Circuit structure

Abstract

Disclosed is a circuit assembly having a novel structure that enables the arrangement of circuit assembly components to a lower housing with a high degree of design freedom and with a higher space efficiency. The circuit assembly (10) comprises: a lower housing (24) for accommodating lower circuit assembly components (30, 104, 106); an upper housing (26) for covering the lower housing (24); upper circuit assembly components (16, 34, 36) mounted on the upper housing (26); and a fastening member holding portion (80) provided on the upper housing (26) for holding a fastening member (78) for fixing the upper circuit assembly components (16, 34, 36) to the upper housing (26).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a circuit configuration body including an upper case and a lower case. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a circuit structure in which circuit components are arranged at appropriate positions of an upper housing and a lower housing is mounted on a vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a circuit structure in which a relay or the like generating large amounts of heat is mounted on the upper housing and a fastening member holding portion or the like is arranged on the lower housing, the fastening member holding portion holding a fastening member used to fix a bus bar for energizing the circuit, a relay or the like mounted on the upper housing, and the like.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-212608 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] In such a conventional circuit structure, a fastening member holding portion is provided on the lower housing, which limits the arrangement space of the circuit components on the lower housing side. Further improvement is required to effectively miniaturize the circuit structure and arrange the circuit components on the lower side.

[0008] Therefore, a circuit component having a novel structure is disclosed, which enables the arrangement of circuit components in a lower case with a high degree of design freedom and with higher space efficiency.

[0009] Means for solving problems

[0010] The circuit structure disclosed in the present invention includes: a lower shell for accommodating a lower circuit structure component; an upper shell for covering the lower shell; an upper circuit structure component mounted on an upper wall of the upper shell; and a fastening member retaining portion, which is arranged on the upper wall of the upper shell in an upwardly open manner and retains the fastening member that fixes the upper circuit structure component to the upper wall of the upper shell.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a circuit component body in which the arrangement of the circuit component members in the lower case can be performed with a high degree of design freedom and with higher space efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the circuit structure according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2yes Figure 1 A top view of the circuit structure shown.

[0015] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the circuit structure shown.

[0016] Figure 4 Yes Figure 2 A longitudinal sectional view showing an enlarged view of the main part of the IV-IV section in FIG.

[0017] Figure 5 Yes Figure 2 A longitudinal sectional view showing an enlarged main portion of the VV section in FIG.

[0018] Figure 6 is schematically shown in Figure 1 A diagram showing the electrical structure of the path from the power supply to the load in the circuit structure shown.

[0019] Figure 7 It shows the composition Figure 1 A top view of the lower casing of the circuit structure shown.

[0020] Figure 8 It shows the composition Figure 1 A top view of the upper casing of the circuit assembly shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] <Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure>

[0022] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0023] The circuit structure of the present disclosure,

[0024] (1) It comprises: a lower shell for accommodating a lower circuit component; an upper shell for covering the lower shell; an upper circuit component mounted on an upper wall of the upper shell; and a fastening member holding portion, which is provided on the upper wall of the upper shell in an upwardly open manner and holds a fastening member for fixing the upper circuit component to the upper wall of the upper shell.

[0025] According to the circuit assembly disclosed in the present invention, a fastening member holding portion for holding a fastening member for fixing an upper circuit assembly member mounted on an upper housing is provided on the upper housing, and the upper circuit assembly member is fixed to the upper housing. Therefore, the layout space in the lower housing is not limited by the fastening member holding portion, and the lower circuit assembly member can be arranged on the lower housing with a high degree of design freedom and with higher space efficiency. Thus, it is also possible to flexibly respond to the demand for miniaturization of the circuit assembly.

[0026] It should be noted that the upper circuit components include electrical components such as relays and fuses for high-voltage circuits, and conduction busbars connected thereto. The lower circuit components include electrical components such as low-voltage circuits, and conduction busbars connected thereto, as well as heat dissipation busbars connected to the connection parts of heat-generating components such as relays mounted on the upper housing. In addition, the fastening components include a pair of well-known fastening components such as bolts and nuts, and one of the pair of fastening components is accommodated and arranged in the fastening component holding portion.

[0027] (2) Preferably, the fastening member holding portion and the lower circuit component overlap in the stacking direction of the upper housing relative to the lower housing. This is because the fastening member holding portion and the lower circuit component, which are difficult to overlap in the conventional structure, can be overlapped in the stacking direction of the lower housing and the upper housing, that is, in the vertical direction. This can further miniaturize the circuit component and further improve the space efficiency of the lower housing.

[0028] (3) Preferably, the upper housing has a plurality of the fastening member holding parts, and the plurality of the fastening member holding parts are arranged close to each other in the projection of the first direction, and are arranged apart from each other in the projection of the second direction orthogonal to the first direction. This is because: on the upper housing side, the fastening member holding parts can be arranged in a space-saving manner, and the circuit structure can be further miniaturized. It should be noted that "close to each other in the projection of the first direction" includes a form in which the fastening member holding parts are arranged with a small gap and a form in which the fastening member holding parts are arranged overlapping each other.

[0029] (4) In the above (3), preferably, the lower circuit component includes a lower power bus bar, and the lower power bus bar is arranged in a manner of inserting the lower part of the plurality of fastening member holding parts. This is because: the lower part of the plurality of fastening member holding parts, which was previously an ineffective space, can be used as a layout space for the lower power bus bar, and the lower power bus bar can be laid out to the lower housing with high space efficiency.

[0030] (5) Preferably, the upper circuit component includes a heat-generating component and an upper power-carrying bus bar, and the lower circuit component includes a heat-dissipating bus bar, wherein the upper power-carrying bus bar and the heat-dissipating bus bar are connected to the connecting portion of the heat-generating component, and the end of the heat-dissipating bus bar is arranged in an extended manner below the fastening component retaining portion that fixes the upper power-carrying bus bar. The heat-dissipating bus bar can be extended by utilizing the space below the fastening component retaining portion that fixes the upper power-carrying bus bar, where the extension of the heat-dissipating bus bar is limited by the fastening component retaining portion in the previous structure. Therefore, the heat dissipation of the heat-generating component mounted on the upper shell can also be advantageously improved by utilizing the space of the lower shell. It should be noted that the heat-generating component includes components that generate heat when energized, such as relays and fuses.

[0031] <Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure>

[0032] Below, while referring to the attached Figure 1 It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0033] <Implementation Method 1>

[0034] Hereinafter, regarding Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, Figures 1 to 8 The circuit structure 10 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and supplies and controls power from a power source 12 such as a battery to a load 14 such as a motor (see Figure 6 ). It should be noted that the direction in which the circuit assembly 10 is mounted on a vehicle is not limited, but in the following description, the upward direction is assumed to be Figure 1 In the Z direction, set the front direction to Figure 1 In the X direction, set the left direction to Figure 1 In addition, regarding a plurality of identical components, sometimes only a part of the components are denoted by reference numerals, and reference numerals are omitted for the other components.

[0035] <Schematic Circuit Structure of Circuit Configuration 10>

[0036] like Figure 6As shown, the circuit structure 10 includes a circuit structure 10a disposed on the positive side and a circuit structure 10b disposed on the negative side. The positive side of the power supply 12 is connected to the input side of the circuit structure 10a, and the negative side of the power supply 12 is connected to the input side of the circuit structure 10b. The positive side of the load 14 is connected to the output side of the circuit structure 10a, and the negative side of the load 14 is connected to the output side of the circuit structure 10b. A relay 16 as a heat generating component that connects the power supply 12 and the load 14 is connected between the input side and the output side of the circuit structure 10a and the circuit structure 10b, respectively. In addition, a pre-charging circuit 22 in which a pre-charging resistor 18 and a pre-charging relay 20 are connected in series in a manner that bypasses the relay 16 is connected to the relay 16 that connects the positive side of the power supply 12 and the load 14.

[0037] It should be noted that in the embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, Figure 6 As shown, the precharge resistor 18 is connected to the input side of the precharge relay 20. In addition, both the relay 16 and the precharge relay 20 are relays that move the contact portion to switch the contact portion to on / off when the excitation coil is energized, and the on / off control is performed by a control circuit not shown.

[0038] <Circuit structure 10>

[0039] For example Figure 3 As shown, the circuit component 10 includes a lower shell 24 located at the bottom when mounted on the vehicle and an upper shell 26 located at the top. The lower shell 24 and the upper shell 26 constitute an insulating base member 28. A low-voltage bus bar 30 as a lower-side power-on bus bar that connects the relay 16 and the pre-charging circuit 22 or connects the pre-charging circuit 22 is accommodated inside the base member 28, and a plurality of low-voltage bus bars 30 are provided in Embodiment 1. In addition, the base member 28 is provided with two relays 16 and conductive bus bars 34 and 36 as upper-side power-on bus bars connected to the connection parts 32a and 32b of each relay 16. In these conductive bus bars 34 and 36, a larger current flows than the low-voltage bus bar 30 for the pre-charging circuit 22.

[0040] It should be noted that the shape of the low-voltage busbar 30 is not limited and can be appropriately designed to match the positions of the relay 16, the pre-charge resistor 18, and the pre-charge relay 20 in the base component 28. In embodiment 1, as one of the multiple low-voltage busbars 30, a low-voltage busbar 30a extending in the front-to-back direction between the two relays 16 and 16 is provided in the central part of the left-right direction of the base component 28. In addition, the ends of the low-voltage busbars 30 and 30a connected to the relay 16 are bent upward, and a through hole 31 is formed at the upper end of the bent portion to penetrate the bent portion in the thickness direction (front-to-back direction). The through hole 31 is aligned with the connection parts 32a and 32b of the relay 16 when the relay 16 and the base component 28 are assembled as described later.

[0041] <Lower Shell 24>

[0042] The lower case 24 is formed by injection molding an insulating synthetic resin into a predetermined shape. The synthetic resin constituting the lower case 24 may contain fillers such as glass fiber, and for example, a material having good thermal conductivity may be appropriately used. Figure 7 As shown, the lower housing 24 of the first embodiment is generally rectangular and flat in plan view. A pair of recesses 38 are provided in the front-back central portion of the lower housing 24 in a manner arranged in the left-right direction, and the pair of recesses 38 are open upward. The recess 38 is generally rectangular in plan view, and the relay 16 is accommodated in a position overlapping the recess 38 in the upper housing 26 in the vertical direction.

[0043] In front of the recess 38, bus bar receiving recesses 40, 40 for receiving the heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 described later are provided. In Embodiment 1, at a position lower than the upper surface of the lower case 24, the bottom surface of the recess 38 and the bottom surface of the bus bar receiving recess 40 are provided at approximately the same height, and the bottom surface of the bus bar receiving recess 40 extends approximately continuously forward from the bottom surface of the recess 38. These bus bar receiving recesses 40, 40 are provided adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. A partition 42 extending in the front-to-back direction is provided between the bus bar receiving recesses 40, 40 in the left-right direction, and the adjacent bus bar receiving recesses 40, 40 in the left-right direction are provided approximately independently of each other. Thus, electrical short circuits associated with the mutual contact of the heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 accommodated in the bus bar receiving recesses 40, 40 are prevented. In the first embodiment, since two relays 16 are provided, a total of four bus bar accommodating recesses 40 are provided substantially in parallel in the left-right direction at the peripheral edge portion of the front side of the base member 28 .

[0044] In addition, in the lower housing 24, a bus bar receiving groove 44 for receiving the low-voltage bus bar 30 is provided in a manner that opens upward at a position deviated from the recess 38 and the bus bar receiving recess 40. That is, the lower circuit component received in the lower housing 24 is configured to include the low-voltage bus bar 30. The bus bar receiving groove 44 is provided in accordance with the shape of the low-voltage bus bar 30, and in Embodiment 1, a plurality of bus bar receiving grooves 44 are provided. In particular, in Embodiment 1, as one of the plurality of bus bar receiving grooves 44, a bus bar receiving groove 44a for receiving the low-voltage bus bar 30a arranged between the two relays 16, 16 in the left-right direction is provided in the left-right central portion of the lower housing 24.

[0045] A plurality of lower engaging portions 46 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower shell 24. The lower engaging portions 46 engage with the upper engaging portions 70 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper shell 26 described later, and the lower shell 24 and the upper shell 26 are fixed to each other. In addition, in the lower shell 24, a lower engaging portion 47 is also provided between the recess 38 and the bus bar receiving recess 40 in the front-rear direction, and the lower engaging portion 47 engages with the upper engaging portion 72 provided on the upper shell 26 described later. It should be noted that the engaging method of the lower engaging portions 46, 47 and the upper engaging portions 70, 72 is not limited, and for example, a concave-convex fit can be adopted. Moreover, in the outer peripheral surface of the lower shell 24, a notch-shaped recess 48 is provided at a position corresponding to the fixing portion 74 provided on the upper shell 26 described later, and the fixing portion 74 is located in the recess 48.

[0046] <Upper Shell 26>

[0047] The upper shell 26 is formed by injection molding an insulating synthetic resin into a predetermined shape. The synthetic resin constituting the upper shell 26 may contain fillers such as glass fiber. Figure 8 As shown, the upper case 26 has a generally box-like shape that is open downward as a whole, and is provided with an upper wall 50 having a generally similar shape to the lower case 24 and a peripheral wall 52 that protrudes downward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper wall 50 .

[0048] The upper housing 26 is provided with a relay accommodation portion 54 for accommodating the relay 16 in a substantially rectangular concave shape opened upward. In the first embodiment, the relay accommodation portion 54 for accommodating the relay 16 on the positive side and the relay accommodation portion 54 for accommodating the relay 16 on the negative side are formed in the central portion in the front-back direction with a certain degree of separation distance in the left-right direction. The bottom surface of the relay accommodation portion 54 is set as a substantially flat surface extending on a horizontal plane (XY plane), and is provided at a position lower than the upper wall 50. The relays 16, 16 are accommodated in these relay accommodation portions 54, 54 in a manner that the connection portions 32a, 32b of the relays 16 are respectively directed forward.

[0049] Furthermore, leg support portions 56 for supporting the leg portions 92 of the relay 16 described later are provided on both sides of the relay accommodation portion 54 in the left-right direction. In the first embodiment, the leg support portions 56 are also provided between the relay accommodation portion 54 in the left-right direction. In particular, in the first embodiment, the leg support portions 56a, 56a provided on the right side of the relay accommodation portion 54 on the left side and the leg support portion 56b provided on the left side of the relay accommodation portion 54 on the right side are provided to overlap each other in the projection in the front-back direction. Specifically, two leg support portions 56a, 56a separated from each other in the front-back direction are provided on the right side of the relay accommodation portion 54 on the left side, and one leg support portion 56b is provided on the left side of the relay accommodation portion 54 on the right side. The leg support portion 56b enters between the leg support portions 56a, 56a separated from each other in the front-back direction. That is, between the relay accommodating portions 54 and 54 in the left-right direction, the plurality of leg support portions 56a and 56b are separated from or partially overlapped in the front-rear direction, which is a first direction, and overlapped in the left-right direction, which is a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

[0050] In addition, bus bar support parts 58 and 60 for supporting the conduction bus bars 34 and 36 are provided in front of the relay housing part 54. The bus bar support parts 58 and 60 are provided in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view and are provided substantially adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. A partition wall part 62 extending in the front-back direction is provided between the left-right direction of these bus bar support parts 58 and 60, and the bus bar support parts 58 and 60 are provided in a state substantially independent of each other. Thus, an electrical short circuit caused by the conduction bus bars 34 and 36 supported by the two bus bar support parts 58 and 60 abutting against each other is prevented.

[0051] The upper surfaces of the bus bar support portions 58 and 60 are formed as substantially rectangular flat surfaces extending on a horizontal plane, and are located above the bottom surface of the relay housing portion 54. In addition, the bottom surface of the relay housing portion 54 and the upper surfaces of the bus bar support portions 58 and 60 are separated from each other in the front-to-back direction. Thus, an opening window 64 having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view is formed between the bottom surface of the relay housing portion 54 and the upper surfaces of the bus bar support portions 58 and 60 in the front-to-back direction so as to penetrate the upper wall 50 in the top-to-bottom direction.

[0052] Furthermore, a pre-charging resistor mounting portion 66 for mounting the pre-charging resistor 18 and a pre-charging relay mounting portion 68 for mounting the pre-charging relay 20 are provided in the upper wall 50 of the upper housing 26 in an upwardly opening manner behind the relay accommodating portion 54. That is, in the first embodiment, the upper circuit component mounted on the upper housing 26 includes the relay 16 and the conductive bus bars 34 and 36, and may also include the pre-charging resistor 18 and the pre-charging relay 20.

[0053] In addition, an upper engaging portion 70 is provided at a position corresponding to the lower engaging portion 46 in the lower housing 24 in the lower end portion of the peripheral wall 52. Moreover, in the upper housing 26, a claw-shaped upper engaging portion 72 protruding downward is provided between the relay accommodating portion 54 and the busbar supporting portions 58 and 60 in the front-rear direction. Moreover, in the lower end portion of the peripheral wall 52, a fixing portion 74 having a bolt insertion hole penetrating in the upper and lower directions is provided at a position deviated from the upper engaging portion 70 in the circumferential direction. The fixing portion 74 is provided as a substantially cylindrical member separate from the upper housing 26. The fixing portion 74 is fixed to the upper housing 26 by fitting a portion having a small diameter at the middle portion of the fixing portion 74 in the upper and lower directions into a notch-shaped recess 76 provided in the upper housing 26.

[0054] <Fastening Member Holding Portion 80>

[0055] In the first embodiment, the upper circuit components (relay 16 and conduction bus bars 34, 36) are fixed to the upper case 26 by a bolt-nut structure. That is, a concave fastening member holding portion 80 for holding a nut 78 as a fastening member is provided in the leg support portions 56, 56a, 56b and the bus bar support portions 58, 60 in the upper case 26. That is, a plurality of fastening member holding portions 80 are provided, and a nut 78 is accommodated in each of the plurality of fastening member holding portions 80.

[0056] Also like Figure 4 , 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the fastening member holding portion 80 is provided as a bottomed recessed portion which is provided in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. The nut 78 is inserted into the fastening member holding portion 80 and is fixed by the concave-convex fitting in the first embodiment. Specifically, at the opening of the fastening member holding portion 80, a wall portion on one side in the front-back direction (at Figure 4 The wall portion of the rear side of the fixing member holding portion 80 is provided with an elastic piece 82 that can be elastically deformed in the front-to-back direction. Figure 4 The nut 78 is provided with an inclined surface 84 (in the middle, which is a wall portion in front of the fastening member holding portion 80). In addition, the nut 78 is provided with a protrusion 86 protruding in both sides in the front and rear directions. Therefore, when the nut 78 is assembled into the fastening member holding portion 80, the inclined surface 84 and the protrusion 86 abut against each other, and the nut 78 is guided into the fastening member holding portion 80. In addition, by elastically deforming the elastic sheet 82 using the protrusion 86, the nut 78 can be inserted into the fastening member holding portion 80. After the nut 78 is arranged in the fastening member holding portion 80, the elastic sheet 82 elastically restores the deformation, and the nut 78 is fixed in the fastening member holding portion 80.

[0057] The fastening member holding portion 80 is provided at a substantially central portion of the upper surface of the busbar support portions 58, 60. In addition, the fastening member holding portion 80 is also provided at a substantially central portion of the leg support portions 56a, 56b located between the two relays 16, 16 in the left-right direction. Here, the plurality of fastening member holding portions 80 provided on the leg support portions 56a, 56b are arranged close to each other in the projection of the upper housing 26 in the first direction, i.e., the front-back direction. In addition, the plurality of fastening member holding portions 80 provided on the leg support portions 56a, 56b are arranged apart from each other in the projection of the upper housing 26 in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction, i.e., the left-right direction. The busbar receiving groove 44a located between the two recessed portions 38, 38 in the left-right direction in the lower housing 24 and the low-voltage busbar 30a received in the busbar receiving groove 44a are located below the plurality of fastening member holding portions 80. Therefore, in Embodiment 1, the fastening member holding portion 80 and the low-voltage bus bar 30 a overlap in the stacking direction of the lower case 24 and the upper case 26 , that is, in the up-down direction.

[0058] <Relay 16>

[0059] The relay 16 is a mechanical relay, and is controlled to be turned on / off by a control circuit (not shown). Figure 3 As shown, the relay 16 has a relay body 88 that is generally hollow and rectangular as a whole, and has a contact portion and a coil portion that are not shown in the figure inside the relay body 88. It should be noted that the relay 16 on the left and the relay 16 on the right are configured in the same structure, so in the following description, the relay 16 on the left will be described, and the description of the relay 16 on the right will be omitted. In addition, a pair of through holes are formed on the front end surface of the relay body 88 in a manner separated from each other in the left-right direction, and these through holes constitute the connection portions 32a and 32b of the relay 16 described above.

[0060] When the power is turned on, current flows between the connection parts 32a and 32b via the contact part of the relay 16, so that heat is generated at the contact part. It should be noted that a partition plate part 90 protruding forward is formed between the connection parts 32a and 32b so as to extend over substantially the entire length in the vertical direction of the relay body 88. Thus, an electrical short circuit caused by the contact between the conduction bus bar 34 connected to the connection part 32a on the + side and the conduction bus bar 36 connected to the connection part 32b on the - side does not occur.

[0061] The relay body 88 is provided with a plurality of (three in this embodiment) leg portions 92 protruding to both sides in the left-right direction, and bolt insertion holes are formed in the leg portions 92. The relay 16 is mounted on the upper housing 26 by inserting the fixing bolt 94 through the nut 78 of the fastening member holding portion 80 provided in the upper housing 26 and fastening it to the nut 78 in a state where the nut 78 and the bolt insertion hole of the leg portion 92 are aligned. That is, the fastening member that fixes the relay 16 as the upper circuit component to the upper housing 26 is configured to include the fixing bolt 94 in addition to the nut 78.

[0062] <Conduction Bus Bars 34, 36>

[0063] The pair of conductive bus bars 34 and 36 are formed by processing metal plates having conductivity. Figure 3 As shown, each of the conducting bus bars 34 and 36 is formed by bending in a substantially L-shape. A substantially rectangular plate-shaped first connection portion 34a and 36a extending in the vertical direction relative to one side of the bent portion and connected to the connection portions 32a and 32b of the relay 16 is formed. Figure 4 As shown, the first connection parts 34a and 36a have bolt insertion holes 96 penetrating in the plate thickness direction, that is, the front-rear direction. The conduction bus bars 34 and 36 are at least electrically connected to the connection parts 32a and 32b of the relay 16 by fastening bolts 98 to the connection parts 32a and 32b of the relay 16.

[0064] In addition, the other side of the bent portion of each of the conductive bus bars 34 and 36 extends forward, and the extended portion is set as the second connection portion 34b and 36b. The second connection portion 34b and 36b is set in a substantially rectangular plate shape, and has a bolt insertion hole 100 that penetrates in the plate thickness direction, that is, the up-down direction. These bolt insertion holes 100 are aligned with the nuts 78 provided on the fastening member holding portion 80 when the second connection portions 34b and 36b of the conductive bus bars 34 and 36 are stacked on the bus bar support portions 58 and 60. In addition, the terminal portion of the end of the electric wire, which is not shown in the figure, is stacked on the second connection portion 34b and 36b of the conductive bus bars 34 and 36, and the fixing bolt 102 is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 100 and fastened to the nut 78. As a result, the conductive bus bars 34 and 36 are fixed to the upper case 26, and the electric wires and the conductive bus bars 34 and 36 are electrically connected. That is, the fastening member for fixing the conduction bus bars 34 and 36 as the upper circuit component to the upper case 26 is configured to include the fixing bolts 102 in addition to the nuts 78 .

[0065] <Heat Dissipation Bus Bars 104, 106>

[0066] In implementation mode 1, Figure 4As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the connection parts 32a and 32b of the relay 16 as a heat generating component are connected to not only the conduction bus bars 34 and 36 but also the heat dissipation bus bars 104 and 106. The heat dissipation bus bars 104 and 106 are at least thermally connected to the connection parts 32a and 32b of the relay 16.

[0067] A pair of heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 are formed by processing metal plates having heat conductivity. Each heat dissipation bus bar 104, 106 is formed by bending into a substantially L-shape, similarly to the conduction bus bars 34, 36. A substantially rectangular first plate-shaped portion 104a, 106a extending in the vertical direction relative to one side of the bent portion and connected to the connection portions 32a, 32b of the relay 16 is provided. The first plate-shaped portion 104a, 106a has a bolt insertion hole 108 penetrating in the plate thickness direction, i.e., the front-back direction.

[0068] In addition, the other side of the bent portion of each heat dissipation bus bar 104, 106 extends forward, and the extended portion is set as a substantially rectangular second plate-shaped portion 104b, 106b. During the assembly described later, the heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 are stacked on the bottom surface of the bus bar receiving recesses 40, 40 in the lower case 24 by stacking the second plate-shaped portions 104b, 106b of the heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 in the bus bar receiving recesses 40, 40. Therefore, the lower circuit component accommodated in the lower case 24 is configured to include the heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 in addition to the low-voltage bus bars 30, 30a.

[0069] In the first embodiment, the second plate-shaped portions 104b and 106b of the heat dissipation busbars 104 and 106 have a length in the front-to-back direction that is substantially equal to the length of the busbar receiving recesses 40 and 40. In addition, the second plate-shaped portions 104b and 106b of the heat dissipation busbars 104 and 106 extend to the front of the bolt insertion holes 100 and 100 of the conductive busbars 34 and 36 located above. In other words, the heat dissipation busbars 104 and 106 are located below the fastening member holding portion 80 that holds the nut 78 that fixes the conductive busbars 34 and 36, and the ends of the second plate-shaped portions 104b and 106b extend to the front of the fastening member holding portion 80. In particular, in the first embodiment, the second plate-shaped portions 104b and 106b have a length in the front-to-back direction that is substantially equal to the length of the second connecting portions 34b and 36b of the conductive busbars 34 and 36.

[0070] <Assembly Step of Circuit Configuration Body 10>

[0071] Next, an example of an assembly process of the circuit assembly 10 will be described. The assembly process of the circuit assembly 10 is not limited to the following description.

[0072] First, the lower shell 24 and the upper shell 26 constituting the base member 28 are prepared. Next, the low-voltage busbars 30 and 30a are accommodated and arranged in the busbar accommodation grooves 44 and 44a of the lower shell 24, and the heat dissipation busbars 104 and 106 are accommodated and arranged in the busbar accommodation recesses 40 and 40. Then, the upper shell 26 assembled with the fixing portion 74 and the nut 78 is stacked on the lower shell 24 from above, so that the lower side engaging portions 46 and 47 and the upper side engaging portions 70 and 72 are engaged. Thus, the lower shell 24 is covered by the upper shell 26 to form the base member 28. When the lower shell 24 and the upper shell 26 are assembled, the first plate-shaped portions 104a and 106a of the heat dissipation busbars 104 and 106 protrude upward from the upper shell 26 through the opening window 64 provided in the upper shell 26. It should be noted that the fixing portion 74 and the nut 78 may be assembled to the upper shell 26 after the lower shell 24 and the upper shell 26 are assembled.

[0073] Then, the relay 16 is arranged in the relay receiving portion 54 of the upper housing 26, and the relay 16 is fixed to the upper housing 26 by the fixing bolt 94. Next, the low-voltage bus bars 30, 30, the conduction bus bars 34, 36, and the heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 are respectively connected to the connection portions 32a, 32b of the two relays 16. It should be noted that in the following description, the relay 16 on the left is described.

[0074] The relay 16 is arranged in the relay accommodation portion 54 of the upper housing 26. As a result, the connection portions 32a, 32b of the relay 16, the through holes 31, 31 of the low-voltage bus bars 30, 30a, and the bolt insertion holes 108, 108 provided in the first plate-shaped portions 104a, 106a of the heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 are aligned with each other. In addition, the conduction bus bars 34, 36 are arranged in the bus bar support portions 58, 60 of the upper housing 26 so that the first connection portions 34a, 36a of the conduction bus bars 34, 36 and the first plate-shaped portions 104a, 106a of the heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 are stacked in the front-to-back direction. As a result, the bolt insertion holes 96, 96 of the conduction bus bars 34, 36 and the bolt insertion holes 108, 108 of the heat dissipation bus bars 104, 106 are aligned with each other.

[0075] Next, the bolts 98, 98 are inserted into the connection parts 32a, 32b, the through holes 31, 31, the bolt insertion holes 96, 96, and the bolt insertion holes 108, 108 and tightened. Thus, the low-voltage busbars 30, 30a, the conduction busbars 34, 36, and the heat dissipation busbars 104, 106 are bolt-fixed to the connection parts 32a, 32b of the relay 16. In other words, the low-voltage busbars 30, 30a and the heat dissipation busbars 104, 106 are fastened together by the bolts 98, 98 that fix the conduction busbars 34, 36 to the relay 16. Thus, in the first embodiment, the low-voltage busbars 30, 30a, the conduction busbars 34, 36, and the heat dissipation busbars 104, 106 are in electrical and thermal contact with the connection parts 32a, 32b of the relay 16.

[0076] The circuit structure 10 is assembled by the above-described steps. It should be noted that, by stacking the terminal portions of the wire ends with respect to the second connection portions 34b, 36b of the conductive bus bars 34, 36 and tightening the fixing bolts 102, power can be supplied to the relay 16 via the conductive bus bars 34, 36. In addition, the pre-charge resistor 18 and the pre-charge relay 20 are mounted on the base member 28 as appropriate.

[0077] The circuit assembly 10 can be mounted on a vehicle by inserting mounting bolts (not shown) into the bolt insertion holes of the fixing portion 74 and fastening the mounting bolts to, for example, a housing of a battery pack (not shown) as a heat dissipation target. Thus, the heat generated by energizing the relay 16 is transferred to the second plate-shaped portions 104b and 106b of the heat dissipation bus bars 104 and 106, and can be dissipated to the heat dissipation target such as the housing of the battery pack via the lower case 24.

[0078] In the circuit structure 10 of the first embodiment, the fixing bolts 94 and 102 for fixing the relay 16 and the conduction bus bars 34 and 36 as the upper circuit structure members are fastened to the nuts 78 of the fastening member holding portion 80 provided in the upper case 26. Therefore, compared with the conventional structure in which the fastening member holding portion for receiving the nut is not provided in the lower case, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the space in the lower case 24, for example, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in designing the low-voltage bus bar 30 received in the lower case 24. As a result, it is also possible to reduce the space required for arranging the low-voltage bus bar 30, and it is also possible to achieve miniaturization of the lower case 24 and thus the circuit structure 10.

[0079] In addition, as in Figure 2As shown by the dotted lines in the figure, the fastening member holding portion 80 and the bus bar receiving groove 44a located between the left and right relays 16, 16 overlap the fastening member holding portion 80 and the low-voltage bus bar 30a received in the bus bar receiving groove 44a in the vertical direction. That is, in the first embodiment, since the fixing bolts 94 fixing the relays 16 are fastened to the nuts 78 provided on the upper housing 26, the low-voltage bus bar 30a can be arranged below the fastening member holding portion 80 receiving the fixing bolts 94 and the nuts 78.

[0080] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, at the leg support portions 56a and 56b provided between the left and right relays 16 and 16, the plurality of fastening member holding portions 80 are close to each other in the projection in the first direction (front-rear direction), and are separated from each other in the projection in the second direction (left-right direction). Thus, the separation distance between the left and right relays 16 and 16 can be reduced, and the left-right dimension of the upper housing 26 can be suppressed to be small. In particular, in the first embodiment, the separation distance between the left and right relays 16 and 16 can be reduced to such an extent that the fastening member holding portions 80 can also be arranged without being substantially separated in the projection in the left-right direction, and sufficient miniaturization is achieved.

[0081] In particular, in the first embodiment, the plurality of fastening member holding portions 80 provided on the leg support portions 56a, 56b and the low-voltage bus bar 30a overlap in the vertical direction, that is, the low-voltage bus bar 30a is inserted through and arranged below the three fastening member holding portions 80. As a result, the horizontal dimension of the lower case 24 can also be reduced, and the circuit structure 10 can be further miniaturized.

[0082] In addition, in the first embodiment, since the heat dissipation bus bars 104 and 106 are accommodated in the lower case 24, the heat dissipation bus bars 104 and 106 can be designed to be sufficiently large. Specifically, the second plate-shaped portions 104b and 106b of the heat dissipation bus bars 104 and 106 can be designed to be widely extended regardless of the position of the fastening member holding portion 80 that accommodates the fixing bolts 102 and nuts 78 that fix the conduction bus bars 34 and 36. Therefore, the heat dissipation efficiency can be improved.

[0083] <Other Embodiments>

[0084] The technology described in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described in the above description and drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the technology described in this specification.

[0085] (1) In the first embodiment, the fastening member holding portion 80 is provided at all positions of the fixing portion between the relay 16 and the conduction bus bars 34 and 36 and the upper case 26 to accommodate the nut 78, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. That is, as long as any one of the fastening members for fixing the upper circuit component is held by the fastening member holding portion provided in the upper case, at other positions, for example, the bolts for fixing the upper circuit component may be fastened to the lower case.

[0086] (2) In the first embodiment, the fastening member held in the fastening member holding portion (fastening member holding portion 80) is set as a nut 78, but it may be a bolt protruding upward, or the head of the bolt may be embedded in the fastening member holding portion and held. In this case, the relay and the conduction bus bar can be fixed to the upper housing by inserting the bolt through the bolt insertion hole of the leg of the relay and the conduction bus bar from below and tightening the nut from above. That is, the fastening member held in the fastening member holding portion may be either a bolt or a nut.

[0087] (3) The fastening member holding means in the fastening member holding portion may be replaced by the concave-convex fitting or bonding as in the first embodiment, and the fastening member and the fastening member holding portion (upper housing) may be integrally formed by insert molding.

[0088] (4) In the first embodiment, the relay 16 and the conduction bus bars 34 and 36 are exemplified as upper circuit components fixed to the upper case 26, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The pre-charge relay, pre-charge resistor, and low-voltage circuit bus bars may be fixed to the upper case.

[0089] (5) In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the relay 16 is used as the heat-generating component, but a fuse may be used instead of the relay 16 or on its basis. It should be noted that the heat-generating component is not necessary in the present disclosure. In addition, even when a heat-generating component is provided, a heat dissipation mechanism is not necessary, and the heat dissipation bus bars 104 and 106 are not necessary in the present disclosure. Even when a heat dissipation mechanism is provided, it is not necessary to use the heat dissipation bus bars 104 and 106, and a previously known heat dissipation mechanism may be provided separately.

[0090] (6) When a heat dissipation mechanism is provided as in the first embodiment, a sheet-like or paste-like heat conducting member may be provided between the heat dissipation bus bars 104 and 106 and the lower case 24 or between the lower case 24 and the heat dissipation target for the purpose of improving heat transfer efficiency.

[0091] Description of Reference Numerals

[0092] 10, 10a, 10b Circuit structure (Embodiment 1)

[0093] 12 Power Supply

[0094] 14 Load

[0095] 16 Relay (heat generating component, upper circuit component)

[0096] 18 Pre-charge resistor

[0097] 20 Pre-charge relay

[0098] 22 Pre-charge circuit

[0099] 24 Lower shell

[0100] 26 Upper shell

[0101] 28 Basic components

[0102] 30, 30a Low voltage bus bar (lower circuit component, lower power bus bar)

[0103] 31Through holes

[0104] 32a, 32b connection part

[0105] 34, 36-conductor busbar (upper circuit component, upper power busbar)

[0106] 34a, 36a first connection portion

[0107] 34b, 36b second connection portion

[0108] 38 concavity

[0109] 40 Bus bar receiving recess

[0110] 42 Divider

[0111] 44, 44a bus bar receiving groove

[0112] 46, 47 lower side engagement portion

[0113] 48 concavity

[0114] 50 on the wall

[0115] 52 Wall

[0116] 54 Relay storage unit

[0117] 56, 56a, 56b Leg support

[0118] 58, 60 bus bar support

[0119] 62 partition wall

[0120] 64 Opening Window

[0121] 66 Pre-charge resistor assembly

[0122] 68 Pre-charge relay assembly

[0123] 70, 72 upper side engaging portion

[0124] 74 fixed part

[0125] 76 concavity

[0126] 78 Nut (fastening member)

[0127] 80 fastening member holding portion

[0128] 82 elastic sheet

[0129] 84 inclined surface

[0130] 86 Protrusion

[0131] 88 relay body

[0132] 90 partition plate

[0133] 92 Legs

[0134] 94 fixing bolt (fastening member)

[0135] 96 bolt insertion hole

[0136] 98 bolts

[0137] 100 Bolt through hole

[0138] 102 fixing bolt (fastening member)

[0139] 104, 106 heat dissipation bus bar (lower circuit component)

[0140] 104a, 106a first plate-shaped portion

[0141] 104b, 106b second plate-shaped portion

[0142] 108 Bolt insertion holes.

Claims

1. A circuit structure, comprising: A lower housing for accommodating lower circuit components; An upper shell covering the lower shell; An upper circuit component is mounted on the upper wall of the upper housing; and a fastening member holding portion, which is provided on the upper wall of the upper housing in an upwardly open manner and holds a fastening member that fixes the upper circuit component to the upper wall of the upper housing, The upper circuit component includes a heat generating component and an upper current bus bar. The lower circuit component includes a heat dissipation bus bar, The upper side bus bar for conducting electricity and the heat dissipation bus bar are connected to the connection part of the heat generating component. The end of the heat dissipation bus bar is arranged to extend below the fastening member holding portion to which the upper current-carrying bus bar is fixed.

2. The circuit structure according to claim 1, The fastening member holding portion and the lower circuit constituent member overlap in a stacking direction of the upper case with respect to the lower case.

3. The circuit structure according to claim 1 or 2, The upper housing has a plurality of the fastening member holding portions, The plurality of fastening member holding portions are arranged close to each other in a projection in a first direction, and are arranged apart from each other in a projection in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

4. The circuit structure according to claim 3, The lower circuit component includes a lower current bus bar, The lower side current-carrying bus bar is arranged so as to be inserted through the lower sides of the plurality of fastening member holding portions.

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