Electric component unit and controller

Abstract

To provide a controller capable of cooling circuit boards in two spaces by one fan even when the circuit boards are arranged in the two spaces partitioned by a partition plate.SOLUTION: A fan 5 that generates cooling air, a power supply circuit board 6 that is disposed in a first space 16 facing the fan and is cooled by the cooling air, a partition plate 11 that does not overlap the fan when viewed in a direction of a rotation axis L of the fan and extends in the direction of the rotation axis L to define the first space and a second space 17 adjacent to the first space, a main circuit board disposed on a first surface 111 of the partition plate on a side of the second space, and a duct 8 that is disposed at a position facing the fan, extends in a Y direction intersecting the partition plate, and includes a flow path 80 that guides the cooling air between the first space and the second space. And a wind direction plate 9 for changing the direction of the cooling wind.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical component unit and a controller.

[0002] A power supply device with a cooling function is described in Patent Document 1. The power supply device in Patent Document 1 includes a first circuit board arranged in a first air passage, a second circuit board arranged in a second air passage different from the first air passage, a first fan that sends cooling air to the first air passage, and a second fan that sends cooling air to the second air passage. The first air passage and the second air passage are separated by a partition plate. The first circuit board is cooled by the first fan, and the second circuit board is cooled by the second fan. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-211773 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the power supply device of Patent Document 1, the first circuit board is placed in the first air passage and the second circuit board is placed in the second air passage, which requires two cooling fans, making it difficult to reduce the size and cost.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical component unit that can cool circuit boards arranged in two different spaces separated by a partition board using a single fan, and a controller that uses the electrical component unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an electric component unit according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a fan that generates cooling air by rotating blades around a rotation axis; a first substrate that is disposed in a first space facing the fan and is cooled by the cooling air; a partition plate that extends in the rotation axis direction of the fan and that is positioned so as not to overlap with the fan when viewed from the rotation axis direction of the fan, and that separates the first space from a second space adjacent to the first space; a second substrate disposed on a first surface of the partition plate on the second space side; a duct disposed at a position facing the fan, extending in a direction intersecting the partition plate, having a flow path formed therein for guiding the cooling air between the first space and the second space, and having an opening formed on the fan side that communicates with the flow path; an airflow direction plate that is disposed in the second space away from one first end of the duct in a direction intersecting with the partition plate and that changes the direction of the cooling air; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0007] A controller according to one aspect of the present invention includes the above-described electric component unit and a driver that drives a motor serving as a drive source for each axis of the robot using power supplied from the electric component unit; The present invention is characterized by comprising: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of the controller 100 as seen from the front. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the controller 100 from the front with the exterior panel removed. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the controller 100 from the rear with the exterior panel removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view of the controller 100 with the exterior panel removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cross section AA of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the relationship between the main circuit board and the airflow direction plate. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the duct. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified duct. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an electric component unit and a controller to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the controller 100 as seen from the front. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the controller 100 as seen from the front with the exterior panel removed. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the controller 100 as seen from the rear with the exterior panel removed. FIG. 4 is a front view of the controller 100 as seen from the rear with the exterior panel removed. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the AA cross section of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the relationship between the main circuit board and the air direction plate. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the duct.

[0011] The controller 100 shown in FIG. 1 drives the motors (actuators) of the axes of the robot in response to operation commands from a higher-level device (for example, a programmable logic controller) to control the robot's movements.

[0012] In this specification, the three directions X, Y, and Z are mutually orthogonal. For convenience, in this specification, the Z direction is defined as the up-down direction of the controller 100. The Z1 direction is downward, and the Z2 direction is upward. The X direction is the front-to-rear direction of the controller 100. The X1 direction is backward, and the X2 direction is forward. The Y direction is the width direction of the controller 100. The Y1 direction and the Y2 direction are the other and one side of the Y direction. Note that, in the actual installation state of the controller 100, the Z direction does not have to coincide with the up-down direction (vertical direction).

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the controller 100 includes a driver 2 that drives motors that drive each axis of the robot, and a power supply unit 3 that supplies power to the driver 2. The driver 2 and power supply unit 3 are housed in a metal housing 4. The housing 4 includes an exterior panel disposed on the surface of the controller 100 and a main frame 40 to which the exterior panel is fixed. The exterior panel includes an interface panel 41 disposed on the rear surface of the controller 100, a front plate 42 disposed on the front surface of the controller 100, side plates 43 disposed on the sides, and a top plate 44 disposed on the top surface of the controller 100. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the main frame 40 includes a bottom plate 45 disposed on the bottom surface of the controller 100, a rectangular parallelepiped housing frame 46 connected to the outer edge of the bottom plate 45, and a plate-like support plate 47. The support plate 47 extends from the bottom plate 45 in the Z2 direction and supports the driver 2, the power supply unit 3, and the like.

[0014] Connector terminals for connecting to higher-level devices, a power connector, a power breaker, etc. are arranged on the interface panel 41. A plurality of openings 420 are provided on the front panel 42. Fans for cooling the inside of the housing 4 are arranged inside the openings 420.

[0015] The driver 2 drives the motors of each axis of the robot according to commands from a higher-level device. As shown in FIG. 4, the driver 2 is disposed in the Y1 direction of the support plate 47.

[0016] 2 to 4, the power supply device 3 includes a fan 5, a power supply circuit board 6, a partition plate 11, a main circuit board 7, a duct 8, and an air direction plate 9. Here, the power supply device 3 corresponds to the electric component unit of the present invention.

[0017] The fan 5 is located in the X1 direction of the front panel 42. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the fan 5 generates cooling air by rotating blades 51 about a rotation axis L. The rotation axis L of the fan 5 extends in the X direction. In this embodiment, the fan 5 generates cooling air toward the first space 16 that faces the fan 5 in the X direction.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the power supply circuit board 6 converts AC power supplied from outside the controller 100 into DC power. The power supply circuit board 6 is disposed in the first space 16. The power supply circuit board 6 is cooled by cooling air. The power supply circuit board 6 includes a first power supply circuit board 61, a second power supply circuit board 62, and a third power supply circuit board 63. The first power supply circuit board 61 and the second power supply circuit board 62 are disposed on the upper surface of a metal partition plate 12. The first power supply circuit board 61 and the second power supply circuit board 62 extend in the X direction. The first power supply circuit board 61 is disposed in the center of the partition plate 12 in the Y direction. The second power supply circuit board 62 is disposed in the Y2 direction from the first power supply circuit board 61. The third power supply circuit board 63 is disposed below the partition plate 12. The third power supply circuit board 63 extends in the X direction.

[0019] The first power supply circuit board 61 generates a DC voltage for supplying power to the main circuit board 7. The second power supply circuit board 62 generates a DC voltage for supplying a different power from that supplied by the first power supply circuit board 61 to the main circuit board 7. The third power supply circuit board 63 generates a DC voltage for supplying power to the fan 5. For example, the first power supply circuit board 61 generates a DC voltage of 24 V, the second power supply circuit board 62 generates a DC voltage of 5 V, and the third power supply circuit board 63 generates a DC voltage of 24 V. Electrical components that generate heat, such as diode bridges and capacitors, are mounted on the first power supply circuit board 61, the second power supply circuit board 62, and the third power supply circuit board 63. Here, the power supply circuit board 6 is the first electrical component of the present invention and corresponds to the first board of the present invention.

[0020] The partition plate 11 is made of metal. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the partition plate 11 is perpendicular to the partition plate 12 and is fixed to the end of the partition plate 12 in the Y2 direction. In this embodiment, the Y direction is the direction that intersects with the partition plate. When viewed from the X direction, the partition plate 11 is located so as not to overlap with the fan 5 and extends in the X direction to define a first space 16 and a second space 17 adjacent to the first space 16. In this embodiment, the first space 16 is defined by the support plate 47 and the partition plate 11, and the second space 17 is defined by the partition plate 11 and the side plate 43 in the Y2 direction. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an opening 110 is formed in the partition plate 11, and the first space 16 and the second space 17 communicate with each other via the opening 110.

[0021] The main circuit board 7 supplies power to the driver 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 6, the main circuit board 7 is disposed on the first surface 111 of the partition plate 11 on the side of the second space 17. The main circuit board 7 extends in the X direction. The driver 2 is equipped with electrical components such as a diode bridge and a capacitor. Here, the main circuit board 7 is a second electrical component of the present invention and corresponds to the second board of the present invention.

[0022] The duct 8 is made of resin. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the duct 8 is disposed at a position facing the fan 5, and has a flow path 80 formed therein that extends in the Y direction intersecting with the partition plate 11 and guides cooling air between the first space 16 and the second space 17, and an opening 85 that communicates with the flow path 80 is formed on the fan 5 side (X2 direction). The flow path 80 extends in the Y2 direction from the first space 16 to the second space 17. The duct 8 penetrates from the end 86 to the second end 87 in the Y1 direction. The duct 8 is fixed to the end 121 in the X2 direction of the partition plate 12, and is located at the center of the fan 5 when viewed from the X direction. Furthermore, the duct 8 overlaps with the opening 110 when viewed from the Y direction.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 , the duct 8 includes a plate-shaped main body 81 extending in the Y direction and a pair of side plates 82 that protrude from both ends of the main body 81 in the Z direction toward the fan 5 (in the X2 direction) and form an opening 85 extending in the Y direction. The main body 81 has a thickness in the X direction. The main body 81 is fixed to an end 121 of the partition plate 12 in the X2 direction with screws or the like. A tip portion 821 of the side plate 82 slopes inward toward the fan 5 (in the X2 direction). The side plate 82 has a plurality of notches 83 cut out from the tip portion 821 of the side plate 82 in the X direction, in the Y direction intersecting with the partition plate 11. Here, as shown in FIG. 5 , wiring 10 connected to the main circuit board 7 is arranged in a portion of a flow path 80 formed inside the duct 8. That is, the duct 8 functions not only as a cooling duct but also as a wiring protection duct. The wiring 10 extends into the second space 17 through the opening 110. The wiring 10 also includes wiring that is not connected to the main circuit board 7.

[0024] The airflow direction flap 9 is made of metal. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the airflow direction flap 9 is disposed in the second space 17, spaced apart in the Y2 direction from the first end 86 of the duct 8. In this embodiment, the airflow direction flap 9 is fixed to the partition plate 11 at a position in the X2 direction of the opening 110. As shown in FIG. 6, the airflow direction flap 9 includes a straight plate portion 91 extending in the Y2 direction from the partition plate 11, a bent plate portion 92 bent in the X1 direction from the end of the straight plate portion 91, and an end plate portion 93 extending in the X1 direction from the end of the bent plate portion 92. The bent plate portion 92 is bent at approximately 45°. As a result, the airflow direction flap 9 changes the direction of the cooling air from the duct 8 by 90° in the X1 direction. In this embodiment, a connector 71 that connects the wiring 10 and the main circuit board 7 is disposed in the X1 direction of the airflow direction flap 9. The connector 71 is one of the components that easily generate heat. Connector 71 is placed in a position where it can efficiently receive the cooling air that has been redirected by airflow direction plate 9, and is therefore efficiently cooled.

[0025] (cooling air flow) The flow of cooling air will now be described. The fan 5 takes in air through the opening 420 and generates cooling air toward the first space 16. This cooling air cools the power supply circuit board 6 arranged in the first space 16. The duct 8 guides the cooling air from the fan 5 that flows into the internal flow path 80 from the opening 85 in the Y direction. The cooling air guided in the Y2 direction flows from the first end 86 to the second space 17 through the opening 110. The air direction plate 9 changes the direction of the cooling air guided from the duct 8 by approximately 90° toward the main circuit board 7. As a result, the cooling air flows along the main circuit board 7 to cool it. Here, because the tip portion 821 of the side plate portion 82 is inclined inward, the cooling air that hits the tip portion 821 flows vertically along the tip portion 821. This causes the cooling air to be diffused vertically, improving the cooling effect of the cooling air on the power supply circuit board 6. Furthermore, since the side plate portion 82 is formed with the notch 83, part of the cooling air that flows into the duct 8 from the opening 85 flows out from the notch 83 in the vertical direction of the duct 8. This causes the cooling air to be diffused in the vertical direction, improving the cooling effect of the cooling air on the power supply circuit board 6.

[0026] (Action and effect) In the power supply device 3 of this embodiment, the duct 8 guides the cooling air from the fan 5 into the second space 17. The air direction vane 9 is disposed in the second space 17, away from the first end 86 of the duct 8 in the Y2 direction, and redirects the cooling air that has flowed into the second space 17 toward the main circuit board 7. This allows the power supply circuit board 6 disposed in the first space 16 and the main circuit board 7 disposed in the second space 17 to be cooled by a single fan 5. As a result, the power supply device 3 can be made smaller and its costs reduced.

[0027] The duct 8 includes a plate-shaped main body 81 extending in the Y direction intersecting with the partition plate 11, and a pair of side plate portions 82 protruding from both ends of the main body 81 toward the fan 5 and forming an opening 85 extending in the Y direction intersecting with the partition plate 11. Tip portions 821 of the side plate portions 82 are inclined inward as they approach the fan 5. As a result, the cooling air that hits the tip portions 821 flows vertically along the tip portions 821 and is diffused in the vertical direction, thereby improving the cooling effect of the cooling air on the power supply circuit board 6.

[0028] The side plate 82 has a plurality of notches 83 cut out from a tip 821 of the side plate 82 toward the X1 direction in the Y direction intersecting with the partition plate 11. As a result, part of the cooling air that flows into the duct 8 from the opening 85 flows out of the notches 83 in the vertical direction of the duct 8 and is diffused in the vertical direction, thereby improving the cooling effect of the cooling air on the power supply circuit board 6.

[0029] Wiring 10 connected to the main circuit board 7 is arranged in a part of the flow path 80. This eliminates the need to provide a separate wiring protection duct, allowing the power supply device 3 to be made smaller and less expensive.

[0030] When viewed from the X direction, the duct 8 is located at the center of the fan 5. This allows the duct 8 to efficiently take in the cooling air from the fan 5 through the opening 85.

[0031] The controller 100 includes a power supply unit 3 and a driver 2 that drives motors serving as drive sources for the axes of the robot using power supplied from the power supply unit 3. This allows the controller 100 to be made smaller and less expensive.

[0032] (Variation) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified duct 8A. As shown in FIG. 8, the duct 8A has a rectangular cylindrical shape. The duct 8A has a flow path 80 formed therein that extends in the Y direction and guides cooling air between the first space 16 and the second space 17. The duct 8A also has a plurality of holes 850 formed on the fan 5 side (X2 direction) as openings 85 that communicate with the flow path 80. Even in this configuration, the duct 8A can take in cooling air from the fan 5 through the holes 850 and guide it to the second space 17. The airflow direction plate 9 redirects the cooling air that has flowed into the second space 17 toward the main circuit board 7. The duct 8A may have a circular cylindrical shape. The holes 850 may be circular or rectangular.

[0033] In the above-described duct 8, the tip portion 821 of the side plate portion 82 is inclined inward as it approaches the fan 5 (X2 direction), but in the modified duct, the tip portion 821 of the side plate portion 82 may extend in a straight line without being inclined.

[0034] In the duct 8 of the above embodiment, the notch 83 is formed, but in the duct of the modified embodiment, the notch 83 does not have to be formed.

[0035] While the duct 8 in the above embodiment is located at the center of the fan 5 when viewed from the X direction, the duct in the modified embodiment only needs to overlap with the fan 5 when viewed from the X direction. Even in this case, the duct in the modified embodiment can take in the cooling air from the fan 5 through the opening 85.

[0036] In the power supply device 3 of the above embodiment, the fan 5 generates cooling air toward the first space 16, but in the power supply device of the modified embodiment, the fan 5 may generate cooling air toward the X2 direction opposite the first space 16.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the power supply device 3 has been described as an example of an electric component unit of the present invention, but the electric component unit of the present invention is not limited to the power supply device 3. The electric component unit of the present invention may be, for example, a driver unit. That is, the first electric component and the second electric component of the present invention may each be a power semiconductor device such as an IGBT that passes current through a coil of a motor.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the first electrical component of the present invention is described as a substrate, but the first electrical component of the present invention is not limited to a substrate and may be an electrical component such as a capacitor.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the second electrical component of the present invention is described as a substrate, but the second electrical component of the present invention is not limited to a substrate and may be an electrical component such as a capacitor.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the first electrical component and the second electrical component of the present invention are each a substrate that constitutes the power supply device 3, but one of the first electrical component and the second electrical component may be an electrical component such as a power semiconductor device.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the component arranged in the X1 direction of the airflow direction vane 9 is the connector 71, but the component arranged in the X1 direction of the airflow direction vane 9 may be, for example, an electrical component that generates heat, such as a resistor, a diode bridge, or a capacitor. Also, a configuration may be adopted in which no component is arranged in the X1 direction of the airflow direction vane 9, and the entire main circuit board 7 is cooled.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the first power supply circuit board 61, the second power supply circuit board 62, and the third power supply circuit board 63 are each cooled entirely by cooling air, but electrical components such as diode bridges and capacitors mounted on each board may also be actively cooled by cooling air.

[0043] The present technology can be configured as follows.

[0044] (1) a fan that generates cooling air by rotating blades around a rotation axis; a first electric component that is disposed in a first space facing the fan and is cooled by the cooling air; a partition plate that extends in the rotation axis direction of the fan and that is positioned so as not to overlap with the fan when viewed from the rotation axis direction of the fan, and that separates the first space from a second space adjacent to the first space; a second electric component disposed on a first surface of the partition plate on the second space side; a duct disposed at a position facing the fan, extending in a direction intersecting the partition plate, having a flow path formed therein for guiding the cooling air between the first space and the second space, and having an opening formed on the fan side that communicates with the flow path; an airflow direction plate that is disposed in the second space away from one first end of the duct in a direction intersecting with the partition plate and that changes the direction of the cooling air; An electrical component unit comprising:

[0045] (2) The fan generates cooling air toward the first space, the duct guides the cooling air from the fan to the second space, The electric component unit according to (1), wherein the airflow direction plate changes the direction of the cooling air guided from the duct toward the second electric component.

[0046] (3) The electrical component unit described in (1) or (2) is characterized in that the duct comprises a plate-shaped main body extending in a direction intersecting the partition plate, and a pair of side plate portions that protrude from both ends of the main body toward the fan and form the opening extending in a direction intersecting the partition plate.

[0047] (4) The electric component unit according to (3), wherein the tip portions of the side plates are inclined inward as they approach the fan.

[0048] (5) The electrical component unit described in (4) is characterized in that the side plate portion has a plurality of notches cut out from the tip portion of the side plate portion toward the rotation axis direction in a direction intersecting the partition plate.

[0049] (6) The electric component unit according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein a wiring connected to the second electric component is disposed in a part of the flow path.

[0050] (7) The electrical component unit according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the duct is located at the center of the fan when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis.

[0051] (8) the first electrical component is a first substrate, The electric component unit according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the second electric component is a second substrate.

[0052] (9) An electric component unit according to any one of (1) to (8), a driver that drives a motor serving as a drive source for each axis of the robot using power supplied from the electric component unit; A controller comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 100...controller, 2...driver, 3...power supply unit, 4...casing, 5...fan, 6...power supply circuit board, 7...main circuit board, 8·8A...duct, 9...air deflector, 10...wiring, 11...partition plate, 12...partition plate, 16...first space, 17...second space, 40...main frame, 41...interface panel, 42...front panel, 43...side panel, 44...top panel, 45...bottom panel, 46...casing frame, 47...support Plate, 51...blade, 61...first power supply circuit board, 62...second power supply circuit board, 63...third power supply circuit board, 71...connector, 80...flow path, 81...main body portion, 82...side plate portion, 83...cutout portion, 85...opening, 86...first end, 87...second end, 91...straight plate portion, 92...bent plate portion, 93...end plate portion, 110...opening, 111...first surface, 420...opening, 821...tip portion, 850...hole portion, L...rotation axis.

Claims

1. a fan that generates cooling air by rotating blades around a rotation axis; a first electric component that is disposed in a first space facing the fan and is cooled by the cooling air; a partition plate that extends in the rotation axis direction of the fan and that is positioned so as not to overlap with the fan when viewed in the rotation axis direction of the fan, and that separates the first space from a second space adjacent to the first space; a second electrical component disposed on a first surface of the partition plate on the second space side; a duct disposed at a position facing the fan, extending in a direction intersecting the partition plate, the duct having a flow path formed therein for guiding the cooling air between the first space and the second space, and an opening formed on the fan side that communicates with the flow path; an airflow direction plate disposed in the second space away from one first end of the duct in a direction intersecting with the partition plate, the airflow direction plate changing the direction of the cooling air; An electrical component unit comprising:

2. The fan generates cooling air toward the first space, the duct guides the cooling air from the fan to the second space, 2. The electric component unit according to claim 1, wherein the airflow direction plate changes the direction of the cooling air guided from the duct toward the second electric component.

3. The electrical component unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the duct comprises a plate-shaped main body extending in a direction intersecting the partition plate, and a pair of side plate portions protruding from both ends of the main body toward the fan and forming the opening extending in a direction intersecting the partition plate.

4. 4. The electric component unit according to claim 3, wherein the tip portions of the side plates are inclined inward toward the fan.

5. The electrical component unit according to claim 4, characterized in that the side plate portion has a plurality of notches cut out from the tip portion of the side plate portion toward the rotation axis direction in a direction intersecting the partition plate.

6. The electric component unit according to claim 1 , wherein a wiring connected to the second electric component is disposed in a part of the flow path.

7. 2. The electric component unit according to claim 1, wherein the duct is located at the center of the fan when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis.

8. the first electrical component is a first substrate, 2. The electric component unit according to claim 1, wherein the second electric component is a second substrate.

9. The electrical component unit according to claim 1; a driver that drives a motor serving as a drive source for each axis of the robot using power supplied from the electric component unit; A controller comprising:

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