control unit

Abstract

To provide a control unit that enables effective protection of the ground busbar. [Solution] The control unit according to the present disclosure comprises an electronic control unit, a switch for switching the power of the electronic control unit on and off, a ground busbar electrically connected to the electronic control unit, and a protective panel covering the ground busbar, wherein the protective panel is configured to be removable when the power is turned off by the switch.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a control unit.

Background Art

[0002] Since a large current flows through the ground bus bar provided in a control unit that controls power supply, it is necessary to ensure the safety of users who inspect or remove the ground bus bar by effectively protecting the ground bus bar. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus including a bus bar welded to an electrode terminal of at least one energy storage element among a plurality of battery cells, and a cover member that covers the bus bar.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=??]] [[ID=??]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] [[ID=??]] Subsequently, effective protection of the ground bus bar is required for a control unit that controls power supply. [[ID=??]] [[ID=??]]

[0005] [[ID=??]] This disclosure has been made in view of the above background, and an object thereof is to provide a control unit capable of effectively protecting a ground bus bar. [[ID=??]]

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] [[ID=??]] Note: Some of the tags with "??" are not clearly numbered in the original, so they are left as they are in the translation. If there is more specific information about these tags, the translation can be further refined.The control unit according to this disclosure comprises an electronic control unit, a switch for switching the power of the electronic control unit on and off, a ground busbar electrically connected to the electronic control unit, and a protective panel covering the ground busbar, wherein the protective panel is configured to be removable when the power is turned off by the switch. The control unit according to this disclosure includes a protective panel covering the ground busbar, and since the protective panel is configured to be removable only when the power is turned off, the ground busbar can be effectively protected. This prevents users from touching the ground busbar while a large current is flowing, thereby ensuring the safety of users who inspect or remove the ground busbar.

[0007] The system may further include a switch box that houses the switch and is openable and closable, and a special tool for removing the protective panel, which is housed in the switch box together with the switch.

[0008] The dedicated tool may be installed in a way that allows it to be removed when the power is turned off by the switch.

[0009] The system may further include an alarm device that outputs an alarm when it detects user contact with the protective panel while the power supply is set to ON by the aforementioned switch.

[0010] The electronic control device may be configured to control the power supply from a current collection unit that collects electricity stored by multiple energy storage devices to a power converter. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] This disclosure provides a control unit that enables effective protection of the ground busbar. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1]This figure shows an example configuration of a power supply system equipped with the control unit related to this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the contents of the control unit relating to this disclosure, viewed from the front. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of the contents of the control unit relating to this disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the contents of the control unit relating to this disclosure, viewed from the front. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the switch box and its contents housed in the control unit shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The following describes specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied, with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Also, for clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been simplified as appropriate.

[0014] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a power supply system 1 equipped with a control unit 20 according to this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the power supply system 1 comprises a current collection unit 10, a control unit 20, a plurality of energy storage devices 30, and a power converter 40. In this disclosure, the case in which the power supply system 1 is equipped with eight energy storage devices 30 will be described as an example. Hereinafter, the eight energy storage devices 30 will also be referred to as energy storage devices 30_1 to 30_8.

[0015] Note that the right-handed XYZ Cartesian coordinate system shown in Figure 1 is for convenience in explaining the positional relationships of the constituent elements. In Figure 1 and other diagrams, for example, the Z direction is the vertical direction, the XY plane is the horizontal plane, and the X, Y, and Z directions are common across drawings.

[0016] The power collection unit 10 collects the electricity stored by each of the power storage devices 30_1 to 30_8 via the power collection cables C1 to C8. Then, the electricity collected by the power collection unit 10 is supplied to the power conversion device 40 via the power supply cable W1. The control unit 20 controls the supply of the electricity collected by the power collection unit 10 to the power conversion device 40. The power conversion device 40 converts the voltage of the electricity supplied from the power collection unit 10 to another level of voltage or converts the DC voltage to an AC voltage.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the contents of the control unit 20 according to the present disclosure as viewed from the front. Further, FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the contents of the control unit 20 according to the present disclosure. In FIG. 3, an A-A cross-section of the contents of the control unit 20 shown in FIG. 2 is shown.

[0018] Inside the control unit 20 (inside the housing), there are provided an electronic control device 201, a switch 202, a ground bus bar 204, a cable 205, a protection panel 206, a fastener 207, and a board 209.

[0019] The electronic control device 201 is provided on the board 209 mounted inside the control unit 20 and controls the supply of the electricity collected by the power collection unit 10 to the power conversion device 40. For example, the electronic control device 201 switches the presence or absence of the supply of the electricity collected by the power collection unit 10 to the power conversion device 40 or adjusts the supply amount of the electricity collected by the power collection unit 10 to the power conversion device 40.

[0020] The ground voltage terminal of the electronic control device 201 is connected to the ground bus bar 204 via the cable 205. The ground bus bar 204 is provided on the support base 210 installed on the board 209. The ground bus bar 204 and the cable 205 are fixed by a fastener 211. The ground bus bar 204 is grounded and shows, for example, 0V. The electronic control device 201 operates based on the potential of the ground bus bar 204.

[0021] The protective panel 206 is provided to cover the ground bus bar 204 so that a user does not accidentally touch the ground bus bar 204 through which a large current flows. In the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3, the protective panel 206 is fixed on the board 209 by the fasteners 207 and is provided to cover the lower side and the main surface of the support base 210 and the ground bus bar 204. Note that the upper sides of the support base 210 and the ground bus bar 204 are open for passing the cable 205. However, the shape of the protective panel 206 is not limited to the shapes shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and it is only required to cover the ground bus bar 204.

[0022] The ground bus bar 204 is a metal and plate-shaped member. For example, the ground bus bar 204 is formed of copper, brass (copper alloy), aluminum, or the like. The support base 210 is formed of an insulating member so that the current flowing through the ground bus bar 204 does not leak to the board 209 side.

[0023] The switch 202 switches the on / off of the power supply of the electronic control device 201. For example, the switch 202 switches between connecting and disconnecting the electronic control device 201 and the ground bus bar 204. For example, when the switch 202 is turned on, the electronic control device 201 and the ground bus bar 204 are electrically connected, and the power supply of the electronic control device 201 is turned on. On the contrary, when the switch 202 is turned off, the electronic control device 201 and the ground bus bar 204 are electrically are electrically disconnected, and the power supply of the electronic control device 201 is turned off. When the power supply is set to off by the switch 202, a large current does not flow through the ground bus bar 204. Therefore, when the power supply is set to off by the switch 202, the user can safely inspect or remove the ground bus bar 204.

[0024] Here, the protective panel 206 is configured to be removable when the power is turned off by the switch 202. For example, the protective panel 206 is configured so that the fasteners 207 can be loosened when the power is turned off by the switch 202. An alarm device may also be provided that detects if a user attempts to remove or touch the protective panel 206 while the power is turned on by the switch 202 and outputs an alarm.

[0025] Thus, the control unit 20 according to this disclosure includes a protective panel 206 that covers the ground bus bar 204, and the protective panel 206 is configured to be removable only when the power is turned off by the switch 202, thereby ensuring the safety of users who inspect or remove the ground bus bar 204. This prevents users from touching the ground bus bar while a large current is flowing through it, thus ensuring the safety of users who inspect or remove the ground bus bar 204.

[0026] (Modified example of the contents of the control unit 20) Figure 4 is a schematic front view of a modified example of the contents of the control unit 20 according to this disclosure. Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of the switch box and its contents housed in the control unit 20 shown in Figure 4.

[0027] Inside the control unit 20 shown in Figures 4 and 5, a switch box 203 and a special tool 208 are further provided. The switch box 203 is openable and closable and houses the switch 202 and the special tool 208. The special tool 208 is a tool for removing the protective panel 206. For example, the special tool 208 is a tool such as a wrench for loosening fasteners 207 consisting of bolts and nuts.

[0028] For example, when a user inspects or removes the ground busbar 204, they need to open the door of the switch box 203 and obtain the special tool 208 for removing the protective panel 206. When the door of the switch box 203 is opened, not only the special tool 208 but also the switch 202 is located inside the switch box 203. Therefore, the user can prevent forgetting to turn off the switch 202 before removing the protective panel 206. The special tool 208 may also be installed in a removable manner when the power is turned off by the switch 202. This ensures that the user does not forget to turn off the switch 202 before removing the protective panel 206.

[0029] As described above, the control unit 20 according to this disclosure includes a protective panel 206 that covers the ground bus bar 204, and the protective panel 206 is configured to be removable only when the power is turned off by the switch 202, thereby effectively protecting the ground bus bar 204. This prevents users from touching the ground bus bar while a large current is flowing through it, thus ensuring the safety of users who inspect or remove the ground bus bar 204.

[0030] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present disclosure can be made as can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1. Power supply system 10 Current collection unit 20 Control Units 30 Energy storage devices 40 Power converter 30_1~30_8 Energy Storage Devices 201 Electronic control unit 202 Switch 203 Switch Box 204 Grand Bus Bar 205 Cable 206 Protective Panel 207 Fasteners 208 Specialized Tools 209 board 210 Support stand 211 Fasteners C1~C8 Current collection cables W1 Power supply cable

Claims

1. Electronic control unit, A switch for turning the power of the aforementioned electronic control unit on and off, A ground busbar electrically connected to the aforementioned electronic control device, A protective panel covering the aforementioned ground busbar, A control unit equipped with, The protective panel is configured to be removable when the power is turned off by the switch. Control unit.

2. A switch box housing the aforementioned switch and capable of being opened and closed, A special tool for removing the protective panel, which is housed together with the switch in the switch box, It also has, The control unit according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned special tool is installed in a way that allows it to be removed when the power is turned off by the switch. The control unit according to claim 2.

4. The system further includes an alarm device that outputs an alarm when it detects user contact with the protective panel while the power is turned ON by the aforementioned switch. The control unit according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned electronic control device controls the power supply from a current collection unit that collects electricity stored by multiple energy storage devices to a power conversion device. The control unit according to claim 1.

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