Power apparatus

Abstract

To enable effective protection of a power cable connected to a power apparatus of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A power apparatus of the disclosure includes: a case supporting a plurality of components electrically connected to a power cable; and a cover which is attached to the case so as to cover at least parts of the components. The power apparatus is mounted on a vehicle and the cover includes: a flange part extending upward from a side end located above the power cable; and a curved surface part connecting a power cable side surface of the flange part with a lower surface of the cover.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electric power equipment that is connected to an electric power cable and is mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an electric vehicle including a cross member extending in the vehicle width direction arranged in a motor room at the front of the vehicle, an electric unit attached on the cross member, and a driving motor attached to the underside of the cross member and supplied with power from the electric unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The electric unit of this electric vehicle includes a harness connector to which a harness is connected for supplying power to drive the motor from a battery provided at the rear of the motor room. The harness connector has a harness connection portion to which the harness is connected, and a protruding portion that protrudes rearward from the harness connection portion. As a result, even if the electric unit moves rearward and comes into contact with a vehicle body part during a frontal collision of the vehicle, the protruding portion is more likely to come into contact with the vehicle body part before the harness connection portion, thereby mitigating the impact on the harness connection portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-166916 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned conventional electric vehicle, when the electric unit moves rearward due to a frontal collision, the above-mentioned protrusion and the harness guide fixed to the rear of the electric unit may hit the harness, possibly damaging the harness.

[0005] Therefore, a main object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for effectively protecting a power cable connected to an electric power device of a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electric power equipment of the present disclosure includes a case supporting a plurality of components electrically connected to a power cable, and a cover attached to the case so as to cover at least some of the components, and is mounted on a vehicle, wherein the cover includes a flange portion extending upward from a side end portion located above the power cable, and a curved portion connecting a surface of the flange portion facing the power cable and an underside of the cover.

[0007] When a collision occurs in a vehicle equipped with the electric power device of the present disclosure, and the electric power device approaches the power cable due to the collision, the flange portion of the cover and the curved portion connecting the power cable side surface of the flange portion and the underside of the cover can be applied to the power cable. This makes it possible to prevent the edge portion of the cover from contacting the power cable due to the vehicle collision and damaging the power cable. Even if the cover becomes wet, the flange portion can restrict the water from flowing down to the power cable side, thereby preventing the power cable and components in the case from becoming wet. As a result, it is possible to provide good protection for the power cable connected to the electric power device of the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a vehicle equipped with electric power equipment according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing power equipment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of an electric power device according to the present disclosure. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Next, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] FIG 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle 1 equipped with a branch box 10 which is an electric power device according to the present disclosure. The vehicle 1 shown in the figure is an electric vehicle (BEV) including a motor generator MG and a battery (high voltage battery) 2. The vehicle 1 may be a front-wheel drive vehicle, a rear-wheel drive vehicle, or a four-wheel drive vehicle. The vehicle 1 may also be a plug-in or non-plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV, HEV).

[0011] The battery 2 includes a plurality of battery modules connected in series and a battery case that houses the plurality of battery modules. The battery 2 is mounted, for example, under the floor (below the floor panel) of the vehicle 1 near the rear seats. Each battery module of the battery 2 includes a plurality of battery cells (not shown) connected in series or in parallel. Each battery cell is, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery or a nickel-hydrogen secondary battery. A power control device (PCU) (not shown) is connected to the battery 2 via a system main relay (positive side relay and negative side relay) and a power cable. The power control device includes an inverter (drive circuit) that drives the motor generator MG, a boost converter that can boost the power from the battery 2 and step down the voltage from the motor generator MG side, a chargeable and dischargeable capacitor (not shown), and the like.

[0012] The motor generator MG is a synchronous generator motor (three-phase AC motor). The rotor of the motor generator MG is connected to the drive wheels DW via a power transmission mechanism including a differential gear connected to a drive shaft. The motor generator MG is driven by electric power from a power control device (battery 2) and outputs a drive torque (drive force) to the drive wheels DW. Furthermore, the motor generator MG outputs a regenerative braking torque to the drive wheels DW when braking the vehicle 1.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the branching box 10 is connected to the battery 2 via the power cable 3 including the system main relay and the positive and negative power lines. In this embodiment, the branching box 10 is mounted below the trunk mat behind the battery 2. As shown in Fig. 2, an air conditioner 4, a DC / DC converter 5, a charging inlet 6, and an AC inverter 7 are connected to the branching box 10 via a plurality of power cables. That is, the air conditioner 4, the DC / DC converter 5, the charging inlet 6, and the AC inverter 7 are connected in parallel to the battery 2 via the branching box 10.

[0014] The air conditioner 4 conditions the air in the vehicle cabin of the vehicle 1, and includes an electric compressor, a water heater (PTC heater), and the like. In this embodiment, power from the battery 2 is supplied to the electric compressor and the water heater of the air conditioner 4 via a branch box 10. The DC / DC converter 5 steps down the power supplied from the battery 2 via the branch box 10 and supplies it to an auxiliary battery (low-voltage battery) and various auxiliary devices, none of which are shown. The charging inlet 6 is adapted to receive a connector of a charging cable of a DC charging device (quick charging device) installed at a charging station or the like, and is connected to the battery 2 via a charging relay 8 and a power cable 3 housed in the branch box 10. The AC inverter 7 is capable of converting DC power supplied from the battery 2 via the branch box 10 and outputting AC power of a predetermined voltage.

[0015] 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of the branching box 10. As shown in the figure, the branching box 10 includes a case 11 and an upper cover 12 attached to the case 11. The case 11 is formed of metal or the like, and supports (contains) components electrically connected to the power cable 3, such as a receptacle 13 into which a connector 30 of the power cable 3 is inserted, and a plurality of receptacles (not shown) into which power cables from the charging relay 8, the air conditioner 4, the DC / DC converter 5, the charging inlet 6, or the AC inverter 7 are inserted. In this embodiment, the case 11 is fixed to the body of the vehicle 1 via a bracket 14.

[0016] The upper cover 12 is formed, for example, by pressing a metal plate, and is attached to the case 11 via a plurality of bolts 15 so as to cover components such as the receptacle 13 and the charging relay 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper cover 12 includes a flange portion 120 extending upward from a side end portion 12e located above the power cable 3. The flange portion 120 is formed by bending substantially the entire side end portion 12e of the upper cover 12 on the power cable 3 side upward by pressing. As a result, a curved portion 123 is formed between a surface 121 of the flange portion 120 on the power cable side and a lower surface (rear surface) 122 of the upper cover, connecting both surfaces. The curved portion 123 has a cylindrical surface that is convex toward the power cable 3 side. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a portion of the upper cover 12 including the side end portion 12e on the power cable 3 side protrudes (bulges) upward so as not to interfere with the receptacle 13 and the power cable 3 supported by the case 11, and a portion of the flange portion 120 located above the power cable 3 is formed so as to be spaced upward from the power cable 3.

[0017] When a rear-end collision occurs in the vehicle 1 equipped with the branch box 10 configured as described above, the branch box 10 may be pushed forward toward the battery 2 while tilting forward due to another vehicle, an obstacle, or the like. At this time, the upper cover 12 of the branch box 10 approaches the power cable 3, and in the branch box 10, when the branch box 10 approaches the power cable 3 due to a collision, the flange portion 120 of the upper cover 12 and the curved portion 123 connecting the surface 121 of the flange portion 120 facing the power cable 3 and the lower surface 122 of the upper cover 12 can abut against the power cable 3.

[0018] This effectively prevents the relatively sharp edge of the upper cover 12 from hitting the power cable 3 and damaging the power cable 3 in the event of a rear-end collision of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, in the branch box 10, even if the upper cover 12 is wetted, the flange portion 120 prevents the water from flowing down toward the power cable 3, thereby preventing the power cable 3 and components such as the receptacle 13 in the case 11 from becoming wet. As a result, the power cable 3 connected to the branch box 10 can be effectively protected.

[0019] It should be noted that the components supported by the case 11 of the branching box 10 are not limited to the charging relay 8 and the receptacle 13, and the case 11 may support any component electrically connected to the power cable 3. In addition, the devices connected to the branching box 10 are not limited to the air conditioning device 4, the DC / DC converter 5, the charging inlet 6, and the AC inverter 7, and any device may be connected to the branching box 10. Furthermore, the branching box 10 may be disposed in a front compartment of the vehicle 1 so as to be located forward of the battery 2.

[0020] As described above, the electric power device of the present disclosure is an electric power device (10) mounted on a vehicle (1), which includes a case (11) supporting a plurality of components (8, 13) electrically connected to a power cable (3) and a cover (12) attached to the case (11) so as to cover at least some of the components (8, 13), and the cover (12) includes a flange portion (120) extending upward from a side end portion (12e) located above the power cable (3), and a curved portion (123) connecting a surface (121) of the flange portion (120) on the power cable (3) side to a lower surface of the cover (122). Such an electric power device makes it possible to provide good protection for the power cable connected to the electric power device.

[0021] The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above embodiment is merely a specific form of the invention described in the Summary of the Invention, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the Summary of the Invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0022] The present disclosure is applicable to industries such as the manufacturing industry of electric power equipment mounted on vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1 vehicle, 2 battery, 3 power cable, 4 air conditioning unit, 5 DC / DC converter, 6 charging inlet, 7 AC inverter, 8 charging relay, 10 branch box, 10 branch box, 11 case, 12 upper cover, 120 flange portion, 121 surface, 122 underside, 123 curved portion, 12e side end portion, 13 receptacle, 14 bracket, 15 bolt, 30 connector, DW drive wheel, MG motor generator.

Claims

[Claim 1] An electric power device to be mounted on a vehicle, the electric power device comprising: a case supporting a plurality of components electrically connected to an electric power cable; and a cover attached to the case so as to cover at least some of the components, the electric power device comprising: The cover is an electric power device including a flange portion extending upward from a side end portion located above the power cable, and a curved portion connecting a surface of the flange portion facing the power cable and a lower surface of the cover.

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