Harness heat radiation structure

Abstract

To provide a harness heat radiation structure which can efficiently radiate heat generated in plate-like conductors of a wire harness.SOLUTION: A harness heat radiation structure 1 includes: a wire harness 3 arranged in a body panel 115 of a vehicle 100; and a pressing member 5 which presses the wire harness 3 against the body panel 115. The wire harness 3 has conductive bus bars 10. The bus bar 10 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape as seen in a direction orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the wire harness 3. The body panel 115 has, in a portion where the pressing member 5 is attached and each bus bar 10 of the wire harness 3 is pressed by the pressing member 5, a thick part 117 formed thicker than surrounding portions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a harness heat dissipation structure.

Background Art

[0002] A wire harness used in vehicles such as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles includes electric wires that electrically connect a high-voltage battery and electrical devices such as an inverter (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The wire harness described in Patent Document 1 has a plurality of electric wires, a pair of connectors attached to both ends of the electric wires, a plurality of exterior members through which the plurality of electric wires are inserted one by one, and a plurality of clamps. Each exterior member protects the electric wires from flying objects or water droplets, for example. The plurality of exterior members are fixed to the vehicle body or the like of the vehicle by clamps. According to this configuration, the heat generated in the electric wires can be transmitted to the vehicle body having a large surface area through the exterior members and the clamps.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In vehicles, a larger current flows through the wire harness with the electrification of the vehicle. Along with this increase in current, measures against Joule heat generated particularly in the plate-shaped conductors (bus bars) of the wire harness are required. When the wire harness is fixed to the vehicle body for heat dissipation as in Patent Document 1, the vehicle body is generally composed of an iron plate or a steel plate, etc., so the heat capacity is relatively small, and heat dissipation by heat conduction from the plate-shaped conductors of the wire harness to the vehicle body may not be sufficient.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems of such conventional technologies. The object of the present invention is to provide a harness heat dissipation structure capable of efficiently dissipating heat generated in a plate-shaped conductor of a wire harness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The harness heat dissipation structure according to an aspect of the present invention includes a wire harness routed in a vehicle body and a pressing member that presses the wire harness against the vehicle body. The wire harness has a conductive plate-shaped conductor, and the plate-shaped conductor has a rectangular cross-sectional shape in a direction orthogonal to the routing direction of the wire harness. The vehicle body has a thick portion formed thicker than the peripheral portion at a location where the pressing member is attached and the plate-shaped conductor of the wire harness is pressed by the pressing member.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a harness heat dissipation structure capable of efficiently dissipating heat generated in a plate-shaped conductor of a wire harness.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the harness heat dissipation structure according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0010] The harness heat dissipation structure 1 according to the present embodiment can be applied to high-voltage wiring or the like of an electric vehicle as shown in FIG. 1.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, in the vehicle 100, for example, an inverter 101 and a motor 103 as load portions are arranged on the front side in the vehicle front-rear direction. The inverter 101 is electrically connected to the high-voltage battery 107 via the front high-voltage wiring 105, and converts the DC power supplied from the high-voltage battery 107 via the front high-voltage wiring 105 into AC power. Further, the inverter 101 supplies the converted AC power to the motor 103. The motor 103 is driven by the power supplied from the inverter 101, and rotates the front wheels 109 via a drive shaft or the like of the vehicle 100.

[0012] Also, in the vehicle 100, for example, a charging port 111 is arranged on the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction. The charging port 111 has a charging inlet to which an external charging device (not shown) as a charger is connected. This charging port 111 is electrically connected to the high-voltage battery 107 via the rear high-voltage wiring 113, and supplies the power supplied from the external charging device to the high-voltage battery 107 via the rear high-voltage wiring 113.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the harness heat dissipation structure 1 according to the present embodiment includes a wire harness 3 and a pressing member 5.

[0014] The wire harness 3 is routed on a body panel 115 (see FIG. 1) that forms part of the vehicle body of the vehicle 100. The wire harness 3 has a bus bar 10 as a conductive plate-like conductor, and this bus bar 10 is made of a metal material such as copper or aluminum, for example. The wire harness 3 has a plurality (two in this embodiment) of bus bars 10, but is not limited thereto, and the wire harness 3 may have a single (one) bus bar 10.

[0015] The bus bar 10 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape in a direction orthogonal to the routing direction of the wire harness 3. This bus bar 10 has a pair of long side faces 11, 11 and a pair of short side faces 13, 13, and is formed with a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

[0016] In this embodiment, the bus bar 10 is laid horizontally so that a pair of long side faces 11, 11 are parallel to the upper surface of the body panel 115. For this reason, the upper surface (one of the pair of long side faces 11, 11) of the bus bar 10 faces the upper surface portion 21 of the pressing member 5 described later, and the lower surface (the other of the pair of long side faces 11, 11) of the bus bar 10 faces the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115 described later.

[0017] The pressing member 5 is used to press the wire harness 3 against the body panel 115. This pressing member 5 may be made of a synthetic resin material or a metal material. In this embodiment, the pressing member 5 has an upper surface portion 21 extending along a direction intersecting the routing direction of the wire harness 3, and a pair of side surface portions 23, 23 extending from both end portions in the extending direction of the upper surface portion 21 toward the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115. Further, the pressing member 5 further has a pair of flange portions 25, 25 extending in a direction away from each other from the lower end portions of the side surface portions 23 and coupled to the thick portion 117 using a coupling member such as a bolt 7, and is formed in a hat-shaped cross section.

[0018] Also, at the locations between the plurality of bus bars 10 on the upper surface portion 21 of the pressing member 5, a partition wall portion 27 that extends toward the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115 is formed.

[0019] The bus bar 10 pressed against the body panel 115 is disposed in a space surrounded by the upper surface portion 21 and a pair of side surface portions 23, 23 of the pressing member 5 and the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115.

[0020] Also, between the bus bar 10 and the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115, a heat dissipation sheet 30 as a heat conductive heat dissipation member is disposed in order to efficiently transfer the heat generated by the bus bar 10 to the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115. This heat dissipation sheet 30 is also referred to as a heat conduction sheet and is disposed in close contact with the bus bar 10 and the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115.

[0021] These wire harnesses 3 and pressing members 5 are disposed on the vehicle interior side (floor side) of the body panel 115.

[0022] The body panel 115 has a thick portion 117 formed thicker than the peripheral portion at the location where the pressing member 5 is attached and the bus bar 10 of the wire harness 3 is pressed by the pressing member 5. A general portion 119 that is thinner than the thick portion 117 is formed around the thick portion 117 in the body panel 115. The thick portion 117 is formed so as to protrude toward the vehicle interior side in the body panel 115. A metal plate constituting a part of the thick portion 117 may be attached to the body panel 115 made of an iron plate or a steel plate by welding or the like. When the body panel 115 is created by casting, the thick portion 117 may be integrally formed with the body panel 115 during casting. That is, the thick portion 117 may be integrally formed with the body panel 115 or may be formed separately from the body panel 115 and attached to the body panel 115.

[0023] As described above, the harness heat dissipation structure 1 according to the aspect of the present embodiment includes a wire harness 3 routed on the vehicle body (body panel 115) of the vehicle 100 and a pressing member 5 that presses the wire harness 3 against the vehicle body (body panel 115). The wire harness 3 has a conductive plate-like conductor (bus bar 10), and the plate-like conductor (bus bar 10) has a rectangular cross-sectional shape in a direction orthogonal to the routing direction of the wire harness 3. The vehicle body (body panel 115) has a thick portion 117 formed thicker than the surrounding portions at a location where the pressing member 5 is attached and the plate-like conductor (bus bar 10) of the wire harness 3 is pressed by the pressing member 5.

[0024] By pressing the bus bar 10 against the body panel 115 using the pressing member 5, the Joule heat generated in the bus bar 10 can be transferred to the body panel 115 for heat dissipation, and the temperature rise of the wire harness 3 can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid increasing the size of the components (especially the bus bar 10) that make up the wire harness 3 in order to suppress heat generation in the wire harness 3, and it becomes possible to reduce the weight of the wire harness 3 and the manufacturing cost.

[0025] Also, by forming the thick portion 117 at the location on the body panel 115 where the bus bar 10 is pressed by the pressing member 5, the heat capacity of the body panel 115 can be increased, the temperature rise of the wire harness 3 can be suppressed, or the temperature rise time can be delayed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid increasing the size of the components (especially the bus bar 10) that make up the wire harness 3 in order to suppress heat generation in the wire harness 3, and it becomes possible to reduce the weight of the wire harness 3 and the manufacturing cost.

[0026] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a harness heat dissipation structure 1 that can efficiently dissipate the heat generated in the plate-like conductor (bus bar 10) of the wire harness 3.

[0027] In the harness heat dissipation structure 1, a heat conductive heat dissipation member (heat dissipation sheet 30) may be disposed between the plate-shaped conductor (bus bar 10) and the thick portion 117 of the vehicle body (body panel 115).

[0028] By disposing the heat dissipation sheet 30 at the portion of the bus bar 10 in contact with the body panel 115, the gap between the bus bar 10 and the body panel 115 can be filled, and heat can be efficiently transferred from the bus bar 10 to the body panel 115.

[0029] In the harness heat dissipation structure 1, the pressing member 5 may have an upper surface portion 21 extending along a direction intersecting the wiring direction of the wire harness 3, and a pair of side surface portions 23, 23 extending from both end portions in the extending direction of the upper surface portion 21 toward the thick portion 117 of the vehicle body (body panel 115). The pressing member 5 may further have a pair of flange portions 25, 25 extending in a direction away from each other from the lower end portions of the side surface portions 23 and coupled to the thick portion 117, and may be formed in a hat-shaped cross section. The plate-shaped conductor (bus bar 10) pressed against the vehicle body (body panel 115) may be disposed in a space surrounded by the upper surface portion 21 of the pressing member 5, the pair of side surface portions 23, 23, and the thick portion 117 of the vehicle body (body panel 115).

[0030] By pressing the bus bar 10 against the body panel 115 using the pressing member 5 formed in a hat-shaped cross section, the heat generated in the bus bar 10 can be sufficiently transferred to the body panel 115, and the heat dissipation performance of the harness heat dissipation structure 1 can be improved.

[0031] [Other Embodiments] Hereinafter, the harness heat dissipation structures 1A, 1B, and 1C according to other embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. Note that the components substantially the same as those of the above-described harness heat dissipation structure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, in the harness heat dissipation structure 1A, a plurality of heat dissipation fins 121 are formed on the outside of the vehicle body (under the floor side) at the location where the thick portion 117 is formed in the body panel 115. The attachment direction and shape of the heat dissipation fins 121 can be appropriately set so that the air heated by heat conduction from the bus bar 10 does not stay between the plurality of heat dissipation fins 121. The metal material constituting the heat dissipation fins 121 may be attached to the body panel 115 made of an iron plate or a steel plate by welding or the like. When the body panel 115 is created by casting, the heat dissipation fins 121 may be integrally formed on the body panel 115 during casting. That is, the heat dissipation fins 121 may be integrally formed with the body panel 115, or may be formed separately from the body panel 115 and attached to the body panel 115.

[0033] Thus, in the harness heat dissipation structure 1A, the wire harness 3 and the pressing member 5 may be disposed on the inside of the vehicle body (on the floor side) of the vehicle body (body panel 115). Heat dissipation fins 121 may be formed on the outside of the vehicle body (under the floor side) at the location where the thick portion 117 is formed in the vehicle body (body panel 115).

[0034] By forming the heat dissipation fins 121 on the back surface of the mounting surface of the bus bar 10 in the body panel 115 to increase the portion (surface area) of the body panel 115 that contacts the outside air, it becomes possible to further improve the heat dissipation performance of the harness heat dissipation structure 1.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, in the harness heat dissipation structure 1B, the bus bar 10 is disposed upright so as to be perpendicular to the body panel 115. For this reason, the upper surface (one of the pair of short side surface portions 13, 13) of the bus bar 10 faces the upper surface portion 21 of the pressing member 5 described later, and the lower surface (the other of the pair of short side surface portions 13, 13) of the bus bar 10 faces the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115.

[0036] Thus, in the harness heat dissipation structure 1B, the plate-shaped conductor (bus bar 10) may be disposed upright so as to be perpendicular to the vehicle body (body panel 115).

[0037] Depending on the requirements for mounting the wire harness 3 on the vehicle 100, as shown in FIG. 5, it may be mounted with the longitudinal direction of the bus bar 10 standing upright. Even in this case, the heat generated by the bus bar 10 can be efficiently transmitted to the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 6, in the harness heat dissipation structure 1C, a rib portion 123 is formed on the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115 as a wall portion standing upright perpendicular to the body panel 115, and the bus bar 10 is pressed against the rib portion 123 by the spring member 31. For this reason, one side surface (one of the pair of long side surface portions 11, 11) of the bus bar 10 faces the rib portion 123 of the body panel 115, and the other side surface (the other of the pair of long side surface portions 11, 11) of the bus bar 10 faces the spring member 31. Further, a heat conductive member 40 is disposed between the bus bar 10 and the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115 and between the bus bar 10 and the rib portion 123 of the body panel 115 as a heat dissipation member having heat conductivity. This heat conductive member 40 is for efficiently transmitting the heat generated by the bus bar 10 to the thick portion 117 and the rib portion 123 of the body panel 115, and is formed of, for example, thermal paste or heat conductive resin. Also, in the harness heat dissipation structure 1C, a case 41 having an L-shaped cross section is used mainly for holding the bus bar 10 when the pressing member 5 is attached to the body panel 115. This case 41 is composed of, for example, a synthetic resin material.

[0039] Thus, in the harness heat dissipation structure 1C, a wall portion (rib portion 123) standing upright perpendicular to the vehicle body (body panel 115) may be formed on the thick portion 117 of the vehicle body (body panel 115). The plate-like conductor (bus bar 10) may be pressed against the wall portion (rib portion 123) by the spring member 31.

[0040] When mounting in a state where the longitudinal direction of the bus bar 10 is set upright as shown in FIG. 5, since only the short side surface portion 13 of the bus bar 10 faces the thick portion 117, it is predicted that the heat dissipation effect is smaller compared to the case where the long side surface portion 11 of the bus bar 10 faces the thick portion 117. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, a rib portion 123 is formed on the thick portion 117 of the body panel 115, and the bus bar 10 is pressed against this rib portion 123 using the spring member 31, whereby the heat dissipation effect can be improved.

[0041] As described above, the present embodiment has been explained, but the present embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present embodiment.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0042] 1 Harness heat dissipation structure 3 Wire harness 5 Pressing member 10 Bus bar 21 Upper surface portion 23 Side surface portion 25 Flange portion 30 Heat dissipation sheet 31 Spring member 40 Heat conduction member 100 Vehicle 115 Body panel 117 Thick portion 121 Heat dissipation fin 123 Rib portion

Claims

1. A wire harness routed along the vehicle body of a vehicle, and a pressing member that presses the wire harness against the vehicle body, comprising: the wire harness has a conductive plate-like conductor, the cross-sectional shape of the plate-like conductor in a direction orthogonal to the routing direction of the wire harness is rectangular, the vehicle body has a thick portion formed thicker than peripheral portions at a location where the pressing member is attached and the plate-like conductor of the wire harness is pressed by the pressing member, a harness heat dissipation structure.

2. The harness heat dissipation structure according to claim 1, wherein a heat conductive heat dissipation member is disposed between the plate-like conductor and the thick portion of the vehicle body.

3. The wire harness and the pressing member are disposed inside the vehicle compartment of the vehicle body, heat dissipation fins are formed on the outside of the vehicle body at a location where the thick portion of the vehicle body is formed, The harness heat dissipation structure according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The harness heat dissipation structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plate-like conductor is disposed standing perpendicular to the vehicle body.

5. A wall portion standing perpendicular to the vehicle body is formed in the thick portion of the vehicle body, the plate-like conductor is pressed against the wall portion by a spring member, The harness heat dissipation structure according to claim 4.

6. The pressing member has an upper surface portion extending along a direction intersecting the routing direction of the wire harness, a pair of side surface portions extending from both end portions in the extending direction of the upper surface portion toward the thick portion of the vehicle body, and a pair of flange portions extending in a direction away from each other from the lower end portions of the side surface portions and coupled to the thick portion, and is formed in a hat-shaped cross section, the plate-like conductor pressed against the vehicle body is disposed in a space surrounded by the upper surface portion of the pressing member, the pair of side surface portions, and the thick portion of the vehicle body, The harness heat dissipation structure according to claim 1 or 2.

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