Fixing structure of electronic component unit

Abstract

To provide a fixing structure of an electronic component unit capable of stably fixing the electronic component unit to a housing.SOLUTION: A fixing structure of an electronic component unit includes a housing 2 having a bottom part 10 and a partition wall 20 erected from the bottom part 10, and a first electronic component unit 30 and a second electronic component unit 40 arranged on the bottom part 10 and across the partition wall 20. In a plan view, the partition wall 20 includes a plurality of curved parts 22, a plurality of first fixing parts 24 for fixing the first electronic component unit 30, and a plurality of second fixing parts 26 for fixing the second electronic component unit 40. At least one of the plurality of first fixing portions 24 and at least one of the plurality of second fixing portions 26 are disposed to face each other with one curved portion 22 interposed therebetween in a plan view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, power conversion devices equipped with electronic circuits such as inverters and converters have been known. These power conversion devices convert power supplied from a commercial power source and charge a battery with the converted power, or convert power supplied from a battery mounted in a vehicle such as an automobile and supply the converted power to electronic devices such as a motor.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a DC-DC converter as a power conversion device. The DC-DC converter has a housing and a low-voltage switching circuit unit and a filter circuit unit attached to the bottom of the housing. The DC-DC converter also has a partition wall (referred to as a first partition wall in Patent Document 1) standing upright from the bottom of the housing between the low-voltage switching circuit unit and the filter circuit unit. In other words, the low-voltage switching circuit unit and the filter circuit unit are separated by the partition wall. With this configuration, electromagnetic noise radiated from the low-voltage switching circuit unit is absorbed by the partition wall, preventing the electromagnetic noise from propagating to the filter circuit unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-158423 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses that DC-DC converters are used in vehicles such as hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and electric vehicles. When a DC-DC converter is used in a vehicle, vibrations, shocks, and the like while the vehicle is running act on the low-voltage switching circuit unit and filter circuit unit. For this reason, there is room for improvement in terms of stably fixing electronic component units such as the low-voltage switching circuit unit and filter circuit unit to the housing of the DC-DC converter.

[0006] Therefore, there is a demand for a fixing structure for an electronic component unit that can stably fix the electronic component unit to the housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One embodiment of a fixing structure for an electronic component unit according to the present disclosure comprises a housing having a bottom and a partition wall erected from the bottom, and a first electronic component unit and a second electronic component unit arranged above the bottom and sandwiching the partition wall, wherein the partition wall has, in a planar view, a plurality of curved portions, a plurality of first fixing portions for fixing the first electronic component unit, and a plurality of second fixing portions for fixing the second electronic component unit, and at least one of the plurality of first fixing portions and at least one of the plurality of second fixing portions are arranged opposite each other with one of the curved portions sandwiched between them in a planar view.

[0008] According to this embodiment, the portion of the partition wall where the curved portion is formed is stronger than other portions of the partition wall, and therefore, by arranging the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion on the partition wall facing each other with the curved portion in between, the first electronic component unit and the second electronic component unit can be stably fixed to the housing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a power conversion device including an electronic component unit fixing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a fixing structure of the electronic component unit. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the fixing structure for an electronic component unit according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are examples for explaining the fixing structure for an electronic component unit, and the fixing structure for an electronic component unit is not limited to these embodiments. Therefore, the fixing structure for an electronic component unit according to the present disclosure can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit thereof.

[0011] [Configuration of power conversion device] A power conversion device 1 having an electronic component unit fixing structure according to this embodiment is used in vehicles (hereinafter referred to as electric vehicles) equipped with a traction motor, such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The power conversion device 1 converts AC power from an AC power source (basically a commercial power source) supplied from outside the electric vehicle (not shown) into high-voltage DC power. The converted high-voltage DC power is charged into a battery (not shown). The power conversion device 1 also converts DC power from the battery to generate AC power similar to that from the commercial power source and supplies it to the outside of the electric vehicle.

[0012] Figures 1 to 4 show a power conversion device 1 in which a filter unit 30 (an example of a first electronic component unit) and an inverter unit 40 (an example of a second electronic component unit) are mounted on a cooling plate 10 (an example of a bottom portion) of a housing 2.

[0013] The housing 2 including the cooling plate 10 is made of a metal such as aluminum and has a plate shape. A coolant flow path 12 is formed inside the cooling plate 10, and a coolant flows through the coolant flow path 12 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The coolant is cooling water such as long-life coolant (LLC) containing ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, or insulating oil such as paraffin. The coolant removes heat from the filter unit 30 and the inverter unit 40, which generate heat during operation, thereby lowering the temperatures of the filter unit 30 and the inverter unit 40. The amount of heat generated by the inverter unit 40 is greater than the amount of heat generated by the filter unit 30.

[0014] The filter unit 30 has an AC filter and removes noise contained in the AC power input from the AC power supply.

[0015] The inverter unit 40 converts AC power from an AC power source into high-voltage DC power and charges the battery with this DC power. The inverter unit 40 also converts power from the battery into three-phase AC power using a motor drive circuit (not shown), controls the frequency, and supplies it to a traction motor (not shown) to run the electric vehicle. In this embodiment, of the components that make up the inverter unit 40, only the smoothing capacitor 42 is shown. Below, a fixing structure for the smoothing capacitor 42 will be shown as a specific example of a fixing structure for the inverter unit 40 (first electronic component unit). The weight of the smoothing capacitor 42 is greater than the weight of the filter unit 30.

[0016] The cooling plate 10 has partition walls 20. The partition walls 20 are erected in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10. The partition walls 20 are formed integrally with the cooling plate 10. That is, the partition walls 20 are also made of a metal such as aluminum. The partition walls 20 have multiple (two in this embodiment) curved portions 22 when viewed (hereinafter also referred to as a plan view) in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 (hereinafter also referred to as a height direction). The curved portions 22 are formed throughout the entire height of the partition wall 20. The partition walls 20 having the curved portions 22 are stronger than those not having the curved portions 22, and are therefore more resistant to vibrations, shocks, and the like acting on the housing 2 (power conversion device 1) while the electric vehicle is traveling. Furthermore, when the housing 2 including the partition walls 20 is formed by die-casting, the curved portions 22 make the partition walls 20 less likely to warp.

[0017] The filter unit 30 and the inverter unit 40 including the smoothing capacitor 42 are disposed on one side and the other side of the partition wall 20. That is, the partition wall 20 is disposed at a position sandwiched between the filter unit 30 and the inverter unit 40. The curved portion 22 of the partition wall 20 has a convex shape that bulges toward the filter unit 30 in a plan view. That is, the curved portion 22 has a concave shape on the inverter unit 40 side in a plan view. The height of the partition wall 20 from the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 is higher than the height of the filter unit 30 and the smoothing capacitor 42 from the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). This makes it possible to suppress the influence of noise generated by the inverter unit 40 on the filter unit 30.

[0018] The filter unit 30 is configured by mounting components 34, such as reactors, on a substrate 32. The filter unit 30 is fixed to a plurality of (five in this embodiment) first bosses 14 extending from the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 of the housing 2 and a plurality of (four in this embodiment) first fixing portions 24 integrally formed on the partition wall 20. Specifically, the first bosses 14 and the first fixing portions 24 are formed with female threads, and the substrate 32 is fixed to the top surfaces 14a of the first bosses 14 and the first top surfaces 24a of the first fixing portions 24 by inserting bolts 60 into a plurality of (nine in this embodiment) through holes formed in the substrate 32 and screwing them into the female threads (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The mounted components 34 are arranged on the side of the substrate 32 that is closer to the cooling plate 10.

[0019] 3 and 4, the first fixing portion 24 stands upright from the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 and is integrated with the partition wall 20. As shown in Fig. 2, the first fixing portion 24 is disposed at a position where at least a portion thereof overlaps with the curved portion 22 in a plan view, and has a shape that protrudes from the partition wall 20 toward the filter unit 30.

[0020] 3 and 4, a heat dissipation member 36 is disposed between the mounted components 34 of the filter unit 30 and the cooling plate 10. The heat dissipation member 36 is in contact with both the mounted components 34 and the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10. This allows the heat generated in the filter unit 30 to be efficiently transferred to the coolant flowing through the coolant flow path 12 of the cooling plate 10, thereby suppressing a temperature rise in the filter unit 30.

[0021] 2, a smoothing capacitor 42 as a specific example of the inverter unit 40 is fixed to a plurality of (two in this embodiment) second bosses 16 extending from the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 of the housing 2 and a plurality of (two in this embodiment) second fixing portions 26 integrally formed with the partition wall 20. Specifically, female threads are formed in the second bosses 16 and the second fixing portions 26, and bolts 60 are inserted into through holes formed in a plurality of (two in this embodiment) protrusions 42b integrally formed with the case 42a of the smoothing capacitor 42 and screwed into the female threads, thereby fixing the smoothing capacitor 42 to the top surface 16a of the second boss 16 and the second top surface 26a of the second fixing portion 26 (see FIG. 2).

[0022] 3 and 4, the second fixing portion 26 stands upright from the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 and is integrated with the partition wall 20. The second fixing portion 26 is disposed in a recessed position in the curved portion 22 in a plan view (see FIG. 2), and has a shape that protrudes from the partition wall 20 (curved portion 22) toward the inverter unit 40.

[0023] In this embodiment, at least one (two in this embodiment) of the multiple first fixing portions 24 and one second fixing portion 26 that is arranged closest to the first fixing portion 24 are arranged opposite each other across the curved portion 22 in a plan view. Hereinafter, a combination of one first fixing portion 24 and one second fixing portion 26 that are arranged opposite each other will also be collectively referred to as a "pair of fixing portions." In this embodiment, two pairs of fixing portions are arranged. Note that in this embodiment, in addition to the pair of fixing portions, there are two locations where only first fixing portions 24 are arranged, but these are arranged at locations away from the curved portion 22.

[0024] In this way, a structure in which the filter unit 30 is fixed to the first fixing portion 24 formed on one side of the partition wall 20 integrated with the cooling plate 10, and the smoothing capacitor 42 is fixed to the second fixing portion 26 arranged on the other side of the partition wall 20 and opposite the first fixing portion 24, is one embodiment of the ``electronic component unit fixing structure.''

[0025] When the smoothing capacitor 42 is fixed, the bottom surface of the case 42a is in contact with the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10. This allows the heat generated in the smoothing capacitor 42 to be efficiently transferred to the coolant flowing through the coolant flow path 12 of the cooling plate 10, thereby suppressing a temperature rise in the smoothing capacitor 42.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the first fixing portion 24 is positioned higher than the second fixing portion 26 from the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10. As described above, the smoothing capacitor 42 weighs more than the filter unit 30. Furthermore, the center of gravity of the smoothing capacitor 42 is closer to the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 than the center of gravity of the filter unit 30, and is lower relative to the upper surface 10a. In this way, the filter unit 30, which is relatively light and has a high center of gravity, is fixed to the first fixing portion 24, which is positioned higher, and the smoothing capacitor 42, which is relatively heavy and has a low center of gravity, is fixed to the second fixing portion 26, which is positioned lower. This allows both the filter unit 30 and the smoothing capacitor 42 to be stably fixed to the housing 2, thereby suppressing the effects of vibrations, shocks, and the like acting on the power conversion device 1 while the electric vehicle is running on the filter unit 30 and the inverter unit 40. In particular, by aligning the center of gravity of the filter unit 30 with the height of the first fixed part 24 and the center of gravity of the smoothing capacitor 42 with the height of the second fixed part 26, the effects of vibrations, shocks, etc. acting on the power conversion device 1 while the electric vehicle is running on the filter unit 30 and the inverter unit 40 can be further suppressed.

[0027] Furthermore, by configuring the smoothing capacitor 42, which generates more heat than the filter unit 30, to be shorter in height than the filter unit 30, the heat generated in the smoothing capacitor 42 can be efficiently transferred to the coolant flowing through the coolant flow path 12 of the cooling plate 10.

[0028] Other Embodiments The embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured as follows other than the above-described embodiments (components having the same functions as the above-described embodiments are given the same numbers and symbols as the above-described embodiments).

[0029] (1) In the above embodiment, the curved portion 22 has a semicircular shape in a plan view, but is not limited to a semicircular shape. The curved portion 22 may have any shape as long as the shape increases the strength of the partition wall 20 and makes the partition wall 20 less likely to warp even when die-cast.

[0030] (2) In the above embodiment, the partition wall 20 has two curved portions 22, but the partition wall 20 may have one curved portion 22 or three or more curved portions 22. The number of curved portions 22 is arbitrary as long as the filter unit 30 and the inverter unit 40 can be fixed, the strength of the partition wall 20 is increased, and the partition wall 20 is less likely to warp even when die-casting is performed.

[0031] (3) In the above embodiment, two pairs of fixing portions are provided, but the number of pairs of fixing portions may be one or three or more. Furthermore, pairs of fixing portions do not have to be provided on all of the curved portions 22 of the partition wall 20. It is sufficient that a pair of fixing portions is provided on at least one curved portion 22.

[0032] (4) In the above embodiment, the first fixing portion 24 constituting the pair of fixing portions is disposed at a position where at least a portion thereof overlaps with the curved portion 22 in a plan view, but this is not limited to this. As long as the first fixing portion 24 and the second fixing portion 26 are disposed opposite each other with the curved portion 22 sandwiched therebetween, the first fixing portion 24 may be disposed at a position adjacent to or close to the curved portion 22, even if it does not overlap with the curved portion 22 in a plan view.

[0033] (5) In the above embodiment, the heat dissipation member 36 is arranged between the mounted components 34 of the filter unit 30 and the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10, but the heat dissipation member 36 may not be arranged and the mounted components 34 and the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 may be configured to be in direct contact with each other.

[0034] (6) In the above embodiment, the first fixing portion 24 is configured to have a height from the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 that is greater than the height from the upper surface 10a of the cooling plate 10 of the second fixing portion 26. However, this is not limited to this. The first fixing portion 24 may be configured to have the same height as the second fixing portion 26, or the second fixing portion 26 may be configured to have a height greater than the height of the first fixing portion 24.

[0035] (7) In the above embodiment, the partition wall 20 is formed integrally with the cooling plate 10, but this is not limited to this. The partition wall 20 may be formed separately from the cooling plate 10 and then joined to the cooling plate 10 by a method such as welding to form an integral structure.

[0036] (8) In the above embodiment, the fixing structure of the filter unit 30 and the inverter unit 40 of the power conversion device 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is also applicable to fixing structures of other electronic component units of the power conversion device 1. The present invention is also applicable to fixing structures of electronic component units built into devices other than the power conversion device 1.

[0037] Hereinafter, the following configuration is considered in the fixing structure of the electronic component unit described in the above embodiment.

[0038] <1> One aspect of the fixing structure for an electronic component unit includes a housing (2) having a bottom (10) and a partition wall (20) standing upright from the bottom (10), and a first electronic component unit (30) and a second electronic component unit (40) arranged on top of the bottom (10) with the partition wall (20) sandwiched between them, wherein the partition wall (20) has, in a planar view, a plurality of curved portions (22), a plurality of first fixing portions (24) for fixing the first electronic component unit (30), and a plurality of second fixing portions (26) for fixing the second electronic component unit (40), and at least one of the plurality of first fixing portions (24) and at least one of the plurality of second fixing portions (26) are arranged opposite each other with one curved portion (22) sandwiched between them in a planar view.

[0039] According to this aspect, the portion of the partition wall 20 where the curved portion 22 is formed has greater strength than other portions of the partition wall 20. Therefore, when the first fixing portion 24 and the second fixing portion 26 are arranged on the partition wall 20 facing each other with the curved portion 22 in between, the first electronic component unit 30 and the second electronic component unit 40 can be stably fixed to the housing 2.

[0040] <2> the above <1> In the fixing structure of the electronic component unit described above, it is preferable that the erection height of the first fixing portion (24) from the bottom portion (10) is greater than the erection height of the second fixing portion (26) from the bottom portion (10).

[0041] According to this embodiment, by setting the erection height of the first fixing portion (24) and the second fixing portion (26) from the bottom portion (10) according to the height of the electronic component unit, even if the first electronic component unit (30) and the second electronic component unit (40) are at different heights, each electronic component unit can be appropriately fixed.

[0042] <3> the above <2> In the fixing structure of the electronic component unit described above, the bottom (10) has a coolant flow path (12) through which a coolant flows to cool the first electronic component unit (30) and the second electronic component unit (40), and it is preferable that the heat generation amount of the second electronic component unit (40) is greater than the heat generation amount of the first electronic component unit (30).

[0043] According to this aspect, when the erection height of the second fixing portion (26) from the bottom (10) is lower than the erection height of the first fixing portion (24) from the bottom (10) and the corresponding height of the second electronic component unit (40) is lower than the height of the first electronic component unit (30), the heat generated in the second electronic component unit (40), which generates a larger amount of heat than the first electronic component unit (30), can be efficiently transferred to the coolant flow path (12) of the bottom (10).

[0044] <4> the above <2> In the fixing structure of the electronic component unit described above, it is preferable that the weight of the second electronic component unit (40) is greater than the weight of the first electronic component unit (30).

[0045] According to this aspect, the erection height of the first fixing portion (24) from the bottom portion (10) is greater than the erection height of the second fixing portion (26), and the weight of the second electronic component unit (40) is greater than the weight of the first electronic component unit (30). In this case, when the bottom portion (10) is used as a reference, if the height position of the center of gravity of the second electronic component unit (40) is lower than the height position of the center of gravity of the first electronic component unit (30), the first electronic component unit (30) having a higher center of gravity is fixed by the first fixing portion (24) which is located at a relatively higher position, and the second electronic component unit (40) having a lower center of gravity is fixed by the second fixing portion (26) which is located at a relatively lower position, thereby making it possible to stably fix both the first electronic component unit (30) and the second electronic component unit (40) to the housing (2). [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] The present disclosure is applicable to a fixing structure for an electronic component unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 2: Housing, 10: Bottom (cooling plate), 12: Coolant flow path, 20: Partition wall, 22: Curved portion, 30: Filter unit (first electronic component unit), 40: Inverter unit (second electronic component unit)

Claims

1. a housing having a bottom and a partition wall extending from the bottom; a first electronic component unit and a second electronic component unit disposed on the bottom portion and sandwiching the partition wall, the partition wall has, in a plan view, a plurality of curved portions, a plurality of first fixing portions for fixing the first electronic component unit, and a plurality of second fixing portions for fixing the second electronic component unit, A fixing structure for an electronic component unit, in which at least one of the plurality of first fixing portions and at least one of the plurality of second fixing portions are arranged opposite each other across one of the curved portions in a planar view.

2. 2. The electronic component unit fixing structure according to claim 1, wherein the first fixing portion extends from the bottom to a height greater than the second fixing portion extends from the bottom.

3. the bottom portion has a coolant flow path through which a coolant for cooling the first electronic component unit and the second electronic component unit flows, 3. The fixing structure for an electronic component unit according to claim 2, wherein the amount of heat generated by the second electronic component unit is greater than the amount of heat generated by the first electronic component unit.

4. 3. The fixing structure for an electronic component unit according to claim 2, wherein the weight of the second electronic component unit is greater than the weight of the first electronic component unit.

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