JP2014138440A - Control device for electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology which allows a worker to access to electronic components from an opening of a lower part thereby reducing a load of work for maintenance of the electronic components in a control device for an electric vehicle where an upper part and the lower part of a case are open.SOLUTION: An inverter 2 adopts a case 20, an upper cover 10, and a lower cover 26. The case 20 opens at an upper part and a lower part. Electronic components are housed in an upper space and a lower space. The upper cover 10 covers an opening of the upper part of the case 20. The lower cover 26 covers an opening of the lower part of the case 20. Protrusions 25, which serve as legs when the case 20 is placed on, for example, a work table with the lower cover side facing upward, are provided at the case 20. Providing the protrusions at the case 20 allows the case 20 to be stably placed on the work table being flipped up and down without separately preparing a support base etc.

Description

  The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a control device for an electric vehicle. A typical control device disclosed in the present specification is an inverter that supplies electric power to a traveling motor. The electric vehicle in this specification includes a hybrid vehicle and a fuel cell vehicle having both a traveling motor and an engine.

  Various control devices are installed in the engine compartment of an electric vehicle. One example is an inverter that supplies electric power to a traveling motor. In the present specification, even in an electric vehicle not equipped with an engine, a space for mounting a motor for traveling is referred to as an engine compartment for convenience.

  Electric vehicle devices are required to be compact. The same applies to control devices represented by inverters. In such a control device for an electric vehicle, in order to increase the mounting density in the case, both the upper part and the lower part are open, and electronic components are placed in the upper space and the lower space, respectively. A case that can be arranged may be employed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inverter that employs such a case. Hereinafter, a cover that covers the upper opening of the case is referred to as an upper cover, and a cover that covers the lower opening is referred to as a lower cover.

JP 2012-146759 A

  When the above case is adopted, it is necessary to place the control device on the work table with the case upside down in order to exchange electronic components by accessing from the lower opening. The upper cover may be attached, but when the case is reversed after the upper cover is removed, a stand for supporting the case is required. It takes time and effort to prepare a support base each time the case is reversed. The present specification relates to a control apparatus for an electric vehicle in which both an upper portion and a lower portion of a case are open, and provides a technique for reducing a work load for performing maintenance of an electronic component accessed from the lower opening.

  The control device disclosed in this specification includes a case in which both an upper part and a lower part are open, an upper cover, and a lower cover. An electronic component is accommodated in each of the upper space and the lower space of the case. In the technique disclosed in this specification, the case is provided with a protrusion that serves as a leg for supporting the case when the case is placed (for example, on a work table) with the lower cover side facing upward. By providing such a protrusion on the case, it is possible to stably place the case on the work table by turning the case upside down without separately preparing a support table or the like. In particular, when the upper cover is removed and the electronic components are exposed from the upper opening, the protrusions serve as legs and support the inverted case, so that the electronic components exposed from the upper opening come into contact with the work surface. Is prevented. In other words, the protrusion is provided on the case so that the tip of the protrusion protrudes upward from the upper opening.

  The control device arranged in the engine compartment is sealed (sealed) to prevent ingress of moisture and dust. Both the upper cover and the lower cover need to be sealed against the case. It is preferable that the above-mentioned projections do not interfere during sealing. Therefore, in one improvement of the technique disclosed in the present specification, a region to which a sealing material is applied when the upper cover is attached is determined on the periphery of the upper opening of the case. When the opening is viewed from the front, it is provided outside the region where the sealing material is applied. By adopting such a structure, when the upper cover is sealed and closed, the protrusion does not become an obstacle.

  Furthermore, when the periphery of the upper opening is substantially rectangular, the sealing region also has a rectangular band shape. However, if the protrusions are provided by removing the sealing region on each side of the rectangle and the region extending in the longitudinal direction of the sealing region. Good. When removing the upper cover and then reattaching it, the seal area may be polished to clean out the old sealing material.However, by providing protrusions outside the area extending the longitudinal direction of the seal area, The side seal area can be polished in a straight line.

  The present specification further provides a technique for using the above-described protrusion for another purpose. The shape of the protrusion is as follows. That is, the side surface of the protrusion that faces the opening side (that is, the surface facing the opening side when the opening at the top of the case is viewed from the front) is tapered toward the tip, and is opposite to the opening side. The side surface (that is, the surface facing the outside of the opening when the opening at the top of the case is viewed from the front) is defined to be perpendicular to the opening surface. By adopting such a shape, the tapered side surface of the protrusion can be used as a guide when attaching the upper cover. That is, the upper cover can be positioned by the tapered side surface of the protrusion. Such a protrusion not only reduces the load of access work to the opening at the lower part of the case, but also can reduce the load of work of attaching the upper cover. Furthermore, if the upper cover is provided with a notch into which the protrusion is fitted, the positioning operation of the upper cover is further facilitated.

  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 inverter of 1st Example (state which removed the upper cover). It is a perspective view of the inverter of the state which turned the case upside down. It is a top view of an upper opening. It is a perspective view of the inverter of 2nd Example (state which removed the upper cover). It is a perspective view of the inverter of 2nd Example (state which closed the upper cover).

  (First Embodiment) A control apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The control device of the embodiment is an inverter 2 that is mounted on an electric vehicle and converts DC power of a battery into AC power suitable for driving a traveling motor. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inverter 2. However, in FIG. 1, the upper cover 10 is removed. In the figure, the positive direction of the Z axis is defined as “up” for convenience of explanation. The inverter 2 includes not only an inverter circuit that converts direct current into alternating current, but also a boost converter circuit that boosts the voltage of the battery.

  The case 20 has upper and lower openings, and the inside is divided into an upper space AS and a lower space LS. Major components housed in the upper space AS include a first electrical component 91, a second electrical component 92, a third electrical component 93, and a fourth electrical component 94. In addition, although the control board is accommodated in the upper space AS, the illustration thereof is omitted.

  As will be described in detail later, the lower space LS of the case 20 houses a step-down converter circuit that steps down the output voltage of the battery. The step-down converter circuit is provided to step down the battery power and supply it to the auxiliary machine. “Auxiliary equipment” is a generic term for devices that are driven at a voltage lower than the output voltage of a battery that stores electric power for driving a motor, such as car navigation and room lamps.

  As described above, the first electrical component 91, the second electrical component 92, the third electrical component 93, the fourth electrical component 94, the control board, and the like are stored in the upper space AS of the case 20, so that maintenance is performed on the upper side. The cover 10 is removed and accessed from the upper opening 20a. The upper cover 10 has a flange 12 around it, and a through-hole 13 through which a fixing bolt 14 is passed is provided in the flange 12. The case 20 is provided with a flange 22 so as to surround the periphery of the upper opening 20 a, and the flange 22 is provided with a bolt hole 23 for fixing the fixing bolt 14.

  On the other hand, in order to maintain the components of the step-down converter circuit, it is necessary to remove the lower cover 26 and access from the lower opening. At that time, it is difficult to work with the lower opening facing downward. Usually, the entire inverter 2 is turned upside down. If the upper cover 10 is removed, the first electric component 91 protrudes from the upper opening 20a. Therefore, if the inverter 2 is turned upside down and placed on the work table, the first electric component 91 comes into contact with the work table. End up. Therefore, the inverter 2 has a protrusion 25 that becomes a leg when the case 20 is placed on the work table with the lower cover 26 facing upward. The protrusions 25 are provided at the four corners of the substantially rectangular flange 22 of the case 20. The height H1 from the opening surface of the protrusion 25 is higher than the protruding height H2 from the opening surface of the first electric component 91. Therefore, when the inverter 2 is turned upside down and placed on the work table, the projection 25 serves as a leg to support the case 20 above the work table, so that the first electric component 91 does not touch the work table.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the inverter 2 is turned upside down. As shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 25 provided on the flange 22 at the periphery of the upper opening 20a stands stably on the work table. That is, the protrusion 25 functions as a leg of the case 20. The operator can remove the bolt 24 from above and remove the lower cover 26 from the inverter 2 that is stably reversed and installed. 2 is an electronic component constituting the step-down converter. Reference numeral 20 b indicates a lower opening, and reference numeral 27 indicates a bolt hole for fastening the bolt 24.

  As described above, the inverter 2 is provided with the protrusions 25 serving as legs when the case 20 is placed on the work table with the lower cover side facing upward, on the flange 22 at the periphery of the upper opening 20a. 25, the work load of removing the lower cover 26 and accessing the components in the lower space LS is reduced. Specifically, it is not necessary to prepare a stand (jig) on which the case 20 is placed with the lower cover side facing upward.

  The protrusion 25 is provided outside the flange 22. The position of the protrusion 25 will be described. FIG. 3 is a front view of the upper opening 20a. In FIG. 3, illustration of components housed in the upper space AS is omitted. In the inverter 2, when the upper cover 10 is attached to the case 20, the space between the upper cover 10 and the case 20 is sealed (sealed) so that water droplets and dust do not enter. More specifically, the space between the upper surface of the flange 22 around the upper opening 20a of the case 20 and the lower surface of the flange 12 of the upper cover 10 facing the upper surface is sealed (sealed). Therefore, a sealing material is applied to the upper surface of the flange 22. The area indicated by the symbol SA in FIG. 3 is the application area of the sealing material. As shown in FIG. 3, the application area SA has a substantially rectangular band shape. A region indicated by reference numeral SB in FIG. 3 (a region that is hatched differently from the application region SA of the sealing material) indicates a region obtained by extending the application region SA in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 25 is provided by removing the application area SA and the area SB obtained by extending the application area SA in the longitudinal direction when the upper opening 20a is viewed from the front. This arrangement has the following advantages.

  As the sealing material, FIPG (Formed In Place Gasket) is often used. FIPG is initially liquid and is cured after being applied to the flange surface of the case 20 and the flange surface of the upper cover 10. When such a sealing material is used, a residue of the sealing material remains in the application area SA when the upper cover 10 is removed. When the upper cover 10 is attached again, the application area SA is polished in order to remove the old sealing material. If there is no obstacle (in this case, the protrusion 25) in the area SB obtained by extending the application area SA in the longitudinal direction, the application area can be polished in a straight line from one end to the other end. Therefore, the arrangement of the protrusions 25 shown in FIG. 3 does not hinder the polishing operation of the flange surface.

  (Second Embodiment) Next, an inverter 102 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The inverter 102 of the second embodiment is different from the inverter 2 of the first embodiment in the shape of the protrusion 125 and the shape of the flange 112 of the upper cover 110. Since the electronic components housed in the case 120 are the same as those of the inverter 2 of the first embodiment, the reference numerals are omitted.

  4 is a perspective view of the inverter 102 with the upper cover 110 removed. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the inverter 102 with the upper cover 110 attached. Also in the inverter 102, the protrusions 125 are provided at the four corners of the flange 122 at the periphery of the upper opening 120 a of the case 120. However, in the protrusion 125, the side surface A3 facing the upper opening 120a has a tapered shape. On the other hand, the side surfaces A1 and A2 facing away from the upper opening 120a are perpendicular to the opening surface of the upper opening 120a. 4 and 5, only one of the four protrusions 125 is denoted by reference signs A1, A2, and A3, but the other three have the same shape.

  In addition, at the four corners (four corners corresponding to the protrusions 125) of the flange 112 of the upper cover 110, notches 119 that fit the protrusions 125 when the upper cover 110 is attached to the case 120 are provided. As shown in FIG. 5, when the upper cover 110 is put on the case 120, the notches 119 at the four corners engage with the bases of the four protrusions 125, and the upper cover 110 is positioned. Since the protrusion 125 has a tapered shape, the distance between the tapered surface A3 of the protrusion and the side surface of the notch 119 is reduced as the upper cover 110 is brought closer to the case 120, and the upper cover 110 is smoothly positioned.

  The protrusion 125 is not entirely tapered, and only the side surface facing the upper opening 120a is tapered, and the side surface opposite to the upper opening 120a is perpendicular to the opening surface. This shape contributes to maintaining the compactness of the entire case without any unnecessary protrusion on the outside of the flange 122 (outside of the flange 122 when the opening is viewed from the front).

  Points to be noted regarding the technology described in the embodiments will be described. The inverter 2 according to the embodiment corresponds to an example of a control device. The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to an inverter, and it is also preferable to apply to other control devices. Even when this specification is applied to an inverter, the inverter does not necessarily have a boost converter. The technology disclosed in this specification is widely applied to control devices that employ a case in which both upper and lower portions are open and electronic components are accommodated in the upper space and the lower space, respectively. can do.

  In the examples, FIPG was used as the sealing material. The sealing material is not limited to FIPG. The sealing material may be a solid and sticky sealing material from the beginning, for example, a gasket coated with an adhesive.

  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, 102: Inverter (control device)
10, 110: Upper cover 12, 22, 112, 122: Flange 20, 120: Case 20a, 120a: Upper opening 20b: Lower opening 25, 125: Projection 26: Lower cover 91: First electric component 92: Second electric component 93: Third electric component 94: Fourth electric component 95: Electronic component 119: Notch A3: Tapered surface AS: Upper space LS: Lower space SA: Application region SB: Region obtained by extending the application region in the longitudinal direction

Claims (4)

A case in which the upper part and the lower part are both open and an electronic component is accommodated in each of the upper space and the lower space; and
An upper cover that covers the opening at the top of the case;
A lower cover that covers the opening at the bottom of the case;
With
A control device for an electric vehicle, wherein the case is provided with a protrusion that becomes a leg when the case is placed with the lower cover side facing upward. On the periphery of the upper opening of the case, the area where the sealing material is applied when the upper cover is attached is defined,
2. The control device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided outside a region to which a sealing material is applied when the opening at the top of the case is viewed from the front.   The side surface of the protrusion that faces the opening side is tapered toward the tip, and the side surface opposite to the opening side is perpendicular to the opening surface. Item 3. The control device for an electric vehicle according to Item 1 or 2.   The control apparatus for an electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein an upper cover is positioned on a tapered side surface of the protrusion.

Images