Electrical equipment

Abstract

To provide electrical equipment equipped with a protective section to prevent foreign solid objects such as wires from approaching the heat dissipation fan. [Solution] An electrical device comprising a housing having a side wall 1, a heat dissipation fan 3 provided in an opening 2 of the side wall 1, and a box-shaped cover 4 provided on the outside side of the housing of the side wall 1 and covering the opening 2, wherein the cover 4 consists of a plurality of sheet metals 5 to 9 arranged on the front side, left and right side sides, top side, and bottom side as seen from the heat dissipation fan 3, and the sheet metal 9 on the bottom side comprises a heat dissipation port 10 that connects the inside and outside of the cover 4, and a wire mesh 11 that covers the heat dissipation port 10. The top surface of the sheet metal 9 is provided with a protective part 12 having an inclined surface 12a that extends at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the wire mesh 11, and moves further away from the wire mesh 11 as it goes outwards from the housing. Even if an external solid object such as a wire passes through the wire mesh 11 and enters the inside of the cover 4, the protective part 12 will come into contact with it, preventing it from approaching the heat dissipation fan 3.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical device having an outer shell that protects dangerous parts from the approach of foreign solids, and more particularly to an electrical device having a protection part that prevents the approach of wires or the like to an exhaust fan.

Background Art

Background Art

[0002] Based on the International Electrotechnical Commission Standard IEC 60529, the Japanese Industrial Standard JIS C 0920 stipulates the protection class (IP code) by the outer shell of electrical and mechanical equipment. Among these, in order to meet the condition of the protection class IP4X against the approach of solids (such as wires), it is necessary that solids with a diameter of 1.0 mm or more do not penetrate and an appropriate space distance is ensured between the dangerous part and the solids.

[0003] As an example of a configuration that meets the condition of IP4X, Patent Document 1 discloses an in-vehicle device having a wall part that protects power supply-related parts, which are dangerous parts, from the approach of foreign solids such as wires that have passed through the gaps in the housing. This wall part extends from the side wall inside the housing toward the gap in the housing along the side surface of the power supply-related parts, thereby preventing the approach of foreign solids to the power supply-related parts.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An electrical device having a heat-generating part such as a charger may have an exhaust fan for discharging the heat generated inside the housing to the outside. In such an electrical device, in order to prevent accidents such as a user's finger being caught by the blades of the rotating exhaust fan and getting injured, a wire mesh is often installed at the exhaust port formed near the exhaust fan.

[0006] However, in order to meet the IP4X requirements for protecting such cooling fans, according to the provisions of JIS C 0920, a configuration is required that can prevent a proximity probe with a diameter of 1.0 mm and a length of 100 mm from approaching the cooling fan during testing. Therefore, simply installing a wire mesh over the exhaust port is insufficient to prevent the proximity probe from entering. It is conceivable to ensure a sufficient space between the cooling fan and the exhaust port so that even if the proximity probe passes through the wire mesh, it will not approach the cooling fan, but this may be difficult to implement if the size of the electrical equipment is predetermined.

[0007] For the reasons described above, the challenge is to provide electrical equipment equipped with a protective section that prevents foreign solid objects such as wires from approaching the heat dissipation fan. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and one embodiment thereof is an electrical device comprising a housing having side walls, a fan provided in an opening in the side wall, and a box-shaped cover provided on the outside side of the housing of the side wall to cover the opening, wherein the cover consists of a plurality of sheet metals arranged on the front side, left and right side sides, top side, and bottom side as seen from the fan, the sheet metal arranged on the bottom side as seen from the fan comprises a heat exhaust port that connects the inside and outside of the cover and a wire mesh that covers the heat exhaust port, and the top surface of the sheet metal arranged on the bottom side as seen from the fan is provided with a protective portion having an inclined surface that extends at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the wire mesh, and moves away from the wire mesh as it goes towards the outside of the housing.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sheet metal positioned on the lower side as seen from the fan comprises an upper frame and a lower frame that sandwich the wire mesh from above and below, the protective portion is the upper frame, and the inclined surface is formed by bending a part of the upper frame.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined inclination angle is 30 degrees or more and 40 degrees or less.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, if the width of the inclined surface in the left-right direction as viewed from the fan is smaller than the width of the wire mesh, an additional guard is provided on the surface of the wire mesh so as to be in contact with the edges of the wire mesh in the left-right direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the above embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical device equipped with a protective part that prevents foreign solid objects such as wires from approaching the heat dissipation fan. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the cover of an electrical device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram showing the appearance of the heat dissipation fan cover in Example 1. [Figure 3] A schematic diagram showing the method of preventing access to solid objects according to Example 1. [Figure 4] A schematic diagram showing the configuration of the electrical equipment in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Figure 5] An exploded view showing the configuration of the heat exhaust port in Example 2. [Figure 6] An overhead view showing the heat exhaust port of the electrical equipment in Embodiment 3 of the present invention, as seen from the top side of the wire mesh. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Examples 1 to 3 of the electrical equipment according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] [Example 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the cover of an electrical device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the external appearance of the cover of a heat dissipation fan. Figure 1 corresponds to Figure 1, which shows the internal configuration of the cover with a portion of the cover omitted from Figure 2. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the method of preventing solid objects from approaching according to Embodiment 1.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical equipment includes an exhaust fan 3 that discharges heat generated inside the housing to the outside of the housing at an opening 2 in the side wall 1 of the housing. A box-shaped cover 4 that covers the opening 2 is attached to the outside of the side wall 1 of the housing as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The cover 4 is composed of a plurality of sheet metals, namely, a sheet metal 5 on the front side as viewed from the exhaust fan 3, sheet metals 6 and 7 on the left and right side surfaces, a sheet metal 8 on the upper side, and a sheet metal 9 on the lower side.

[0017] The sheet metal 9 on the lower side as viewed from the exhaust fan 3 is composed of a substantially L-shaped lower frame 9a with one side fixed to the side wall 1, a substantially L-shaped upper frame 9b fixed to the upper surface of the lower frame 9a, and a wire mesh 11 sandwiched and fixed between the lower frame 9a and the upper frame 9b. The lower frame 9a and the upper frame 9b each have openings of the same size, and these two openings overlap vertically to form an exhaust port 10 that communicates the inside and outside of the cover 4. The entire surface of the exhaust port 10 is covered with the wire mesh 11.

[0018] A protection member 12 serving as a protection part for protecting the exhaust fan 3 against solids that have entered through the wire mesh 11 is attached to the upper surface of the sheet metal 9. The protection member 12 has an inclined surface 12a. The inclined surface 12a extends away from the wire mesh 11 at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the surface of the wire mesh 11 and extends outward from the housing. The predetermined inclination angle is, for example, 30 degrees or more and 40 degrees or less. The width of the inclined surface 12a (the width in the left-right direction as viewed from the exhaust fan 3) is substantially equal to the width of the exhaust port 10.

[0019] The length of the inclined surface 12a in the extending direction is such that even when a solid (a solid with a diameter of 1.0 mm or more) passes through the farthest side of the wire mesh 11 from the exhaust fan 3 and enters the inside of the cover 4, the protection member 12 can contact the solid and prevent the solid from approaching the exhaust fan 3. The angle at which a solid can enter the inside of the cover 4 through the wire mesh 11 varies depending on the coarseness of the mesh of the wire mesh 11. The length of the inclined surface 12a in the extending direction is set to a length such that even if a solid enters the inside of the cover 4, it does not approach the exhaust fan 3, taking into account the coarseness of the mesh of the wire mesh 11, the position and size of the exhaust fan 3, etc.

[0020] According to Embodiment 1, a protection member 12 is provided above the exhaust port 10. FIG. 3 shows the inside of the cover 4 when a solid object 13 such as a test proximity probe or wire passes through the wire mesh 11 of the exhaust port 10 and enters the inside of the cover 4, as viewed from the side of the sheet metal 6 on the side surface. The broken line extending from the tip of the solid object 13 indicates the intrusion path of the solid object 13. As shown in FIG. 3, even when a solid object 13 such as a wire passes through the wire mesh 11 of the exhaust port 10 and enters the inside of the cover 4, the protection member 12 abuts on the solid object 13, thereby preventing the solid object 13 from approaching the exhaust fan 3. Thereby, an electric device satisfying the IP4X standard can be manufactured.

[0021] The protection member 12 is provided so as not to block either the exhaust fan 3 or the exhaust port 10 and to suppress the inhibition of the exhaust flow inside the cover 4. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the exhaust heat performance due to the installation of the protection member 12.

[0022] Further, the inclined surface 12a of the protection member 12 is inclined at an inclination angle of 30 degrees or more and 40 degrees or less with respect to the surface of the wire mesh 11. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the inhibition of the exhaust flow due to the installation of the protection member 12, and further suppress a decrease in the exhaust heat performance.

[0023] [Embodiment 2] [[ID=,15]]FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the electric device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing the configuration of the exhaust port in Embodiment 2. In Embodiment 2, the same components as those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0024] In Example 2, unlike in Example 1, no separate protective member 12 is installed. Instead, the upper frame 9c of the sheet metal 9 on the lower side as viewed from the heat dissipation fan 3 is provided with an inclined surface 9d to protect the heat dissipation fan 3 from solid objects that have entered through the wire mesh 11. In other words, in Example 2, the upper frame 9c, which has the inclined surface 9d integrally, serves as a protective part that protects the heat dissipation fan 3 from solid objects that have entered through the wire mesh 11. This upper frame 9c with the inclined surface 9d can be formed by changing the way the sheet metal is cut from Example 1 and adding bending.

[0025] In Example 2, the inclined surface 9d of the upper frame 9c extends at a predetermined inclination angle (for example, 30 degrees or more and 40 degrees or less) relative to the surface of the wire mesh 11, similar to the inclined surface 12a of the protective member 12 in Example 1, and moves further away from the wire mesh 11 as it goes outward from the housing. The width of the inclined surface 9d (width in the left-right direction as viewed from the heat dissipation fan 3) is approximately equal to the width of the heat dissipation opening 10. The length of the inclined surface 9d in the extension direction is set so that even if solid objects enter the inside of the cover 4, they do not approach the heat dissipation fan 3.

[0026] Example 2 achieves the same effects as Example 1. That is, even if a solid object such as wire passes through the wire mesh 11 and enters the inside of the cover 4, the inclined surface 9d comes into contact with the solid object, preventing the solid object from approaching the heat dissipation fan 3. This makes it possible to manufacture electrical equipment that satisfies the IP4X standard. Furthermore, the inclined surface 9d is provided in such a way that it does not block either the heat dissipation fan 3 or the heat dissipation port 10 and does not obstruct the flow of exhaust air inside the cover 4. Since it is inclined at an angle of 30 degrees or more and 40 degrees or less with respect to the surface of the wire mesh 11, the reduction in heat dissipation performance due to the provision of the inclined surface 9d can be suppressed.

[0027] Furthermore, in Embodiment 2, the upper frame 9c integrally includes the inclined surface 9d, which is the protective part. This reduces the number of components and thereby reduces manufacturing costs.

[0028] [Example 3] Figure 6 is an overhead view showing the heat exhaust port of the electrical equipment in Embodiment 3 of the present invention, as seen from the top side of the wire mesh. In Embodiment 3, components identical to those in Embodiments 1 and 2 are given the same reference numerals as in Embodiments 1 and 2, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0029] The basic configuration of Example 3 is the same as that of Example 2. However, unlike Example 2, the width of the inclined surface 9d (width in the left-right direction when viewed from the heat dissipation fan 3) is narrower than the width of the heat dissipation opening 10. Therefore, slits 9e are formed on both sides of the inclined surface 9d (both sides in the left-right direction when viewed from the heat dissipation fan 3), that is, between the parts of the upper frame 9c other than the inclined surface 9d and the inclined surface 9d. In Example 3, additional guards 15 are provided on the surface of the wire mesh 11 so as to be in contact with both ends of the wire mesh 11 (both ends in the left-right direction when viewed from the heat dissipation fan 3). The additional guards 15 are, for example, rectangular members, and the dimensions of each side are set to the minimum dimensions that can block the path through which solid objects can pass through the slits 9e and approach the heat dissipation fan 3.

[0030] Example 3 achieves the same effects as Example 1. That is, even if a solid object such as wire passes through the wire mesh 11 and enters the inside of the cover 4, the inclined surface 9d comes into contact with the solid object, preventing the solid object from approaching the heat dissipation fan 3. This makes it possible to manufacture electrical equipment that satisfies the IP4X standard. Furthermore, since the inclined surface 9d is provided so as not to obstruct the exhaust flow inside the cover 4 without blocking either the heat dissipation fan 3 or the heat dissipation port 10, and is inclined at a predetermined angle (for example, 30 degrees or more and 40 degrees or less) with respect to the surface of the wire mesh 11, the reduction in heat dissipation performance due to the provision of the inclined surface 9d can be suppressed.

[0031] Furthermore, in Example 3, by providing the additional guard 15, even when slits 9e are formed on both sides due to the dimensions of the inclined surface 9d, it is possible to prevent solid objects from approaching the heat dissipation fan 3.

[0032] Furthermore, in Example 3, the dimensions of each side of the additional guard 15 are set to the minimum value necessary to block the path through which solid objects pass through the wire mesh 11 and slit 9e and approach the heat dissipation fan 3. This makes it possible to suppress the decrease in heat dissipation performance caused by the installation of the additional guard 15.

[0033] Although the present invention has been described in detail only with respect to the specific examples described above, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a wide variety of modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, and it is natural that such modifications and alterations fall within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 1...Side wall 2…Opening 3…Cooling fan 4…cover 5-9... Sheet metal 9a…Bottom frame 9b…Top frame 10...Heat exhaust port 11…Wire mesh 12… Protective component 12a…Slope surface 13…Solid matter 9c…Top frame 9d…Slanted surface 9e... Slit 15... Additional guard

Claims

1. An electrical device comprising a housing having side walls, a fan provided in an opening in the side wall, and a box-shaped cover provided on the outside side of the housing of the side wall to cover the opening, The cover consists of multiple sheet metal pieces arranged on the front, left and right sides, top, and bottom sides as viewed from the fan. The sheet metal positioned on the lower side as seen from the fan comprises a heat exhaust port that connects the inside and outside of the cover, and a wire mesh that covers the heat exhaust port. An electrical device characterized in that the upper surface of the sheet metal, which is positioned on the lower side when viewed from the fan, is provided with a protective portion having an inclined surface that extends at a predetermined angle of inclination with respect to the wire mesh, and that moves further away from the wire mesh as it goes outward from the housing.

2. The sheet metal positioned on the lower side as seen from the fan comprises an upper frame and a lower frame that sandwich the wire mesh from above and below, The electrical equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the inclined surface of the protective part is formed by bending a part of the upper frame.

3. The electrical equipment according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the predetermined inclination angle is 30 degrees or more and 40 degrees or less.

4. The electrical equipment according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, if the width of the inclined surface in the left-right direction as viewed from the fan is smaller than the width of the wire mesh, an additional guard is provided on the surface of the wire mesh so as to be in contact with the edges of the wire mesh in the left-right direction.

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