JP2013153080A - Reactor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reactor that has a temperature sensor accurately positioned between two coils.SOLUTION: A reactor 2 comprises: two coils 3a and 3b that are arranged parallel to each other; a temperature sensor 31; and a sensor support member 23 that supports the temperature sensor 31. The sensor support member 23 is fixed to a coil conductor wire 4 that extends from at least any one of the coils 3a and 3b. The temperature sensor 31 is supported by the sensor support member 23, and positioned between the coils 3a and 3b. In the reactor 2, the temperature sensor 31 is supported by use of the coil conductor wire 4 extending from at least any one of the coils 3a and 3b. Thus, the temperature sensor 31 can be accurately positioned on sides of the coils 3a and 3b, namely between the coils 3a and 3b that are arranged parallel to each other.

Description

  The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a reactor.

  The reactor is a passive element used for improving the power factor of an electronic circuit, suppressing harmonic current (smoothing DC current), and the like. The reactor may also be used in a device that boosts / steps down a DC voltage. The reactor is sometimes called an “inductor”.

  The reactor is also used in, for example, a hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle. A hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle includes a motor as a drive source, and a reactor is used for an electric circuit (an inverter or a voltage conversion circuit) for the motor. The reactor is an element that easily generates heat. In particular, a circuit that handles a large current, such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, generates a large amount of heat. Therefore, a temperature sensor may be attached to monitor the temperature of the reactor. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a reactor in which two coils are arranged in parallel and a reactor in which a temperature sensor is arranged between the two coils. As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a form in which two coils are arranged in parallel and have a ring-shaped core passing through them is one typical form of a reactor. Note that the two coils are made of the same conductive wire and physically divided into two, but can be regarded as one coil in terms of electrical circuit. In such a reactor, the temperature is highest between the two coils. In the technique of Patent Document 1, the entire coil is covered with resin by injection molding, but a hole communicating between the two coils is provided at the time of injection molding, and a temperature sensor is inserted into the hole after resin molding.

JP 2010-219251 A

  Since the temperature between the two coils increases, a temperature sensor is fixed at that position. However, the technique of Patent Document 1 has the following problem. In the method of inserting a temperature sensor after resin molding covering the coil, a slight gap is generated between the temperature sensor and the resin. Since the air gap has a low thermal conductivity, the temperature of the coil cannot be accurately measured when the air gap is generated. The same applies to the case where the periphery of the coil is filled with resin by potting instead of injection molding. The present specification provides a technique for accurately positioning the temperature sensor between the coils before filling the resin, instead of inserting the temperature sensor after providing a hole in the resin.

  The reactor disclosed in this specification includes two coils arranged in parallel, a temperature sensor, and a sensor support member that supports the temperature sensor. The sensor support member is fixed to a coil conductor extending from one of the coils. The temperature sensor is supported by a sensor support member and is positioned between the two coils. In this reactor, since the temperature sensor is supported by using the coil conducting wire extending from the coil, the temperature sensor can be accurately positioned on the side of the coil, that is, between two coils arranged in parallel. In the case of a reactor that handles a large current, a rectangular wire is often used for the coil conductor so as to withstand the large current. The rectangular wire has high rigidity, and the coil conductor itself holds the shape firmly, so that the temperature sensor is also firmly supported.

  The sensor support member is provided with a clip-shaped holding portion that sandwiches a coil conductor extending from the coil, and the tip of the holding portion is preferably formed in a hook shape that prevents the sensor support member from coming off. If it has a clip-shaped clamping part, a temperature sensor can be easily attached. Moreover, if the tip is formed in a bowl shape, the temperature sensor once attached will not drop off.

  Furthermore, the temperature sensor has a rod shape and is preferably supported so as to be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sandwiching portion. In this configuration, when the holding portion is moved so as to be inserted into the coil conducting wire, a bar-shaped temperature sensor enters between the two coils. In the case of having this configuration, it becomes easy to fill the potting with resin and attach the temperature sensor before the resin is solidified.

  The reactor coil is usually wound around a resin bobbin. And the area | region located in the coil end of the bobbin by which the coil is wound is provided with the protrusion which guides the coil conducting wire extended from the coil. Therefore, it is preferable that the support member is positioned in contact with the protrusion. By using the projection as a reference, the sensor support member can be easily positioned in the direction in which the coil conductor extends.

  Details of the technology disclosed in this specification and further improvements will be described in the embodiments of the present invention.

It is a perspective view of the reactor of an Example (state which removed the temperature sensor). It is a perspective view of the reactor of an Example (state which attached the temperature sensor). FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. It is IV-IV sectional drawing of FIG. 2, Comprising: It is sectional drawing of a sensor support member (state attached to the reactor). FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2 and is a sectional view of the sensor support member (sensor support member only). It is a figure which shows the relationship between the processus | protrusion of a reactor, and the clamping part of a sensor support member.

  A reactor according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the reactor 2 with the temperature sensor removed, and FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the reactor with the temperature sensor 31 attached. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. The reactor 2 is put in a case (not shown), and around it is filled with resin. Resin filling is performed by injection molding or potting. However, in this embodiment, illustration of the resin covering the reactor is omitted.

  The reactor 2 is used, for example, for current smoothing of an electric vehicle. The reactor 2 is for a large current having a current allowable value of, for example, 100 [A] or more, and a rectangular wire is used as a winding. A flat wire is a conducting wire having a rectangular cross section.

  The reactor 2 is an element in which coils 3a and 3b are wound around a core 5 (see FIG. 3) made of a magnetic steel plate or iron powder. The core 5 is covered with a resin bobbin 6 and cannot be seen from the outside. More precisely, the coils 3 a and 3 b are wound around the bobbin 6, and the core 5 is disposed inside the bobbin 6. The bobbin 6 is made by injecting resin into a mold containing the core 5. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bobbin 6 including the core 5 is formed in an annular shape, and a part thereof is parallel. Coils 3a and 3b are wound around parallel portions of the bobbin. The coils 3a and 3b are physically two coils, but the two coils are made of one conductive wire, and they are electrically one coil. 1 and 2, a conducting wire (coil conducting wire 4) extends from the end of the coil on the back side of the drawing, and two coils are connected by a single conducting wire at the end of the coil on the near side of the drawing.

  There is a slight gap between the two coils arranged in parallel, and the temperature sensor 31 is located in the gap (FIG. 3). When a current is passed, the core and the coil generate heat, but the temperature between the two coils is highest. Therefore, in the reactor 2, the temperature sensor 31 is supported so as to be positioned between the two coils. As the temperature sensor 31, a thermistor whose electric resistance changes according to a change in temperature is often used.

  The temperature sensor 31 is supported by the sensor support member 23. The sensor support member 23 is made of resin. The sensor support member 23 is attached to the coil conductor 4 at the base, and the temperature sensor 31 is fixed to the tip thereof. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sensor support member 23 is fixed to the coil conducting wire 4 extending from the coil 3 a. The fixed position is near the end of the coil. More specifically, it is between the range of the length of the reactor 2 including the bobbin 6 (the range indicated by the symbol Ld in FIG. 2).

  Two clamping portions 24 and 25 extend from the lower surface of the sensor support member 23. The sandwiching portions 24 and 25 are clip-shaped members and sandwich the coil conducting wire 4. The two clamping parts 24 and 25 are provided at a predetermined interval, and are attached so as to sandwich the protrusion 6 a provided on the bobbin 6 as shown in FIGS. The protrusion 6a is provided on the upper surface of the bobbin 6 protruding outward from the coil end. The protrusion 6a is provided to guide (fix) the coil conductor 4 extending from the coil. By sandwiching the protrusion 6a, the position of the sensor support member 23 in the direction along the coil conductor 4 is accurately determined. The position of the sensor support member 23, that is, the position of the temperature sensor 31 is accurately determined by the two clamping portions 24 and 25.

  Reference numeral 32 shown in the figure indicates a signal cable extending from the temperature sensor 31. The signal cable 32 exits from the rear end of the temperature sensor 31, passes through the inside of the sensor support member 23, and is connected to a controller (not shown). Reference numeral 29 denotes a cover that covers the upper surface of the sensor support member 23. Reference numeral 21 denotes a thin plate-like member extending from the lower surface of the sensor support member 23. When the periphery of the reactor 2 is filled with resin, an anchor for reinforcing the fixing of the temperature sensor 31 in the resin. Is shown.

  The sensor support member 23 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 show a cross-section (IV-IV cross-section in FIG. 2) that crosses the clamping portion 24. FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the sandwiching portion in a state of being fixed to the reactor 2. The sandwiching portion 24 is composed of a pair of extending portions that sandwich the coil conducting wire 4. The tip of one of the extending portions is formed in a bowl shape (the bowl-shaped portion 27), and the tip of the other extending portion is tapered so that the distance between the holding portions 24 increases toward the tip. It has become. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the distance between the pair of extending portions becomes wider toward the tip, so that it can be easily pushed into the coil conductor 4. The sensor support member 23 is made of resin and has a certain degree of rigidity. When the clamping part 24 is pushed into the coil conductor 4, the hook-like part 27 bends due to rigidity, and the tip of the clamping part 24 expands. When the coil conductor 4 finishes passing through the hook-like portion 27, the hook-like portion 27 returns to its original state, the hook portion engages with the lower end of the coil lead wire 4, and the sensor support member 23 cannot be detached. The clamping part 25 also has a similar structure.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the two clamping portions 24 and 25 and the protrusion 6a when the sensor support member 23 is attached. As shown in FIG. 6, the two clamping parts 24 and 25 are positioned so as to sandwich both sides of the protrusion 6a. With such a structure, the position of the sensor support member 23 in the direction along the coil conductor 4 is determined.

  The advantages of the reactor 2 will be described. The reactor 2 includes a sensor support member 23 that is fixed to a coil wire (lead portion extending from the coil). The temperature sensor 31 is fixed to the coil 3 a via the sensor support member 23. Therefore, the temperature sensor can be fixed before the reactor 2 is covered with the resin. Furthermore, the relative position of the temperature sensor 31 with respect to the coil is accurately determined by the fixing structure. The tip of the temperature sensor 31 is located in the space between the two coils arranged in parallel, but the position of the temperature sensor 31 is determined relative to the coil, so the temperature sensor 31 is located between the two coils. Accurately positioned in the space. Since the position of the temperature sensor 31 is accurately determined, the temperature measurement position is accurately determined. The coil conductor 4 is a flat wire, has high rigidity, and does not bend easily. Since the coil conductor 4 itself is rigid, the sensor support member 23 fixed to the coil conductor 4 does not wobble.

  Further, the sensor support member 23 has clamping portions 24 and 25 at two locations. The clamping parts 24 and 25 are clip-shaped and can be attached to the coil conducting wire 4 with one touch. Furthermore, the two clamping parts 24 and 25 are attached so as to sandwich the projection 6a of the bobbin 6 between them. With such a structure, the position of the sensor support member 23 in the direction along the coil conductor 4 is also accurately determined.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 31 has a rod shape, and the extending direction is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sandwiching portions 24 and 25 of the sensor support member 23. When the sensor support member 23 is attached, the sensor support member 23 is lowered from above in FIG. 1, but the direction thereof coincides with the direction in which the temperature sensor 31 is inserted vertically in the gap between the coils 3a and 3b. That is, the attachment direction of the sensor support member 23 and the insertion direction of the temperature sensor 31 are the same. Therefore, it is easy to attach the sensor support member 23 including the temperature sensor.

  Specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology illustrated in the present specification or the drawings achieves a plurality of objects at the same time, and has technical utility by achieving one of the objects.

2: Reactor 3a, 3b: Coil 4: Coil conductor 5: Core 6: Bobbin 6a: Protrusion 21: Anchor 23: Sensor support member 24, 25: Clamping portion 27: Hook-shaped portion 28: Tapered surface 31: Temperature sensor 32: Signal cable

Claims (5)

Two coils arranged in parallel;
A sensor support member fixed to a coil conductor extending from one of the coils;
A temperature sensor supported by the sensor support member and positioned between the two coils;
The reactor characterized by providing.   The sensor support member includes a sandwiching portion that sandwiches a coil conductor extending from a coil, and a tip of the sandwiching portion is formed in a hook shape that prevents the sensor support member from coming off. The described reactor.   The reactor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature sensor has a rod shape and is supported so as to be parallel to a longitudinal direction of the sandwiching portion.   Protrusions that guide the coil conductors extending from the coil are provided in a region located at the coil end of the bobbin around which the coil is wound, and that the support member is positioned in contact with the protrusions. The reactor of any one of Claim 1 to 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The reactor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the coil conducting wire forming the coil is a flat wire.

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