JP7134819B2 - Control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to control devices.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been known to cool a servo amplifier that controls a servo motor because it generates a large amount of heat.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a servo amplifier and a heat sink are integrally attached to a wall plate, the servo amplifier is positioned on one side of the wall plate, and the heat sink penetrates the wall plate to the other side. A cooling structure for a driver of an electric injection molding machine is disclosed in which a heat sink exposed from a wall plate is cooled by air flowing along the wall plate.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-254214 (especially see FIG. 1)

However, in the above-described conventional driver cooling structure, when the servo amplifier is accommodated in the housing, the heat generated by the motor power line extending from the servo amplifier raises the temperature inside the housing. Moreover, such a problem is common to control devices in which a control circuit including a circuit element that generates heat when energized (hereinafter referred to as a heat generating circuit element) is housed in a housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a control device capable of suppressing temperature rise in a housing caused by heat generated by electric wires extending from circuit elements that generate heat when energized. purpose.

To achieve the above object, a control device according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a circuit housing chamber for housing a control circuit including a heat generating circuit element that generates heat when energized, and outside air for cooling a heat sink of the heat generating circuit element. and a wire-side connector provided at one end of an external wire provided on the wall of the housing, which constitutes the wall of the circuit housing chamber. and an internal wire having one end connected to the heat generating circuit element and the other end connected to the housing side connector from the inside, wherein the internal wire is connected to the heat generating circuit element , then penetrates the partition wall and advances into the external air flow path, then extends inside the external air flow path, and then penetrates the partition wall from the external air flow path and enters the circuit housing chamber Then, it is provided so as to reach the housing-side connector. Here, "internal wire" means a single wire and multiple wires connected together.

According to this configuration, a part of the internal electric wire connecting the heat-generating circuit element and the housing-side connector extends to the external air flow path, and is cooled by the external air flowing through the external air flow path. On the other hand, since only the remaining internal wires are present inside the circuit housing chamber, it is possible to suppress temperature rise in the circuit housing chamber due to heat generation of the internal wires. As a result, it is possible to provide a control device capable of suppressing temperature rise in the housing due to heat generated by wires extending from circuit elements that generate heat when energized.

The heating circuit element may be a power module, and the internal electric wire and the external electric wire may be an internal power line and an external power line, respectively.

According to this configuration, since the internal power line extending from the power module, which generates a particularly large amount of heat when energized, generates a particularly large amount of heat, the effect of suppressing the temperature rise in the circuit housing chamber due to the heat generated by the internal wire is more pronounced. Become.

The circuit housing chamber may be a closed chamber, the housing-side connector may be provided at least airtightly, and the internal power line may pass through the partition wall at least airtightly.

According to this configuration, since the circuit housing chamber is a closed room, the temperature rise in the circuit housing chamber due to the heat generation of the internal wires is less than in the case where the circuit housing chamber is not a sealed chamber even if the heat generation amount of the internal wires is the same. growing. Therefore, the effect of suppressing the temperature rise in the circuit housing chamber caused by the heat generated by the internal wires becomes more pronounced.

A penetrating portion of the internal power line in the partition near the one end of the internal power line is located near the power module, and a penetrating portion of the internal power line in the partition far from the one end of the internal power line is the It may be located near the connector.

According to this configuration, the proportion of the portion of the internal wire that extends to the outside air passage is increased, so the effect of suppressing the temperature rise in the circuit housing chamber due to the heat generated by the internal wire is increased.

The heat sink may be exposed to the outside air flow path by forming at least a part of the partition wall.

With this configuration, the heat sink can be effectively cooled.

The control device is a robot controller for controlling the motion of the multi-joint robot, the heating circuit element is a servo amplifier for controlling a servo motor that drives the joints of the multi-joint robot, and the electric wire is a motor power line. may be

According to this configuration, since the number of servo amplifiers controlling the servo motors that drive the joints of the articulated robot is large, the effect of suppressing the temperature rise in the circuit housing chamber caused by the heat generated by the internal wires becomes more pronounced.

Advantageous Effects of Invention The present invention has the effect of providing a control device capable of suppressing temperature rise in a housing due to heat generated by wires extending from circuit elements that generate heat when energized.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a control device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout all the drawings, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. It should be noted that the following figures are for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and therefore there may be cases where elements unrelated to the present invention are omitted, or where dimensions are not accurate due to exaggeration or the like.

(Embodiment 1)
[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a control device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the control device 100 includes a housing 1 , a housing-side connector 5 and an internal wire 7 .

The application of the control device 100 is not particularly limited. A form in which the control device 100 is a robot control device will be described in the second embodiment.

The housing 1 has a circuit housing chamber 2 and an outside air flow path 3 partitioned by a partition wall 4 therein. The circuit housing chamber 2 may or may not be a closed room (a closed room). The circuit housing chamber 2 houses the control circuit 8 . The control circuit 8 has a plurality of circuit elements 9a to 9c mounted on a circuit board 11, for example. The circuit element 9a is a power module that is a heat generating circuit element. The circuit element 9b is a heating circuit element other than the power module. The circuit element 9c is a general circuit element other than the heating circuit elements 9a and 9b.

A general circuit element 9c is mounted on the surface of the circuit board 11, for example. The heat generating circuit elements 9a and 9b are mounted on the back surface of the circuit board 11, for example.

Heat sinks 10 are arranged adjacent to the tips of the heating circuit elements 9a and 9b via a thin insulating member (not shown). Each heat sink 10 is attached to the partition wall 4 so as to pass through the partition wall 4 from the circuit housing chamber 2 to the outside air flow path 3 .

An outside air inlet 3a and an outside air outlet 3b are provided on the walls of the housing 1 that constitute the upstream end and the downstream end of the outside air flow path 3, respectively. A fan 41 and a motor 42 are arranged outside the outside air inlet 3a. The fan 41 is driven by a motor 42 to send outside air to the outside air flow path 3 . The outside air sent by the fan 41 flows into the outside air channel 3 from the outside air inlet 3a, flows through the outside air channel 3, and flows out from the outside air outlet 3b. At this time, each heat sink 10 exposed from the partition wall 4 to the outside air flow path 3 is cooled by the flowing outside air.

On the other hand, on the wall of the housing 1 that constitutes the wall of the circuit housing chamber 2, the housing side connector 5 is arranged so that the distal end protrudes outside the housing 1 and the base end protrudes into the circuit housing chamber. is provided. The housing-side connector 5 is joined (fitted) to the wire-side connector 32 to form a connector assembly (a pair of connectors). The wire-side connector 32 is provided at the tip of the external wire 6 .

Well-known connectors can be used as the housing-side connector 5 and the wire-side connector 32 . Accordingly, detailed description of the housing-side connector 5 and the wire-side connector 32 is omitted. The housing-side connector 5 and the wire-side connector 32 are electrically connected to each other by joining. Here, the housing-side connector 5 is a female connector (receptacle), the wire-side connector 32 is a male connector (plug), and the wire-side connector 32 is inserted into the housing-side connector 5, but the reverse is also possible. good. Further, the housing-side connector 5 and the wire-side connector 32 may have a structure in which they abut against each other and are joined by the attractive force (or engagement, etc.) of magnets.

When the circuit housing chamber 2 is a closed room, the housing side connector 5 is provided so as to have a predetermined degree of sealing in order to seal the housing 1, and the wire side connector 32 is provided with a predetermined degree of sealing. , with a predetermined tightness. This predetermined sealing degree is set (designed) to, for example, a sealing degree that is at least airtight.

The internal electric wire 7 is provided so as to connect the power module 9 a and the housing-side connector 5 . Therefore, the internal electric wire 7 and the external electric wire 6 are an internal power line and an external power line, respectively, through which a power current is supplied to the power module 9a. The internal electric wire 7 is provided so as to partially extend into the external air flow path 3 . Specifically, the internal electric wire 7 extends from the power module 9a, penetrates the partition wall 4, advances into the outside air flow path 3, extends inside the outside air flow path 3, and then extends into the outside air flow path 3. The path 3 penetrates the partition wall 4 to enter the circuit housing chamber 2 and then reaches the housing-side connector 5 .

A power module 9 a and other heat generating circuit elements 9 b are present as heat generating circuit elements in the circuit housing chamber 2 . is only the power module 9a here. Whether or not the internal wire 7 is provided and part of it is arranged in the outside air passage 3 is determined by considering the amount of heat generated by the heat generating circuit elements 9a and 9b and the limit of temperature rise in the circuit housing chamber 2. be. Therefore, the heat generating circuit element 9 b other than the power module may also be provided with the internal electric wire 7 and part of it may be arranged in the external air flow path 3 .

Moreover, although the number of the power module 9a and the number of the other heat generating circuit elements 9b are illustrated here as one each, it goes without saying that the number is not particularly limited.

The internal wire 7 may be a single wire or multiple wires connected to each other by a connector or the like.

The internal electric wire 7 is shown in FIG. 1 as extending from the power module 9a. However, for example, the circuit board 11 is provided with a board connector (not shown) connected to the power module 9a by printed wiring, and the wire connector provided at the proximal end of the internal wire 7 is connected (fitted) to the board connector. may be combined).

For example, protective members 31 for protecting the internal wires 7 are provided at the penetrating portions 21 and 22 of the partition wall 4 for the internal wires 7 . The protection member 31 has, for example, an electric wire insertion hole formed in the center thereof, and is configured to be fitted into the through hole of the partition wall 4 . A grommet is exemplified as such a protection member 31 . A partition-wall-side connector similar to the housing-side connector 5 is provided at the penetrating portions 21 and 22 of the internal wire 7 of the partition 4, and a wire-side connector similar to the wire-side connector 32 is provided at the end of the internal wire 7 on the outside air flow path side. A connector may be provided.

When the circuit housing chamber 2 is a closed room, the protective member 31 is provided so as to have a predetermined sealing degree in order to seal the housing 1 . This predetermined sealing degree is set (designed) to, for example, a sealing degree that is at least airtight.

Here, the penetrating portion 21 of the internal electric wire 7 in the partition wall 4 near the end of the internal electric wire 7 on the power module 9a side is located near the power module 9a, and the partition wall 4 far from the end on the power module 9a side of the internal electric wire 7 is located. , the penetrating portion 22 of the internal electric wire 7 is positioned near the housing-side connector 5 .

[Effect]
Next, the effects of the control device configured as described above will be described.

Referring to FIG. 1, according to this embodiment, a part of the internal electric wire 7 connecting the power module 9a, which is a heating circuit element, and the housing-side connector 5 extends to the external air flow path 3, and the external air flow path 3 is cooled by outside air passing through. On the other hand, since only the remaining internal wires 7 exist inside the circuit housing chamber 2, the temperature rise of the circuit housing chamber 2 caused by the heat generated by the internal wires 7 can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to provide the control device 100 capable of suppressing the temperature rise in the housing 1 due to the heat generated by the wires 7 extending from the circuit elements 9a that generate heat when energized.

In addition, since the internal electric wire 7, which is an internal power line extending from the power module 9a, which generates a particularly large amount of heat when energized, generates a particularly large amount of heat, the temperature rise of the circuit housing chamber 2 due to the heat generated by the internal electric wire 7 is suppressed. becomes more pronounced.

In addition, when the circuit housing chamber 2 is a closed room, the temperature rise in the circuit housing chamber 2 due to the heat generation of the internal wire 7 is higher than when the circuit housing chamber 2 is not a sealed room even if the heat generation amount of the internal wire 7 is the same. increases, the effect of suppressing temperature rise in the circuit housing chamber 2 due to heat generation of the internal wires 7 becomes more pronounced.

In addition, the penetrating portion 21 of the internal electric wire 7 in the partition wall 4 near the end of the internal electric wire 7 on the power module 9a side is located near the power module 9a, and the internal electric wire 7 from the end of the internal electric wire 7 on the power module 9a side is located near the power module 9a. Since the penetrating portion 22 of the internal wire 7 in the distant partition wall 4 is located near the housing-side connector 5, the proportion of the portion of the internal wire 7 that extends to the outside air flow path 3 increases. The effect of suppressing the temperature rise of the circuit housing chamber 2 caused by the heat generated by the electric wire 7 is increased.

(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 of the present invention exemplifies a mode in which the control device 100 is a robot controller that controls the motion of an articulated robot. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration described below, and the rest of the configuration is the same as the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, in this embodiment, a control device 100 is a robot controller that controls the motion of an articulated robot. The power module 9a, which is one of the heating circuit elements, is a servo amplifier that controls the servo motors that drive the joints of the articulated robot. The internal electric wire 7 and the external electric wire 6 are motor power lines.

A servo amplifier is provided corresponding to each joint. Since the servomotor is three-phase, each servo amplifier is provided with three motor power lines. That is, in this embodiment, the number of internal electric wires is the number of joints of the articulated robot×3.

Further, the housing-side connector 5 and the protective member 31 are provided so as to have a degree of waterproof sealing.

According to this embodiment, since the number of servo amplifiers that control the servo motors that drive the joints of the articulated robot is large, the effect of suppressing the temperature rise of the circuit housing chamber 2 caused by the heat generated by the internal wires 7 can be obtained. become more pronounced.

<Modification>
In this embodiment, the following modifications may be adopted.

When miniaturizing the control device 100, it is necessary to effectively suppress the temperature rise of the circuit housing chamber 2 caused by the servo amplifier and the temperature rise of the circuit housing chamber 2 caused by the internal wires 7. FIG. Therefore, in this modification, a heat sink (not shown) common to the main heat generating circuit elements 9a and 9b is used as the heat sink 10 in order to effectively suppress the temperature rise of the circuit housing chamber 2 due to the servo amplifier. , this heat sink substantially constitutes the partition wall 4 .

Moreover, in order to effectively suppress the temperature rise of the circuit housing chamber 2 due to the internal wires 7, instead of the protective member 31, for example, the following partition penetrating structure (not shown) is adopted.

In this partition wall penetrating structure, the circuit board 11 is arranged in the vicinity of the through hole of the heat sink, which is the partition wall 4, and the connector assembly of the board-to-wire connector is arranged in the through hole. A board connector of this connector assembly is attached to the circuit board 11 and electrically connected to the servo amplifier by printed wiring. The wire connector of this connector assembly is provided at the end of the internal wire 7 arranged in the outside air flow path 3 on the servo amplifier side. An appropriate dustproof mechanism is provided so as to cover the through hole and the connector assembly. The sealing degree of this dustproof mechanism is set to a waterproof sealing degree.

According to this modification, the main heat generating circuit elements 9a and 9b can be effectively cooled by the common heat sink, and the internal electric wire 7 from the servo amplifier to the through-hole of the partition can be omitted. , the temperature rise of the circuit housing chamber 2 can be effectively suppressed, and the size of the control device 100 can be reduced.

Many modifications and other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the above description. Accordingly, the above description should be construed as illustrative only.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The control device of the present invention is useful as a control device capable of suppressing temperature rise in the housing due to heat generated by electric wires extending from circuit elements that generate heat when energized.

Reference Signs List 1 housing 2 circuit housing chamber 3 outside air flow path 4 partition wall 5 housing side connector 6 external wire 7 internal wire 8 control circuit 9a power module (heat generating circuit element)
9b heat-generating circuit element 9c general circuit element 10 heat sink 11 circuit boards 21, 22 penetrating portion 31 protective member 32 wire-side connector 41 fan 42 motor 100 control device

Claims (6)

a housing in which a circuit housing chamber for housing a control circuit including a heat generating circuit element that generates heat when energized and an outside air flow path for cooling a heat sink of the heat generating circuit element are partitioned by partition walls;
a housing-side connector to which a wire-side connector provided at one end of an external electric wire is attached and detached from the outside and which is provided on the wall of the housing constituting the chamber wall of the circuit housing chamber;
an internal wire having one end connected to the heating circuit element and the other end connected from the inside to the housing-side connector;
The internal electric wire extends from the heating circuit element, then penetrates the partition wall, advances into the outside air flow path, extends inside the outside air flow path, and then passes through the partition wall from the outside air flow path. A control device that penetrates into the circuit housing chamber and then reaches the housing-side connector. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the heating circuit element is a power module, and the internal electric wire and the external electric wire are an internal power line and an external power line, respectively. 3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said circuit housing chamber is a closed chamber, said housing-side connector is provided at least airtightly, and said internal electric wire penetrates said partition wall at least airtightly. A penetrating portion of the internal electric wire in the partition wall near the one end of the internal electric wire is located near the heating circuit element , and a penetrating portion of the internal electric wire in the partition wall far from the one end of the internal electric wire is the housing-side connector. 4. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, located in the vicinity of the 5. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat sink is exposed to the outside air flow path by forming at least part of the partition wall. The control device is a robot controller that controls the motion of the articulated robot, the heating circuit element is a servo amplifier that controls a servo motor that drives the joints of the articulated robot, and the internal wire is the motor power. 6. A control device as claimed in any preceding claim, which is a line.

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