Capacitor

Abstract

The invention provides a capacitor. The first bus bar includes: a non-overlapping portion that is continuous with the first overlapping portion and does not overlap with the second overlapping portion of the second bus bar; and a connection terminal portion protruding from the non-overlapping portion and connected to an external terminal. The insulating member includes: a flat first portion interposed between the first overlapping portion and the second overlapping portion; a flat-plate-shaped second portion that is continuous with the first portion and overlaps the non-overlapping portion; and a first rib portion protruding from the second portion to the opposite side of the non-overlapping portion. The first rib portion extends in the left-right direction in a manner of an overlapping range (R) in which a range of the non-overlapping portion in the left-right direction and a range of the second overlapping portion overlap when viewed from the up-down direction.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application date of September 3, 2021, the application number of 202180061856.8, and the invention title of "Capacitor". Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a capacitor. Background Art

[0003] In Patent Document 1, there is described a thin film capacitor as follows. Metal sputtered electrodes are formed on both end faces of a capacitor element, bus bars are connected to the respective metal sputtered electrodes, and a holding member formed of an insulating resin is sandwiched therebetween so that a part of a pair of bus bars overlaps, thereby reducing mutual inductance (equivalent series inductance).

[0004] In the thin film capacitor of Patent Document 1, the first portions of a pair of bus bars overlap with each other with a flat plate portion of the holding member interposed therebetween. An external connection terminal portion is formed at one end of each first portion. One ends of the two first portions are connected via one end of the flat plate portion, and a creepage distance corresponding to the thickness of the flat plate portion is ensured between the two first portions.

[0005] Prior Art Documents

[0006] Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: WO 2016 / 027462 Summary of the Invention

[0008] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] In the above thin film capacitor, for the two first portions, the positions of the ends where the external connection terminals are formed are set to be the same. In contrast, a pair of bus bars can also be configured as follows: the first portion of one of them extends more outward than the first portion of the other on the end side where the external connection terminal portion is formed, and the ends of the two first portions do not have the same position. In this case, the portion extending outward becomes a non-overlapping portion that does not overlap with the first portion of the other.

[0010] In the case of such a configuration, if the flat plate portion is extended from one end of the first portion of the other toward the non-overlapping portion side, the distance obtained by combining the thickness of the flat plate portion and the extended length becomes the creepage distance between the two first portions. Therefore, the creepage distance can be extended. As a result, even if the voltage applied to the thin film capacitor increases, it is easy to ensure the required creepage distance between the two first portions.

[0011] However, when the flat portion extends a long way toward the non-overlapping portion side, when the film capacitor is provided in an external device, there is a concern that components related to the external device such as external terminals connected to the external connection terminal portion may easily interfere with the portion extending toward the non-overlapping portion side.

[0012] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a capacitor that can suppress the amount by which the insulating member extends toward the non-overlapping portion side of the first bus bar and can ensure a long creepage distance between the first bus bar and the second bus bar.

[0013] Technical means for solving the problem

[0014] The capacitor according to the main aspect of the present invention includes: a capacitor element; a first bus bar and a second bus bar connected to the capacitor element; and an insulating member disposed between the first bus bar and the second bus bar. The first bus bar includes a first overlapping portion, the second bus bar includes a second overlapping portion, and the first overlapping portion and the second overlapping portion overlap each other. The insulating member is disposed between the first overlapping portion and the second overlapping portion to insulate between the first overlapping portion and the second overlapping portion. The first bus bar includes: a non-overlapping portion that is continuous with the first overlapping portion and does not overlap with the second overlapping portion; and a connection terminal portion that protrudes from the non-overlapping portion and is connected to an external terminal. The insulating member includes: a flat first portion interposed between the first overlapping portion and the second overlapping portion; a flat second portion that is continuous with the first portion and overlaps with the non-overlapping portion; and a protruding portion that protrudes from the second portion toward the side opposite to the non-overlapping portion. The protruding portion extends in the second direction in such a manner that, when viewed in a first direction in which the first overlapping portion and the non-overlapping portion are arranged, it exists within a range where the ranges of the non-overlapping portion and the second overlapping portion overlap in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0015] Advantages of the invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a capacitor that can suppress the amount by which the insulating member extends toward the non-overlapping portion side of the first bus bar and can ensure a long creepage distance between the first bus bar and the second bus bar.

[0017] The effects or significance of the present invention will become clearer from the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the embodiments shown below are merely an exemplification when implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited at all to the content described in the following embodiments. Description of the drawings

[0018] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of a film capacitor according to an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 FIG. (a) is a perspective view of a capacitor element unit as viewed from the front upper side according to an embodiment. Figure 2 FIG. (b) is a perspective view of the capacitor element unit as viewed from the rear upper side according to the embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3 FIG. (a) is a perspective view of a first bus bar according to the embodiment. Figure 3 FIG. (b) is a perspective view of a second bus bar according to the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 4 FIG. (a) is a perspective view of an insulating member as viewed from the front upper side according to the embodiment. Figure 4 FIG. (b) is a perspective view of the insulating member as viewed from the rear upper side according to the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 5 is a front view of the main part of the capacitor element unit according to the embodiment.

[0023] Figure 6 FIG. (a) is a rear view of the main part of the capacitor element unit according to the embodiment. Figure 6 FIG. (b) is Figure 6 a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' of FIG. (a).

[0024] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a mold for injection molding of an insulating member according to the embodiment.

[0025] Figure 8 FIGS. (a) and (b) are respectively top views of a first member and a second member constituting the mold as viewed from their parting surface sides according to the embodiment.

[0026] Figure 9 FIG. (a) is a rear view of an insulating member according to a modification example. Figure 9 FIGS. (b) and (c) are side cross-sectional views of the insulating member according to the modification example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Hereinafter, a film capacitor 1 as an embodiment of a capacitor of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience, the directions of front and rear, left and right, and up and down are appropriately noted in each drawing. In addition, the directions shown in the drawings are merely relative directions of the film capacitor 1 and do not represent absolute directions. Further, for convenience of explanation, names conforming to the directions shown in the drawings, such as "front surface" and "rear surface", are sometimes given to a part of the structure.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the thin film capacitor 1 corresponds to the "capacitor" described in the technical solution. In addition, the first rib portion 717 corresponds to the "protrusion" described in the technical solution. Furthermore, the second rib portion 718 corresponds to the "connecting portion" described in the technical solution. Furthermore, the up-down direction corresponds to the "first direction" described in the technical solution, and the left-right direction corresponds to the "second direction" described in the technical solution.

[0029] However, the above description is ultimately aimed at establishing a correspondence between the structure of the technical solution and the structure of the embodiment, and the invention described in the technical solution is not completely limited to the structure of the embodiment by the above correspondence.

[0030] <Structure of the thin film capacitor>

[0031] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the thin film capacitor 1.

[0032] The thin film capacitor 1 includes a capacitor element unit 100, a housing 200 that houses the capacitor element unit 100, and a filling resin 300 filled into the housing 200. The portion of the capacitor element unit 100 buried in the filling resin 300 is particularly the capacitor element 400, which is protected by the housing 200 and the filling resin 300 from the effects of moisture and shock.

[0033] Figure 2 (a) of is a perspective view of the capacitor element unit 100 observed from the front upper side, Figure 2 and (b) of is a perspective view of the capacitor element unit 100 observed from the rear upper side.

[0034] The capacitor element unit 100 includes a capacitor element 400, a first bus bar 500, a second bus bar 600, and an insulating member 700.

[0035] The capacitor element 400 is formed by overlapping two metallized films obtained by vapor-depositing aluminum on a dielectric film, winding or laminating the overlapping metallized films, and pressing them into a flat shape. In the capacitor element 400, a first electrode 410 is formed by spraying a metal such as zinc on one end face, and a second electrode 420 is formed in the same manner by spraying a metal such as zinc on the other end face.

[0036] In addition, the capacitor element 400 of the present embodiment is formed of a metallized film obtained by vapor-depositing aluminum on a dielectric film, but in addition to this, it may also be formed of a metallized film obtained by vapor-depositing other metals such as zinc and magnesium. Alternatively, the capacitor element 400 may be formed of a metallized film obtained by vapor-depositing multiple metals among these metals, or may be formed of a metallized film obtained by vapor-depositing an alloy of these metals with each other.

[0037] Figure 3FIG. (a) is a perspective view of the first bus bar 500.

[0038] The first bus bar 500 is formed by appropriately cutting and bending a metal plate, such as a copper plate, which is a conductive material of a given shape.

[0039] The first bus bar 500 includes a main body portion 510 having a square flat plate shape. The main body portion 510 is divided in the vertical direction into a portion that becomes the first overlapping portion 511 and a portion that becomes the non-overlapping portion 512 that is continuous with the first overlapping portion 511. The non-overlapping portion 512 is located above the first overlapping portion 511. In Figure 3 FIG. (a), for convenience, the boundary between the first overlapping portion 511 and the non-overlapping portion 512 is shown by a double-dashed line.

[0040] At the upper part of the main body portion 510 included in the non-overlapping portion 512, by cutting a part of the main body portion 510, four connecting terminal portions 520 having a square shape are formed in a horizontally arranged manner. In the portion of the main body portion 510 where each connecting terminal portion 520 is cut, a square opening portion 513 larger than the connecting terminal portion 520 is formed. Each opening portion 513 is adjacent to the corresponding connecting terminal portion 520 and is arranged in the horizontal direction.

[0041] At the middle part of the main body portion 510 included in the first overlapping portion 511, four square opening portions 514 are formed at the same positions in the horizontal direction as the four opening portions 513. The four opening portions 514 have the same size as the four opening portions 513. In addition, at the middle part of the main body portion 510, at the left and right ends, vertically long square through holes 515 are formed.

[0042] At the lower part of the main body portion 510 included in the first overlapping portion 511, a circular opening portion 516 is formed at the center.

[0043] Furthermore, the first bus bar 500 includes an electrode terminal portion 530 that is bent at a right angle with respect to the main body portion 510 from the lower end portion of the main body portion 510. The electrode terminal portion 530 has a horizontally long square plate shape.

[0044] Furthermore, the first bus bar 500 includes bending portions 540 that are bent at a right angle with respect to the main body portion 510 from the left end portion and the right end portion of the main body portion 510, that is, the first overlapping portion 511 and the non-overlapping portion 512, respectively. Each bending portion 540 has a vertically long square plate shape. Each through hole 515 is connected to each bending portion 540.

[0045] Figure 3 FIG. (b) is a perspective view of the second bus bar 600.

[0046] The second bus bar 600 is formed by appropriately cutting and processing a metal plate, such as a copper plate, which is a conductive material of a given shape, and performing bending and the like.

[0047] The second bus bar 600 includes a main body portion 610 having a square flat plate shape. The main body portion 610 is divided in the vertical direction into a portion that becomes the second overlapping portion 611 and a portion that becomes the non-overlapping portion 612 that is continuous with the second overlapping portion 611. The non-overlapping portion 612 is located below the second overlapping portion 611. In Figure 3 In (b) of, for convenience, the boundary between the second overlapping portion 611 and the non-overlapping portion 612 is shown by a double-dashed line.

[0048] At the upper part of the main body portion 610 included in the second overlapping portion 611, by cutting a part of the main body portion 610, four connection terminal portions 620 having a square shape are formed in a manner arranged in the left-right direction. In the portion of the main body portion 610 where each connection terminal portion 620 is cut out, an opening portion 613 having a square shape larger than the connection terminal portion 620 is formed. Each opening portion 613 is adjacent to the corresponding connection terminal portion 620 and is arranged in the left-right direction. The four opening portions 613 have the same size as the four opening portions 514 of the first bus bar 500.

[0049] At the middle part of the main body portion 610 included in the second overlapping portion 611, a circular opening portion 614 is formed at the center.

[0050] Furthermore, the second bus bar 600 includes an electrode terminal portion 630 that is bent at a right angle with respect to the main body portion 610 from the lower end portion of the main body portion 610. The electrode terminal portion 630 has a rectangular plate shape that is elongated in the left-right direction.

[0051] Figure 4 In (a) of, it is a perspective view of the insulating member 700 observed from the front upper side, Figure 4 In (b) of, it is a perspective view of the insulating member 700 observed from the rear upper side.

[0052] The insulating member 700 is formed of a resin such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) by injection molding described later.

[0053] The insulating member 700 includes a main body portion 710 having a substantially rectangular plate shape that is long in the left-right direction. The main body portion 710 is divided in the vertical direction into a first portion 711, a second portion 712 that is continuous with the first portion 711, and a third portion 713 that is continuous with the first portion 711. The second portion 712 is located above the first portion 711, and the third portion 713 is located below the first portion 711. In Figure 4In (a) and (b) thereof, for convenience, the boundaries between the first part 711 and the second part 712 and between the first part 711 and the third part 713 are shown by double-dot dash lines.

[0054] In the first part 711 of the main body 710, at the central part, a part of the front surface 710a of the main body 710 protrudes, and a part of the rear surface 710b of the main body 710 is recessed, thereby forming a substantially cylindrical protrusion 714. The protrusion 714 has a concave portion 714a on the back side. On the rear surface 710b of the main body 710, a substantially cylindrical gate mark 715 is formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 714a, which is the surface recessed by the protrusion 714. The gate mark 715 is formed by injection molding. The outer diameter of the protrusion 714 is set to be smaller than the inner diameters of the opening 516 of the first bus bar 500 and the opening 614 of the second bus bar 600.

[0055] Furthermore, in the first part 711, four square-shaped openings 716 arranged in the left-right direction are formed at the upper part. The four openings 716 have the same size as the four openings 514 of the first bus bar 500.

[0056] In the second part 712 of the main body 710, two first rib portions 717 protruding rearward and extending in the left-right direction from the left end to the right end are formed on the rear surface 710b. The two first rib portions 717 are arranged at a given interval in the up-down direction. The given interval is set to be an interval of 1 mm or more, which is regarded as the interval at which the two first rib portions 717 are separated according to the regulation related to the creepage distance.

[0057] The two first rib portions 717 are connected by second rib portions 718 at the left and right end positions. The height of each second rib portion 718 is set to be the same as the height of each first rib portion 717.

[0058] Furthermore, the insulating member 700 is provided with clamping portions 720 at the left end and the right end on the front surface 710a side of the main body 710, respectively. The clamping portion 720 includes a first contact portion 721 located outside and a second contact portion 722 located inside in the insulating member 700. The first contact portion 721 has a rectangular plate shape elongated in the up-down direction. The second contact portion 722 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the up-down direction. The dimension of the first contact portion 721 in the up-down direction is larger than the dimension of the second contact portion 722 in the up-down direction, and the dimension of the first contact portion 721 in the left-right direction is smaller than the dimension of the second contact portion 722 in the left-right direction. The dimensions of the first contact portion 721 and the second contact portion 722 in the front-rear direction are set to be equal to each other. In addition, the dimension of the bent portion 540 of the first bus bar 500 in the front-rear direction is set to be larger than the dimensions of the first contact portion 721 and the second contact portion 722 in the front-rear direction.

[0059] The first contact portion 721 includes two first rib portions 721a. The two first rib portions 721a are respectively formed at the upper and lower positions of the side surface of the first contact portion 721 facing the second contact portion 722, and extend in the front-rear direction. The second contact portion 722 includes one second rib portion 722a. The second rib portion 722a is located at the position between the two first rib portions 721a on the side surface of the second contact portion 722 facing the first contact portion 721, and extends in the front-rear direction. The gap between the first rib portion 721a and the second rib portion 722a is set to be slightly smaller than the thickness (dimension in the left-right direction) of the bent portion 540 of the first bus bar 500.

[0060] As Figure 2 Shown in (a) and (b) of [], the first bus bar 500 is assembled on the front side of the insulating member 700. The main body portion 510 of the first bus bar 500 is in contact with the front surface 710a of the main body portion 710 of the insulating member 700. The protruding portion 714 of the insulating member 700 penetrates through the opening portion 516 of the first bus bar 500. The bent portions 540 on the left and right sides of the first bus bar 500 are clamped by the clamping portions 720 of the insulating member 700. The four opening portions 514 of the first bus bar 500 overlap with the four opening portions 716 of the insulating member 700.

[0061] The second bus bar 600 is assembled on the rear side of the insulating member 700. The main body portion 610 of the second bus bar 600 is in contact with the rear surface 710b of the main body portion 710 of the insulating member 700. The concave portion 714a of the insulating member 700 overlaps with the opening portion 614 of the second bus bar 600, and the gate mark 715 overlaps with the opening portion 614. There may be a certain degree of deviation in the height of the gate mark 715. When the gate mark 715 becomes higher and protrudes rearward from the concave portion 714a, the front end portion of the protruding gate mark 715 is inserted into the opening portion 614, and does not interfere with the main body portion 610 of the second bus bar 600.

[0062] The four opening portions 613 of the second bus bar 600 overlap with the four opening portions 716 of the insulating member 700. Each connection terminal portion 620 of the second bus bar 600 is inserted through the three overlapping opening portions 514, 716, 613 and protrudes forward of the first bus bar 500. The terminal rows of the four connection terminal portions 620 are located below the four connection terminal portions 520. The positions of the front ends of the four connection terminal portions 520 and the positions of the front ends of the four connection terminal portions 620 are aligned.

[0063] The first overlapping portion 511 of the first bus bar 500 and the second overlapping portion 611 of the second bus bar 600 overlap in the front-rear direction. The non-overlapping portion 512 of the first bus bar 500 does not overlap with the second overlapping portion 611, and the non-overlapping portion 612 of the second bus bar 600 does not overlap with the first overlapping portion 511. The first portion 711 of the insulating member 700 is interposed between the first overlapping portion 511 and the second overlapping portion 611. The second portion 712 of the insulating member 700 overlaps with the non-overlapping portion 512 of the first bus bar 500. The third portion 713 of the insulating member 700 is interposed between the non-overlapping portion 612 of the second bus bar 600 and the peripheral surface of the capacitor element 400.

[0064] The capacitor element 400 is disposed between the electrode terminal portion 530 of the first bus bar 500 and the electrode terminal portion 630 of the second bus bar 600. The electrode terminal portion 530 is joined to the first electrode 410 of the capacitor element 400 by a joining method such as welding. Thus, the first bus bar 500 is electrically connected to the first electrode 410. Similarly, the electrode terminal portion 630 is joined to the second electrode 420 of the capacitor element 400 by a joining method such as welding. Thus, the second bus bar 600 is electrically connected to the second electrode 420. Alternatively, pin-shaped terminals may be formed on the electrode terminal portions 530 and 630, and these terminals may be joined to the electrodes 410 and 420 by welding or the like.

[0065] Figure 5 It is a front view of the main part of the capacitor element unit 100.

[0066] As Figure 5 shown, in each clamping portion 720 of the insulating member 700, the first rib portion 721a of the first contact portion 721 contacts the bent portion 540 from the outside of the first bus bar 500, and the second rib portion 722a of the second contact portion 722 that has passed through the through hole 515 of the first bus bar 500 contacts the bent portion 540 from the inside of the first bus bar 500. The first rib portion 721a and the second rib portion 722a are so-called collision rib portions. When the bent portion 540 is inserted between the first contact portion 721 and the second contact portion 722, the front end portion thereof is cut off or deformed by the bent portion 540. The first contact portion 721 and the second contact portion 722 contact the bent portion 540 from both sides, whereby a force (a force for suppressing movement) for holding the first bus bar 500 is generated in the insulating member 700 in the front-rear direction.

[0067] The first bus bar 500 is positioned in the front-rear and left-right directions with respect to the insulating member 700 by a positioning structure based on the bent portion 540 and the clamping portion 720.

[0068] The size of the through hole 515 in the vertical direction is larger than the size of the second contact portion 722 in the vertical direction, and relatively large gaps are generated above and below between the second contact portion 722 and the through hole 515. Therefore, in the present embodiment, other positioning structures (not shown) are provided between the first bus bar 500 and the insulating member 700, and through this positioning structure, the first bus bar 500 is positioned in the vertical direction with respect to the insulating member 700. Furthermore, positioning structures (not shown) are also provided between the second bus bar 600 and the insulating member 700, and through this positioning structure, the second bus bar 600 is positioned in the vertical, front-rear, and left-right directions with respect to the insulating member 700.

[0069] Figure 6 FIG. (a) is a rear view of the main part of the capacitor element unit 100, Figure 6 FIG. (b) is Figure 6 a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of FIG. (a).

[0070] As Figure 6 shown in FIGS. (a) and (b), the four connection terminal portions 520 of the first bus bar 500 project from the non-overlapping portion 512 toward the side opposite to the second portion 712 of the insulating member 700 (front side). The upper end of the second portion 712 has the same height position as the lower ends of the four opening portions 513 of the first bus bar 500, and the second portion 712 does not overlap with the four opening portions 513 and the four connection terminal portions 520 in the front-rear direction. Additionally, the second portion 712 may slightly overlap with the lower end portions of the four opening portions 513.

[0071] In the second portion 712 of the insulating member 700, two first rib portions 717 project toward the side opposite to the non-overlapping portion 512 of the first bus bar 500 (rear side), and have a dimension slightly longer than the overlapping range R in the left-right direction in such a manner that the range where they exist when viewed from the vertical direction overlaps with the range of the second overlapping portion 611 of the second bus bar 600. In addition, two second rib portions 718 connect the two first rib portions 717 outside the overlapping range R in the left-right direction.

[0072] As Figure 6 shown by the thick line in FIG. (b), in the vertical direction, between the non-overlapping portion 512 of the first bus bar 500 and the second overlapping portion 611 of the second bus bar 600, the creepage distance D is ensured by the second portion 712 of the insulating member 700 and the two first rib portions 717. The rear surface side of the second portion 712 becomes a concavo-convex surface due to the two first rib portions 717. Therefore, the creepage distance D becomes longer compared to the case where the rear surface side of the second portion 712 is planar.

[0073] Refer to Figure 1, the housing 200 is made of resin, for example, formed of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) which is a thermoplastic resin. The housing 200 is formed in a box shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped and has an opening 201 on the upper surface.

[0074] In the housing 200, mounting joints 210 are provided on the left and right outer side surfaces and the outer bottom surface. In each mounting joint 210, an insertion through-hole 211 penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed. In order to improve the strength of the hole, a metal collar 212 is inserted into the insertion through-hole 211. When the thin film capacitor 1 is disposed in a setting portion of an external device or the like, these mounting joints 210 are fixed to the setting portion by screws or the like.

[0075] The filling resin 300 is a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin.

[0076] In the housing 200, the capacitor element unit 100 is accommodated through the opening 201. In the housing 200 in which the capacitor element unit 100 is accommodated, the liquid-phase filling resin 300 is injected through the opening 201. The filling resin 300 fills the inside of the housing 200 up to the vicinity of the opening 201. When the injection of the filling resin 300 is completed, the housing 200 is heated. As a result, the filling resin 300 in the housing 200 is cured. Thus, the thin film capacitor 1 is completed.

[0077] The thin film capacitor 1 is mounted on an external device or the like. In the external device or the like, for example, four external terminals 2a on the positive electrode side and four external terminals 2b on the negative electrode side in the form of bus bars are provided. For example, when the first bus bar 500 is a bus bar on the positive electrode side and the second bus bar 600 is a bus bar on the negative electrode side, as Figure 1 shown, the four external terminals 2a come into contact with the four connection terminal portions 520 of the first bus bar 500 from the rear through the opening 513 and are connected to these connection terminal portions 520 by a joining method such as welding. Further, the four external terminals 2b come into contact with the four connection terminal portions 620 of the second bus bar 600 from the rear through three openings 613, 716, 514 that overlap in the front-rear direction and are connected to these connection terminal portions 620 by a joining method such as welding.

[0078] <Manufacturing method of insulating member>

[0079] Next, a manufacturing method of the insulating member 700 will be described.

[0080] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a mold 800 for injection molding the insulating member 700. Figure 8 (a) and (b) of are respectively top views of the first member 801 and the second member 802 constituting the mold 800 as viewed from their parting surface sides. In addition, in Figure 8In (a), for convenience, the outer shape of the first molding surface 811 is shown by a dashed line. In Figure 8 In (b), for convenience, the gate 820 is shown by a dashed line.

[0081] The insulating member 700 is formed by injection molding using a mold 800 in the molding process.

[0082] The mold 800 is formed of steel and is constituted by the combination of a first member 801 as a core and a second member 802 as a cavity. Inside the mold 800, a mold portion 810 having the shape of the insulating member 700 is formed. The mold portion 810 includes: a first molding surface 811 for forming the rear surface 710b of the main body portion 710 of the insulating member 700; and a second molding surface 812 for forming the front surface 710a of the main body portion 710 facing the rear surface 710b.

[0083] The first molding surface 811 includes a substantially cylindrical protruding portion 813 protruding toward the second molding surface 812 at a position corresponding to the central portion of the main body portion 710. In addition, the second molding surface 812 includes a substantially cylindrical recess 814 for accommodating the protruding portion 813. A gap is formed between the protruding portion 813 and the recess 814. The interval between the front end surface 813a of the protruding portion 813 and the bottom surface 814a of the recess 814 is set to be larger than the interval between the surrounding first molding surface 811 and the second molding surface 812, and the portion between these front end surface 813a and the bottom surface 814a becomes a large interval portion 815.

[0084] On the first molding surface 811, a gate 820 serving as an injection port for injecting resin into the mold portion 810 is formed at the front end surface 813a of the protruding portion 813. The gate 820 is circular and opens to the large interval portion 815. In the mold 800, a runner 830 connected to the gate 820 is formed in the first member 801.

[0085] In the molding process, the gate 820 is opened by a valve (not shown), and the molten resin is injected into the mold portion 810 from the gate 820 through the runner 830. As shown by the arrows in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , first, the resin flows into the large interval portion 815 of the mold portion 810. Then, the resin flows radially from the large interval portion 815 and spreads around. Thus, the resin fills the entire mold portion 810.

[0086] Here, the gate 820 is provided on the first molding surface 811 of the molding portion 810 on the surface (rear surface 710b) of the main body portion 710 constituting the insulating member 700. Therefore, resin can be injected from a portion near the center in the plate-shaped main body portion 710. As a result, the distance that the resin flows within the molding portion 810 can be shortened, and thus the resin can easily spread throughout the molding portion 810. Further, the large spacing portion 815 serves as a reservoir for the resin flowing into the molding portion 810 from the gate 820. Therefore, the fluidity of the resin within the molding portion 810 is improved, and the time for the resin to spread throughout the molding portion 810 is shortened.

[0087] The resin filled into the molding portion 810 cools to form the insulating member 700. When the filling of the resin into the molding portion 810 is completed, the gate 820 is closed by a valve. At this time, resin remains near the gate 820, and this resin cools to form the gate mark 715. Then, the mold 800 is separated, and the insulating member 700 is taken out from the inside.

[0088] In this way, Figure 4 the insulating member 700 shown in (a) and (b) is completed. In the main body portion 710 of the insulating member 700, resin is filled between the protruding portion 813 and the recessed portion 814 of the molding portion 810, thereby forming the protruding portion 714. The front end portion of the protruding portion 714 is thicker than other portions of the main body portion 710. On the recessed surface on the back side of the protruding portion 714, a gate mark 715 protruding rearward is formed.

[0089] <Effects of the Embodiment>

[0090] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0091] The first bus bar 500 includes: a non-overlapping portion 512, which is continuous with the first overlapping portion 511 and does not overlap with the second overlapping portion 611 of the second bus bar 600; and a connection terminal portion 520, which protrudes from the non-overlapping portion 512 and is connected to the external terminal 2a. The insulating member 700 includes: a flat plate-shaped first portion 711, which is interposed between the first overlapping portion 511 and the second overlapping portion 611; a flat plate-shaped second portion 712, which is continuous with the first portion 711 and overlaps with the non-overlapping portion 512; and a first rib portion 717, which protrudes from the second portion 712 toward the side opposite to the non-overlapping portion 512 and extends in the left-right direction in such a manner that it exists within the range of the non-overlapping portion 512 and the range of the second overlapping portion 611 overlap in the repeating range R when viewed from the up-down direction.

[0092] According to this structure, it is possible to both reduce the amount by which the second part 712 of the insulating member 700 extends toward the non-overlapping part 512 side of the first bus bar 500 (the dimension in the vertical direction of the second part 712), and extend the creepage distance D between the non-overlapping part 512 of the first bus bar 500 in the vertical direction and the second overlapping part 611 of the second bus bar 600.

[0093] In addition, a plurality (two) of the first rib portions 717 are provided so as to be arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, and the insulating member 700 includes a second rib portion 718 that is provided outside the repeating range R in the left-right direction and connects the plurality of first rib portions 717.

[0094] According to this structure, by providing a plurality of the first rib portions 717, it is possible to both reduce the height (projection amount) of the first rib portions 717 and ensure the same creepage distance D. In addition, by connecting with the second rib portion 718, the plurality of first rib portions 717 can be strengthened. Furthermore, since the second rib portion 718 is provided outside the repeating range R in the left-right direction, there is no portion where the creepage distance D becomes short.

[0095] In addition, when the second rib portion 718 is provided inside the repeating range R in the left-right direction, in the portion where the second rib portion 718 exists, the plurality of first rib portions 717 are connected by the second rib portion 718, and thus the creepage distance D becomes short.

[0096] Furthermore, the connection terminal portions 520 of the first bus bar 500 project from the non-overlapping part 512 toward the side opposite to the second part 712, and a plurality (four) of them are provided so as to be arranged at intervals in the left-right direction. In the non-overlapping part 512, a plurality of opening portions 513 that are adjacent to the connection terminal portions 520 and through which the external terminal 2a is inserted are formed so as to be arranged in the left-right direction. The second part 712 of the insulating member 700 does not overlap with the plurality of connection terminal portions 520.

[0097] According to this structure, when performing the operation of inserting the external terminal 2a through the opening portion 513 and connecting it to the connection terminal portion 520, the second part 712 of the insulating member 700 does not easily interfere with this connection operation.

[0098] In addition, even in the case where the second part 712 is structured not to overlap with the connection terminal portions 520 in this way, since it is not easy to increase the dimension in the vertical direction of the second part 712 in order to extend the creepage distance D, the dimension in the vertical direction of the non-overlapping part 512 is not easily increased, and the first bus bar 500 is not easily increased.

[0099] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. In addition, other than the above embodiments, various modifications can be made to the application examples of the present invention.

[0100] For example, in the above-described embodiment, two first rib portions 717 and two second rib portions 718 connecting these first rib portions 717 are formed in the second portion 712 of the insulating member 700. However, as shown in (a) of Figure 9 , the two second rib portions 718 may not be formed in the second portion 712 of the insulating member 700.

[0101] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, two first rib portions 717 are formed in the second portion 712 of the insulating member 700. However, the number of the first rib portions 717 can be appropriately changed. For example, in order to ensure the creepage distance D of the same length as in the above-described embodiment, as shown in (b) of Figure 9 , three first rib portions 717a that are arranged in the vertical direction, have a height (projection amount) lower than that of the two first rib portions 717, and have the same length may be formed in the second portion 712. The left and right ends of these three first rib portions 717a are connected by a second rib portion 718a. Alternatively, as shown in (c) of Figure 9 , one first rib portion 717b having a height higher than that of the two first rib portions 717 and having the same length may be formed in the second portion 712. Regarding the first rib portion, the more the number, the lower the height can be, so it is not easy to interfere with surrounding components when the film capacitor 1 is provided in an external device, and the fewer the number, the simpler the structure of the second portion 712, so it is easy to manufacture the insulating member 700.

[0102] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first bus bar 500 has a structure in which four connection terminal portions 520 project from the non-overlapping portion 512 toward the side opposite to the second portion 712 (front side) of the insulating member 700. However, the number of the connection terminal portions 520 can be appropriately changed. When the number of the connection terminal portions 520 is changed, the number of the opening portions 513 is changed accordingly. In addition, the formation position and the protruding direction of the connection terminal portions 520 in the non-overlapping portion 512 can also be appropriately changed. For example, the connection terminal portions 520 may project from the non-overlapping portion 512 toward the second portion 712 side (rear side). In addition, the connection terminal portions 520 may project upward, leftward, or rightward from the upper end portion, the left end portion, or the right end portion of the non-overlapping portion 512.

[0103] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the left-right widths of the first overlapping portion 511 and the non-overlapping portion 512 of the first bus bar 500 are set to be equal. However, the left-right widths of the first overlapping portion 511 and the non-overlapping portion 512 may be different.

[0104] Furthermore, the shapes of the first overlapping portion 511 and the non-overlapping portion 512 of the first bus bar 500, and the second overlapping portion 611 of the second bus bar 600 may not be set to a square shape as in the above-described embodiment, but may be set to an appropriate shape.

[0105] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, one capacitor element 400 is provided in the film capacitor 1. However, the number of capacitor elements 400 may also be two or more, and may be appropriately changed.

[0106] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the capacitor element 400 is formed by overlapping two metallized films obtained by vapor-depositing aluminum on a dielectric film and winding or laminating the overlapping metallized films. However, in addition to this, the capacitor element 400 may also be formed by overlapping a metallized film and an insulating film obtained by vapor-depositing aluminum on both sides of a dielectric film and winding or laminating them.

[0107] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, as an example of the capacitor of the present invention, the film capacitor 1 is cited. However, the present invention can also be applied to capacitors other than the film capacitor 1.

[0108] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

[0109] In addition, in the description of the above-described embodiment, terms indicating directions such as "above" and "below" indicate relative directions that depend only on the relative positional relationship of the structural members, and do not indicate absolute directions such as the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

[0110] Industrial Applicability

[0111] The present invention is useful for capacitors used in various electronic devices, electrical devices, industrial devices, electrical installations in vehicles, etc.

[0112] Symbol Description

[0113] 1 Film capacitor (capacitor);

[0114] 400 Capacitor element;

[0115] 500 First bus bar;

[0116] 511 First overlapping portion;

[0117] 512 Non-overlapping portion;

[0118] 513 Opening;

[0119] 520 Connection terminal portion;

[0120] 600 Second bus bar;

[0121] 611 Second overlapping portion;

[0122] 700 Insulating member;

[0123] 711 First part;

[0124] 712 Second part;

[0125] 717 First rib portion (protrusion);

[0126] 718 Second rib portion (connection portion).

Claims

1. A capacitor, comprising: a capacitor element; a first bus bar and a second bus bar, connected to the capacitor element; and an insulating member disposed between the first bus bar and the second bus bar, the first bus bar includes a first overlapping portion, the second bus bar includes a second overlapping portion, the first overlapping portion and the second overlapping portion overlap each other, the insulating member is disposed between the first overlapping portion and the second overlapping portion, the first bus bar includes: a non-overlapping portion, continuous with the first overlapping portion and not overlapping with the second overlapping portion; and a connection terminal portion protruding from the non-overlapping portion and connected to an external terminal, the insulating member includes: a first portion interposed between the first overlapping portion and the second overlapping portion; a second portion continuous with the first portion and overlapping with the non-overlapping portion; and a protruding portion protruding from the second portion toward the side opposite to the non-overlapping portion, the protruding portion extends in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction, the first direction being the direction in which the first overlapping portion and the non-overlapping portion are arranged.

2. The capacitor according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is composed of a plurality of protruding portions arranged at intervals in the first direction.

3. The capacitor according to claim 2, wherein the insulating member includes a connecting portion connecting the plurality of protruding portions.

4. The capacitor according to claim 3, wherein the connecting portion is disposed outside a range where a range of the non-overlapping portion and a range of the second overlapping portion overlap in the second direction.

5. The capacitor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connection terminal portion is composed of a plurality of connection terminal portions protruding from the non-overlapping portion toward the side opposite to the second portion and arranged at intervals in the second direction, in the non-overlapping portion, a plurality of openings adjacent to the connection terminal portion and through which the external terminal is inserted are formed in a manner arranged in the second direction, the second portion does not overlap with the plurality of connection terminal portions.

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