Therefore, the elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems are not limited. That is, the interpretation of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems should be made based on the description of the column, and the examples are those of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems. It is only a specific example.

  As mentioned above, although the form for implementing this invention was demonstrated using the Example, this invention is not limited at all to such an Example, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it is with various forms. Of course, it can be implemented.

  The present invention can be used in the vehicle manufacturing industry.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Hybrid vehicle, 12 engine room, 14 compartment, 22 engine, 24 motor, 26 inverter circuit, 27a terminal attachment part, 27b bolt, 28 inverter case, 29 boot fixing part, 30 battery, 32 power cable, 33 terminal, 34 Flexible hose, 35 Rubber boot, 36 Air passage, 38 Opening, 40, 140, 440 Resin coupler, 41 O-ring, 42, 142 Resin housing, 44, 144 Air vent, 50, 150, 250, 350, 450 Communication part, 52 T-type union, 54 outlet part, 56 drip-proof lid, 143a holding part, 143b support part, 152 resin stay, 154 communication path, 234 narrow tube hose, 236 outlet part, 358 moisture absorbing material, 444 intake hole, 446 Exhaust hole, 460 blower pump 462, 464 sensor, 466 electronic control unit.

Claims (1)

In a vehicle comprising: an electronic component case that is mounted in an engine room in front of the vehicle to store electronic components; and an in-vehicle battery that is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle from the engine room and connected to the electronic component via an electric cable. ,
A vehicle comprising: a cable hose that covers the electrical cable and includes an air passage that communicates the electronic component case and the passenger compartment.

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