Noise reduction device

Abstract

This invention discloses a noise suppression device that can handle high currents while simplifying the shape of a pair of conductive components, improving ease of assembly, and miniaturizing the entire device. [Solution] The noise reduction device 10 comprises an annular magnetic body 14 having an inner hole 16, and a pair of conductive members 12, 12 extending through the inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14. The pair of conductive members 12, 12 are made of a metal wire that can be formed and extend through the inner hole 16. In the inner hole 16, the pair of conductive members 12, 12 are arranged side by side with a gap between them, and connection parts 18, 20 are provided at both ends of each conductive member 12, 12 to which mating members 17, 19 are assembled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a noise removal device.

Background Art

[0002] In vehicles that run by motor drive such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, a bus bar, which is a current-carrying member through which a large current flows, is routed. In Patent Document 1, in order to remove noise from such a bus bar, it has been proposed to employ a noise removal device (filter device) in which an annular magnetic body such as a ferrite core is externally inserted with respect to a pair of bus bars.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=2l]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in order to cope with the increasing current of in-vehicle devices in recent years, the required cross-sectional area of the bus bar has been increasing. In order to secure the cross-sectional area of the bus bar formed by press punching a metal flat plate, instead of the plate thickness dimension that makes manufacturing difficult, it is dealt with by increasing the plate width dimension that has little influence on manufacturing. Therefore, a pair of bus bars with a large plate width dimension are arranged vertically so that the pair of bus bars are arranged opposite to each other with a gap in the plate thickness direction, and are arranged so as to penetrate the inner hole of the annular magnetic body. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1, at least one bus bar is extended so as to be separated from the other bus bar in the plate width direction so that an operator can access connection parts such as bolt fastening parts provided at both ends of each bus bar protruding from the inner hole of the magnetic body, and the overlap of the connection parts of each bus bar in the arrangement direction (vertical direction) is eliminated to enable the operator to access the connection parts from above or the like.

[0005] However, such conventional measures to handle high currents not only complicate the shape of the busbars, but also worsen the ease of assembly when arranging a pair of busbars by penetrating the inner holes of the magnetic material. As shown in Figure 10 of Patent Document 1, it is conceivable to increase the length of the long axis of the annular magnetic material and arrange a pair of busbars in parallel with a large gap in the long axis direction, but this inevitably increases the overall size of the device and is not a desirable solution.

[0006] Therefore, we disclose a noise suppression device that can handle high currents while simplifying the shape of a pair of conductive components, improving ease of assembly, and miniaturizing the entire device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The noise reduction device of the present disclosure comprises an annular magnetic body having an internal bore, and a pair of current-carrying members extending through the internal bore of the magnetic body, wherein the pair of current-carrying members are made of a formable metal wire and extend through the internal bore, the pair of current-carrying members are arranged side by side in the internal bore with a gap between them, and each current-carrying member is provided at both ends with a connecting portion to which a mating member is assembled. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The noise suppression device of this disclosure enables simplification of the shape of a pair of conductive members, improved ease of assembly, and miniaturization of the entire device, while also being able to handle high currents. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the noise reduction device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the noise reduction device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a plan view of the noise reduction device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4]Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the IV-IV section in Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the noise reduction device shown in Figure 1 with insulating retaining members attached to the magnetic material and the housing case containing the magnetic material. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a front perspective view of the insulating retaining member that constitutes the noise reduction device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a perspective view from the back side of the insulating retaining member shown in Figure 6. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a plan view of the insulating retaining member shown in Figure 6. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a front view of the insulating retaining member shown in Figure 6. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of XX in Figure 9. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a front perspective view of the noise reduction device according to Embodiment 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] <Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure> First, embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. The noise reduction device of this disclosure is (1) The device comprises an annular magnetic body having an internal bore, and a pair of conductive members extending through the internal bore of the magnetic body, wherein the pair of conductive members are made of a metal wire that can be formed, and extend through the internal bore, and the pair of conductive members are arranged side by side in the internal bore with a gap between them, and each conductive member is provided at both ends with a connecting portion to which a mating member can be assembled.

[0011] According to the noise reduction device of this embodiment, the pair of current-carrying members that penetrate the inner bore of the annular magnetic material are made of metal wires that can be formed and extend linearly with a constant cross-section, instead of thin-walled, wide busbars formed by press punching. Because the metal wires can be formed, the circumferential change in the radial dimension of the cross-sectional area of ​​the metal wire is kept small, so the dimensions can be increased not only in the width direction but also in the height direction, thereby increasing the cross-sectional area of ​​the current-carrying members. This makes it possible to advantageously respond to the demand for high currents. Furthermore, unlike conventional thin-walled, wide busbars, there is no longer a need to penetrate the inner bore of the annular magnetic material with the pair of busbars arranged vertically, and the pair of current-carrying members can penetrate the inner bore with a gap between them and arranged horizontally. Moreover, connection parts are provided at both ends of each horizontally arranged current-carrying member to which a mating member can be assembled. Therefore, unlike conventional structures, it is not necessary to extend the conductive members beyond a certain extent to eliminate overlap at the connection points of each busbar in the vertical direction in order to ensure worker access to the connection points. As a result, the shape of the pair of conductive members can be simplified, and the ease of assembling the pair of conductive members to the annular magnetic body can also be improved.

[0012] Furthermore, unlike conventional structures, there is no need to employ an annular magnetic material with a larger longitudinal dimension of the inner bore to eliminate overlap at the connection points of each busbar, which allows for a smaller overall size of the device.

[0013] Furthermore, any well-known annular magnetic material, such as ferrite cores or nanocrystalline soft magnetic cores, can be used as the annular magnetic material. In addition, any metal wire that can be formed can be used to constitute the conductive member, and this may include metal wires with rectangular cross-sections including squares, or metal wires extending with circular or elliptical cross-sections.

[0014] (2) In the above (1), an insulating holding member mounted in the inner hole of the magnetic body is further provided. The insulating holding member has an insulating partition wall extending axially through the inner hole of the magnetic body, and a pair of housing cylinder portions disposed with the insulating partition wall therebetween and each housing one of the pair of current-carrying members. This is preferable. Since the insulating holding member is mounted in the inner hole of the magnetic body, the pair of current-carrying members can be stably held in the magnetic body while ensuring insulation. Moreover, the insulating holding member is provided with a pair of housing cylinder portions separated by an insulating partition wall extending axially through the inner hole of the magnetic body, and each current-carrying member is housed in each housing cylinder portion. Therefore, compared with the conventional structure in which the space between the pair of bus bars passing through the inner hole is separated only by space, the risk of the pair of current-carrying members contacting each other can be suppressed or avoided.

[0015] (3) In the above (1) or (2), it is preferable that each of the current-carrying members extends in the longitudinal direction with a rectangular cross-sectional shape in which the ratio of the long side to the short side is within the range of 1 to 1.5. Since the current-carrying members extend with a rectangular cross-sectional shape, it is easy to secure surfaces for forming connection portions with other members at both ends and intermediate portions of each current-carrying member. Moreover, since the ratio of the long side to the short side is within the range of 1:1.5, the current-carrying members can be formed by forming process. Therefore, the current-carrying members and the noise removing device can be efficiently manufactured. <0000​(4) In the above (2) or (3) dependent on (2), the insulating holding member includes a first outer surface and a second outer surface that are oppositely arranged with the pair of the housing cylinder portions interposed therebetween in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the energizing member, and at least one of the first outer surface and the second outer surface is provided with an opening recess that opens at a position avoiding the housing cylinder portion. This is preferable. Since the insulating holding member includes the first outer surface and the second outer surface that are oppositely arranged with the pair of the housing cylinder portions interposed therebetween, the insulation with the magnetic body can be advantageously ensured. Moreover, since an opening recess is formed by opening in at least one of the first outer surface and the second outer surface, the insulation distance on the surface of the first or second outer surface can be advantageously increased by the opening recess, and the insulation between the pair of energizing members and between the energizing member and the magnetic body can be more advantageously ensured.

[0017] (5) In the above (4), the insulating holding member includes a third outer surface and a fourth outer surface that are oppositely arranged with the pair of the housing cylinder portions interposed therebetween in the arrangement direction of the energizing member, and locking claw portions that extend in a cantilever shape from the base end side toward the tip end side are provided on each of the third outer surface and the fourth outer surface. On the other hand, flange portions that protrude toward the magnetic body side are provided on the base end sides of the first outer surface and the second outer surface, respectively. By arranging the magnetic body between the flange portion and the locking claw portion, it is preferable that the insulating holding member is detachably assembled to the inner hole of the magnetic body.

[0018] By inserting the insulating retaining member into the inner bore of the magnetic material from the tip side, the locking claws elastically deform inward in the direction of the alignment of the conductive members. As each locking claw passes through the inner bore of the magnetic material, each locking claw elastically returns to its original shape and locks into the peripheral edge on the tip side of the inner bore of the magnetic material. The insertion end of such an insulating retaining member is defined by the flange portions protruding from the first and second outer surfaces contacting the peripheral edge on the base side of the inner bore of the magnetic material. As a result, the insulating retaining member is mounted to the inner bore of the magnetic material by sandwiching it between the locking claws and flange portions. In particular, by providing flange portions and locking claw portions that contact the peripheral edge of the inner bore of the magnetic material on the four surrounding surfaces (first to fourth outer surfaces) of the insulating retaining member, rattling of the insulating retaining member relative to the inner bore of the magnetic material can also be suppressed.

[0019] (6) In any one of (1) to (5) above, it is preferable that a pair of the magnetic materials extends straight through the inner holes of a plurality of the magnetic materials, and a relay connection portion is provided in the portion exposed between adjacent magnetic materials so that a relay conductive member can be connected. Since the pair of current-carrying members are made of metal wire that can be formed, and the relay connection portion is provided in the portion exposed between adjacent magnetic materials of a pair of current-carrying members arranged side by side, a relay conductive member can be connected to the current-carrying members that extend straight through the inner holes of each of the adjacent magnetic materials. This makes it possible to provide a compact noise reduction device with even higher noise reduction performance and greater wiring flexibility.

[0020] <Details of the embodiments of this disclosure> Specific examples of the noise reduction device of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims as indicated by the claims.

[0021] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, the noise reduction device 10 of Embodiment 1 of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. This noise reduction device 10 is installed inside an electrical junction box in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and removes noise in the conductive member 12 that connects the electrical components inside the electrical junction box. Specifically, the noise reduction device 10 comprises an annular magnetic body 14 made of ferrite or the like, and a conductive member 12 inserted into an inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14. The magnetic body 14, such as ferrite, functions as a low-pass filter to remove high-frequency components (noise) of the current flowing through the conductive member 12. The noise reduction device 10 can be positioned in any orientation, but in the following description, "up" refers to the top in Figure 4, "down" refers to the bottom in Figure 4, "left" refers to the top in Figure 3, "right" refers to the bottom in Figure 3, "front" refers to the left in Figure 3, and "rear" refers to the right in Figure 3. In addition, for multiple identical members, only some members may be given reference numerals, and the reference numerals for other members may be omitted.

[0022] <Noise reduction device 10> As described above, the noise reduction device 10 comprises a magnetic body 14 having an inner hole 16 and an energizing member 12 extending through the inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14. The noise reduction device 10 comprises a pair of energizing members 12, 12, and these pair of energizing members 12, 12 are arranged to be separated from each other in the left-right direction.

[0023] <Electrifying member 12> Each conductive member 12 is made of a metal wire that can be formed, and each conductive member 12 extending through the inner hole 16 is arranged side by side within the inner hole 16 with gaps between them in the left-right direction. The material of each conductive member 12 is not limited as long as it is a metal that can be formed and has good conductivity, but for example, copper (including copper alloys) or aluminum (including aluminum alloys) can be used. In Embodiment 1, each conductive member 12 is formed as a prismatic shape having a rectangular cross-section, and each conductive member 12 is formed by bending it into a predetermined shape by forming.

[0024] The rectangular cross-sectional shape of each conductive member 12 is not flat like a typical busbar, for example, but rather has a ratio of thickness (vertical dimension) to width (horizontal dimension) that is somewhat larger than that of a typical busbar. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the ratio of the length (horizontal dimension) b to the length (horizontal dimension) a of the shorter side (vertical dimension) a is preferably in the range of 1 to 1.5 (a:b=1:(1~1.5)), in other words, a≦b≦1.5a. As a result, the cross-sectional shape of each conductive member 12 is not flat, but is somewhat close to a square. In Embodiment 1, the cross-sectional shape of each conductive member 12 has a horizontal dimension that is slightly larger than the vertical dimension, resulting in a slightly horizontally elongated rectangle. Each conductive member 12 extends in the longitudinal direction with the above rectangular cross-sectional shape.

[0025] In particular, in Embodiment 1, the front portion of each current-carrying member 12 extends substantially straight in the front-rear direction, and these substantially straight portions are inserted into the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14. On the other hand, the rear portion of each current-carrying member 12 is bent to match, for example, the placement position of the electrical component to which each current-carrying member 12 is connected, and a rear connection portion 18 is provided at the rear end of each current-carrying member 12 as a connection portion to which a mating member 17, which is a component of the electrical component, is assembled. Furthermore, a front connection portion 20 is provided at the front end of each current-carrying member 12 as a connection portion to which a mating member 19, which is a component of another electrical component, is assembled. Note that the same mating member 17 may be connected to the rear connection portion 18 of each current-carrying member 12, or different mating members 17 may be connected. Similarly, the same mating member 19 may be connected to the front connection portion 20 of each current-carrying member 12, or different mating members 19 may be connected.

[0026] The rear connecting portion 18 and the front connecting portion 20, which constitute both longitudinal ends of each energizing member 12, have a smaller thickness dimension compared to the longitudinal middle portion of each energizing member 12, and bolt insertion holes 22 that penetrate in the thickness direction are formed in each of these rear connecting portion 18 and front connecting portion 20. The mating members 17 and 19 are fixed to each of the rear connecting portion 18 and front connecting portion 20 by bolts (not shown) inserted through each of these bolt insertion holes 22. In addition, nuts (not shown) may be fixed to each of the rear connecting portion 18 and front connecting portion 20 on the side opposite to the direction in which the bolts are inserted into each bolt insertion hole 22, and the rear connecting portion 18 and front connecting portion 20 may be fixed to the mating member by fastening the bolts inserted through each bolt insertion hole 22 to the nuts.

[0027] Furthermore, in the longitudinal direction of each current-carrying member 12, a relay connection portion 24 is provided at a position away from the insertion portion into the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14, allowing a relay conductive member 26 to be connected. In Embodiment 1, bolt insertion holes 28 are formed on both the front-rear and rear-direction sides of the insertion portion into the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14 in each current-carrying member 12, penetrating each current-carrying member 12 in the thickness direction, and the relay connection portion 24 is formed including the portion surrounding each bolt insertion hole 28. The shape of the relay conductive member 26 is not limited, but for example, it can be formed by a busbar with bolt insertion holes 30 formed at both ends. The relay conductive member 26 is fixed to the relay connection portion 24 with the bolt insertion holes 28 and 30 aligned with each other. For example, the relay conductive member 26 can be fixed to the relay connection part 24 by overlapping the relay conductive member 26 on the upper surface of the relay connection part 24 and fastening bolts (not shown) inserted through the bolt insertion holes 28, 30 to nuts (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the relay connection part 24. In this embodiment 1, each relay conductive member 26 is provided protruding upward from the relay connection part 24 of each current-carrying member 12.

[0028] By connecting the relay conductive members 26 to each relay connection section 24 in this manner, the conductive path can be branched from each current-carrying member 12 to the relay conductive members 26. In particular, in Embodiment 1, each current-carrying member 12 is prismatic in shape, and the upper surface of each current-carrying member 12 onto which the relay conductive members 26 are superimposed is a flat surface, so that bolt fastening between each relay connection section 24 and each relay conductive member 26 can be performed stably. Note that the method of fixing the relay conductive members 26 to each relay connection section 24 is not limited to bolt fastening, and known fixing methods such as welding can be used.

[0029] <Magnetic material 14> The magnetic material 14 is an annular member made of, for example, ferrite (particularly Mn-Zn ferrite) or nanocrystalline soft magnetic material, and as shown in Figure 4, its cross-section has an overall shape that is approximately oval or elliptical, with the left-right dimension being larger than the vertical dimension. An internal hole 16 is formed in the central part of the magnetic material 14, penetrating in the front-to-back direction, and this internal hole 16 has a horizontally elongated shape, with the left-to-right dimension being larger than the vertical dimension. In Embodiment 1, the internal hole 16 has a horizontally elongated, approximately rounded rectangular cross-section, and is formed with a constant cross-sectional shape over the entire length of the magnetic material 14 in the front-to-back direction.

[0030] The magnetic material 14 is housed in an insulating housing case 32, and the outer and inner surfaces of the magnetic material 14 are covered by the housing case 32. Specifically, the housing case 32 comprises an outer cylindrical portion 34 having a substantially oval or elliptical cross-section that covers the outer circumferential surface of the magnetic material 14, an inner cylindrical portion 36 having a substantially rounded rectangular cross-section that covers the inner circumferential surface of the magnetic material 14, and an annular front wall portion 38 and rear wall portion 40 that cover the front and rear surfaces of the magnetic material 14 and connect the outer cylindrical portion 34 and the inner cylindrical portion 36. A central hole 42 is formed by an inner hole in the inner cylindrical portion 36, which penetrates the central part of the housing case 32 in the front-to-back direction. The central hole 42 has a horizontally elongated substantially rounded rectangular cross-section, similar to the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14. In Embodiment 1, leg portions 44 that protrude outward in the left-right direction are integrally formed in the outer cylindrical portion 34 of the housing case 32. Metal collars 46 are fixed to each leg portion 44 in an embedded state.

[0031] The housing case 32, having the shape described above, can be formed as an integrally molded product by, for example, molding the housing case 32 with the magnetic material 14 and each color 46 set inside the molding cavity of the housing case 32. Alternatively, the housing case 32 may be composed of multiple members, and the housing case 32 having the magnetic material 14 inside may be constructed by assembling the multiple members with the magnetic material 14 housed inside.

[0032] <Insulating retaining member 48> An insulating retaining member 48 is fitted into the central hole 42 of the housing case 32 (i.e., the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14) to house and hold each current-carrying member 12. The insulating retaining member 48 is made of an insulating synthetic resin. As shown in Figures 6 to 10, the insulating retaining member 48 has an insulating partition wall 50 that extends axially (front-to-back direction) through the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14, and a pair of housing cylindrical portions 52, 52 arranged apart from the insulating partition wall 50, each housing one of the current-carrying members 12. In other words, the insulating retaining member 48 is provided with a pair of housing cylindrical portions 52, 52, and the insulating partition wall 50 is provided between them. In Embodiment 1, each housing cylindrical portion 52 extending in the front-to-back direction is provided spaced apart from each other in the left-to-right direction, and the insulating partition wall 50 is provided in the left-to-right central portion of the insulating retaining member 48. Each of these housing cylinders 52 has a greater front-to-back dimension than the insulating partition wall 50, and the front end of each housing cylinder 52 protrudes forward beyond the front end of the insulating partition wall 50.

[0033] In particular, in Embodiment 1, each housing cylinder 52 has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to each energizing member 12, and is a slightly elongated rectangular cross-section. That is, each housing cylinder 52 has an upper wall 54, a lower wall 56, left-right inward wall 58, and left-right outward wall 60 that surround each energizing member 12 from all four sides, and each wall 54, 56, 58, and 60 extends in the front-rear direction. The insulating partition wall 50 described above is formed by including a part of each left-right inward wall 58 in each housing cylinder 52.

[0034] More specifically, the insulating retaining member 48 includes an upper surface 62 as a first outer surface and a lower surface 64 as a second outer surface, which are arranged opposite each other with each housing cylinder portion 52 in between, in the vertical direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement (left-right direction) of each current-carrying member 12. In short, the upper surface 62 as the first outer surface of the insulating retaining member 48 is composed of the upper surface of the upper wall portion 54 of each housing cylinder portion 52 and the upper surface of the insulating partition wall 50. In Embodiment 1, the upper surface of each upper wall portion 54 and the upper surface of the insulating partition wall 50 are smoothly continuous, and the upper surface 62 is formed as a flat surface. Similarly, the lower surface 64 as the second outer surface of the insulating retaining member 48 is composed of the lower surface of the lower wall portion 56 of each housing cylinder portion 52 and the lower surface of the insulating partition wall 50. In Embodiment 1, the lower surface of each lower wall portion 56 and the lower surface of the insulating partition wall 50 are smoothly continuous, and the lower surface 64 is formed as a flat surface.

[0035] Furthermore, the insulating retaining member 48 includes a left surface 66 as a third outer surface and a right surface 68 as a fourth outer surface, which are positioned opposite each other with the housing cylinder portion 52 in between, in the direction of alignment (left-right direction) of each current-carrying member 12. In short, the left surface 66 as the third outer surface of the insulating retaining member 48 is formed by the outer surface of the left-right outward wall portion 60 of the left housing cylinder portion 52. Also, the right surface 68 as the fourth outer surface of the insulating retaining member 48 is formed by the outer surface of the left-right outward wall portion 60 of the right housing cylinder portion 52.

[0036] Here, a through-hole 70 is formed in the insulating partition wall 50 in the left-right central portion of the insulating holding member 48, penetrating in the front-rear direction. In Embodiment 1, the through-hole 70 is formed with a rectangular cross-sectional shape in which the vertical dimension is larger than the left-right dimension. In addition, at least one of the first outer surface (upper surface 62) and the second outer surface (lower surface 64) is provided with an opening recess 72 that opens into the insulating partition wall 50, in other words, at a position that avoids each housing cylinder portion 52. In Embodiment 1, at the rear end portion of the insulating partition wall 50, opening recesses 72 are formed on both the upper surface 62 and the lower surface 64. Each opening recess 72 penetrates the upper and lower wall portions that constitute the insulating partition wall 50, and the internal space of each opening recess 72 communicates with the internal space of the through-hole 70. That is, the internal space of the insulating partition wall 50 communicates with the external space not only through the openings on both the front-rear and rear sides of the through-hole 70, but also through the opening recesses 72 on both the vertical sides.

[0037] Furthermore, flange portions 74 projecting outward in the vertical direction, facing the magnetic material 14, are provided at the base end (rear end) of the first outer surface (upper surface 62) and the second outer surface (lower surface 64). In Embodiment 1, flange portions 74 are provided at the rear ends of the upper surface 62 and the lower surface 64, extending substantially along their entire length in the left-right direction. Each flange portion 74 has a predetermined vertical dimension, and in Embodiment 1, the aforementioned opening recesses 72 are formed spanning each flange portion 74. In short, each opening recess 72 is formed to penetrate through each flange portion 74 in the front-rear direction as well. A cylindrical projection 75 projecting rearward is provided at the periphery of the rear opening of the through hole 70, spanning the upper and lower flange portions 74. This ensures creepage distance between each current-carrying member 12, thereby ensuring insulation between each current-carrying member 12.

[0038] Furthermore, each of the third outer surface (left surface 66) and the fourth outer surface (right surface 68) is provided with a locking claw portion 76 that extends in a cantilevered manner from the base end (rear end) to the tip end (front end). Specifically, the left and right outer walls 60 of each housing cylinder portion 52 constituting the left surface 66 and the right surface 68 are provided with a pair of slits 78, 78 extending from the front end toward the rear at a predetermined distance apart in the vertical direction, and elastic tongue pieces 80 that can be elastically deformed in the left and right direction are provided between these vertically. As a result, each elastic tongue piece 80 protrudes in a cantilevered manner from the rear end to the front end, and each locking claw portion 76 is formed by providing a locking claw 82 at the protruding tip (front end) of each elastic tongue piece 80.

[0039] Each locking claw 82 has an inclined surface 84 at its front end that slopes backward as it moves outward in the left-right direction, and an orthogonal surface 86 at its rear end that extends in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. As a result, as will be described later, when the insulating retaining member 48 is fitted into the central hole 42 of the housing case 32, the inclined surface 84 of each locking claw 82 comes into contact with the inner surface of the central hole 42, causing each locking claw portion 76 to elastically deform inward in the left-right direction along the slope of each inclined surface 84. Furthermore, as each locking claw 82 passes through the central hole 42, each locking claw portion 76 elastically returns to its original shape, and the orthogonal surface 86 of each locking claw 82 locks onto the periphery of the central hole 42 in the housing case 32. As a result, the insulating retaining member 48 is assembled into the central hole 42 (inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14) of the housing case 32. On the other hand, with the insulating retaining member 48 assembled to the housing case 32, the insulating retaining member 48 can be removed from the housing case 32 by releasing the engagement between each locking claw 82 (each orthogonal surface 86) and the central hole 42. Therefore, in Embodiment 1, the insulating retaining member 48 is detachably assembled to the central hole 42 (the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14) of the housing case 32.

[0040] <Assembly method for noise reduction device 10> The following describes a specific example of how to assemble the noise reduction device 10. However, the assembly method of the noise reduction device 10 is not limited to the description below.

[0041] First, a housing case 32 integrally comprising the magnetic material 14 and each color 46 is molded. Then, the insulating retaining member 48 is inserted from the rear into the central hole 42 of the housing case 32. As a result, the inclined surfaces 84 of each locking claw 82 provided on the insulating retaining member 48 come into contact with the rear opening periphery of the central hole 42, and each locking claw portion 76 elastically deforms inward in the left-right direction along the inclination of each inclined surface 84. As a result, further insertion of the insulating retaining member 48 is permitted, and as each locking claw 82 passes through the central hole 42, each locking claw portion 76 elastically returns to its original shape, and the orthogonal surfaces 86 of each locking claw 82 are locked to the front opening periphery of the central hole 42. Furthermore, insertion of the insulating retaining member 48 into the central hole 42 is restricted by the fact that each flange portion 74 protruding outward in the vertical direction of the insulating retaining member 48 comes into contact with the rear opening periphery of the central hole 42. In this way, as shown in Figure 5, the insulating retaining member 48 is assembled to the housing case 32 (magnetic material 14). With the insulating retaining member 48 assembled to the housing case 32 (magnetic material 14), the housing case 32 (magnetic material 14) is positioned between each flange portion 74 and each locking claw portion 76 (in particular, each locking claw 82) in the front-rear direction.

[0042] Then, from the state shown in Figure 5, each energizing member 12 is inserted into each housing cylinder 52 from the rear. After that, if necessary, the relay conductive member 26 is fixed to the relay connection portion 24 of each energizing member 12 by a known fixing method such as bolt fixing. As a result, the noise reduction device 10 of Embodiment 1 is completed.

[0043] The noise suppression device 10 manufactured in this manner is attached, for example, inside an electrical junction box in a vehicle by bolts (not shown) inserted through each leg portion 44 (each collar 46). Furthermore, the front connection portion 20 and rear connection portion 18 of each current-carrying member 12 are connected to electrical components (or busbars, etc., extending from electrical components) inside the electrical junction box, thereby electrically connecting the electrical components inside the electrical junction box through each current-carrying member 12 of the noise suppression device 10. When current flows through each current-carrying member 12, noise in the current is removed by the magnetic material 14 provided around each current-carrying member 12.

[0044] In the noise reduction device 10 of Embodiment 1, which has the structure described above, each conductive member 12 is made of a metal wire that can be formed. This allows each conductive member 12 to be formed into a predetermined shape and maintain that shape. In particular, by maintaining the shape of each conductive member 12, electrical components (mating members 17, 19) that are located at offset positions not only in the front-to-back direction but also in the left-to-right and up-and-down directions within an electrical junction box can be stably connected by each conductive member 12. Furthermore, each of these conductive members 12 is arranged side by side (in the left-to-right direction) in the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14 (the central hole 42 of the housing case 32). This allows connection (for example, bolt fastening) with mating members 17, 19 from the up-and-down and front-to-back directions without making the longitudinal dimension of each conductive member 12 unnecessarily long. As a result, the noise reduction device 10 can be miniaturized. Furthermore, even when each current-carrying member 12 has a certain cross-sectional area, the magnetic material 14 does not increase in size in the vertical direction, thus avoiding an increase in the size of the magnetic material 14 and, consequently, the noise reduction device 10 in the vertical direction.

[0045] An insulating retaining member 48 is fitted into the inner bore 16 of the magnetic material 14 (the central bore 42 of the housing case 32). The insulating retaining member 48 comprises a pair of housing cylindrical portions 52, 52 and an insulating partition wall 50 located between them. This prevents misalignment of each current-carrying member 12 within the inner bore 16 of the magnetic material 14 and ensures insulation between each current-carrying member 12. In particular, the insulating partition wall 50 is provided with a through-hole 70 that penetrates in the front-to-back direction, and since each current-carrying member 12 faces each other in the left-to-right direction through the space inside the through-hole 70, insulation between each current-carrying member 12 is more stably ensured.

[0046] Each of these current-carrying members 12 preferably has a rectangular cross-section, with the ratio of the long side to the short side being within the range of 1 to 1.5. By setting the ratio of the long side to the short side within the above range, each current-carrying member 12 does not become flat like a typical busbar, and each current-carrying member 12 can have a larger thickness than a typical busbar. As a result, the cross-sectional area of ​​each current-carrying member 12 can be made larger than that of a typical busbar, and a noise suppression device 10 that can handle higher currents can be provided.

[0047] Furthermore, opening recesses 72 are provided at the rear ends of the upper surface 62 and lower surface 64 of the insulating retaining member 48, ensuring a creepage distance between each current-carrying member 12. This ensures insulation between each current-carrying member 12. In addition, the flange portions 74 and cylindrical projections 75 provided at the rear ends of the insulating retaining member 48 also ensure a creepage distance between each current-carrying member 12, thereby improving insulation between the current-carrying members 12.

[0048] The insulating retaining member 48 is provided with locking claws 76 on its left and right surfaces 66 and flanges 74 on its upper and lower surfaces 62 and 64. When the insulating retaining member 48 is fitted into the inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14 (the central hole 42 of the housing case 32), the magnetic body 14 (housing case 32) is held between the locking claws 76 (especially the locking claws 82) and the flanges 74 in the front-rear direction, so that the insulating retaining member 48 is stably held against the magnetic body 14 (housing case 32). In particular, the orthogonal surfaces 86 of each locking claw 82 are locked to the periphery on both the left and right sides of the front opening of the central hole 42, and the flanges 74 abut against the periphery on both the up and down sides of the rear opening of the central hole 42, so that rattling of the insulating retaining member 48 against the magnetic body 14 (housing case 32) can also be suppressed.

[0049] <Embodiment 2> Hereinafter, the noise reduction device 90 of Embodiment 2 of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 11. In Embodiment 2, a second magnetic body 14 is provided in the portion that extends straight forward from the front of each current-carrying member 12. In short, in Embodiment 2, each current-carrying member 12 extends straight through each inner hole 16 (central hole 42 of each housing case 32) of a plurality (two in Embodiment 2) of magnetic bodies 14. As a result, each magnetic body 14 can be arranged in series in the conductive path of each current-carrying member 12, thereby improving the noise reduction effect of the magnetic bodies 14. Since the other structures are the same as in Embodiment 1, the same effects as in Embodiment 1 can be achieved.

[0050] Furthermore, in Embodiment 2, each magnetic body 14 (each housing case 32) is arranged to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction, and the relay connection portion 24 of each current-carrying member 12 is exposed between each magnetic body 14 in the front-rear direction. Each relay conductive member 26 that protrudes upward is connected to each relay connection portion 24 that is exposed between each magnetic body 14 in the front-rear direction. In this configuration as well, the conductive path can be branched by each relay conductive member 26, and the same effect as in Embodiment 1 is achieved. Note that in the embodiment shown in Figure 11, each insulating retaining member 48 is attached to each magnetic body 14 (each housing case 32) on both sides in the front-rear direction in a direction facing each other in the front-rear direction, but each insulating retaining member 48 may be attached to each magnetic body 14 (each housing case 32) in the same direction.

[0051] <Variation> While Embodiments 1 and 2 have been described in detail above as specific examples of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited by these specific descriptions. Modifications, improvements, etc., to the extent that they can achieve the objectives of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications of embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0052] (1) In the above embodiment, each current-carrying member 12 had a rectangular cross-section, and each housing cylinder portion 52 had a rectangular cross-section corresponding to each current-carrying member 12, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The cross-sectional shape of each current-carrying member may be circular (including perfect circles, ovals, ellipses, semicircles, etc.) or a polygon other than a square. The cross-sectional shape of each housing cylinder portion may or may not correspond to the cross-sectional shape of each current-carrying member, and may be circular or a polygon other than a square, similar to the current-carrying members. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shapes of the left and right current-carrying members may be different, and the cross-sectional shapes of the left and right housing cylinder portions may be different. By making the cross-sectional shapes of the current-carrying members and housing cylinder portions polygonal, it is possible to prevent the current-carrying members from rotating around a central axis extending in the front-rear direction within the housing cylinder portion. Alternatively, by making the cross-sectional shape of at least one of the current-carrying members and housing cylinder portions circular, the current-carrying members may be able to rotate around a central axis extending in the front-rear direction within the housing cylinder portion.

[0053] (2) In the embodiment 1 described above, each current-carrying member 12 was inserted into each housing cylinder portion 52 of the insulating holding member 48 from the rear opening side (the side on which the locking claw 82 is provided in each locking claw portion 76). However, each current-carrying member may be inserted into each housing cylinder portion from the front opening side, or the insertion direction of each current-carrying member may differ in the left and right housing cylinder portions.

[0054] (3) In the above embodiment, the bending direction of each current-carrying member 12 shown in the figure is merely illustrative, and the bending direction of each current-carrying member can be set arbitrarily. Also, in the above embodiment, the noise reduction devices 10 and 90 are described as being installed inside the electrical connection box in the vehicle, but this is merely illustrative, and the noise reduction devices according to this disclosure can be installed in an appropriate location inside the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10. Noise reduction device (Embodiment 1) 12 Conductive components 14 Magnetic material 16 Internal bore 17 mating member 18 Rear connection section (connection section) 19 mating member 20 Front connection section (connection section) 22 Bolt insertion holes 24 Relay Connection Section 26. Conductive member for relay 28,30 Bolt insertion holes 32 storage cases 34 Outer cylinder part 36 Inner cylinder part 38 Front wall 40 Rear wall 42 Central hole 44 Legs 46 colors 48 Insulating retaining member 50 Insulating partitions 52 Storage cylinder section 54 Upper wall 56 Lower wall part 58 Inner wall in left and right direction 60 Left and right outer walls 62 Top surface (first outer surface) 64 Bottom surface (second outer surface) 66 Left surface (3rd outer surface) 68 Right side (4th outer side) 70 Through hole 72 Opening recess 74 Flange section 75 Cylindrical projection 76 Locking claw section 78 slits 80 Elastic tongue pieces 82 Locking claws 84 Slope 86 Orthogonal plane 90 Noise reduction device (Embodiment 2)

Claims

1. An annular magnetic material having an internal pore, The magnetic material comprises a pair of current-carrying members extending through the inner hole, The pair of current-conducting members are made of formable metal wire and extend through the inner hole, and within the inner hole, the pair of current-conducting members are arranged side by side with a gap between them. A noise reduction device in which connection parts are provided at both ends of each of the aforementioned energizing members to which mating members are assembled.

2. The magnetic material further comprises an insulating retaining member that is fitted into the inner hole of the magnetic material, The noise reduction device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating holding member has an insulating partition wall extending axially through the inner hole of the magnetic material, and a pair of housing cylinders arranged apart by the insulating partition wall, each housing a pair of the current-carrying members.

3. The noise reduction device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the current-carrying members extends in the longitudinal direction with a rectangular cross-sectional shape in which the ratio of the long side to the short side is in the range of 1 to 1.

5.

4. The insulating retaining member includes a first outer surface and a second outer surface that are arranged opposite each other with a pair of housing cylindrical portions in between, in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the current-carrying members are arranged. The noise reduction device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the first outer surface and the second outer surface is provided with an opening recess that opens at a position avoiding the housing cylinder portion.

5. The insulating retaining member includes a third outer surface and a fourth outer surface that are arranged opposite each other in the direction of arrangement of the current-carrying members, with a pair of housing cylindrical portions in between. The third outer surface and the fourth outer surface are each provided with a locking claw portion that extends in a cantilevered manner from the base end to the tip end, The base end sides of the first outer surface and the second outer surface are each provided with flange portions that protrude toward the magnetic material side. The noise reduction device according to claim 4, wherein the insulating retaining member is detachably assembled to the inner hole of the magnetic material by arranging the magnetic material between the flange portion and the locking claw portion.

6. The noise reduction device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a pair of the current-carrying members extend straight through the internal holes of a plurality of the magnetic materials, and a relay connection portion is provided at the portion exposed between adjacent magnetic materials, allowing a relay conductive member to be connected.

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