In-vehicle device

Abstract

To prevent inadvertent access to an electrical connection portion of a power conversion device with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A in-vehicle device includes an inverter 10V and a protector 60 attached to the inverter 10V to protect the inverter 10V from interference with peripheral devices at the time of a vehicle collision. The inverter 10V includes: an opening (service hole) 48; a terminal block 33 provided inside the inverter 10V that is accessible through the opening 48; and a removable cover 50 closing the service hole 48. The protector 60 is provided so as to block an access path to the cover 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device including a power conversion device that converts power between a driving motor and a battery. [Background technology]

[0002] Electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and other electrically powered vehicles are well known, and are equipped with a traction motor and a power converter in the front compartment of the vehicle. The power converter converts electric power between the battery and the traction motor.

[0003] In order to reduce loss of power supplied to the traction motor and from the standpoint of space efficiency, the power conversion device is often disposed above the traction motor.

[0004] The power conversion device is electrically connected to a battery and a driving motor. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a high-voltage battery and a power conversion device (power control unit) are connected by a power line. In this structure, one end of the power line is connected to a high-voltage connector provided in the power conversion device.

[0005] Patent Document 2 also discloses a structure in which a power conversion unit (PCU) and a traction motor (motor generator) are connected by a power line (power cable). In this structure, a cylindrical portion accommodating a connector is provided in the housing of the traction motor, and the power line passes through the cylindrical portion and is connected to the connector. The opening of the cylindrical portion is closed by a connector cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-111420 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-38920 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The electrical connection parts of a power conversion device are often configured with terminal blocks having bare terminals, and direct contact with the terminal blocks poses the risk of electric shock. Therefore, as in the structure of Patent Document 2, it is preferable to surround the electrical connection parts with a housing or the like and close the opening with a cover (lid) to prevent unintentional contact with the electrical connection parts.

[0008] However, in the structure of Patent Document 2, the cover is fixed to the cylindrical portion with bolts, making it relatively easy to attach and detach. Therefore, even a person without specialized knowledge can easily remove the cover, which poses a safety problem. In this case, for example, it is possible to provide an interlock mechanism that forcibly cuts off the power supply when the cover is removed, but such a configuration is difficult to implement in practice due to its high cost.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an in-vehicle device that can suppress inadvertent access to electrical connection parts in a power conversion device with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and comprises a power conversion device that is placed in a compartment of a vehicle and converts power between a driving motor and a battery, and a protector that is attached to the power conversion device and protects the power conversion device from interference with peripheral equipment in the event of a vehicle collision, wherein the power conversion device has an opening, an electrical connection part provided inside that is accessible through the opening, and a removable cover member that closes the opening, and the protector is arranged to block the access path to the cover member.

[0011] Note that "converting power" means converting at least one of the power variables, such as voltage, current, frequency, phase, and number of phases, into another form. For example, this means converting between DC and AC power, or increasing or decreasing voltage. Also, "access path" refers to the path that allows a person's hand or tool to approach the cover member in order to remove the cover member.

[0012] With this configuration, the protector is provided to block the access path to the lid member, which gets in the way when removing the lid member. In other words, to access the electrical connection portion, it is necessary to remove the protector and then remove the lid member. This additional work acts as a deterrent to careless removal of the lid member. Therefore, a simple configuration using the protector can prevent inadvertent access to the electrical connection portion.

[0013] In the above-described in-vehicle device, the protector may be provided so as to block an access path to a fixing member that fixes the cover member.

[0014] According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent inadvertent access to the electrical connection portion with a simple configuration in which the access path to the fixing member that fixes the lid member is blocked by the protector.

[0015] In the above-described in-vehicle device, the protector may be fixed to at least two locations: the cover member and a protector attachment portion provided in the power converter at a location other than the cover member.

[0016] With this configuration, to remove the protector, it is necessary to remove the protector from at least both the protector attachment portion and the cover member. In this way, the amount of work required to remove the protector increases the deterrent effect against removing the cover member. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent inadvertent access to the electrical connection portion.

[0017] In this case, the protector is preferably fixed to the lid member at a position different from the position at which the lid member is fixed, i.e., the protector and the lid member are preferably not fixed together by co-fastening.

[0018] With this configuration, to access the electrical connection, the protector must be removed from both the protector mounting portion and the cover member, and then the cover member must be removed. In other words, removal work is required in three places. This further improves the deterrent effect against removing the cover member.

[0019] In this case, when the protector mounting portion is defined as a first protector mounting portion, the cover member may be configured to have a second protector mounting portion, which is the portion where the protector is fixed to the cover member and is formed with lower rigidity than other portions of the cover member so as to deform when the peripheral device and the protector interfere with each other.

[0020] With this configuration, when the peripheral device and the protector collide in a vehicle collision, the second protector attachment portion deforms to absorb the collision energy, thereby preventing substantial damage to the cover member and, ultimately, damage to the electrical connection.

[0021] In the above-mentioned in-vehicle device, the protector may have a priority interference section that preferentially interferes with the peripheral device in the event of a vehicle collision, and the electrical connection section may be located in a position in the power conversion device that is away from the priority interference section.

[0022] According to this configuration, the electrical connection portion is provided at a position away from the priority interference portion of the protector, so that even if the peripheral device and the protector collide, the electrical connection portion is less likely to be damaged.

[0023] In the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted device, the protector may have an interference portion that is a portion that interferes with the peripheral equipment in the event of a vehicle collision and is equipped with a guide surface for relatively moving the peripheral equipment in the vertical direction, and the protector mounting portion may be configured to be provided below the interference portion.

[0024] With this configuration, the protector attachment portion is hidden below the interference portion and is difficult to see, making it difficult to remove the protector, thereby further improving the deterrent effect against removing the cover member.

[0025] In the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted device, the power conversion device may be provided with a temporary storage section for the cover member, the cover member being fixed in a temporarily placed state on the temporary storage section, and the temporary storage section may be configured to allow displacement of the cover member in only one direction, which is the attachment / detachment direction.

[0026] With this configuration, when removing the lid member, it is necessary to displace the lid member in the one direction (the attachment / detachment direction) and pull it away from the temporary storage section. Therefore, if the lid member is tilted, it cannot be pulled away from the temporary storage section, making it difficult to remove the lid member. In other words, it is difficult to remove the lid member smoothly. Therefore, this configuration is useful for preventing inadvertent access to the electrical connection section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to suppress inadvertent access to electrical connection portions in a power conversion device with a simpler configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle equipped with an on-board device (inverter and protector) according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a powertrain including an inverter. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a power supply path from a battery. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of an inverter (provided with a protector) according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inverter. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams of the inverter alone with the protector removed, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a rear view of the inverter. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the inverter with the cover removed from the opening (service hole). [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a rear view (plan view from the rear) of the lid. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part showing the mounting structure of the protector (baffle plate). [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the behavior of a powertrain (inverter) and a brake booster during a vehicle frontal collision. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an inverter (provided with a protector) according to a second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part of the inverter. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inverter with the protector removed. [Figure 20] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows the present invention by way of example, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment except for its essential configuration.

[0030] [Vehicle V configuration] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle V equipped with an on-vehicle device according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle V. In the drawings used in the following description, "FR" indicates the front of the vehicle, "RR" indicates the rear of the vehicle, "LH" indicates the left side of the vehicle, "RH" indicates the right side of the vehicle, "UP" indicates the top of the vehicle, and "LO" indicates the bottom of the vehicle. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, "front-rear direction" refers to the front-rear direction of the vehicle V.

[0031] 1 is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) that uses an engine 10E and a motor 10M as a driving source for traveling (i.e., a driving source for wheels W). However, the vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to a hybrid electric vehicle, and may be an electric vehicle (EV).

[0032] The vehicle V has a powertrain 10 including an engine 10E, a motor generator 10M, a transaxle 10T, an inverter 10V, etc. The powertrain 10 is disposed in a compartment R1 (also referred to as a powertrain room) provided at the front of the vehicle V. More specifically, in a plan view, the powertrain 10 is disposed in a space surrounded by a pair of left and right front side frames 12 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a front cross member 14 connecting the front end portions of the front side frames 12 in the vehicle width direction, and a dash panel 16. The dash panel 16 is a partition wall that separates the compartment R1 from the passenger compartment R2.

[0033] The motor generator 10M (hereinafter referred to as the motor 10M) is a three-phase, three-wire AC motor that rotates upon receiving a supply of three-phase AC power, and includes an output shaft connected to the engine 10E via an electromagnetic clutch (not shown), a rotor having permanent magnets arranged around the output shaft, and a stator core arranged on the outer periphery of the rotor and having a plurality of teeth each having a coil wound around it. The plurality of coils are composed of a U-phase coil, a V-phase coil, and a W-phase coil, and currents of different phases are supplied to the coils of each phase.

[0034] The transaxle 10T is connected to the motor 10M and includes a transmission that reduces the speed of the rotation input from the motor 10M, and a differential gear that further distributes the rotation reduced by the transmission to the left and right wheels W. The rotational driving force generated by the engine 10E and the motor 10M is output from the differential gear to the drive shaft 11 and transmitted to the wheels W.

[0035] The vehicle V according to this embodiment is, for example, a parallel hybrid electric vehicle, and by turning the electromagnetic clutch on and off, the vehicle can run using only the driving force of the motor 10M, using both the driving forces of the motor 10M and the engine 10E, or using only the driving force of the engine 10E. Furthermore, when the vehicle V is decelerating, the motor 10M generates electricity using the rotational force of the wheels W.

[0036] A battery 20 is disposed under the floor of the passenger compartment R2, which is partitioned behind the compartment R1 with the dash panel 16 in between. The battery 20 exchanges power with the motor 10M. When the motor 10M functions as a driving source for traveling, the battery 20 supplies power to the motor 10M. In this case, direct current power is supplied via a DC-DC converter 22 provided in a power supply path between the battery 20 and the motor 10M. On the other hand, when the motor M functions as a generator during deceleration of the vehicle V, the battery 20 stores the power generated by the motor 10M.

[0037] The inverter 10V is disposed above the motor 10M and the transaxle 10T and is connected to the motor 10M. The inverter 10V is a power conversion device that converts DC power from the battery 20 into AC power and supplies it to the motor 10M. Specifically, the inverter 10V converts the DC power supplied from the battery 20 via a DC circuit including a DC-DC converter 22 into three-phase AC power and supplies it to the motor 10M.

[0038] In addition, when the vehicle V is decelerating and the motor 10M functions as a generator, the inverter 10V converts the AC power (regenerative power) generated by the motor 10M into DC power and supplies it to the battery 20 via a DC circuit including the DC-DC converter 22.

[0039] 1 and 2, the vehicle V is also provided with a battery 24 for supplying power to electrical components provided in various parts of the vehicle V, in addition to the battery 20 for supplying power to the motor 10M. That is, the vehicle V is provided with an auxiliary battery 24 in addition to the traction battery 20 that supplies power for traveling. The auxiliary battery 24 has a lower nominal voltage than the traction battery 20.

[0040] For example, the driving battery 20 is a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery with a nominal voltage of 24V or more, and the auxiliary battery 24 is a lead battery or a lithium ion battery with a nominal voltage of 12V.

[0041] The battery 24 for the accessories is disposed above the inverter 10V. Specifically, the battery 24 is disposed in a position in a plan view so as to cover from above an attachment portion (protector attachment portion 47) of the inverter 10V for a protector 60 (described later). In other words, the battery 24 is disposed so as to block an access path to the protector attachment portion 47.

[0042] A brake booster 26 is disposed behind the powertrain 10 in the compartment R1, specifically behind the inverter 10V. The brake booster 26 is an example of an accessory disposed behind the inverter 10V in the compartment R1. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower part of the brake booster 26 is located at approximately the same height as the inverter 10V. In other words, when viewed in the front-rear direction, the brake booster 26 is disposed in a position where its lower part overlaps with the inverter 10V.

[0043] The brake booster 26 is a booster device that amplifies the brake pedal operation force (depression force) applied by the occupant and transmits it to the brake unit (master cylinder). The brake booster 26 includes a booster body 27 and an input unit 28 for inputting the occupant's depressing force to the booster body 27.

[0044] The booster body 27 is fixed via a bracket to the front surface of the dash panel 16 (the side surface on the compartment R1 side), and the input portion 28 protrudes through an opening formed in the dash panel 16 to the feet of the driver in the vehicle interior R2. A brake pedal (not shown) is connected to the input portion 28.

[0045] The vehicle V is further equipped with a PCM (Powertrain Control Module) 25. The PCM 25 is a controller that comprehensively controls the powertrain 10 including the motor 10M and the engine 10E.

[0046] [10V inverter placement] Fig. 3 is a plan view of the powertrain 10 including the inverter 10V. As shown in Fig. 3, the powertrain 10 includes, from the right side of the vehicle, an engine 10E, a motor 10M, and a transaxle 10T.

[0047] The engine 10E is, for example, a multi-cylinder reciprocating engine, and is disposed in a so-called transverse orientation with the crankshaft extending in the vehicle width direction. The motor 10M is disposed adjacent to the left side of the cylinder block of the engine 10E. The motor 10M has a motor housing 80 that forms its outer shell. The motor housing 80 is joined to the cylinder block, thereby assembling the motor 10M to the engine 10E.

[0048] The transaxle 10T has a transaxle housing 90 that forms its outer shell. The transaxle housing 90 is joined to the motor housing 80, thereby assembling the transaxle 10T to the motor 10M.

[0049] The motor housing 80 and the transaxle housing 90 are made of a highly rigid metal material such as aluminum die-cast, or a highly rigid resin material such as carbon fiber reinforced resin, etc. Therefore, the motor 10M and the transaxle 10T are a highly rigid drive device that uses the motor 10M as a drive source.

[0050] The inverter 10V is disposed in an upper portion of the powertrain 10, straddling the motor 10M and the transaxle 10T.

[0051] The inverter 10V has an inverter housing 40 that forms its outer shell. The inverter housing 40 is made of a metal material or a resin material such as carbon fiber reinforced resin. The inverter housing 40 is joined to the upper part of the motor housing 80 and the upper part of the transaxle housing 90, so that the inverter 10V is integrally assembled with both the motor 10M and the transaxle 10T. In other words, the inverter 10V is fixed to the upper part of the highly rigid drive device.

[0052] 4 is a diagram showing the electrical connection between the battery 20 and the powertrain 10. The battery 20 is connected to the powertrain 10 via a DC-DC converter 22. DC power from the battery 20 is supplied to the inverter 10V via the DC-DC converter 22, converted into AC power, and supplied to the motor M. When the vehicle V decelerates, the AC power generated by the motor 10M is converted into DC power by the inverter 10V and supplied to the battery 20 via the DC-DC converter 22.

[0053] The inverter 10V and the DC-DC converter 22 are connected via a DC wiring LN1 made up of a wire harness routed in the vehicle body and a DC wiring LN2 routed inside the motor housing 80. The DC wiring LN1 and the DC wiring LN2 are connected to each other by a connector CN2 provided at the rear of the motor housing 80. A predetermined range of the DC wiring LN2, including at least the end on the inverter 10V side, is configured as a bus bar. The bus bar is fastened to a terminal block 33 (corresponding to the "electrical connection part" of the present invention) of a DC input / output part 32 in the inverter 10V, which will be described later, thereby connecting the DC wiring LN2 to the inverter 10V.

[0054] The motor 10M and the inverter 10V are connected by an AC wiring LN3. A predetermined range of the AC wiring LN3, including at least the end on the inverter 10V side, is configured as a bus bar. The bus bar is fastened to a terminal block of an AC input / output unit 38 (described later) in the inverter 10V, thereby connecting the AC wiring LN3 to the motor 10M.

[0055] [Configuration of Inverter 10V (First Embodiment)] 5 to 8 are diagrams showing the inverter 10V with a protector 60 (described later) attached, with FIG. 5 being a perspective view, FIG. 6 being a side view (side view from the left), FIG. 7 being a plan view, and FIG. 8 being a rear view, all of which show the inverter 10V. Also, FIG. 9 is a diagram of the inverter 10V with the protector 60 removed, with (a) being a perspective view and (b) being a rear view, each of which shows the inverter 10V. Also, FIG. 10 is a rear view of the inverter 10V with a cover 50 for an opening 48 (described later) removed. In this example, the inverter 10V and the protector 60 (described later) correspond to the "on-vehicle device" of the present invention.

[0056] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the inverter 10V has an inverter housing 40 that is elongated in the front-rear direction and has a generally rectangular shape in plan view, and a protector 60 is attached to the rear end of the inverter housing 40.

[0057] The inverter housing 40 includes a dish-shaped upper housing 42 having a top surface and a peripheral wall extending downward from its periphery, and a dish-shaped lower housing 44 having a bottom surface and a peripheral wall extending upward from its periphery. The upper housing 42 and the lower housing 44 are assembled together in the vertical direction to form the inverter housing 40. As described above, the inverter housing 40 is made of a metal material or a resin material such as carbon fiber reinforced resin.

[0058] The inverter housing 40 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the housing 40) has a plurality of fastening portions 46 formed on its peripheral wall, more specifically, on the peripheral wall of the lower housing 44. The fastening portions 46 are portions of the peripheral wall of the lower housing 44 that are formed to be thicker than other portions. Bolts B1 are threaded through through holes formed in the fastening portions 46 into threaded holes in the motor housing 80 and the transaxle housing 90, thereby fixing (fastening) the inverter 10V to the upper portions of the motor 10M and the transaxle 10T.

[0059] A plurality of PCM connectors CN11, CN12 that protrude upward are provided on the upper housing 42. The PCM connectors CN11, CN12 are connectors for connecting the PCM 25 to the 10V inverter via electrical wiring.

[0060] 7, the inverter 10V includes a DC input / output unit 32, a smoothing unit 34, a power module unit 36, and an AC input / output unit 38, which are housed in a housing 40. The DC input / output unit 32, the smoothing unit 34, the power module unit 36, and the AC input / output unit 38 are arranged in this order from the rear to the front of the vehicle V.

[0061] An opening (not shown) is provided on the underside of the front end portion of the lower housing 44. The AC wiring LN3 made of a bus bar is inserted into the housing 40 through this opening and fastened to the terminal block of the AC input / output unit 38 with bolts. This fastening connects the AC wiring LN3 to the inverter 10V. Note that reference numeral 58 in FIG. 5 denotes a cover that closes the opening leading to the connection portion between the AC input / output unit 38 and the AC wiring LN3, and is fixed to the upper housing 42.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 7, in a plan view of the inverter 10V, a partial region (referred to as a right-side region ArR) at the right end of the rear end of the housing 40 protrudes further rearward than the remaining region (referred to as a left-side region ArL) at the rear end of the housing 40. The DC input / output unit 32 is accommodated in this protruding portion 40a. An opening (not shown) is provided on the underside of the protruding portion 40a, i.e., on the underside of the portion of the lower housing 44 that corresponds to the protruding portion 40a. The DC wiring LN2 made of a bus bar is inserted into the protruding portion 40a through this opening.

[0063] The DC wiring LN2 passes through the upper wall of the motor housing 80, is inserted into the protrusion 40a through the opening not shown, and is fixed (fastened) to the terminal block 33 of the DC input / output unit 32 with a bolt B5 (see FIG. 10). This fastening connects the DC wiring LN2 to the inverter 10V.

[0064] A horizontally long oval opening 48 is provided in the rear wall 44a of the lower housing 44 at the protrusion 40a. The opening 48 is a service hole (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the service hole 48) for accessing the terminal block 33, i.e., the electrical connection portion between the DC input / output unit 32 provided inside the inverter 10V and the DC wiring LN2. The service hole 48 opens rearward, and therefore provides a path for accessing the terminal block 33 in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, by inserting a tool through the service hole 48 from the rear, the bolt B5 of the terminal block 33 can be attached or detached.

[0065] The service hole 48 is closed by a plate-shaped lid 50 (lid member) as shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a rear view (plan view as seen from the rear) showing the lid 50 alone.

[0066] The lid 50 is made of an insulating material such as resin. As shown in FIG. 11 , the lid 50 includes a substantially rectangular lid main body 51 that covers the service hole 48, four fixing projections 52 that extend outward from the lid main body 51, and two temporary fastening projections 56. The fixing projections 52 are used to fix the lid 50 to the housing 40 (lower housing 44) and are provided at the four corners of the lid main body 51. On the other hand, the temporary fastening projections 56 are used to temporarily fasten (temporarily place) the lid 50 to the housing 40 prior to fastening the lid 50. The temporary fastening projections 56 are provided adjacent to each of the upper two fixing projections 52, between the upper two fixing projections 52.

[0067] 10, four screw holes 49a corresponding to the fixing projections 52 and a pair of temporary fastening pins 49b corresponding to the temporary fastening projections 56 are provided around the service hole 48 in the rear wall 44a. The pair of temporary fastening pins 49b protrude parallel to each other rearward from the rear wall 44a and extend in the direction in which the lid 50 is attached and detached, i.e., the front-to-rear direction. In this example, the pair of temporary fastening pins 49b corresponds to the "temporary placement portion" of the present invention.

[0068] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the lid 50 is fixed (fastened) to the rear wall 44a by inserting the temporary fixing pin 49b into the pin hole 56a provided in the temporary fixing protrusion 56 and threading the bolt B4 into the screw hole 49a through the through hole 52a provided in the fixing protrusion 52.

[0069] When attaching the lid 50, the temporary fixing pin 49b can be inserted into the pin hole 56a of the temporary fixing protrusion 56, thereby temporarily fixing (placing) the lid 50 on the protrusion 40a before fastening with the bolt B4. This contributes to improving the assembly of the inverter 10V.

[0070] The temporary locking pins 49b and the pin holes 56a are arranged so that when the lid 50 is moved back and forth along the pair of temporary locking pins 49b with almost no tilt, the lid 50 can be attached to and detached from the temporary locking pins 49b.

[0071] Of the four fixing protrusions 52, the upper two fixing protrusions 52 have a different configuration from the other (lower two) fixing protrusions 52. That is, as shown in Fig. 11, the upper two fixing protrusions 52 are provided with extensions that extend further outward from the positions of the through holes 52a, and bosses 54 are provided at the ends of the extensions.

[0072] The boss portion 54 is a portion to which a protector 60, which will be described later, is attached. The boss portion 54 protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the fixing projection portion 52, and the fixing projection portion 52 is provided with a screw hole 54a for fixing the protector.

[0073] The region of the fixing projection 52 closer to the boss 54 than the through hole 52a is configured to have lower rigidity than the other portions. Specifically, a portion of the extended portion is made thinner than the other portions, or the extended portion includes a fragile portion with a notch formed therein, thereby making the region of the fixing projection 52 closer to the boss 54 than the through hole 52a less rigid. With this configuration, when a load equal to or greater than a specified value is applied to the protector 60 fixed to the boss 54, the portion of the fixing projection 52 including the boss 54 deforms or separates from the other portions, thereby preventing damage to the lid main body 51.

[0074] A protector 60 is attached to the rear end of the housing 40. The protector 60 is a member that protects the inverter 10V and prevents the brake booster 26 from moving backward when the inverter 10V interferes with (collides with) the brake booster 26. The protector 60 also has the function of preventing people from inadvertently accessing the terminal block 33 of the DC input / output unit 32.

[0075] 12 and 13 show the protector 60 alone, with FIG. 12 showing the protector 60 in a rear view (plan view as seen from the rear) and FIG. 13 showing the protector 60 in a side view (left side view).

[0076] 5 to 8, 12 and 13, the protector 60 includes a baffle plate 62 and a guide portion 66. The guide portion 66 has a function of guiding the brake booster 26 upward to prevent the brake booster 26 from moving backward in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. The guide portion 66 corresponds to the "interference portion" and "priority interference portion" of the present invention.

[0077] The guide portion 66 is a rectangular member made of a metal plate, and has an inclined surface 66a that faces rearward and diagonally upward and is raised toward the front. The inclined surface 66a is a guide surface that guides the brake booster 26 upward when it collides with the brake booster 26. The inclined surface 66a is a flat surface, and in this example, the inclination angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane is set to, for example, 45°. The guide portion 66 is joined to the fixing portion 63c (described later) of the baffle plate 62 via legs 67.

[0078] The baffle plate 62 is made of a metal plate and extends from the right end to the left end along the rear end surface of the housing 40. The baffle plate 62 has, in order from the right side in the vehicle width direction, a cover portion 63a, a connecting portion 63b, and a fixing portion 63c.

[0079] The cover portion 63a faces the lid 50 from behind, thereby covering a portion of the lid 50. The fixed portion 63c faces the rear wall 44c of the lower housing 44 from behind in the left side area ArL (see FIG. 7) of the housing 40. The fixed portion 63c is disposed forward of the cover portion 63a. The connecting portion 63b is a portion between the cover portion 63a and the fixed portion 63c, and extends diagonally forward from the left end of the cover portion 63a in a plan view and connects to the right end of the fixed portion 63c. In other words, the protector 60 has a roughly crank-shaped shape in a plan view.

[0080] As described above, the guide portion 66 is joined to the fixed portion 63c of the baffle plate 62 via the leg portion 67. The leg portion 67 is a three-dimensional press-formed member made of, for example, a metal plate. As shown in Fig. 13, the leg portion 67 includes a plate-shaped support portion 67a that extends diagonally forward and downward from the guide portion 66 along the plane perpendicular direction (approximately normal direction) of the inclined surface 66a in a side view.

[0081] The leg portions 67 are joined by welding to the rear surface of the fixed portion 63c of the baffle plate 62 and to the lower surface (the surface opposite to the inclined surface 66a) of the guide portion 66. As a result, the guide portion 66 and the baffle plate 62 are integrally configured. Note that the leg portions 67 may be integrally molded with the fixed portion 63c of the baffle plate 62 by press working.

[0082] 5 to 7, when the protector 60 is fixed to the housing 40, the guide portion 66 is disposed to the left of the protruding portion 40a of the housing 40, i.e., in the left side area ArL. The rear end of the guide portion 66 is located at approximately the same position as the rear end of the protruding portion 40a, and the upper end of the guide portion 66 is located at approximately the same position as the upper end of the protruding portion 40a.

[0083] The guide portion 66 thus arranged is located in front of the booster body 27 of the brake booster 26 in a plan view, as shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, the guide portion 66 is located below the booster body 27, more specifically, at the same height as an inclined surface 27a (described below) of the booster body 27.

[0084] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the protector 60 is fixed to a protector attachment portion 47 (corresponding to the “first protector attachment portion” of the present invention) provided in the left side area ArL of the housing 40.

[0085] The protector attachment portion 47 is provided across a gap from the rear wall 44c of the lower housing 44 in the left side area ArL. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, fastening portions 46 are provided at the rear end portion of the left-most side wall 44d of the lower housing 44 and at the right end of the rear wall 44c of the lower housing 44 in the left side area ArL, more precisely, at the corner portion between the rear wall 44c and the side wall 44b of the lower housing 44 at the protruding portion 40a. As described above, the fastening portion 46 is a portion of the peripheral wall of the lower housing 44 that is formed thicker than other portions.

[0086] The protector mounting portion 47 is provided in a bridge shape so as to straddle these two fastening portions 46. Then, bolts B2 are threaded into a pair of screw holes 47a formed in the protector mounting portion 47 through a pair of through holes 64b formed in the fixing portion 63c of the baffle plate 62. As a result, the protector 60 is fixed to the protector mounting portion 47.

[0087] An inlet port 45A for a refrigerant (e.g., cooling water) made of a pipe material is provided at the lower rear end of the lower housing 44 in the left side area ArL, and a similar outlet port 45B is provided at the front end of the lower housing 44 in the left side area ArL. These ports 45A, 45B are inlets and outlets for the refrigerant that communicate with cooling passages provided within the housing 40. The refrigerant is introduced into the housing 40 through the inlet port 45A, flows in a serpentine manner within the housing 40, and is discharged from the outlet port 45B. The refrigerant circulates within the housing 40 in this manner, thereby cooling the power module section 36 and the like.

[0088] The inlet port portion 45A extends along the lower surface of the lower housing 44, passing below the protector mounting portion 47, and to the rear of the protector mounting portion 47. The lower side portions of the protector mounting portion 47 and the baffle plate 62 (fixing portion 63c) fixed to the protector mounting portion 47 are each formed to be recessed upward to avoid the inlet port portion 45A.

[0089] The protector 60 is also fixed to the lid 50. Specifically, a through hole 64a corresponding to the boss portion 54 of the lid 50 (corresponding to the "second protector mounting portion" of the present invention) is formed in the cover portion 63a of the baffle plate 62. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 14, a bolt B3 is threaded through the through hole 64a into the screw hole 54a of the boss portion 54. This fixes the cover portion 63a to the lid 50. Note that FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a main portion of the inverter 10V, showing the mounting structure of the protector 60 (cover portion 63a of the baffle plate 62).

[0090] With the cover portion 63a fixed to the lid 50, the cover portion 63a faces the lid 50 from the rear. More specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 8, the cover portion 63a covers approximately the upper half of the lid 50 from the rear, thereby hiding the two upper bolts B4 that fix the lid 50.

[0091] [Behavior of the powertrain 10 and the brake booster 26 during a vehicle frontal collision] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the behavior of the powertrain 10 (inverter 10V) and the brake booster 26 in the event of a vehicle frontal collision.

[0092] In the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle V, the inverter 10V moves backward together with the powertrain 10 (arrow A), and the inverter 10V collides with (interferes with) the brake booster 26 located behind the protector 60. More specifically, the inverter 10V first collides with the brake booster 26 via the inclined surface 66a of the guide portion 66. Because the inclined surface 66a of the guide portion 66 is an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the front, when the guide portion 66 collides with the brake booster 26, the brake booster 26 is displaced upward (arrow B), and the powertrain 10 is displaced downward (arrow C). In this case, the inclined surface 27a at the lower front end of the booster body 27 comes into contact with the inclined surface 66a of the guide portion 66, causing the powertrain 10 and the brake booster 26 to displace relative to each other along the inclined surfaces 27a, 66a.

[0093] As a result of the brake booster 26 being displaced upward in this manner, the brake booster 26 is prevented from moving backward together with the dash panel 16 and intruding into the passenger compartment R2.

[0094] [effect] In the vehicle V1 described above, the terminal block 33 of the inverter 10V is an electrical connection portion to which the high-voltage DC wiring LN2 is connected. Therefore, carelessly removing the lid 50 and touching the terminal block 33 may result in electric shock. In this embodiment, the inverter 10V and the protector 60 have the above-described configurations. Therefore, a simple configuration using the protector 60 can effectively prevent inadvertent access to the terminal block 33. That is, in this embodiment, the lid 50 is covered by the protector 60 attached to the inverter 10V. Specifically, the lid 50 is covered from the rear by the cover portion 63a of the protector 60. Therefore, removing the protector 60 is required to remove the lid 50. The need to remove the protector 60 in this manner acts as a deterrent to carelessly removing the lid 50. As a result, a simple configuration using the protector 60 can effectively prevent inadvertent access to the terminal block 33.

[0095] In this case, in this embodiment, the cover portion 63a (protector 60) is provided so as to cover the bolts B4 that secure the lid 50 from behind, specifically, to cover some (the upper two bolts B4) of the four upper and lower bolts B4 from behind, thereby blocking access to the bolts B4. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inadvertent access to the terminal block 33 with a simpler configuration without covering the entire lid 50 with the cover portion 63a.

[0096] In this embodiment, the protector 60 is fixed to the 10V inverter at two locations. Specifically, the fixing portion 63c is fixed to the protector mounting portion 47, and the cover portion 63a is fixed to the lid 50. Therefore, to remove the protector 60, it is necessary to remove both the protector mounting portion 47 and the lid 50, which is more time-consuming than when the protector 60 is fixed at only one location. In this way, the increased time required to remove the protector 60 improves the deterrent effect against removing the lid 50. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to more effectively prevent inadvertent access to the terminal block 33.

[0097] Moreover, in this case, in this embodiment, the position at which the cover portion 63a is fixed is different from the position at which the lid 50 is fixed. That is, the lid 50 is fixed to the housing 40 by a bolt B4 passing through the through hole 52a of the fixing protrusion 52, while the cover portion 63a is fixed to the boss portion 54 provided on the fixing protrusion 52 by a bolt B3. Thus, the lid 50 and the fixing portion 63c are not fastened together but are fixed separately. Therefore, to access the terminal block 33, it is necessary to remove the protector 60 from both the protector mounting portion 47 and the lid 50 (boss portion 54), and then remove the lid 50 fixed to the housing 40. In other words, because removal work is required in three places, it is more deterrent to removing the lid 50.

[0098] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the boss portion 54 (the region closer to the boss portion 54 than the through hole 52a) of the lid 50 to which the cover portion 63a (protector 60) is fixed is configured to have lower rigidity than the other portions. This has the advantage of being able to avoid substantial damage to the lid 50 and, in turn, damage to the terminal block 33. That is, when the protector 60 collides with a peripheral device during a collision of the vehicle V, the boss portion 54 deforms or separates from the other portions, thereby absorbing the collision energy, thereby suppressing damage to the lid main body 51. Therefore, according to this embodiment, in the event that the inverter 10V collides with the brake booster 26 via the protector 60 during a frontal collision of the vehicle, substantial damage to the lid 50 and, in turn, damage to the terminal block 33 can be effectively suppressed.

[0099] In addition, when the inverter 10V collides with the brake booster 26 via the protector 60 during a vehicle frontal collision as described above, the guide portion 66 of the protector 60 will be the first (have priority) to collide with (interfere with) the brake booster 26. In this embodiment, the terminal block 33, which is the electrical connection portion of the inverter 10V, is located at a position away from the guide portion 66 to the left of the guide portion 66, which will have priority to collide with the brake booster 26. Therefore, even when the inverter 10V collides with the brake booster 26 via the protector 60, the terminal block 33 is unlikely to be damaged, and electrical leakage due to damage to the terminal block 33 can be effectively avoided.

[0100] 5 to 7, in this embodiment, the portion of the protector 60 that is fixed to the protector mounting portion 47 (fixing portion 63c) is offset forward relative to the lid 50 and the cover portion 63a. Moreover, the fixing portion 63c is hidden below the guide portion 66. That is, the fixing portion 63c is difficult to see when viewed from behind and also difficult to see when viewed from above, making it difficult to insert a tool or the like into the fixing portion 63c. Therefore, removing the protector 60 is difficult, which also makes it possible to prevent inadvertent access to the terminal block 33.

[0101] In this embodiment, a pair of temporary locking pins 49b are provided around the service hole 48 in the housing 40, and the lid 50 is fixed in a temporarily secured (temporarily placed) state by the temporary locking pins 49b. Specifically, the lid 50 is secured to the housing 40 (rear wall 44a) by bolts B4 with the temporary locking pins 49b inserted into pin holes 56a provided in the temporary locking projections 56. In this configuration, to remove the lid 50, it is necessary to displace the lid 50 along the pair of temporary locking pins 49b and separate it from the temporary locking pins 49b. Therefore, if the lid 50 is tilted, for example, it will be difficult to separate the lid 50 from the temporary locking pins 49b, making removal of the lid 50 difficult. In other words, even if the bolts B4 are removed, it will be difficult to immediately remove the lid 50. Therefore, this embodiment also prevents inadvertent access to the terminal block 33.

[0102] [10V inverter according to the second embodiment] 16 to 21 show an inverter 10V (with a protector 60 attached) according to another embodiment, with Fig. 16 being a perspective view, Fig. 17 being a rear view, and Fig. 18 being a side view of the main part of the inverter 10V. Also, Fig. 19 is a perspective view of the inverter 10V with the protector 60 removed, and Fig. 20 is a perspective view of the protector 60 alone.

[0103] The inverter 10V according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in the configurations of the protector 60 and the protector attachment portion 47.

[0104] 16 to 18 and 20, the protector 60 has a baffle plate 62 with a cover portion 63a, a connecting portion 63b, and a fixing portion 63c, which is common to the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, the cover portion 63a is provided so as to face one of the four fixing projections 52 of the lid 50 from the rear. Specifically, the fixing portion 63c faces only the upper left fixing projection 52 and covers the bolt B4 that fixes the fixing projection 52 from the rear. The cover portion 63a is fixed to the boss portion 54 of the upper left fixing projection 52 with a bolt B3.

[0105] 18 and 20, the fixing portion 63c includes a pair of belt-shaped fixing pieces 68 curved in an inverted U shape, and a belt-shaped support piece 69 extending upward between the pair of fixing pieces 68. A guide portion 66 is joined to the base portions of the fixing pieces 68 and the support piece 69 by welding or the like.

[0106] As described above, the cover portion 63a of the baffle plate 62 is fixed to the boss portion 54 of the lid 50. Meanwhile, the fixing portion 63c is fixed to the protector mounting portion 47 of the lower housing 44 via the fixing pieces 68. As shown in Fig. 19, the protector mounting portion 47 of the second embodiment is made up of protruding pieces provided so as to hang down on both the left and right sides of the refrigerant inlet port portion 45A. The fixing pieces 68 are fixed to the protector mounting portions 47 with the bolts B2.

[0107] As described above, the inverter 10V of the second embodiment has a different configuration from that of the first embodiment, but the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the inverter 10V of the second embodiment, or more precisely, the inverter 10V equipped with the protector 60, can also suppress inadvertent access to the terminal block 33, which is an electrical connection portion, with a simple configuration using the protector 60, just like the first embodiment.

[0108] In particular, in the second embodiment, the cover portion 63a of the protector 60 is formed to face one of the four fixing protrusions 52 of the lid 50 from behind. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inadvertent access to the terminal block 33 while keeping the size of the cover portion 63a to the minimum required.

[0109] In addition, in the second embodiment, the protector mounting portion 47 is provided separately on both sides of the refrigerant inlet port portion 45A, which has the advantage of providing a higher degree of freedom for the inlet port portion 45A in the vertical direction compared to the protector mounting portion 47 in the first embodiment.

[0110] Furthermore, because each protector mounting portion 47 is provided so as to hang down from the lower housing 44, the collision load input to the guide portion 66 can be transmitted to the bottom surface portion of the lower housing 44, which has a relatively high resistance. In other words, because the bottom surface portion of the lower housing 44 extends in the front-to-rear direction, the collision load is transmitted to and dispersed by the bottom surface portion, thereby effectively suppressing damage to the lower housing 44.

[0111] [Variations] The vehicle V described above is one example of a preferred embodiment of the vehicle V equipped with the on-board device (inverter 10V and protector 60) according to the present invention, and its specific configuration can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the following configuration can also be applied.

[0112] (1) In the embodiment, the cover portion 63a of the protector 60 is fixed (fastened) to the boss portion 54 of the lid 50 by the bolt B3, but the cover portion 63a may be fixed by other fixing members, such as rivets or clips.

[0113] (2) In the powertrain 10 of the embodiment, the inverter 10V is fixed to the motor 10M and the transaxle 10T, but it may be configured so that it is fixed only to the motor 10M.

[0114] (3) The protector 60 of the embodiment is provided with a guide portion 66 that contacts the brake booster 26 and displaces the brake booster 26 upward during a vehicle frontal collision, but the protector 60 may be configured without the guide portion 66, for example.

[0115] (4) In the above embodiment, the inverter 100 is used as an example of a power conversion device, but the present invention can also apply devices other than inverters as the power conversion device. For example, a DC-DC converter can also be used as the power conversion device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] V vehicle R1 compartment 10 Powertrain 10E engine 10M motor 10T transaxle 10V inverter (power conversion device / vehicle device) 32 DC input / output section 33 Terminal block (electrical connection part) 47 Protector mounting part (first protector mounting part) 50 lids 51 Lid main body 52 Fixing protrusion 54 Boss part (second protector mounting part) 60 Protector (on-board device) 62 Baffle plate 63a Cover part 66 Guide part (priority interference part / interference part)

Claims

1. a power conversion device disposed in a compartment of the vehicle and converting power between the driving motor and the battery; a protector attached to the power conversion device to protect the power conversion device from interference with peripheral devices in the event of a vehicle collision; the power conversion device includes an opening, an electrical connection portion provided inside the opening and accessible through the opening, and a removable cover member that closes the opening; The in-vehicle device is characterized in that the protector is provided so as to block an access path to the cover member.

2. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, The in-vehicle device is characterized in that the protector is provided so as to block an access path to a fixing member that fixes the cover member.

3. 3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, The in-vehicle device is characterized in that the protector is fixed to at least two locations: the cover member and a protector attachment portion provided in a location other than the cover member on the power conversion device.

4. 4. The in-vehicle device according to claim 3, The in-vehicle device, wherein the protector is fixed to the cover member at a position different from a position where the cover member is fixed.

5. 5. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4, When the protector attachment portion is defined as a first protector attachment portion, The in-vehicle device is characterized in that the cover member has a second protector mounting portion, which is a portion where the protector is fixed to the cover member and is formed with lower rigidity than other portions of the cover member so that it deforms when the peripheral device and the protector interfere with each other.

6. 3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, the protector has a preferential interference portion that preferentially interferes with the peripheral device in the event of a vehicle collision, The in-vehicle device is characterized in that the electrical connection portion is provided at a position in the power conversion device that is separated from the priority interference portion.

7. 4. The in-vehicle device according to claim 3, the protector has an interference portion that is a portion that interferes with the peripheral device in the event of a vehicle collision and that has a guide surface for relatively moving the peripheral device in the up-down direction, The vehicle-mounted device, wherein the protector attachment portion is provided below the interference portion.

8. 3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, The power conversion device includes a temporary placement portion for the cover member, the lid member is fixed in a state where it is temporarily placed on the temporary placement section, The vehicle-mounted device is characterized in that the temporary placement section is provided to allow displacement of the cover member only in one direction, which is the attachment / detachment direction.

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