DIN rail, an electronic component assembly including the DIN rail, and an energy storage device

Abstract

The present invention provides a DIN rail for fixing electronic components, which is configured to prevent a fluid containing moisture due to condensation caused by sudden environmental changes outdoors from coming into contact with the electronic components, and to prevent a decrease in the insulation performance of the electronic components by applying a structure capable of draining the fluid. The DIN rail for fixing electronic components according to one aspect of the present invention includes a main body portion disposed on one side surface of the electronic component and configured to be coupled to the electronic component, and a protection portion connected to the main body portion, configured to cover the upper portion of the electronic component, and configured to discharge the fluid so that the fluid falling along the direction of gravity does not come into contact with the electronic component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a DIN rail, an electronic component assembly including the DIN rail, and an energy storage device. More specifically, in a DIN rail for fixing electronic components, a fluid containing moisture due to condensation caused by a rapid environmental change outdoors is prevented from coming into contact with the electronic components, and a structure capable of draining the fluid is applied to prevent a decrease in the insulation performance of the electronic components. The present invention relates to a DIN rail, an electronic component assembly including the DIN rail, and an energy storage device configured as such.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, with issues such as power shortages and environmentally friendly energy being taken up, an energy storage system (ESS) for storing the generated power has been attracting great attention. Typically, by using such an energy storage system, it is easy to construct a power management system such as a smart grid system, so it is possible to easily adjust the power supply and demand in a specific area or city. In addition, as the commercialization of electric vehicles becomes full-scale, such an energy storage system can also be applied to electric charging stations capable of charging electric vehicles.

[0003] Energy storage devices can be configured in a variety of forms, but typically can be configured in a form that includes one or more battery containers. At this time, the battery container may include a plurality of battery modules connected in series and / or in parallel with each other. Here, the plurality of battery modules can be housed inside the battery container using a rack frame or a separate fixed structure. In this way, an energy storage device including a plurality of battery modules handles a very large amount of electric power, so when an accident current such as an overload, an instantaneous current, or a phase failure occurs on an electric line, a circuit breaker that shuts off the line to protect the circuit and load equipment is essentially included, and a wide variety of electronic components are also included. These electronic components are coupled and fixed to a DIN rail attached to a switchboard or the like.

[0004] However, in existing energy storage devices, the insulation performance of electronic components may deteriorate due to environmental changes or due to condensation that occurs during the battery cooling process. Therefore, there is a need for a solution that can maintain the insulation performance of electronic components and energy storage devices by preventing the inflow of moisture generated by condensation or the like.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention was created to solve the above problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is that in a DIN rail for fixing electronic components, for example, even if condensation occurs due to a sudden environmental change outdoors, moisture is prevented from flowing into the electronic components, and a DIN rail configured to prevent a decrease in the insulation performance of the electronic components by applying a structure capable of effectively draining moisture is provided.

[0006] Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electronic component assembly capable of preventing a decrease in insulation performance and an energy storage device including the electronic component assembly by including such a DIN rail.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] To achieve the above object, a DIN rail for fixing an electronic component according to an aspect of the present invention includes a main body portion disposed on one side surface of the electronic component and configured to be coupled to the electronic component, and a protection portion connected to the main body portion, configured to cover an upper portion of the electronic component, and configured to discharge a fluid that falls along the direction of gravity so that the fluid does not contact the electronic component.

[0008] The protection portion may include a first portion configured to cover the electronic component and configured to collect the fluid, and a second portion extending from the first portion to the outside of the electronic component and configured to discharge the fluid collected by the first portion.

[0009] When viewed from above along the direction in which gravity acts, the area of the first portion may be larger than the area of the electronic component so that the electronic component is not exposed outside the first portion.

[0010] The first portion may include a first collection space having a concave shape in a direction toward the electronic component.

[0011] The bottom surface of the first collection space may have a shape inclined downward as it goes toward the second portion.

[0012] The second portion may include a second collection space configured to communicate with the first collection space, and a discharge port configured to discharge the fluid may be formed on the bottom surface of the second collection space.

[0013] The second collection space may be formed to be deeper than the first collection space.

[0014] The discharge port may be formed in a region corresponding to the opposite side of the electronic component with respect to the main body portion.

[0015] The DIN rail may include a resin material.

[0016] The electronic component assembly according to the present invention for solving the other problems includes the DIN rail according to the present invention.

[0017] The electronic component assembly may include an electronic component and the DIN rail coupled to the electronic component.

[0018] The electronic component may be a circuit breaker.

[0019] The energy storage device according to the present invention for solving the other problems includes the electronic component assembly according to the present invention.

[0020] The energy storage device may include a battery pack including a plurality of secondary batteries, a heat sink coupled to the battery pack and configured to cool the battery pack, and the electronic component assembly configured to collect and discharge fluid generated from the heat sink.

[0021] The electronic component assembly may be coupled to at least one of the battery pack and the heat sink.

[0022] The electronic component assembly may be located further below along the direction in which gravity acts than the heat sink.

Advantages of the Invention

[0023] According to one aspect of the present invention, in a DIN rail coupled to an electronic component using a main body portion, by providing a protection portion, the electronic component can be protected from external physical factors. For example, it is possible to protect the electronic component from moisture generated by condensation due to a rapid change in temperature, discharge the moisture so that it does not come into contact with the electronic component, and prevent a decrease in the insulation performance of the electronic component.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention, since the DIN rail itself also has insulation performance, it is possible to more effectively prevent a decrease in the insulation performance of electronic components.

[0025] According to still another aspect of the present invention, electronic components can be more effectively protected from physical external factors. For example, moisture due to condensation caused by a rapid change in temperature or a fluid containing such moisture can be more effectively collected and discharged.

[0026] According to still another aspect of the present invention, the fluid discharged through the discharge port can be prevented from affecting the electronic components during and after the discharge. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to control the direction and position of the discharge of the fluid through the discharge port to efficiently discharge the fluid.

[0027] In addition to these, the present invention can have various other effects, which will be described in the column of each implementation configuration, or the description will be omitted for effects that can be easily inferred by those skilled in the art.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 4

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Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings attached to this specification illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are for the purpose of further understanding the technical idea of the invention together with the content of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be construed as being limited only to the matters described in the drawings. The same reference numerals indicate the same components. In the drawings, the thickness, ratio, and dimensions of the components are exaggerated for the effective explanation of the technical content.

[0030] The terms and words used in this specification and the claims are not to be construed as being limited to the ordinary meaning or the dictionary meaning. The inventor interprets them in accordance with the meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention in accordance with the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the terms in order to explain the invention in the best way.

[0031] On the other hand, in this specification, directional indicators such as up, down, left, right, front, and back are used, but these terms are merely used for ease of explanation and it is obvious to those skilled in the art of the present invention that they may vary depending on the position of the object to be observed and the position of the observer.

[0032] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. At the time of this application, there may be various equivalents and modified embodiments that can replace them.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a DIN rail 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 1, a DIN rail 300 for fixing an electronic component according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body portion 310 and a protection portion 320.

[0035] The main body part 310 can be arranged on one side surface of the electronic component and configured to be coupled to the electronic component. Although not shown in the figure, a hook structure can be provided on the main body part 310 and one side surface of the electronic component, and they can be coupled through the hook structure. However, the present invention does not limit the coupling method between the main body part 310 and the electronic component in any way. For example, it may be coupled by screws or bolts and nuts.

[0036] The protection part 320 is connected to the main body part 310 and configured to cover the upper part of the electronic component coupled to the main body part 310, and can be configured to discharge the fluid so that the fluid falling along the direction of gravity cannot contact the electronic component. The fluid means a fluid that may cause problems such as a short circuit when it contacts the electronic component, and for example, it may be a fluid containing moisture. The main body part 310 may generally have a plate shape so as to cover the upper part of the electronic component. The main body part 310 may be configured to cover all of the upper part of the electronic component. The main body part 310 may be provided with an inclined structure or a discharge port to discharge the fluid so that the fluid falling in the direction of gravity cannot contact the electronic component. However, the present invention does not limit the shape of the main body part 310 in any way.

[0037] According to such a configuration of the present invention, in the DIN rail 300 coupled to the electronic component via the main body part 310, by providing the protection part 320, the electronic component can be protected from external physical factors. For example, it can protect the electronic component from condensation caused by a sudden change in temperature, discharge the moisture generated by the condensation so that it does not contact the electronic component, and prevent the deterioration of the insulation performance of the electronic component.

[0038] The DIN rail 300 may include a resin material. In this case, since the DIN rail 300 itself also has insulation performance, the deterioration of the insulation performance of the electronic component can be more effectively prevented. For maximizing such an effect, the DIN rail 300 may be made of a resin material.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a top view showing the appearance of the DIN rail 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the appearance of the DIN rail 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view showing an exemplary shape of a cross section taken along line A-A' of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing an electronic component assembly 20 including the DIN rail 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 2, the protection part 320 may include a first part 321 and a second part 322.

[0041] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, the first part 321 may be configured to cover the electronic component 100 and may be configured to collect fluid. The first part 321 may have a shape generally corresponding to the shape above the electronic component 100 so as to effectively cover the electronic component 100. In this case, when looking down from above along the direction in which gravity acts, the area of the first part 321 may be larger than the area of the electronic component 100 so that the electronic component 100 is not exposed outside the first part 321.

[0042] The second part 322 may extend from the first part 321 to the outside of the electronic component 100 and may be configured to discharge the fluid collected by the first part 321. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, the second part 322 may, for example, extend integrally with the first part 321. The second part 322 may be configured such that the fluid collected in the first part 321 is discharged in the direction of gravity from an extended end portion located on the side opposite to the first part 321 with respect to the main body part 310, for example.

[0043] According to such a configuration of the present invention, the electronic component 100 can be more effectively protected from physical external factors, and moisture due to condensation caused by a rapid change in temperature or a fluid containing such moisture can be more effectively collected and discharged.

[0044] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the first portion 321 may include a first collection space 330 having a shape that is recessed in the direction toward the electronic component 100. The first collection space 330 may have a shape in which the remaining inner region except around the first portion 321 is recessed. At least a part of the bottom surface B of the first collection space 330 may have a shape that slopes downward as it goes toward the second portion 322. That is, the bottom surface B of the first collection space 330 may include an inclined portion S having a shape that slopes downward along the direction toward the second portion 322. However, thereby, the shape of the inclined portion S of the present invention is not limited in any way, and the inclined portion S may have, for example, a shape in which the bottom surface B of the first collection space 330 slopes downward along the direction from both ends in the extension direction of the Y axis toward the central portion, and also has a shape that slopes downward along the direction toward the second portion (the positive direction of the X axis).

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the second portion 322 may include a second collection space 340 configured to communicate with the first collection space 330. The second collection space 340 may be formed to be deeper than the first collection space 330. The fluid is collected due to the inclined shape of the bottom surface B of the first collection space 330, and the fluid may flow by gravity into the second collection space 340 and be collected again.

[0046] A discharge port 350 configured to discharge the fluid may be formed on the bottom surface of the second collection space 340. The discharge port 350 may be formed in a region corresponding to the side opposite to the electronic component with respect to the main body portion 310. The fluid collected again in the second collection space 340 may be discharged through the discharge port 350.

[0047] According to such a configuration of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the fluid discharged through the discharge port 350 from affecting the electronic component during and after the discharge. It is possible to control the direction and position of the discharge of the fluid through the discharge port 350 to efficiently discharge the fluid.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 5, an electronic component assembly 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an electronic component 100 and a DIN rail 300 according to the present invention. In particular, the electronic component 100 may be a circuit breaker.

[0049] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an energy storage device 10 including an electronic component assembly 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 6, an energy storage device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a battery pack including a plurality of secondary batteries, a heat sink 200 coupled to the battery pack and configured to cool the battery pack, and the electronic component assembly 20 according to the present invention described above.

[0051] The electronic component assembly 20 included in the energy storage device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be coupled to at least one of the battery pack and the heat sink 200. Note that the electronic component assembly 20 may be located further below along the direction in which gravity acts than the heat sink 200.

[0052] Thus, the energy storage device 10 including the electronic component assembly 20 according to this embodiment may include, in addition to such a DIN rail 300 and the electronic component assembly 20, various other components included in the energy storage device.

[0053] As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to limited embodiments and drawings. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that various modifications and variations are possible within the equivalent scope of the technical idea and the claims of the present invention by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0054] 10 Energy storage device 20 Electronic component assembly 100 Electronic component 200 Heat sink 300 DIN rail 310 main body part 320 protection part 321 first part 322 second part 330 first collection space 340 second collection space 350 discharge port B bottom surface S inclined part

Claims

1. In a DIN rail for fixing an electronic component, a main body portion disposed on one side surface of the electronic component and configured to be coupled to the electronic component; a protection portion connected to the main body portion, configured to cover an upper portion of the electronic component, and configured to discharge a fluid so that the fluid falling along the direction of gravity does not contact the electronic component; A DIN rail comprising:

2. The protection portion includes a first portion configured to cover the electronic component and configured to collect the fluid; a second portion extending from the first portion to the outside of the electronic component and configured to discharge the fluid collected by the first portion; The DIN rail according to claim 1, comprising:

3. The area of the first portion is larger than the area of the electronic component so that the electronic component is not exposed outside the first portion when viewed from above along the direction in which gravity acts. The DIN rail according to claim 2.

4. The first portion comprises a first collection space having a concave shape in a direction toward the electronic component. The DIN rail according to claim 2.

5. The bottom surface of the first collection space has a shape inclined downward as it goes toward the second portion. The DIN rail according to claim 4.

6. The second portion includes a second collection space configured to communicate with the first collection space, and a discharge port configured to discharge the fluid is formed on the bottom surface of the second collection space. The DIN rail according to claim 4.

7. The second collection space is formed to be deeper than the first collection space. The DIN rail according to claim 6.

8. The discharge port is formed in a region corresponding to the opposite side of the electronic component with respect to the main body portion. The DIN rail according to claim 6.

9. The DIN rail according to claim 1, comprising a resin material.

10. An electronic component, a DIN rail according to any one of claims 1 to 9 coupled to the electronic component, An electronic component assembly comprising:

11. The electronic component is a circuit breaker. The electronic component assembly according to claim 10.

12. A battery pack including a plurality of secondary batteries, a heat sink coupled to the battery pack and configured to cool the battery pack, The electronic component assembly according to claim 10, configured to collect and discharge the fluid generated from the heat sink, An energy storage device including the same. **Claim 13** The electronic component assembly The energy storage device according to claim 12, being coupled to at least one of the battery pack and the heat sink. **Claim 14** The electronic component assembly The energy storage device according to claim 12, being located further below along the direction in which gravity acts from the heat sink.

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