JPH1141750A - Electric connection case - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the thermal coupling of a heat generating part and a heat pipe and to discharge the heat effectively, by providing at least one layer of insulating substrate wherein a heat pipe constituted by sealing heat transfer fluid in a pipe body is assembled. SOLUTION: An electric connection case has a circuit constituting body 1, which is constituted by overlapping insulating substrates 3 wherein bus bars as electric wiring members are provided, a plurality of layers. This circuit constituting body 1 is contained in a case 4 constituted of an upper case 4a and a lower case 4b. A heat pipe 10 is assembled in the inside at least at the 1 layer among the insulating substrates 3... overlapped by a plurality of layers. This heat pipe 10 instantaneously transfers the heat applied on a part of the layers to the other part. Then, the heat transfer fluid such as water, alternative fluorocarbon and the like is sealed into the pipe made of metal material. In this way, even if the electric part such as a relay, fuse and the like is heated, the heat is effectively discharged, and the troubles caused by the abnormal temperature rise can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric connection box for connecting a wire harness provided in an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a wire harness system used in current automobiles, an electric connection box for absorbing a branch of a circuit is provided in order to simplify a wire harness and improve an assembling property. Equipped with electrical components.

In recent years, with the diversification of automobile equipment, components such as relays and fuses have been intensively mounted on electric junction boxes. Temperature increases, and the possibility of troubles increases.

For this reason, when designing an electric junction box,
It is necessary to design so that the temperature rise due to the heat generated by the electric components does not exceed the serviceable limit, and there are problems that the design restrictions increase and the design period becomes longer.

Therefore, various means have been devised for cooling the electric junction box. Above all, the heat pipe is a passive element and has a high heat transporting ability, so that an application to an electric junction box has been attempted.

[0006]

In order to use a heat pipe for cooling the electric junction box, it is important to increase the thermal coupling between the heat generating portion and the heat radiating portion and the heat pipe. No solution was sufficient.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric junction box capable of effectively releasing heat by improving the thermal coupling between a heat generating portion and a heat pipe.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an electric connection box for connecting a wire harness, in which electric parts are provided, wherein a tubular body is used as an insulating substrate constituting the electric connection box. And at least one insulating substrate incorporating a heat pipe in which a heat transfer fluid is sealed.

In this case, it is economical and effective to form the heat pipe integrally with the insulating substrate. In addition, it is preferable to connect a part of the heat pipe to a heat radiation structure provided outside the electrical connection part, because the cooling effect is improved.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be specifically described based on embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.

The electric connection box shown in the figure has a circuit structure 1 in which an insulating substrate 3 provided with a bus bar 2 as an electric wiring member is superposed on a plurality of layers, and this circuit structure 1 is combined with an upper case 4a. It is housed in a case 4 composed of a substantially lower case 4b.

A large number of tab terminals 2a are provided on the upper and lower sides of the circuit structure 1 so as to raise the ends of the bus bar 2. The tab terminals 2a are provided inside a socket (not shown) formed in the upper case 4. The tab terminal 2a protrudes and can be connected to a connector provided at the end of the electric wire of the wire harness. Some of the tab terminals 2 a are connected to the electric components 6 such as fuses and relays attached to the upper case 4 via the relay terminals 5.

[0013] The insulating substrate 3,
The heat pipe 10 is incorporated in at least one of the layers as shown in FIG. The heat pipe 10 transfers the heat applied to a part thereof to another part instantaneously, and is provided inside a pipe made of a metal material (eg, copper, copper alloy, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, etc.). A heat transfer fluid (hydraulic fluid) such as water, chlorofluorocarbon, alcohol, or the like is sealed in the tank. The space other than the heat transfer fluid is kept in a vacuum.

The bus bar 2 is disposed on the surface of the insulating substrate 3, and through holes 8,... Through which the tab terminals 2a of the bus bar 2 of another layer pass are provided at several places. Therefore, the heat pipe 10 is arranged so as to avoid the position of the through hole 8. In addition, heat pipe 1
0 is desirably located near the electric component 6 that easily generates heat. When the heat pipe 10 is incorporated into the insulating substrate 3 of a part of the plurality of layers, a layer close to the electric component 6 that easily generates heat, for example, the electric component 6 that easily generates heat is attached to the upper case 4. For example, the heat pipe 10 may be incorporated in the uppermost insulating substrate 3 close to the heat pipe. However, it is needless to say that it is preferable to provide the heat pipe on the insulating substrate 3 having two or more layers instead of the insulating substrate 3 incorporating the heat pipe 10 in one layer.

As a method of incorporating the heat pipe 10 into the insulating substrate 3, for example, a concave portion or the like is formed in the insulating substrate, and a heat pipe manufactured separately is bonded to this portion with an adhesive,
Although there is a fixing method using a fixing means such as a mechanical fixing method, it is practically preferable to integrally form the insulating substrate 3 and the heat pipe 10 as shown in FIG. This includes:
For example, it is possible to adopt a method in which a heat pipe manufactured in advance is placed in a mold for molding, and an insulating substrate is molded therefrom. As described above, when the heat pipe 10 and the insulating substrate 3 are manufactured integrally, the heat pipe 10 can be accommodated within the thickness of the insulating substrate 3, so that the heat pipe 10 is compact and has excellent strength.

The outer end of the heat pipe 10 is connected to a heat radiating member 11 provided outside the case 4. The heat radiating member 11 is a block made of a metal (copper, aluminum, or the like) having a high thermal conductivity, and includes a large number of heat radiating plates (fins).
, Are provided integrally. When the material of the heat pipe 10 is copper, if the material of the heat radiating member 11 is aluminum, electric corrosion is likely to occur.
Preferably, the material of 1 is also copper. The heat radiating structure to which the heat pipe 10 is connected may have various shapes other than the heat radiating member 11 as shown in the illustrated example.

[0017]

As described above, in the electric junction box of the present invention, since the heat pipe is incorporated in the insulating substrate that supports the electric wiring member, even if electric components such as relays and fuses generate heat, the heat pipe is heated. Can be released effectively,
Trouble due to abnormal temperature rise can be prevented. In addition, the design limitation of the electric junction box in which the heat-generating component is incorporated is reduced, and the time required for the design can be saved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the insulating substrate and a bus bar.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an insulating substrate and a bus bar.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the electric connection box.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Circuit structure 2 Bus bar 3 Insulating board 4 Case 10 Heat pipe 11 Heat dissipation member

Claims (3)

[Claims] An electric connection box for connecting a wire harness in which a circuit structure in which an electric wiring member is supported on an insulating substrate is provided inside a case. An electric connection box comprising at least one layer of an insulating substrate incorporating a heat pipe enclosing the same. 2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the heat pipe is formed integrally with the insulating substrate. 3. The electric junction box according to claim 1, wherein a part of the heat pipe is connected to a heat radiation structure provided outside the case.