Wiring connection structure between rotating electric machine and power control device, and manufacturing method thereof

The described wiring connection structure addresses assembly errors by using a power control device side terminal block with a columnar insertion portion and elastic sealing member to absorb misalignments, ensuring reliable connections and conductivity without enlarging the fixing structure.

JP2026000645APending Publication Date: 2026-01-06MAZDA MOTOR CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024098101
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-06-18
Publication Date
2026-01-06

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing wiring connection structures between rotating electric machines and power control devices face assembly errors due to the difficulty in absorbing misalignments with plate-shaped bus bars, resulting in poor connections and increased size, which are not easily absorbed, and the need to compensate for these errors without elongating the wiring, which affects electrical conductivity.

Method used

A wiring connection structure that includes a power control device side terminal block with a fixed portion and a columnar insertion portion, where the rotating electric machine side and power control device side terminals are connected by a fastening device intersecting the insertion direction, and a sealing member made of an elastic material is provided in the gap between the insertion portion and the housing, allowing for elastic deformation to absorb assembly errors.

Benefits of technology

This structure effectively absorbs assembly errors, preventing poor connections and maintaining compactness, thus ensuring reliable electrical conductivity without increasing the size of the fixing structure.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To compactly absorb an assembly error generated when a rotary electric machine is assembled to a body to be assembled.SOLUTION: The wiring connection structure includes a rotary electric machine and a power control device. The rotating electrical machine has a rotating electrical machine side terminal strip that holds the rotating electrical machine side terminals. The power control device has a power control device-side terminal strip that holds the power control device-side terminals. The power control device side terminal strip includes a fixed portion fixed to a fixing surface of a housing in the rotating electrical machine or the power control device by a fixing tool, and a columnar insertion portion extending from the fixed portion toward the rotating electrical machine side terminal strip and inserted into an insertion hole provided in the fixing surface. The rotating electrical machine side terminals extend toward the insertion portion of the power control device side terminal strip. The power control device-side terminals extend toward the rotating electrical machine-side terminal strip. The rotating electrical machine side terminal and the power control device side terminal are fastened by a fastener in a fastening direction intersecting an insertion direction by the insertion portion. A seal member made of an elastic body is provided in a gap between an outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion and an inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device, and a manufacturing method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technology for controlling power supplied to a rotating electric machine using a power control device. The rotating electric machine and the power control device are electrically connected via wiring. The rotating electric machine has a rotating electric machine-side terminal block that holds rotating electric machine-side terminals that make up the wiring. The power control device has a power control device-side terminal block that holds power control device-side terminals that make up the wiring.

[0003] The power control device side terminal block is fixed to a fixing surface of a housing of the rotating electric machine or the power control device by a fixing device. Holes are formed in the fixing surface of the housing. The power control device side terminals held by the power control device side terminal block extend through the holes formed in the fixing surface of the housing to the rotating electric machine side terminals held by the rotating electric machine side terminal block.

[0004] The rotary electric machine side terminal and the power control device side terminal are each formed of a plate-shaped bus bar, and are connected to each other by fastening with a fastener.

[0005] Here, a face seal is usually provided between the power control device side terminal block and the fixed surface of the housing (of the rotating electrical machine or the power control device). The face seal is configured in a planar shape that extends parallel to the fixed surface, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-301544 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, when assembling a rotating electric machine to a target object such as a vehicle, assembly errors occur. Such assembly errors can cause poor connections between the rotating electric machine terminals and the power control device terminals (which are fastened together with fasteners), which is undesirable. For this reason, assembly errors must be compensated for somewhere.

[0008] When the wiring is made of wire, assembly errors can be absorbed by deformation of the soft wire. However, when the wiring is made of plate-shaped bus bars, the hard bus bars are difficult to deform, making it difficult to absorb assembly errors by deformation of the bus bars. While it is possible to absorb assembly errors by making the bus bars longer to make them more easily deformed, this would result in longer wiring, which is undesirable from the perspective of electrical conductivity.

[0009] Therefore, a method of absorbing assembly errors by appropriately adjusting the position of the power control device side terminal block relative to the fixing surface of the housing (of the rotating electrical machine or the power control device) can be considered.

[0010] However, when a surface seal such as that in Patent Document 1 is provided between the power control device terminal block and the fixing surface of the housing, the fixture for fixing the power control device terminal block to the fixing surface of the housing must be positioned outside the surface seal, which results in an increase in size of the fixing structure between the power control device terminal block and the housing (of the rotating electric machine or the power control device).

[0011] This problem also arises when the rotating electrical machine is to be mounted on an object other than a vehicle.

[0012] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device that can compactly absorb assembly errors that occur when assembling the rotating electric machine to an assembly target. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] A wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to the present disclosure includes a rotating electric machine, and a power control device electrically connected to the rotating electric machine via wiring and controlling power supplied to the rotating electric machine, wherein the rotating electric machine has a rotating electric machine side terminal block that holds rotating electric machine side terminals that constitute the wiring, and the power control device has a power control device side terminal block that holds power control device side terminals that constitute the wiring, and the power control device side terminal block has a fixed portion that is fixed by a fixing device to a fixing surface of a housing of the rotating electric machine or the power control device, and a terminal block that extends from the fixed portion toward the rotating electric machine side terminal block. and a columnar insertion portion that is inserted into an insertion hole provided on the fixed surface, wherein the rotating electric machine side terminal is formed as a plate-shaped bus bar and extends toward the insertion portion of the power control device side terminal block, and the power control device side terminal is formed as a plate-shaped bus bar and extends toward the rotating electric machine side terminal block, the rotating electric machine side terminal and the power control device side terminal are connected to each other by fastening with a fastening device in a fastening direction that intersects the insertion direction of the insertion portion, and a sealing member made of an elastic material is provided in the gap between the outer surface of the insertion portion and the inner surface of the insertion hole.

[0014] When assembling a rotating electrical machine to a target body, assembly errors occur. Such assembly errors can cause poor connections between the terminals on the rotating electrical machine and the terminals on the power control device, which is undesirable. For this reason, assembly errors must be absorbed somewhere.

[0015] The rotating electrical machine terminals and the power control device terminals are configured with plate-shaped bus bars, which are difficult to deform. Deformation of the bus bars is difficult to fully absorb assembly errors. While it is possible to make the bus bars longer to absorb assembly errors, this would result in longer wiring, which is undesirable from the perspective of electrical conductivity.

[0016] Here, the fixed portion of the power control device side terminal block is fixed to the fixing surface of the housing (of the rotating electric machine or the power control device) by a fixing device. The columnar insertion portion of the power control device side terminal block extends from the fixed portion toward the rotating electric machine side terminal block and is inserted into an insertion hole provided in the fixing surface of the housing. The rotating electric machine side terminal and the power control device side terminal are connected to each other by fastening with a fastening device in a fastening direction that intersects the insertion direction of the insertion portion of the power control device side terminal block.

[0017] A sealing member made of an elastic material is provided in the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion of the power control device terminal block and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole of the housing. Before being fixed to the fixing surface of the housing by the fixing device, the fixed portion of the power control device terminal block can move along the fixing surface of the housing in a fastening direction that intersects the insertion direction of the insertion portion due to elastic deformation of the sealing member.

[0018] The fixed portion of the power control device terminal block moves along the fixing surface of the housing, so that assembly errors can be absorbed in the fastening direction that intersects with the insertion direction. After absorbing the assembly errors, the fixed portion of the power control device terminal block can be fixed to the fixing surface of the housing with a fixing device.

[0019] Instead of providing a surface seal between the fixed portion of the terminal block on the power control device side and the fixed surface of the housing, a sealing member is provided in the gap between the outer surface of the insertion portion of the terminal block on the power control device side and the inner surface of the insertion hole in the housing.

[0020] Since no face seal is used, there is no need to place a fixture for fixing the fixed portion of the power control device side terminal block to the fixing surface of the housing outside the face seal.

[0021] This can prevent the fixing structure between the power control device side terminal block and the housing (of the rotating electrical machine or the power control device) from becoming large.

[0022] As described above, it is possible to provide a wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device that can compactly absorb assembly errors that occur when assembling the rotating electric machine to an assembly target.

[0023] In one embodiment, the connecting surface of the rotary electric machine side terminal and the connecting surface of the power control device side terminal extend parallel to each other in the insertion direction.

[0024] By moving the connection surface of the rotary electric machine side terminal and the connection surface of the power control device side terminal relatively in the insertion direction, assembly errors in the insertion direction of both can be easily absorbed.

[0025] In one embodiment, the rotating electric machine side terminal block includes a columnar guide portion that extends toward the insertion portion and holds the rotating electric machine side terminal, the power control device side terminal protrudes from the insertion portion toward the guide portion, and the guide portion is inclined so that at least a portion of the guide portion approaches the connection surface of the rotating electric machine side terminal to guide the power control device side terminal protruding from the insertion portion toward the guide portion so as to be connected to the rotating electric machine side terminal.

[0026] By guiding the power control device side terminals by the guide portions of the rotating electrical machine side terminal block, the power control device side terminals can be easily positioned and connected to the rotating electrical machine side terminals.

[0027] In one embodiment, the power control device side terminal block includes a cylindrical separate part that is configured separately from the insertion part, and the outer surface of the insertion part has a step part that is larger in diameter on the side of the fixed part and smaller in diameter on the side opposite the fixed part, and the separate part fits into the outer surface of the insertion part from the side opposite the fixed part, and the sealing member is arranged in a groove part configured by the step part and the separate part.

[0028] By using a separate part, the groove for disposing the seal member can be easily formed on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion part.

[0029] In one embodiment, the rotating machine side terminal block includes a columnar guide portion that extends toward the insertion portion and holds the rotating machine side terminal, the power control device side terminal protrudes from the insertion portion toward the guide portion, and the separate portion overlaps the guide portion in the insertion direction so as to accommodate the guide portion.

[0030] The increase in size in the insertion direction that occurs when the separate part of the power control device side terminal block is fitted into the insertion part can be suppressed by accommodating the guide part of the rotating electric machine side terminal block in the separate part of the power control device side terminal block.

[0031] In one embodiment, the fixed portion is fixed to the fixing surface by the fixing device arranged on only one side of the insertion hole.

[0032] The fixing structure between the power control device terminal block and the housing can be simplified.

[0033] In one embodiment, a lightening portion is provided around the insertion hole in the fixing surface.

[0034] The weight of the housing can be reduced.

[0035] In one embodiment, the rotating electric machine side terminal block includes a flow path through which a coolant for cooling the rotating electric machine flows.

[0036] When assembling a rotating electrical machine to a support, the positioning of the flow path through which the refrigerant flows is a priority. The position of the rotating electrical machine terminal block, including the flow path, is fixed and cannot be moved. Therefore, the above-mentioned method of absorbing assembly errors by moving the fixed portion of the power control device terminal block along the fixing surface of the housing is more effective.

[0037] In one embodiment, the rotating electric machine and the power control device are mounted on a vehicle.

[0038] It is possible to provide a wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device that can compactly absorb assembly errors that occur when the rotating electric machine is assembled to a vehicle as an assembly target.

[0039] The manufacturing method of the wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device, in which the rotating electric machine side terminal and the power control device side terminal are connected to each other by fastening them with the fastener, and then the fixed portion is fixed to the fixing surface by the fixing device.

[0040] After the rotating electrical machine side terminals and the power control device side terminals are connected and before the fixed portion of the power control device side terminal block is fixed to the fixing surface of the housing, assembly errors can be absorbed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0041] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device that can compactly absorb assembly errors that occur when assembling the rotating electric machine to an assembly target. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0042] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the drive unit as seen from above. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a front view of the drive unit. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows the structure of the motor. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows the cooling structure of the motor. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows the current supply structure between the motor and the inverter. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows the wiring connection structure between the motor and the inverter. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the inverter-side terminal block as seen from above. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the inverter-side terminal block as seen from below. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows a side view of the inverter side terminal block. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the motor-side terminal block as seen from above. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the motor-side terminal block as seen from below. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the fixing surface of the motor block as viewed from above. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its applications, or its uses.

[0044] A wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to this embodiment will be described. From a functional standpoint, the rotating electric machine is an electric motor, a generator, or a dynamo-motor. The rotating electric machine is suitable as a driving source for a vehicle. The rotating electric machine mainly functions as an electric motor (motor), although it also functions as a generator during regeneration. In this example, the rotating electric machine will be described as a motor.

[0045] The power control device is a device that controls the power supplied to a rotating electric machine. The power control device may be, for example, an inverter, a converter, or a combination of these. In this example, the power control device will be described as an inverter.

[0046] The front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction are based on the vehicle 1. In each figure, these directions are indicated by arrows. The front-rear direction corresponds to the direction of travel of the vehicle 1. The left-right direction corresponds to the width direction of the vehicle 1. The up-down direction corresponds to the height direction of the vehicle 1.

[0047] The direction in which the rotation axis J of the drive unit DU extends is called the axial direction. The direction perpendicular to the rotation axis J is called the radial direction. The outer side in the radial direction is called the outer circumferential side. The inner side in the radial direction is called the inner circumferential side. The rotation direction of the rotation axis J and the opposite direction are called the circumferential direction.

[0048] (vehicle) 1 shows a vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 is an example of an object to which a rotating electric machine is to be assembled. The vehicle 1 is a so-called hybrid vehicle. The vehicle 1 includes a motor 2, an engine 3, a battery 4, a joint 5, a transmission 6, and an inverter 7.

[0049] The motor 2, engine 3, joint 5, and transmission 6 are assembled together to form a drive unit DU. The drive unit DU is mounted in the front compartment 1a of the vehicle 1. The drive unit DU drives and rotates the left and right front wheels 1b. The vehicle 1 is a so-called FF vehicle.

[0050] The drive unit DU is placed transversely on the vehicle 1 so that its rotation axis J extends in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). The engine 3 is, for example, an in-line reciprocating engine. The type and performance of the engine 3 can be selected arbitrarily.

[0051] The battery 4 is mounted under a floor panel of the vehicle 1. The battery 4 has a high voltage and a large capacity, and functions as a power source for the motor 2.

[0052] The drive unit DU includes a motor 2 and an engine 3, as well as a joint 5 and a transmission 6. The motor 2 is electrically connected to a battery 4 via an inverter 7. The motor 2 is driven by the power input from the battery 4 under the control of the inverter 7.

[0053] When the vehicle 1 is driven by the motor 2, the inverter 7 converts the DC power of the battery 4 into three-phase AC power (U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase) consisting of different phases, and inputs the AC power to the motor 2. This causes the motor 2 to rotate.

[0054] During regeneration due to deceleration of the vehicle 1, the inverter 7 converts AC power generated by the motor 2 into DC power and outputs it to the battery 4.

[0055] (Drive unit) Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the drive unit DU as seen from above. Fig. 3 shows a front view of the drive unit DU as seen from the front (from the direction of line III). Fig. 4 shows the structure of the motor 2. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the drive unit DU is constructed by assembling the motor 2, engine 3, joint 5, and transmission 6 together.

[0056] (Motor) The motor 2 includes a shaft 31, a rotor 32, a stator 33, a motor block 40, a motor housing 45, and a motor-side terminal block 50.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 4, the motor 2 is, for example, a three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor. The shaft 31 extends in the axial direction. The rotor 32 is made of a cylindrical member including a permanent magnet. Although not shown, magnetic poles consisting of north and south poles are provided alternately on the outer periphery of the rotor 32. The shaft 31 and the rotor 32 are fixed coaxially with a rotation axis J as the center.

[0058] The stator 33 is made of a cylindrical member and is disposed coaxially with the rotor 32. An air gap is formed between the rotor 32 and the stator 33. Although not shown, the stator 33 includes a steel core and a group of three-phase coils consisting of U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase, each of which is formed by winding copper wire around the core.

[0059] 2 and 3, the motor block 40 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped block shape. More specifically, the motor block 40 is formed in a substantially square box shape, and a cavity is formed inside.

[0060] The motor housing 45 is a cylindrical metal container having a circular cross section and extending in the axial direction. The motor housing 45 is accommodated in the motor block 40.

[0061] 4, the shaft 31, rotor 32, and stator 33 are housed in a motor housing 45. The shaft 31 is rotatably supported by the motor housing 45. The shaft 31 extends horizontally in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction) so as to coincide with the rotation axis J.

[0062] 2 and 3, the right end of the shaft 31 is connected to the crankshaft of the engine 3 via a joint 5. The left end of the shaft 31 is connected to the transmission 6.

[0063] As shown in Figure 4, the outer peripheral surface of the stator 33 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the motor housing 45. When the motor 2 is in operation, a large current flows through the stator 33. At that time, the stator 33 generates heat due to copper loss and iron loss. To cool the stator 33, a stator cooling channel 34 is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the motor housing 45 and the outer peripheral surface of the stator 33. The stator cooling channel 34 is a band-shaped channel through which a refrigerant C flows, and extends over a wide width around the entire circumference of the motor housing 45.

[0064] A mounting base 46 is disposed diagonally above the front of the motor housing 45 when viewed in the axial direction. The mounting base 46 has a flat mounting surface 47 that faces diagonally above and to the front. The mounting base 46 is formed in a rectangular shape extending tangentially to the motor housing 45. An inlet 47a and an outlet 47b are formed in the mounting surface 47. The inlet 47a and the outlet 47b are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. The inlet 47a and the outlet 47b communicate with the stator cooling passage 34. The mounting surface 47 is formed with two fastening holes 47c and two positioning holes 47d.

[0065] A partition wall 35 is provided in the stator cooling flow passage 34 at a position facing the mount 46. The partition wall 35 is disposed between the inlet 47a and the outlet 47b. The stator cooling flow passage 34 is divided by the partition wall 35. The refrigerant C introduced into the stator cooling flow passage 34 through the inlet 47a flows circumferentially through the stator cooling flow passage 34, and then is discharged to the outside through the outlet 47b.

[0066] The stator 33 is provided with three coil connection bus bars 36 corresponding to the U, V, and W phases. The coil connection bus bars 36 are ring-shaped or arc-shaped. The coil connection bus bars 36 are plate-shaped. The coil connection bus bars 36 are electrically connected to the coil groups of each phase in the stator 33. A connection piece 36a is provided on the coil connection bus bars 36 at a position facing the mounting base 46.

[0067] The motor side terminal block 50 will be described later.

[0068] (inverter) The motor 2 is electrically connected to the battery 4 via an inverter 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the inverter 7 includes a DC side connector 61, a smoothing capacitor 62, a control board 63, an inverter case 70, and an inverter side terminal block 80.

[0069] 2, the DC side connector 61 includes a positive bus bar 61a and a negative bus bar 61b. The positive bus bar 61a and the negative bus bar 61b are connected to a control board 63 via a smoothing capacitor 62. The DC side connector 61 is electrically connected to the battery 4 via a cable 8. The smoothing capacitor 62 smoothes the power.

[0070] Power semiconductors such as IGBTs or MOSFETs are mounted on the control board 63. An inverter circuit is configured on the control board 63. The control board 63 controls the power input and output to and from the motor 2.

[0071] The inverter case 70 houses the DC side connector 61, the smoothing capacitor 62, and the control board 63. The inverter case 70 has a flat shape that is thin in the up-down direction and wide in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. The inverter case 70 is fastened to and attached to the upper part of the drive unit DU so as to straddle the rotation shaft J.

[0072] The inverter-side terminal block 80 constitutes an AC-side connector. The inverter-side terminal block 80 holds three inverter-side bus bars 90 corresponding to the U, V, and W phases. The inverter-side bus bars 90 are plate-shaped. One end of the inverter-side bus bar 90 is connected to the control board 63. The other end of the inverter-side bus bar 90 is connected to a motor-side bus bar 100 in the motor-side terminal block 50, which will be described later.

[0073] The inverter 7 is electrically connected to the motor 2 via an inverter-side terminal block 80 and a motor-side terminal block 50. The power from the battery 4 is converted from direct current to alternating current by the inverter 7 and supplied to the motor 2.

[0074] The inverter-side terminal block 80 is disposed in the front portion of the upper surface of the motor block 40. The upper portion of the inverter-side terminal block 80 is located inside the inverter case 70, and the lower portion of the inverter-side terminal block 80 is located inside the motor block 40 (see FIG. 5). Details of the inverter-side terminal block 80 will be described later.

[0075] (Motor cooling structure) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V of the cooling structure of the motor 2. The vehicle 1 is equipped with a circulation system for a refrigerant C. The circulation system is primarily intended to cool the engine 3. In this example, the refrigerant C also serves as cooling water for the engine. Note that the refrigerant C is not limited to water and may be oil or any other type of refrigerant.

[0076] The vehicle 1 includes a heat exchanger 20 and a water pump 21. The heat exchanger 20 is disposed at the front of the vehicle 1 and air-cools the refrigerant C. The water pump 21 is operated by the power or electric power of the drive unit DU. The refrigerant C cooled by the heat exchanger 20 is sent to the engine 3 and the inverter 7 by the water pump 21.

[0077] Although not shown, the inverter 7 is provided with a cooling passage for cooling the electrical components housed therein. The refrigerant C that has cooled the inverter 7 passes through a pipe 22 (see FIG. 2) and is introduced into a flow path connecting mechanism 15 provided in front of the drive unit DU. Although not shown, the flow path connecting mechanism 15 is made up of a connecting flow path, joint pipes, etc.

[0078] The refrigerant C introduced into the flow path connecting mechanism 15 is introduced into the stator cooling flow path 34 of the motor 2 via the motor-side terminal block 50. The stator cooling flow path 34 is provided between the stator 33 of the motor 2 and the motor housing 45. The refrigerant C introduced into the stator cooling flow path 34 circulates in the circumferential direction through the stator cooling flow path 34 and exchanges heat with the stator 33. The heat exchange between the refrigerant C and the stator 33 heats the refrigerant C and cools the stator 33. The refrigerant C that has circulated through the stator cooling flow path 34 is sent to the heat exchanger 20 via the flow path connecting mechanism 15. In the heat exchanger 20, the refrigerant C exchanges heat with the outside air and is cooled.

[0079] (Motor and inverter current flow structure) 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI showing the current-carrying structure between the motor 2 and the inverter 7. As described above, the inverter-side terminal block 80 holds three inverter-side bus bars 90 corresponding to the U, V, and W phases. Meanwhile, the motor-side terminal block 50 holds three motor-side bus bars 100 corresponding to the U, V, and W phases. The motor-side bus bars 100 are plate-shaped.

[0080] One end of the motor-side bus bar 100 in the motor-side terminal block 50 is connected to the other end of the inverter-side bus bar 90 in the inverter-side terminal block 80. The other end of the motor-side bus bar 100 in the motor-side terminal block 50 is connected to the coil connecting bus bar 36 in the stator 33. The motor-side bus bar 100 in the motor-side terminal block 50 and the inverter-side bus bar 90 in the inverter-side terminal block 80 are electrically connected to each other.

[0081] (Wiring connection structure between motor and inverter) FIG. 7 shows a wiring connection structure A between a motor 2 and an inverter 7 in a cross-sectional view taken along line VII. The motor 2 is an example of a rotating electric machine. The inverter 7 is an example of a power control device. The wiring connection structure A includes the motor 2 and the inverter 7. The motor 2 has a motor-side terminal block 50. The motor-side terminal block 50 is an example of a rotating electric machine-side terminal block. The inverter 7 has an inverter-side terminal block 80. The inverter-side terminal block 80 is an example of a power control device-side terminal block.

[0082] The inverter 7 is electrically connected to the motor 2 via wiring K and controls the power F supplied to the motor 2 (see FIG. 6). The wiring K is composed of an inverter side bus bar 90, a motor side bus bar 100, and a coil connecting bus bar 36. The inverter side bus bar 90 is plate-shaped. The motor side bus bar 100 is plate-shaped. The coil connecting bus bar 36 is plate-shaped. The motor 2 and the inverter 7 are mounted on a vehicle 1.

[0083] (Inverter side terminal block) The inverter-side terminal block 80 will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 10. Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the inverter-side terminal block 80 as seen from above. Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the inverter-side terminal block 80 as seen from below. Figure 10 shows a side view of the inverter-side terminal block 80 as seen from the side.

[0084] The inverter-side terminal block 80 is disposed above the motor-side terminal block 50. The motor-side terminal block 50 is disposed below the inverter-side terminal block 80. The inverter-side terminal block 80 is made of resin. The inverter-side terminal block 80 is formed by injection molding (more specifically, mold forming).

[0085] The inverter-side terminal block 80 includes a fixed portion 81, an insertion portion 84, and a separate portion 87. Furthermore, the fixed portion 81 includes a base portion 82 and a vertically extending portion 83. The base portion 82 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction in the up-down direction, and extends longitudinally in the left-right direction and transversely in the front-rear direction. The vertically extending portion 83 is provided at the front end portion on the upper surface of the base portion 82. The vertically extending portion 83 is formed in the shape of a substantially square pillar extending in the up-down direction. When viewed in the up-down direction, the vertically extending portion 83 is configured to extend longitudinally in the left-right direction and transversely in the front-rear direction.

[0086] The portion of the base portion 82 that projects rearward from the lower end of the vertically extending portion 83 constitutes a flange 82a. The flange 82a is located rearward of the vertically extending portion 83. Two through holes 82b are provided in the flange 82a. The through holes 82b pass through the flange 82a in the up-down direction. The two through holes 82b are arranged side by side with a gap between them in the left-right direction. The through holes 82b are located only rearward of the vertically extending portion 83. No through holes 82b exist in front of the vertically extending portion 83. A fixing device 110, which will be described later, is passed through the through holes 82b in the up-down direction.

[0087] The insertion portion 84 is provided at a position facing the vertically extending portion 83 on the underside of the base portion 82 of the fixed portion 81. The insertion portion 84 is formed in a substantially square pillar shape. The insertion portion 84 extends in the up-down direction. When viewed in the up-down direction, the insertion portion 84 is configured so that its longer sides extend in the left-right direction and its shorter sides extend in the front-to-rear direction.

[0088] The fixed portion 81 is disposed above the insertion portion 84. The insertion portion 84 is disposed below the fixed portion 81. The insertion portion 84 extends downward from the fixed portion 81 toward the motor-side terminal block 50 (see FIG. 7).

[0089] A step portion 85 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84. The outer peripheral surface 84a faces in the front-rear and left-right directions. On the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84, the step portion 85 has a larger diameter on the upper side and a smaller diameter on the lower side. That is, on the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84, the step portion 85 has a larger diameter on the side of the fixed portion 81 and a smaller diameter on the side opposite the fixed portion 81 (the side of the motor-side terminal block 50).

[0090] Insertion section side engagement pieces 86 are provided at the lower end and both front-to-rear end of the insertion section 84. There are four insertion section side engagement pieces 86, two on the front side and two on the rear side. Looking at only one of the front and rear sides, two insertion section side engagement pieces 86 are arranged side by side in the middle in the left-to-right direction. The insertion section side engagement pieces 86 extend downward.

[0091] The separate body portion 87 is configured as a separate body from the insertion portion 84. The separate body portion 87 is formed in a substantially square cylindrical shape. The separate body portion 87 extends in the up-down direction. When viewed in the up-down direction, the separate body portion 87 is configured to be long in the left-right direction and short in the front-to-rear direction. The separate body portion 87 is fitted into the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84 from below. In other words, the separate body portion 87 is fitted into the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84 from the side opposite the fixed portion 81 (the side of the motor side terminal block 50). The separate body portion 87 forms the lower end portion of the inverter side terminal block 80.

[0092] Separate body part side engaging pieces 88 are provided at the lower end and both front-rear end portions of the separate body part 87. There are a total of four separate body part side engaging pieces 88, two on the front side and two on the rear side, corresponding to the insertion part side engaging pieces 86. The separate body part side engaging pieces 88 extend downward. The separate body part side engaging pieces 88 are positioned outward in the front-rear direction relative to the insertion part side engaging pieces 86 and overlap in the up-down direction. The separate body part side engaging pieces 88 engage with the insertion part side engaging pieces 86.

[0093] The step portion 85 on the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84 and the separate portion 87 form a groove portion 89. A sealing member 120, which will be described later, is disposed in the groove portion 89. The groove portion 89 is configured in the shape of a groove that extends in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction and goes around the circumference.

[0094] The inverter-side terminal block 80 holds three inverter-side bus bars 90 corresponding to the U, V, and W phases. The three inverter-side bus bars 90 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The inverter-side bus bars 90 are made of metal. Adjacent inverter-side bus bars 90 are insulated from each other by resin.

[0095] The inverter-side bus bar 90 is bent in an inverted L shape. After extending rearward, the inverter-side bus bar 90 bends and extends downward. The lower end of the inverter-side bus bar 90 forms an inverter-side terminal 91 that protrudes downward beyond the lower end of the inverter-side terminal block 80 (the lower end of the separate portion 87).

[0096] The inverter-side terminal 91 is an example of a power control device-side terminal. The inverter-side terminal 91 is configured at the lower end of a plate-shaped inverter-side bus bar 90. The inverter-side terminal 91 configures the wiring K. The insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 holds the inverter-side terminal 91. The inverter-side terminal 91 extends downward toward the motor-side terminal block 50. In detail, the inverter-side terminal 91 protrudes downward from the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 toward the motor-side terminal block 50.

[0097] (Motor side terminal block) The motor side terminal block 50 will be described with reference to Figures 7, 11, and 12. Figure 11 is a perspective view of the motor side terminal block 50 seen from above. Figure 12 is a perspective view of the motor side terminal block 50 seen from below.

[0098] The motor-side terminal block 50 is manufactured by injection molding (more specifically, molding) of resin. The motor-side terminal block 50 not only functions to relay the flow of power between the inverter 7 and the motor 2, but also functions to relay the flow of the refrigerant C between the flow path connecting mechanism 15 and the motor 2. The motor-side terminal block 50 includes a resin structure 51, an attachment portion 52, a connection portion 56, a terminal block-side flow path 57, and a guide portion 58.

[0099] Resin structure 51 is made of insulating resin. Resin structure 51 is formed by injection molding of resin. Resin structure 51 is formed by solidifying molten insulating resin into a predetermined shape.

[0100] In motor-side terminal block 50, mounting portion 52 is formed on the lower part of resin structure 51. Mounting portion 52 of motor-side terminal block 50 is attached to mounting base 46 of motor housing 45. Mounting portion 52 includes a mounting surface 53.

[0101] The mounting surface 53 of the motor-side terminal block 50 faces downward and is joined to the mounting surface 47 of the motor housing 45. An outlet 53a and an inlet 53b are formed on the mounting surface 53 of the motor-side terminal block 50. The outlet 53a and the inlet 53b on the mounting surface 53 of the motor-side terminal block 50 correspond to the inlet 47a and the outlet 47b on the mounting surface 47 of the motor housing 45 and communicate with the stator cooling passage 34.

[0102] O-ring grooves 53c are provided around the outlet 53a and the inlet 53b on the mounting surface 53 of the motor-side terminal block 50. The O-ring grooves 53c are provided for fitting O-rings 54. The O-rings 54 are provided to prevent leakage of liquid.

[0103] Two positioning protrusions 53d are provided on the mounting surface 53 of the motor-side terminal block 50. The two positioning protrusions 53d on the mounting surface 53 of the motor-side terminal block 50 correspond to two positioning holes 47d on the mounting surface 47 of the motor housing 45.

[0104] In the motor-side terminal block 50, a pair of flanges 55 protruding outward in the front-rear direction are provided at both ends of the lower part of the resin structure 51 in the front-rear direction. The flanges 55 are formed in a plate shape with the thickness direction being the up-down direction. The upper surfaces of the flanges 55 are exposed. The lower surfaces of the flanges 55 form both ends of the mounting surface 53 in the front-rear direction.

[0105] Two fastening holes 53e are provided in the mounting surface 53, which is the lower surface of the flange portion 55. The two fastening holes 53e in the mounting surface 53 of the flange portion 55 of the motor-side terminal block 50 correspond to the two fastening holes 47c in the mounting surface 47 of the motor housing 45. The fastening holes 53e pass through the flange portion 55 in the vertical direction. Fasteners 140 (see FIG. 7) such as bolts are passed through the fastening holes 53e.

[0106] In the motor-side terminal block 50, the connection portion 56 is formed on the right side portion of the resin structure 51. The connection portion 56 of the motor-side terminal block 50 is connected to the flow path connecting mechanism 15. An inlet 56a and an outlet 56b are opened in the connection portion 56 of the motor-side terminal block 50. The inlet 56a and the outlet 56b in the connection portion 56 of the motor-side terminal block 50 are connected to the flow path connecting mechanism 15. The refrigerant C flows from the flow path connecting mechanism 15 to the motor-side terminal block 50 through the inlet 56a. The refrigerant C flows from the motor-side terminal block 50 to the flow path connecting mechanism 15 through the outlet 56b.

[0107] Terminal block side flow path 57 is an example of a flow path. Terminal block side flow path 57 is configured as a cavity provided inside resin structure 51 of motor side terminal block 50. Refrigerant C flows through terminal block side flow path 57. Refrigerant C is used to cool stator 33 of motor 2 (and motor side bus bar 100 of motor side terminal block 50).

[0108] The terminal block side flow path 57 includes a first terminal block side flow path 57a and a second terminal block side flow path 57b. The first terminal block side flow path 57a includes an inlet 56a and an outlet 53a. The second terminal block side flow path 57b includes an outlet 56b and an inlet 53b. The refrigerant C flows from the flow path connecting mechanism 15 through the first terminal block side flow path 57a of the motor side terminal block 50 to the stator cooling flow path 34. The refrigerant C flows from the stator cooling flow path 34 through the second terminal block side flow path 57b of the motor side terminal block 50 to the flow path connecting mechanism 15.

[0109] In the motor-side terminal block 50, the guide portion 58 is provided on the upper part of the resin structure 51. The guide portion 58 is formed in a substantially square pillar shape. The guide portion 58 extends in the up-down direction. When viewed in the up-down direction, the guide portion 58 is configured so that its longer side is in the left-right direction and its shorter side is in the front-rear direction. The upper end of the guide portion 58 forms the upper end of the resin structure 51 of the motor-side terminal block 50.

[0110] The guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50 is disposed below the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80. The guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50 extends upward toward the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 so as to face the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80. Conversely, the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 extends downward from the fixed portion 81 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 toward the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50.

[0111] Resin structure 51 of motor side terminal block 50 holds three motor side bus bars 100 corresponding to the U, V, and W phases. Motor side bus bars 100 are embedded in resin structure 51 of motor side terminal block 50. Motor side bus bars 100 are made of metal. Adjacent motor side bus bars 100 are insulated from each other by resin structure 51 made of resin.

[0112] In particular, the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50 holds the three motor-side bus bars 100 so that they are aligned in the left-right direction and extend in the up-down direction. The guide portion 58 covers the upper ends of the motor-side bus bars 100 from the rear, left, and right sides. The guide portion 58 does not cover the upper ends of the motor-side bus bars 100 from the front. The upper ends of the motor-side bus bars 100 form motor-side terminals 101 that are exposed forward at the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50.

[0113] The motor-side terminal 101 is an example of a rotating electric machine-side terminal. The motor-side terminal 101 is configured at the upper end of a plate-shaped motor-side bus bar 100. The motor-side terminal 101 constitutes the wiring K. The guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50 holds the motor-side terminal 101. The motor-side terminal 101 extends upward toward the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80. Conversely, the inverter-side terminal 91 extends downward toward the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50. In detail, the inverter-side terminal 91 protrudes downward from the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 toward the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50.

[0114] A guide surface 58a is provided at the upper end of the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50. The guide surface 58a is inclined so as to extend forward or backward as it extends upward. The function of the guide surface 58a will be described later.

[0115] (Fixing the inverter terminal block to the motor block) The fixing of the inverter-side terminal block 80 to the motor block 40 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 13. Figure 13 shows a plan view of the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40 as viewed from above.

[0116] The inverter-side terminal block 80 is fixed to the motor block 40 of the motor 2. The motor block 40 is an example of a housing. As described above, the motor block 40 is substantially rectangular box-shaped and has a cavity formed therein. The motor block 40 accommodates a motor housing 45 (which accommodates the shaft 31, rotor 32, and stator 33).

[0117] A fixing surface 41a is provided on the upper wall portion 41 of the motor block 40. The upper wall portion 41 is plate-shaped and has a thickness in the up-down direction. The upper wall portion 41 extends in the front-rear and left-right directions. The fixing surface 41a faces upward.

[0118] The fixing surface 41a of the upper wall portion 41 of the motor block 40 is provided with an insertion hole 42, two fixing holes 43, and a lightening hole 44. The insertion hole 42 penetrates the upper wall portion 41 in the up-down direction. When viewed in the up-down direction, the insertion hole 42 is configured so that its length is in the left-right direction and its width is in the front-rear direction.

[0119] The two fixing holes 43 are arranged only on the fixing surface 41a rearward of the insertion hole 42. There are no fixing holes 43 on the fixing surface 41a in front of the insertion hole 42. The two fixing holes 43 are arranged side by side with a gap between them in the left-right direction rearward of the insertion hole 42. The fixing holes 43 are, for example, bolt holes and correspond to the fixing device 110 described below.

[0120] The lightening portions 44 are provided around the insertion holes 42 on the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40. The lightening portions 44 are arranged on the front and rear sides of the insertion holes 42. The lightening portions 44 are formed as recesses that are recessed downward relative to the fixing surface 41a.

[0121] The flange 82 a of the fixed portion 81 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 is fixed to the fixing surface 41 a of the motor block 40 of the motor 2 by a fixing tool 110 .

[0122] The fixing device 110 is, for example, a bolt. The fixing device 110 passes through the through hole 82b of the flange 82a of the fixed portion 81 in the vertical direction and is bolted to the fixing hole 43 in the fixing surface 41a. A gap is provided between the fixing device 110 and the through hole 82b so that an assembly error, which will be described later, can be absorbed.

[0123] In the fixed portion 81 of the inverter-side terminal block 80, the through-hole 82b for passing the fixing device 110 is arranged only in the flange 82a rearward of the vertical extension portion 83 (insertion portion 84). In the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40, the fixing hole 43 for bolting with the fixing device 110 is arranged only rearward of the insertion hole 42. In other words, the fixing device 110 is arranged only on one side in the front-to-rear direction, that is, the rear side, of the insertion hole 42 in the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40. Note that one side in the front-to-rear direction is one side in the fastening direction H, which will be described later.

[0124] (Insertion of the insertion part into the insertion hole) The insertion of the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 into the insertion hole 42 of the motor block 40 will be described with reference to Figure 7. The insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 is inserted into the insertion hole 42 provided in the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40. The lower end of the insertion portion 84 protrudes slightly downward from the back surface 41b of the upper wall portion 41 of the motor block 40 (the downward-facing surface opposite the fixing surface 41a). The insertion direction V of the insertion portion 84 into the insertion hole 42 is the vertical direction.

[0125] A seal member 120 is provided in the gap E between the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 and the inner peripheral surface 42a of the insertion hole 42 of the motor block 40. The seal member 120 is made of an elastic body. The seal member 120 is made of rubber, for example. The seal member 120 is an O-ring, for example. The seal member 120 prevents leakage of oil and the like from the inside of the motor block 40 to the outside of the motor block 40. The seal member 120 is arranged so as to surround the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84, which serves as a shaft, around the shaft. The seal member 120 forms a shaft seal.

[0126] On the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84, a step portion 85 has a larger diameter on the upper side (the side of the fixed portion 81) and a smaller diameter on the lower side (the side of the motor-side terminal block 50). On the inverter-side terminal block 80, the separate portion 87 fits into the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84 from the lower side (the side of the motor-side terminal block 50). The step portion 85 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84.

[0127] The step portion 85 on the outer circumferential surface 84a of the insertion portion 84 and the separate portion 87 form a groove portion 89. The groove portion 89 faces the inner circumferential surface 42a of the insertion hole 42. The seal member 120 is disposed in the groove portion 89.

[0128] (Connection between motor terminals and inverter terminals) The connection between the motor-side terminal 101 and the inverter-side terminal 91 will be described with reference to Figures 7, 8, and 11. The motor-side terminal 101 is plate-shaped with its thickness in the front-to-rear direction. The front surface of the motor-side terminal 101 is the motor-side connection surface 101a. The motor-side connection surface 101a faces forward. The motor-side connection surface 101a is an example of a connection surface. The motor-side terminal 101 is provided with a motor-side fastening hole 102 that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction.

[0129] The inverter-side terminal 91 is plate-shaped with its thickness extending in the front-rear direction. The rear surface of the inverter-side terminal 91 serves as an inverter-side connection surface 91a. The inverter-side connection surface 91a faces rearward. The inverter-side connection surface 91a is an example of a connection surface. The inverter-side terminal 91 is provided with an inverter-side fastening hole 92 that penetrates in the front-rear direction.

[0130] The motor-side connection surface 101a of the motor-side terminal 101 and the inverter-side connection surface 91a of the inverter-side terminal 91 extend parallel to each other in the insertion direction V (vertical direction). The motor-side connection surface 101a of the motor-side terminal 101 and the inverter-side connection surface 91a of the inverter-side terminal 91 overlap each other in the insertion direction V (vertical direction).

[0131] The motor-side terminals 101 and the inverter-side terminals 91 are connected to each other by being fastened with fasteners 130. The fastening direction H of the fasteners 130 is the front-to-rear direction. The fastening direction H (front-to-rear direction) intersects (more specifically, is perpendicular to) the insertion direction V (up-down direction). The fasteners 130 are, for example, bolts. The fasteners 130 extend in the fastening direction H (front-to-rear direction).

[0132] In summary, the motor-side terminal 101 and the inverter-side terminal 91 are connected to each other by being fastened with the fastener 130 in the fastening direction H. At this time, the motor-side connection surface 101a of the motor-side terminal 101 and the inverter-side connection surface 91a of the inverter-side terminal 91 face each other in the fastening direction H (front-rear direction).

[0133] (Relationship between guide part and separate part) The relationship between the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50 and the separate portion 87 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 will be described with reference to Figure 7. The cylindrical separate portion 87 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 overlaps the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50 in the insertion direction V (vertical direction) so as to accommodate the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50. In particular, the upper end of the guide portion 58 is provided with a guide surface 58a that is inclined so as to extend forward or backward as it extends upward. The guide surface 58a is completely accommodated inside the cylindrical separate portion 87.

[0134] (Relationship between inverter terminal and guide) The relationship between the inverter-side terminals 91 and the guide portions 58 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The inverter-side terminals 91 protrude downward from the insertion portions 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 toward the guide portions 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50. The guide surfaces 58a of the guide portions 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50 guide the inverter-side terminals 91 so that they are connected to the motor-side terminals 101.

[0135] At least a portion of the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50 is inclined to approach the motor-side connection surfaces 101a of the motor-side terminals 101 in order to guide the inverter-side terminals 91 to be connected to the motor-side terminals 101. Specifically, the guide surface 58a of the guide portion 58 of the motor-side terminal block 50 is inclined to approach the motor-side connection surfaces 101a of the motor-side terminals 101 as it extends downward.

[0136] (Manufacturing method) A method for manufacturing the wiring connection structure A between the motor 2 and the inverter 7 will now be described. This manufacturing method is a method for manufacturing the wiring connection structure A between the motor 2 and the inverter 7. In this manufacturing method, the motor side terminals 101 and the inverter side terminals 91 are connected to each other by fastening them with fasteners 130, and then the flange 82a of the fixed portion 81 of the inverter side terminal block 80 is fixed to the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40 with a fixing device 110.

[0137] (Action and effect) When assembling the motor 2 to the vehicle 1 as an assembly target, an assembly error occurs. Such an assembly error is undesirable because it can cause a poor connection between the motor-side terminal 101 and the inverter-side terminal 91. For this reason, the assembly error must be absorbed somewhere.

[0138] The motor-side terminals 101 and the inverter-side terminals 91 are configured as plate-shaped bus bars (motor-side bus bar 100 and inverter-side bus bar 90), and are therefore resistant to deformation. Deformation of the bus bars makes it difficult to fully absorb assembly errors. While it is possible to make the bus bars longer to absorb assembly errors and make them more easily deformed, this would result in longer wiring K, which is undesirable from the perspective of electrical conductivity.

[0139] Here, the fixed portion 81 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 is fixed to the fixing surface 41 a of the motor block 40 of the motor 2 by a fixing device 110. The columnar insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 extends from the fixed portion 81 toward the motor-side terminal block 50 and is inserted into the insertion hole 42 provided in the fixing surface 41 a of the motor block 40.

[0140] The motor-side terminal 101 and the inverter-side terminal 91 are connected to each other by being fastened by a fastener 130 in a fastening direction H that intersects with the insertion direction V of the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80.

[0141] A seal member 120 made of an elastic material is provided in a gap E between the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 and the inner peripheral surface 42a of the insertion hole 42 of the motor block 40. Before the fixed portion 81 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 is fixed to the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40 by the fixing device 110, the fixed portion 81 can move along the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40 in a fastening direction H that intersects with the insertion direction V of the insertion portion 84 due to elastic deformation of the seal member 120.

[0142] The fixed portion 81 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 moves along the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40, thereby absorbing assembly errors in the fastening direction H that intersects with the insertion direction V. After absorbing the assembly errors, the fixed portion 81 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 can be fixed to the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40 with the fixing device 110.

[0143] Instead of providing a surface seal (a surface seal extending parallel to the fixed surface 41a) between the fixed portion 81 of the inverter side terminal block 80 and the fixed surface 41a of the motor block 40, a sealing member 120 is provided in the gap E between the outer surface 84a of the insertion portion 84 of the inverter side terminal block 80 and the inner surface 42a of the insertion hole 42 of the motor block 40.

[0144] Since no face seal is used, there is no need to place the fastener 110 for fastening the fixed portion 81 of the inverter side terminal block 80 to the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40 outside the face seal.

[0145] This prevents the fixing structure between the inverter side terminal block 80 and the motor block 40 from becoming large.

[0146] As described above, it is possible to provide a wiring connection structure A between the motor 2 and the inverter 7 that can compactly absorb assembly errors that occur when the motor 2 is assembled to the vehicle 1 as the object to be assembled.

[0147] By relatively moving the motor-side connection surface 101a of the motor-side terminal 101 and the inverter-side connection surface 91a of the inverter-side terminal 91 in the insertion direction V, assembly errors in the insertion direction V between them can be easily absorbed.

[0148] By guiding the inverter side terminals 91 by the guide surfaces 58a of the guide portions 58 of the motor side terminal block 50, the inverter side terminals 91 can be easily positioned and connected to the motor side terminals 101.

[0149] By using the separate part 87, the groove part 89 for disposing the seal member 120 can be easily formed on the outer circumferential surface 84a of the insertion part 84.

[0150] The increase in dimension in the insertion direction V that occurs when the separate part 87 of the inverter side terminal block 80 is fitted into the insertion part 84 can be suppressed by accommodating the guide surface 58a of the guide part 58 of the motor side terminal block 50 in the separate part 87 of the inverter side terminal block 80.

[0151] Fixing device 110 for fixing fixed portion 81 of inverter-side terminal block 80 to fixing surface 41a of motor block 40 is arranged only on one side of insertion hole 42 of fixing surface 41a of motor block 40. This simplifies the fixing structure of inverter-side terminal block 80 and motor block 40.

[0152] Because a face seal is not used, it is not necessary to ensure uniform surface pressure on the fixing surface 41a by the fixing devices 110. The fixing devices 110 do not need to be arranged approximately evenly around the insertion hole 42. The fixing devices 110 can be arranged unevenly (unbalanced) in the circumferential direction of the insertion hole 42, not just on one side of the insertion hole 42. The number of fixing devices 110 can be reduced, and the sizes of the fixing devices 110 and the fixing holes 43 can be reduced. Examples of unevenness (unbalance) in the circumferential direction include multiple fixing devices 110 surrounding only half the insertion hole 42 (in a U-shape or a C-shape), only a quarter of the insertion hole 42, or surrounding less than the entire circumference of the insertion hole 42.

[0153] A lightening portion 44 is provided around the insertion hole 42 on the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40. This allows the weight of the motor block 40 to be reduced.

[0154] When assembling the motor 2 to the vehicle 1 as a substrate, priority is given to the positioning of the terminal block-side flow path 57 through which the refrigerant C flows. The position of the motor-side terminal block 50, including the terminal block-side flow path 57, is fixed and cannot be moved. Therefore, the above-described method of absorbing assembly errors by moving the fixed portion 81 of the inverter-side terminal block 80 along the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40 is more effective.

[0155] (Other embodiments) Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, such description is not limiting, and it goes without saying that various modifications, substitutions, or combinations are possible.

[0156] The fixing device 110 and the fastening device 130 are not limited to bolts, and may be of other types as long as they have a fixing or fastening function.

[0157] The sealing member 120 may be made of an elastic material other than rubber. The sealing member 120 may be in a form other than an O-ring, as long as it is provided in the gap E between the outer peripheral surface 84a of the insertion portion 84 and the inner peripheral surface 42a of the insertion hole 42.

[0158] The fastening direction H may not be perpendicular to the insertion direction V but may intersect obliquely therewith.

[0159] In the above embodiment, the lightening portion 44 is configured as a recess, but is not limited to this. The lightening portion 44 may be configured as, for example, a hole. The hole penetrates the upper wall portion 41 of the motor block 40 in the vertical direction. The lightening portion 44 may be omitted.

[0160] In the above embodiment, the inverter-side terminal block 80 is fixed to the fixing surface 41a of the motor block 40 of the motor 2, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0161] It is sufficient that the fixing holes 43 (insertion holes 42) provided on the fixing surface 41a are positioned so that fixing can be performed from the outside using the fixing device 110 when the motor-side terminals 101 and the inverter-side terminals 91 are connected to each other by fastening them with the fasteners 130. In other words, it is sufficient that a space for the fixing operation using the fixing device 110 is secured when the motor-side terminals 101 and the inverter-side terminals 91 are fastened with the fasteners 130.

[0162] If this condition is satisfied, the inverter-side terminal block 80 may be fixed to a fixing surface of the motor housing 45 of the motor 2. In this case, the motor housing 45 is an example of a housing. Furthermore, the inverter-side terminal block 80 may be fixed to a fixing surface of the inverter case 70 of the inverter 7. In this case, the inverter case 70 is an example of a housing. In other words, the inverter-side terminal block 80 may be fixed to a fixing surface of the housing of the motor 2 or the inverter 7.

[0163] The wiring connection structure A does not have to be applied to the vehicle 1. The wiring connection structure A can also be suitably applied to an assembly body other than the vehicle 1.

[0164] The guide portion 58 has a guide surface 58a that is inclined relative to the motor-side connection surface 101a of the motor-side terminal 101, but is not limited to this. The guide portion of the guide portion 58 may have any shape that is inclined relative to the motor-side connection surface 101a of the motor-side terminal 101, and is not limited to a surface. The guide portion of the guide portion 58 may be shaped like a grid or like a rib extending in the insertion direction. Furthermore, the angle of inclination is not limited to being constant and may vary. [Industrial Applicability]

[0165] The present disclosure is applicable to a wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device, and is therefore extremely useful and has high industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0166] A. Wiring connection structure V Insertion direction H Fastening direction K wiring F power E Gap DU Drive Unit J rotation axis C Refrigerant 1. Vehicle (assembly body) 1a Antechamber 1b front wheel 2 Motor (rotating electric machine) 3 Engine 4 Battery 5 Joint 6. Transmission 7. Inverter (power control device) 8 Cable 15 Flow path connection mechanism 20 Heat exchanger 21 Water pump 22 Piping 31 Shaft 32 rotor 33 Stator 34 Stator cooling channel 35 Partition Wall 36 Coil-connected busbar 36a Connecting piece 40 Motor block (housing) 41 Upper wall 41a Fixed surface 41b back side 42 Insertion hole 42a Inner surface 43 Fixing hole 44 Cutout 45 Motor housing (enclosure) 46 Mounting base 47 Mounting surface 47a entrance 47b Outlet 47c Fastening hole 47d Positioning hole 50 Motor side terminal block (rotating electric machine side terminal block) 51 Resin structure 52 Mounting part 53 Mounting surface 53a outlet 53b entrance 53c O-ring groove 53d Positioning protrusion 53e Fastening hole 54 O-ring 55 flange 56 Connection 56a Inlet 56b Outlet 57 Terminal block side flow path (flow path) 57a 1st terminal block side flow path 57b 2nd terminal block side flow path 58 Guide section 58a Guide surface (part) 61 DC side connector 61a Positive busbar 61b Negative bus bar 62 Smoothing capacitor 63 Control board 70 Inverter case (housing) 80 Inverter side terminal block (power control device side terminal block) 81 Fixed part 82 Base 82a flange 82b Through hole 83 Vertical extension 84 Insertion section 84a Outer surface 85 Step 86 Insertion portion side engagement piece 87 Separate body 88 Separate body side engagement piece 89 Groove 90 Inverter side bus bar (bus bar) 91 Inverter side terminal (power control device side terminal) 91a Inverter side connection surface (connection surface) 92 Inverter side fastening hole 100 Motor side bus bar (bus bar) 101 Motor side terminal (rotating electric machine side terminal) 101a Motor side connection surface (connection surface) 102 Motor side fastening hole 110 Fixtures 120 sealing material 130 Fasteners 140 Fasteners

Claims

1. A rotating electric machine, a power control device electrically connected to the rotating electric machine via a wiring and controlling power supplied to the rotating electric machine; the rotating electric machine has a rotating electric machine side terminal block that holds rotating electric machine side terminals that configure the wiring, the power control device has a power control device side terminal block that holds power control device side terminals that configure the wiring, The power control device side terminal block is a fixed portion fixed to a fixing surface of a housing of the rotating electric machine or the power control device by a fixing tool; a columnar insertion portion extending from the fixed portion toward the rotating electric machine side terminal block and inserted into an insertion hole provided in the fixing surface, the rotating electric machine side terminal is formed by a plate-shaped bus bar and extends toward the insertion portion of the power control device side terminal block, the power control device side terminal is formed of a plate-shaped bus bar and extends toward the rotating electric machine side terminal block, the rotating electric machine side terminal and the power control device side terminal are connected to each other by being fastened with a fastener in a fastening direction that intersects with an insertion direction of the insertion portion, A wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device, wherein a seal member made of an elastic material is provided in a gap between an outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion and an inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole.

2. 2. The wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to claim 1, wherein the connection surface of the rotating electric machine side terminal and the connection surface of the power control device side terminal extend parallel to each other in the insertion direction.

3. the rotating electric machine side terminal block includes a columnar guide portion that extends toward the insertion portion and holds the rotating electric machine side terminal, the power control device side terminal protrudes from the insertion portion toward the guide portion, 3. A wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide portion is inclined so that at least a portion thereof approaches the connection surface of the rotating electric machine side terminal in order to guide the power control device side terminal protruding from the insertion portion toward the guide portion so as to be connected to the rotating electric machine side terminal.

4. the power control device side terminal block includes a cylindrical separate portion configured separately from the insertion portion, a step portion having a larger diameter on the side of the fixed portion and a smaller diameter on the side opposite the fixed portion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion; the separate portion is fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion from the side opposite to the fixed portion, 3. The wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is disposed in a groove formed by the step portion and the separate portion.

5. the rotating electric machine side terminal block includes a columnar guide portion that extends toward the insertion portion and holds the rotating electric machine side terminal, the power control device side terminal protrudes from the insertion portion toward the guide portion, 5. The wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to claim 4, wherein the separate portion overlaps the guide portion in the insertion direction so as to accommodate the guide portion.

6. 3. The wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed portion is fixed to the fixing surface by the fastener disposed on only one side of the insertion hole.

7. 3. The wiring connection structure for connecting a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to claim 1, wherein a lightening portion is provided around the insertion hole in the fixing surface.

8. 3. The wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating electric machine side terminal block includes a flow path through which a coolant for cooling the rotating electric machine flows.

9. 3. The wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating electric machine and the power control device are mounted on a vehicle.

10. A method for manufacturing the wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of:

3. A method for manufacturing a wiring connection structure between a rotating electric machine and a power control device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotating electric machine side terminal and the power control device side terminal are connected to each other by fastening them with the fastener, and then the fixed portion is fixed to the fixing surface with the fixing device.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Terminal block for rotary electric machine

    JP2008301544A