Electronic component case

Abstract

To provide an electronic component case capable of disposing an electronic component at an appropriate position while suppressing warping.SOLUTION: In an electronic component case 82 having an internal space 82f constituted by a plurality of wall bodies 82a and 82b and capable of holding an electronic component in which a plurality of elements 84 are electrically connected by bus bars 86a and 86b in the internal space 82f, a plurality of ribs 82i and 82j are disposed on an inner surfaces of the plurality of wall bodies 82a and 82b, and the bus bar 86a has a plurality of protrusions 86g. At least one of the plurality of ribs 82i is disposed between at least two projections 86g while being held in the internal space 82f, and a projection 86g abuts against the inner surface 82g of the wall body 82a and the rib 82i.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a case for an electronic component. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, automobiles equipped with motors as a driving source (such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs)) have become widespread. These automobiles use vehicle drive systems that incorporate a driving motor, a power supply module, an inverter, and the like. In the vehicle drive system, various electronic components, including a capacitor, are fixed to a base.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a film capacitor including a capacitor element, a bus bar connected to the electrodes of the capacitor element, a case having an opening into which the capacitor element is inserted and housed, and a filling resin filled into the case. The case includes a bottom surface facing the opening and side surfaces surrounding the bottom surface. Ribs are formed on the inner wall surfaces of the side surfaces, extending in the direction in which the opening and the bottom surface are aligned. The bus bar has electrode terminals facing the side surfaces, and the electrode terminals include protrusions that abut against the ribs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 009681 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the film capacitor disclosed in Patent Document 1, ribs formed on the inner wall surfaces of the side portions of the case abut against protrusions of the bus bars, thereby preventing the case from warping inward. However, the film capacitor in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the relative positional deviation between the capacitor element and the case when the capacitor element is inserted into the case, particularly the positional deviation in the direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the ribs, and there is room for improvement.

[0006] Therefore, there is a demand for an electronic component case that can suppress warping while allowing electronic components to be positioned in appropriate positions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One embodiment of an electronic component case according to the present disclosure is an electronic component case having an internal space formed by a plurality of walls, capable of holding an electronic component in the internal space, with a plurality of elements electrically connected by a bus bar, wherein a plurality of ribs are arranged on the inner surfaces of the walls, the bus bar has a plurality of protrusions, at least one of the plurality of ribs is arranged between at least two of the protrusions while held in the internal space, and the protrusion abuts against the inner surfaces of the walls and the rib.

[0008] According to this embodiment, at least one of the plurality of ribs is positioned between at least two protrusions while being held in the internal space. This reduces the likelihood of relative positional misalignment between the electronic component and the electronic component case when the electronic component is inserted into the internal space of the electronic component case. Furthermore, the plurality of ribs positioned on the inner surface of the wall body can prevent warping of the electronic component case. This results in an electronic component case that can properly position electronic components while preventing warping.

[0009] Furthermore, with this configuration, the protrusions abut against the inner surface of the wall, which further suppresses warping of the wall. Furthermore, when the protrusions abut against the ribs, it is possible to suppress relative positional deviation between the electronic component and the electronic component case when inserting the electronic component into the internal space of the electronic component case. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a cooling circuit including a vehicle drive system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle drive device and the housing. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a power circuit assembly. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a power circuit assembly. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a smoothing capacitor. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a smoothing capacitor. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of an electronic component case according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples for explaining the electronic component case, and the electronic component case is not limited to these embodiments. Therefore, the electronic component case can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0012] [Cooling circuit] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle drive device A is mounted on a cooling circuit consisting of a coolant flow path L1 for circulating a coolant as a cooling fluid, a refrigerant flow path L2 for circulating a refrigerant, and a lubricant flow path L3 for circulating a lubricant.

[0013] The coolant flow path L1 is driven by a coolant pump 33 to circulate the coolant through the radiator 34, the cooling plate 11 of the power circuit assembly PE, the oil cooler 32, and the water-cooled condenser 31 in that order. The coolant is cooling water such as long-life coolant (LLC), or insulating oil such as paraffin-based oil.

[0014] The refrigerant flow path L2 is configured to supply an externally cooled refrigerant to the water-cooled condenser 31. In this refrigerant flow path L2, a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), a hydrofluoroolefin (HFO), or the like is used as the refrigerant.

[0015] The lubricating oil passage L3 supplies low-temperature lubricating oil to the inside of the traveling motor M and the gear mechanism Ge when the hydraulic pump 35 is driven.

[0016] In this cooling circuit, the coolant cooled by the radiator 34 flows through a flow path R (see FIG. 7) formed inside the cooling plate 11 of the power circuit assembly PE. As a result, the coolant absorbs heat generated in the power circuit assembly PE and cools the power circuit assembly PE. As a result, the temperature of the coolant rises.

[0017] The oil cooler 32 is disposed downstream of the power circuit assembly PE in the coolant flow path L1, and exchanges heat between the coolant circulating through the coolant flow path L1 and the lubricant circulating through the lubricant flow path L3. This further increases the temperature of the coolant and decreases the temperature of the lubricant. The cooled lubricant flows through the lubricant flow path L3 and is supplied to the drive motor M and the gear mechanism Ge. This prevents the drive motor M and the gear mechanism Ge from increasing in temperature and lubricates the drive motor M and the gear mechanism Ge. The coolant, whose temperature has increased in the oil cooler 32, removes heat from the refrigerant in the water-cooled condenser 31, then dissipates heat in the radiator 34, where it is cooled and supplied to the power module B again.

[0018] [Configuration of vehicle drive device] 2 shows a vehicle drive device A that transmits the driving force of a traction motor M to wheels (not shown). This vehicle drive device A accommodates the traction motor M, a drive shaft DS connected to transmit the driving force of the traction motor M to the wheels, a gear mechanism Ge that reduces the driving force of the traction motor M and transmits it to the drive wheels, and a power circuit assembly PE including a power module B and an inverter C, all housed in a housing AH. Hereinafter, a vehicle equipped with a traction motor M as a driving source will also be referred to as an electric vehicle. Examples of electric vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

[0019] The housing AH includes a first housing chamber E1 that houses the travel motor M, and a second housing chamber E2 that houses a power supply module B and an inverter C that control the power supplied to the travel motor M. The direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Z and along the rotation axis A1 of the rotor (not shown) of the travel motor M is defined as the axial direction L, the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction Z and the axial direction L is defined as the axial-orthogonal direction Y, and one side of the axial-orthogonal direction Y is defined as the axial-orthogonal first side Y1.

[0020] The housing AH has a first cover 101 that closes the outside of the drive motor M in the first accommodation chamber E1, and a second cover 102 that closes the outside of the gear mechanism Ge in the first accommodation chamber E1. In addition, an opening at the top of the housing AH is closed by an upper cover 103. This gives the housing AH a sealed structure.

[0021] The gear mechanism Ge includes a differential gear mechanism 110 arranged on the same axis as the rotation axis A1 of the drive shaft DS of the driving motor M, and a counter gear mechanism 111 arranged on an offset axis B1 offset from the rotation axis A1.

[0022] When mounted on an electric vehicle, the second storage chamber E2 has an upper region E3 which is above the driving motor M in the vertical direction Z and overlaps with the driving motor M when viewed in the vertical direction, and a lateral region E4 which is adjacent to the upper region E3 and is on the first side Y1 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the driving motor M and does not overlap with the driving motor M when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0023] In the vehicle drive device A of this embodiment, at least a portion of the inverter C is disposed in the upper area E3, and the power supply module B is disposed in an area extending below the inverter C in the side area E4.

[0024] That is, in this embodiment, when viewed in the direction along the axial direction L (side view), with the inverter C in a horizontal position, the power supply module B extends in the vertical direction Z, thereby forming an L-shape with the inverter C and the power supply module B. That is, in the upper region E3 of the second housing chamber E2, in a region extending in the axially orthogonal direction Y, the inverter C is arranged in a horizontal position above the traction motor M, and the power supply module B is arranged in a vertical position in a side region E4 adjacent to the upper region E3 and extending in the vertical direction. Note that instead of the arrangement of this embodiment, the power supply module B may be arranged in the upper region E3 and the inverter C in the side region E4.

[0025] In this embodiment, the side opposite to the axially orthogonal direction first side Y1 in the direction along the axially orthogonal direction Y is referred to as the axially orthogonal direction second side Y2, and either the axially orthogonal direction first side Y1 or the axially orthogonal direction second side Y2 may be the front side of the body of the electric vehicle.

[0026] [Configuration of power circuit assembly] 4 shows a circuit diagram of the power circuit assembly PE. The power circuit assembly PE includes a filter unit 40 and an OBC unit 50 that constitute a power module B, an auxiliary inverter unit 60 and a main inverter unit 65 that constitute an inverter C, and a control unit D.

[0027] [Filter unit] The filter unit 40 includes an input connector 40a, an output connector 40b, an AC filter 22, a relay module 42, a coil module 21, a current detection module 44, and an input / output control unit 45. The input / output control unit 45 outputs a control signal to the relay module 42 and acquires a detection signal from the current detection module 44.

[0028] [OBC Unit] The OBC unit 50 includes a transformer T, a low-voltage connector 50a, a conversion circuit 51, a primary coil control circuit 52, a bulk capacitor 16, a secondary coil control circuit 54, a tertiary coil control circuit 55, a conversion circuit control unit 56, a transformer control unit 57, and a low-voltage control unit 58. The primary coil control circuit 52 controls the primary coil T1 of the transformer T. The bulk capacitor 16 is disposed in a power system that transmits power from the conversion circuit 51 to the primary coil control circuit 52. The secondary coil control circuit 54 controls the secondary coil T2 of the transformer T. The tertiary coil control circuit 55 obtains power from the tertiary coil T3 of the transformer T. The low-voltage connector 50a supplies power from the tertiary coil control circuit 55 to a low-voltage system battery BAT2.

[0029] The conversion circuit control unit 56 controls the multiple switching elements of the conversion circuit 51. Furthermore, the transformer control unit 57 controls the multiple switching elements of the primary coil control circuit 52 and the multiple switching elements of the secondary coil control circuit 54. The low voltage control unit 58 controls the multiple switching elements of the tertiary coil control circuit 55.

[0030] [Auxiliary inverter unit] The auxiliary inverter unit 60 of the inverter C functions as a DC-DC converter, and includes a first high-voltage connector 60 a, an auxiliary drive circuit 61 , a DC filter 62 , and an auxiliary control unit 63 .

[0031] The auxiliary drive circuit 61 includes a plurality of switching elements. The auxiliary control unit 63 controls the auxiliary drive circuit 61 to supply high-voltage power to auxiliary equipment such as the air conditioner 5 via the first high-voltage connector 60a. That is, the auxiliary inverter unit 60 includes a plurality of switching elements.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the auxiliary inverter unit 60 of the inverter C is disposed above the cooling plate 11 in the vertical direction Z.

[0033] [Main inverter unit] 4, the main inverter unit 65 of the inverter C has a second high-voltage connector 65a, a motor drive circuit 66, and a smoothing capacitor 80. The motor drive circuit 66 has a plurality of switching elements and supplies power to the traction motor M.

[0034] When high-voltage power flowing between the OBC unit 50 and the auxiliary inverter unit 60 is supplied to the main inverter unit 65, the main inverter unit 65 functions to supply this high-voltage power from the second high-voltage connector 65a to the main battery BAT1 to charge it. Therefore, in a broad sense, the OBC unit 50 and the main inverter unit 65 can be collectively referred to as an on-board charger.

[0035] In addition, the main inverter unit 65 converts the power from the main battery BAT1 into three-phase AC power using the motor drive circuit 66, controls the frequency, and supplies it to the traction motor M, thereby obtaining driving force from the traction motor M that enables the electric vehicle to run.

[0036] 2 and 3, the main inverter unit 65 including the motor drive circuit 66 and the smoothing capacitor 80 is disposed in contact with the upper surface 11a of the cooling plate 11. In this way, the main inverter unit 65 is cooled by the cooling plate 11. The motor drive circuit 66 is disposed adjacent to the smoothing capacitor 80.

[0037] [Control unit] The control unit D outputs control signals to the input / output control unit 45, the conversion circuit control unit 56, the transformer control unit 57, the low voltage control unit 58, and the auxiliary control unit 63. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the control unit D is disposed above the cooling plate 11 and adjacent to the smoothing capacitor 80. As a result, the control unit D is cooled by the cooling plate 11.

[0038] Current Flow in Power Circuit Assembly As shown in FIG. 4, the power circuit assembly PE, under the control of the relay module 42, converts AC power from an AC power source (basically a commercial power source) supplied from outside the electric vehicle to an input connector 40a into DC power using a conversion circuit 51, and supplies AC of a set frequency generated by a primary coil control circuit 52 to the primary coil T1 side of the transformer T.

[0039] Furthermore, the high voltage power output to the secondary coil T2 side of the transformer T is extracted as high voltage DC power by the secondary coil control circuit 54 and is charged into the main battery BAT1 from the second high voltage connector 65a.

[0040] The high-voltage DC power charged in the main battery BAT1 is converted to three-phase AC power by the motor drive circuit 66, and the frequency is controlled before being supplied to the traction motor M. This allows the traction motor M to operate at a target rotation speed, enabling the electric vehicle to travel. In addition, the high-voltage DC power from the main battery BAT1 is DC-DC converted by the accessory drive circuit 61 and supplied to the air conditioner 5 and the like from the first high-voltage connector 60a.

[0041] In response to this, the low-voltage power output to the tertiary coil T3 side of the transformer T is converted into DC power by the tertiary coil control circuit 55 and charged into the system battery BAT2 from the low-voltage connector 50a. The power charged into the system battery BAT2 in this manner is supplied to the control device of the vehicle body and control devices of the electric vehicle.

[0042] Furthermore, under the control of the relay module 42, the power circuit assembly PE sequentially supplies power from the main battery BAT1 to the secondary coil control circuit 54, the transformer T, the primary coil control circuit 52, etc., thereby creating AC power similar to commercial power and outputting it from the output connector 40b.

[0043] [Configuration of smoothing capacitor] Next, the configuration of a smoothing capacitor 80 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 7. The smoothing capacitor 80 includes a case 82 (an example of an electronic component case), a capacitor element 84 (an example of an element), a bus bar 86, and a sealing resin 88.

[0044] The case 82 is made of insulating resin and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. One of the six faces constituting the rectangular parallelepiped of the case 82 is an opening 82e, and a space 82f (an example of an internal space) is formed inside the case 82. The remaining five faces excluding the opening 82e are walls that define the space 82f. The five walls are an upper wall 82a (an example of a wall), a lower wall 82b (an example of a wall), a pair of side walls 82c, 82c (an example of a wall), and a bottom wall 82d (an example of a wall). In the case 82 of this embodiment, the upper wall 82a, the lower wall 82b, the pair of side walls 82c, 82c, and the bottom wall 82d are integrally formed, but at least one of the walls may be joined by a method such as adhesive.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 7, the smoothing capacitor 80 is arranged by a method such as adhesion so that the bottom wall 82b of the case 82 faces (contacts) the top surface 11a of the cooling plate 11. Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the smoothing capacitor 80 is arranged so that the opening 82e of the case 82 faces the motor drive circuit 66. That is, the smoothing capacitor 80 is arranged in such a position that the top wall 82a and the bottom wall 82b are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the vertical direction Z, the pair of side walls 82c, 82c are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axial direction L, and the bottom wall 82d and the opening 82e are perpendicular to the axially orthogonal direction Y.

[0046] The smoothing capacitor 80 according to this embodiment includes a plurality (eight) of capacitor elements 84. The capacitor elements 84 are, for example, film capacitors. As shown in FIG. 5, four of the capacitor elements 84 according to this embodiment are arranged in parallel along the axial direction L, and the four capacitor elements 84 are arranged in two rows along the axially orthogonal direction Y. The plurality of capacitor elements 84 are inserted into an opening 82e of the case 82 together with a bus bar 86 (described later) and held in a space 82f (see FIGS. 5 and 6). While held in the case 82, each capacitor element 84 has a first electrode 84a facing the upper wall 82a of the case 82 and a second electrode 84b facing the lower wall 82b (see FIG. 7).

[0047] The busbars 86 are made of a metal material with high conductivity, such as a copper alloy, and have a plate shape. The busbars 86 include a first busbar 86a (an example of a busbar) electrically connected to each of the first electrodes 84a of the eight capacitor elements 84 by soldering or other methods, and a second busbar 86b (an example of a busbar) electrically connected to each of the second electrodes 84b by soldering or other methods. Hereinafter, the first busbars 86a and the second busbars 86b will be collectively referred to as busbars 86. The busbars 86 sandwich the eight capacitor elements 84 and connect them in parallel. Furthermore, the eight capacitor elements 84 electrically connected to the first busbars 86a and the second busbars 86b will be referred to as a capacitor array 87 (an example of an electronic component).

[0048] 5 and 6, a first output terminal 86c, a second output terminal 86d, and an input terminal 86e are formed on the end of each of the first bus bar 86a and the second bus bar 86b opposite to the end connected to the capacitor element 84. All of these terminals extend to the outside of the case 82 through an opening 82e of the case 82.

[0049] The first output terminal 86c is a terminal connected to the motor drive circuit 66 (see also FIG. 4), and is branched into three so as to correspond to the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase of the traction motor M. The first output terminal 86c branches into three at the first bus bar 86a, and then branches into three at the second bus bar 86b, and then further branches into two (for a total of six).

[0050] The second output terminal 86d is a terminal connected to the auxiliary inverter unit 60 (DC-DC converter) (see also FIG. 4), and is arranged on one side of the pair of side walls 82c of the case 82. The input terminal 86e is a terminal connected to the main battery BAT1 via the second high-voltage connector 65a, and is arranged on the other side of the pair of side walls 82c of the case 82. Note that for each of the first output terminal 86c, the second output terminal 86d, and the input terminal 86e, an insulating sheet 86f is arranged between the terminal extending from the first bus bar 86a and the terminal extending from the second bus bar 86b to prevent short-circuiting between the terminals.

[0051] The sealing resin 88 seals the space 82f while the capacitor array 87 is held in the space 82f of the case 82 (see FIG. 7). Specifically, while the capacitor array 87 is held in the space 82f of the case 82, the molten sealing resin 88 is filled into the space 82f and then hardened.

[0052] In this embodiment, a first rib 82i (an example of a rib) is arranged on a first inner surface 82g (an example of an inner surface) of the top wall 82a of the case 82, and a second rib 82j (an example of a rib) is arranged on a second inner surface 82h (an example of an inner surface) of the bottom wall 82b. That is, both the first rib 82i and the second rib 82j face the space 82f of the case 82. Both the first rib 82i and the second rib 82j are arranged to extend from the opening 82e to the bottom wall 82d in the axially orthogonal direction Y. In this embodiment, three first ribs 82i are arranged at equal intervals, and five second ribs 82j are arranged at equal intervals.

[0053] The first ribs 82i abut against the first electrodes 84a and the first bus bars 86a when the capacitor array 87 is held in the case 82. That is, the first ribs 82i abut against the first electrodes 84a at portions of the capacitor elements 84 that are not covered by the first bus bars 86a. The first ribs 82i abut against the first bus bars 86a at portions that are covered by the first bus bars 86a. Therefore, the abutment surfaces of the first ribs 82i have different heights at the portions that abut against the first electrodes 84a and the portions that abut against the first bus bars 86a. However, the first ribs 82i in FIGS. 5 and 6 are shown at a constant height and do not illustrate the difference in height.

[0054] Similarly, the second rib 82j abuts against the second electrode 84b and the second bus bar 86b when the capacitor array 87 is held in the case 82. That is, the second rib 82j abuts against the second electrode 84b at the portion of the capacitor element 84 that is not covered by the second bus bar 86b. The second rib 82j abuts against the second bus bar 86b at the portion that is covered by the second bus bar 86b. Therefore, the abutment surface of the second rib 82j has different heights at the portion abutting against the second electrode 84b and the portion abutting against the second bus bar 86b. However, the second rib 82j in FIGS. 5 and 6 does not show the difference in height and is shown at a constant height.

[0055] 7, in this embodiment, the three first ribs 82i arranged on the first inner surface 82g of the upper wall 82a are arranged between adjacent capacitor elements 84 of the four capacitor elements 84 arranged in parallel along the axial direction L. Furthermore, of the five second ribs 82j arranged on the second inner surface 82h of the lower wall 82b, the three closest to the center are also arranged between adjacent capacitor elements 84.

[0056] 5, the first bus bar 86a of this embodiment has a pair of protrusions 86g, 86g that are cut and raised from the plate surface toward the upper wall 82a. The pair of protrusions 86g, 86g are arranged on the outer sides (sides facing the pair of side walls 82c) of the first ribs 82i at both ends of the three first ribs 82i. In other words, when viewed along the axis-orthogonal direction Y, the three first ribs 82i are arranged between the pair of protrusions 86g, 86g (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

[0057] 7, the protrusion 86g is cut and raised so as to be L-shaped when viewed along the axis-orthogonal direction Y. The surface of the protrusion 86g perpendicular to the vertical direction Z abuts against the first inner surface 82g of the upper wall 82a, and the tip of the cut and raised part abuts against the first rib 82i.

[0058] As described above, in the smoothing capacitor 80 of this embodiment, the space 82f of the case 82 is sealed by filling the space 82f with sealing resin 88 and then curing the resin. However, as the sealing resin 88 hardens, it shrinks, and a tensile force acts toward the space 82f on each wall of the case 82, particularly on the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b, which have a large area facing the space 82f. This may cause the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b to warp toward the space 82f. If the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b warp toward the space 82f, the case 82 will be deformed, which may cause misalignment of the first output terminal 86c, the second output terminal 86d, and the input terminal 86e of the bus bar 86 fixed to the case 82, which may interfere with the terminal welding process. Furthermore, since the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b are warped toward the space 82f, stress is constantly acting on the case 82, which may cause the case 82 to break during operation of the vehicle drive device A, causing problems with the operation of the vehicle drive device A.

[0059] However, in this embodiment, the case 82 has the first rib 82i and the second rib 82j that abut against the capacitor element 84 and the bus bar 86. Therefore, even if a tensile force acts on the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b, warping toward the space 82f between the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b can be suppressed. Furthermore, the surfaces of the pair of protrusions 86g, 86g that are perpendicular to the vertical direction Z abut against the first inner surface 82g of the upper wall 82a, which further suppresses warping toward the space 82f between the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b. This suppresses misalignment of the first output terminal 86c, the second output terminal 86d, and the input terminal 86e of the bus bar 86 and damage to the case 82 during operation of the vehicle drive device A.

[0060] In the smoothing capacitor 80 of this embodiment, a pair of protrusions 86g, 86g is formed on the first bus bar 86a by cutting and raising, and the raised tip of each of the pair of protrusions 86g, 86g abuts against the outer side of the end-side first rib 82i (the side facing the pair of side walls 82c) of the three first ribs 82i. In other words, the first rib 82i is sandwiched between the pair of protrusions 86g, 86g. As a result, when the capacitor array 87 is inserted into the space 82f through the opening 82e of the case 82, the pair of protrusions 86g, 86g, serve as a guide, making it less likely that the capacitor array 87 and the case 82 will be misaligned relative to each other in the axial direction L.

[0061] The smoothing capacitor 80 of this embodiment is disposed so that the lower wall 82b faces (is in contact with) the upper surface 11a of the cooling plate 11. As a result, heat generated in the smoothing capacitor 80 is transferred to the cooling plate 11 through the lower wall 82b and is cooled by the coolant flowing through the flow path R formed inside the cooling plate 11. However, if the lower wall 82b warps toward the space 82f due to contraction of the sealing resin 88, the lower wall 82b may rise from the upper surface 11a, reducing the contact area between the lower wall 82b and the upper surface 11a of the cooling plate 11 and potentially reducing the cooling efficiency of the smoothing capacitor 80. Therefore, in the smoothing capacitor 80 of this embodiment, the number of second ribs 82j formed on the lower wall 82b is greater (five) than the number of first ribs 82i formed on the upper wall 82a (three), so that the amount of warping of the lower wall 82b is smaller than the amount of warping of the upper wall 82a. That is, the number of second ribs 82j arranged on the lower wall 82b is increased as much as possible to minimize a reduction in the contact area with the upper surface 11a of the cooling plate 11 due to warping of the lower wall 82b toward the space 82f. The upper wall 82a is allowed to warp more toward the space 82f than the lower wall 82b, while priority is given to suppressing relative positional deviation between the capacitor array 87 and the case 82 in the axial direction L when the capacitor array 87 is inserted into the space 82f by the pair of protrusions 86g, 86g.

[0062] The eight capacitor elements 84 in the capacitor array 87 are sandwiched between a first bus bar 86a and a second bus bar 86b, but the eight capacitor elements 84 are not fixed to each other by adhesive or the like and are freely movable along the vertical direction Z. In this case, if the capacitor elements 84 are displaced along the vertical direction Z due to warping of the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b, stress will act on the connection between the first electrode 84a and the first bus bar 86a and the connection between the second electrode 84b and the second bus bar 86b, and in the worst case scenario, the connection may be lost and cause a break. However, in the smoothing capacitor 80 of this embodiment, a first rib 82i and a second rib 82j are arranged between (at the boundary between) adjacent capacitor elements 84 along the axial direction L. This allows the first rib 82i and the second rib 82j to suppress misalignment of the capacitor element 84 along the vertical direction Z, thereby suppressing stress from acting on the connection points between the first electrode 84a and the first bus bar 86a and the connection points between the second electrode 84b and the second bus bar 86b.

[0063] [Another embodiment] The present disclosure may be configured as follows in addition to the above-described embodiments (common numbers and symbols as in the embodiments are used to designate components having the same functions as in the embodiments).

[0064] (1) In the above embodiment, the first ribs 82i and the second ribs 82j are arranged at equal intervals, but the intervals between adjacent first ribs 82i and / or the intervals between adjacent second ribs 82j may be different.

[0065] (2) In the above embodiment, three first ribs 82i and five second ribs 82j are arranged, but this is not limited to this. As long as the warping of the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b falls within the allowable range, the number of first ribs 82i and the number of second ribs 82j may be any number, including the same number.

[0066] (3) In the above embodiment, the first rib 82i and the second rib 82j are arranged between (at the boundary of) adjacent capacitor elements 84 along the axial direction L, but at least one of the first rib 82i and the second rib 82j may be arranged at a location other than between (at the boundary of) adjacent capacitor elements 84.

[0067] (4) In the above embodiment, the pair of protrusions 86g, 86g is arranged on the first bus bar 86a, but the pair of protrusions 86g, 86g may be arranged on the second bus bar 86b instead of or together with the first bus bar 86a.

[0068] (5) One of the pair of protrusions 86g may be disposed on the first bus bar 86a, and the other may be disposed on the second bus bar 86b. Even in this case, it is preferable that the pair of protrusions 86g abut against the first rib 82i and the second rib 82j, respectively, so that when the capacitor array 87 is inserted into the space 82f through the opening 82e of the case 82, relative positional deviation between the capacitor array 87 and the case 82 in the axial direction L is unlikely to occur.

[0069] (6) In the above embodiment, a pair of protrusions 86g, 86g is arranged on the first bus bar 86a, but three or more protrusions 86g may be arranged on the first bus bar 86a. In this case, it is preferable to arrange an even number of protrusions 86g so that there are two or more pairs of protrusions 86g. This configuration is also applicable to the above other embodiments (4) and (5).

[0070] (7) In the above embodiment, ribs are provided on the upper wall 82a and the lower wall 82b. However, ribs may also be provided on the pair of side walls 82c and / or the bottom wall 82d.

[0071] In the above-described embodiment, the following configurations are envisioned.

[0072] <1> The electronic component case (82) has an internal space (82f) formed by a plurality of walls (82a, 82b), and is capable of holding an electronic component (87) in the internal space (82f) having a plurality of elements (84) electrically connected thereto by bus bars (86a, 86b). The electronic component case (82) has a plurality of ribs (82i, 82j) arranged on inner surfaces (82g, 82h) of the plurality of walls (82a, 82b), the bus bar (86a) has a plurality of protrusions (86g), and at least one of the plurality of ribs (82i, 82j) is arranged between at least two of the protrusions (86g) while held in the internal space (82f), and the protrusion (86g) abuts against the inner surface (82g) of the wall (82a) and the rib (82i).

[0073] According to this configuration, at least one of the ribs (82i, 82j) is positioned between at least two protrusions (86g) while being held in the internal space (82f). This makes it difficult for the electronic component (87) to be displaced relative to the electronic component case (82) when the electronic component (87) is inserted into the internal space (82f) of the electronic component case (82). Furthermore, the ribs (82i, 82j) arranged on the inner surfaces of the walls (82a, 82b) can prevent the electronic component case (82) from warping. This allows the electronic component case (82) to be positioned appropriately while preventing warping.

[0074] Furthermore, with this configuration, the protrusions 86g abut against the inner surface 82g of the wall 82a, which further reduces warping of the wall 82a. Furthermore, the protrusions 86g abut against the ribs 82i, which reduce relative positional deviation between the electronic component 87 and the electronic component case 82 when the electronic component 87 is inserted into the internal space 82f of the electronic component case 82.

[0075] <2> the above <1> In the electronic component case (82) described above, it is preferable that at least one of the plurality of ribs (82i, 82j) is arranged between two adjacent elements (84) while being held in the internal space (82f).

[0076] According to this configuration, the ribs (82i, 82j) can suppress misalignment of the element (84) along the protruding direction of the ribs (82i, 82j), thereby suppressing stress from acting on the connection points between the element (84) and the bus bars (86a, 86b).

[0077] <3> the above <1> or <2> In the electronic component case (82) described above, one of a plurality of walls (82a, 82b), at least two of which are parallel to each other, faces a cooling plate (11) through which a cooling fluid flows, and a plurality of ribs (82i, 82j) are arranged on each of the two parallel walls (82a, 82b), and it is preferable that the number of ribs (82j) arranged on one wall (82b) facing the cooling plate (11) is greater than the number of ribs (82i) arranged on the other wall (82a).

[0078] According to this configuration, the number of ribs 82j arranged on one wall 82b facing the cooling plate 11 is greater than the number of ribs 82i arranged on the other wall 82a, so that the amount of warping of the one wall 82b is smaller than that of the other wall 82a. As a result, a reduction in the contact area between the one wall 82b and the cooling plate 11 due to warping is suppressed, and heat generated by the electronic component 87 is efficiently transferred from the one wall 82b to the cooling plate 11, thereby suppressing a temperature rise of the electronic component 87. [Industrial Applicability]

[0079] The present disclosure can be used for cases for electronic components. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 11: cooling plate, 82: case (electronic component case), 82a: upper wall (wall), 82b: lower wall (wall), 82c: side wall (wall), 82d: bottom wall (wall), 82f: space (internal space), 82g: first inner surface (inner surface), 82h: second inner surface (inner surface), 82i: first rib (rib), 82j: second rib (rib), 84: capacitor element (element), 86: bus bar, 86a: first bus bar (bus bar), 86b: second bus bar (bus bar), 86g: protrusion, 87: capacitor array (electronic component)

Claims

1. An electronic component case having an internal space formed by a plurality of walls, capable of holding an electronic component having a plurality of elements electrically connected by bus bars in the internal space, A plurality of ribs are disposed on the inner surfaces of the plurality of walls, the bus bar has a plurality of protrusions; At least one of the plurality of ribs is disposed between at least two of the protrusions while being held in the internal space, The protrusion abuts against the inner surface of the wall and the rib.

2. 2. The electronic component case according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of ribs is disposed between two adjacent elements while being held in the internal space.

3. One of the plurality of walls, at least two of which are parallel to each other, faces a cooling plate through which a cooling fluid flows; The plurality of ribs are arranged on each of the two parallel walls, 3. The electronic component case according to claim 1, wherein the number of ribs arranged on one of the walls facing the cooling plate is greater than the number of ribs arranged on the other wall.

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