Drive unit

Abstract

To provide a driving unit that includes two or more substrates, and suitably achieves press-fit connection of inter-substrate terminals.SOLUTION: A driving unit comprises two substrates of an end substrate 33 and a general substrate 31 that are provided in layers on the opposite side of a motor 80 with respect to a motor frame 840. A plurality of connector terminals 45 are electrically connected with the end substrate 33 by a press fit method at one end, and exposed to frontages of connectors 57, 58 at the other end. A plurality of inter-substrate terminals 43 are electrically connected between the general substrate 31 and the end substrate 33 by the press fit method. An inter-substrate terminal binder 63 holds an intermediate part of the plurality of inter-substrate terminals 43 to bind the plurality of inter-substrate terminals 43 adjacent to each other. Pressure receiving ribs (pressure receiving supports) 637 are provided between the general substrate 31 and the end substrate 33, are in contact with surfaces of the substrates 31, 33 facing each other, and receive the load applied during assembly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drive device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a drive device in which a motor and a control unit are integrally provided is known.

[0003] For example, in the drive device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the connector provided on the cover member has connector terminals for power supply and signals extending in the axial direction. The connector terminals are press-fit terminals capable of elastic deformation, and are press-fitted into conductive connection parts provided on the substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6443055 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the drive device of Patent Document 1, when the cover member is brought close to the frame member and assembled, it can be easily assembled by a press-fit connection that does not require soldering. Since soldering is not required, high temperature heating is not necessary, and energy consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced. In addition, the prohibited area on the board where elements cannot be mounted due to soldering is reduced, and the effective mounting area is increased. However, Patent Document 1 only discloses a configuration in which there is only one board and the connector terminal is directly connected to the board.

[0006] In contrast, there is a configuration in which two or more boards are arranged in a hierarchical structure within the control unit. Hereinafter, in this specification, the board among the two or more boards arranged closest to the connector is referred to as the "end board", and the one or more boards other than the end board are referred to as the "general board". For example, in a drive device having two boards, an inverter circuit that energizes the motor windings is mounted on the general board. Components such as a filter circuit and a communication driver are mounted on the end board. The general board and the end board are connected by inter-board terminals.

[0007] In such a two-board configuration, in addition to connecting the connector terminals to the end board, it is necessary to connect inter-board terminals between the end board and the general board. Furthermore, in a configuration with three or more boards, it is necessary to connect inter-board terminals between the general boards. Patent Document 1 does not mention the connection of inter-board terminals.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a drive device having two or more boards that suitably realizes press-fit connection of terminals between boards. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The drive device according to the present invention is configured integrally with a motor (80) including a stator (860) and a rotor (865), and a control unit (10) that is provided on one axial side of the motor and drives and controls the motor. The drive device includes a metal motor frame (840), two or more boards, a resin connector housing (50), a plurality of connector terminals (45), a plurality of board-to-board terminals (43), one or more resin board-to-board terminal binders (63), and one or more pressure-receiving supports (637, 77).

[0010] The motor frame is provided at the end of the motor on the control unit side in the axial direction. The two or more boards are provided in layers on the opposite side of the motor frame from the motor, and include an end board (33) provided on the side furthest from the motor frame, and one or more general boards (31) other than the end board. The two or more boards have electronic components mounted thereon that constitute the control unit.

[0011] The connector housing is a cylindrical member with a bottom, and has a top plate portion (561) facing the end board, and an outer tube portion (562) extending from the outer edge of the top plate portion toward the motor and having an end fixed to the motor or the motor frame. The connector housing has one or more connectors (57, 58) on the top plate portion, with their openings facing away from the end board.

[0012] The connector terminals are electrically connected at one end to the end board by a press-fit method and at the other end to an opening of the connector, and the inter-board terminals are electrically connected by a press-fit method between the general board and the end board, and between the general boards when there are two or more general boards.

[0013] The inter-board terminal binder holds intermediate portions of the inter-board terminals so as to bundle the adjacent inter-board terminals.

[0014] The pressure supports are provided between the general board and the end board, and between the general boards when there are two or more general boards. They abut against the surfaces of the opposing boards and receive the load applied during assembly.

[0015] In the present invention, both ends of a plurality of inter-board terminals bound with an inter-board terminal binder are press-fit connected to the boards by a press-fit method while a press-fit load is received by a pressure-receiving support provided between the boards. Therefore, in a drive device having two or more boards, a press-fit connection with small dimensional variation and stable quality can be efficiently realized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electric power steering device to which a drive device is applied; [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a motor unit of the drive device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow III in FIG. 2 . [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a control unit according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view taken along the V arrow in FIG. 4 . [Figure 6] (a) Plan view of connector terminal binder, (b) end board. [Figure 7] FIG. 2A is a plan view of an inter-board terminal binder according to an embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a plan view of an inter-board terminal binder according to another embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 8 are developments taken along the arrow IX of the board-to-board terminal binder. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a control unit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] 7 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of a control unit according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a control unit according to a reference embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the end board, showing the mounting positions of board-to-board connection components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, multiple embodiments of the drive device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In multiple embodiments, substantially the same configurations are given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted. The first to third embodiments are collectively referred to as "the present embodiment." The drive device of the present embodiment is applied, for example, as a steering assist motor of an electric power steering device, and the motor and a control unit that drives and controls the motor are integrally configured.

[0018] [Electric power steering device configuration] A schematic configuration of an electric power steering device 99 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Although a rack-assist type electric power steering device is illustrated in Fig. 1, a drive unit 800 of this embodiment is similarly applicable to a column-assist type electric power steering device. A steering system 90 including the electric power steering device 99 includes a steering wheel 91, a steering shaft 92, a pinion gear 96, a rack shaft 97, wheels 98, the electric power steering device 99, and the like.

[0019] A torque sensor 93 that detects steering torque is provided on a steering shaft 92 to which a steering wheel 91 is connected. A pinion gear 96 that meshes with a rack shaft 97 is provided at the end of the steering shaft 92. When the driver turns the steering wheel 91, the rotational motion of the steering shaft 92 is converted into linear motion of the rack shaft 97 by the pinion gear 96. A pair of wheels 98 connected to both ends of the rack shaft 97 are steered to an angle that corresponds to the amount of displacement of the rack shaft 97.

[0020] The electric power steering device 99 includes a drive device 800 in which a motor 80 and a control unit 10 are integrated, and a reduction gear 89 that reduces the speed of rotation of the motor 80 and transmits it to a rack shaft 97. The motor 80 is a two-system three-phase brushless motor having two sets of three-phase windings. The control unit 10 has at least a "two drive systems" configuration capable of supplying power to the two sets of three-phase windings by two inverter circuits. The motor 80 outputs steering assist torque by being supplied with three-phase AC power converted from DC power by the inverter circuit of the control unit 10.

[0021] The vehicle system connector 57 of the control unit 10 is supplied with DC power from a vehicle power supply 905, and also inputs and outputs communication signals to and from a vehicle communication network ("CAN" in the figure) 906. A sensor signal detected by a torque sensor 93 is input to the signal system connector 58 via a harness 94. In this way, the vehicle system connector 57 and the signal system connector 58 are configured as connectors with different openings.

[0022] [Drive system configuration] The overall configuration of the drive device 800 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The direction parallel to the rotation axis O of the motor 80 shown in Figure 2 is referred to as the "axial direction", and the view from the upper side of Figure 2 in the axial direction is referred to as the plan view. The control unit 10 is provided on one side of the motor 80 in the axial direction. In other words, the drive device 800 has a so-called "mechanically and electrically integrated" configuration.

[0023] The motor 80 has a motor case 830, a motor frame 840, a stator 860, a rotor 865, etc. The motor case 830 is formed in a generally bottomed cylindrical shape consisting of a bottom portion 831 and a cylindrical portion 832, and the control unit 10 is provided on the opening side. A groove forming wall 834 having a thin plate thickness is formed on the opening side end of the cylindrical portion 832 via a stepped portion 833.

[0024] The stator 860 is fixed to the inside of the cylindrical portion 832 of the motor case 830, and a three-phase motor winding 880 is wound around the stator 860. A rotating magnetic field is formed in the stator 860 by controlling the supply of electricity to the motor winding 880 by the control unit 10. The rotor 865 is provided inside the stator 50, and a shaft 870 is fixed to the center. The shaft 870 is rotatably supported by a front bearing 871 held by the bottom 831 of the motor case 830, and a rear bearing 872 held by the motor frame 840.

[0025] Rotor 865 has a plurality of permanent magnets 867 provided on the outer periphery of rotor core 866. Rotor 865 rotates about shaft 870 due to a rotating magnetic field formed in stator 860. A sensor magnet 875 for detecting the rotation angle is provided on the end of shaft 870 on the control unit 10 side.

[0026] Motor frame 840 is made of aluminum alloy or the like, and has frame portion 841, flange portion 842, heat sink 845, etc. Frame portion 841 is press-fitted into the inside of motor case 830. Flange portion 842 formed on the outer periphery of frame portion 841 abuts against step portion 833 of motor case 830. A seal groove 843 filled with adhesive is formed in an annular space defined by the outer wall of frame portion 841, the surface of flange portion 842 facing control unit 10, and the inner wall of groove forming wall 834 of motor case 830.

[0027] The connector housing 50 is formed of a resin material such as PBT, and has a bottomed cylindrical shape having a top plate portion 561 and an outer cylinder portion 562. A ring-shaped protrusion 563 protruding in the axial direction is formed at the tip of the outer cylinder portion 562. The outer cylinder portion 562 is fixed to the motor 80 or the motor frame 840 by inserting the protrusion 563 into the seal groove 843. The top plate portion 561 is provided with connectors 57, 58 with their openings facing away from the motor 80.

[0028] Fig. 3 shows an example of an arrangement of connectors 57, 58. Although Fig. 3 is a view seen in the direction of arrow III in Fig. 2, it is not drawn to the same scale as Fig. 2, but to the same scale as Figs. 6(a), (b), and 7(a), (b), which are plan views of components inside control unit 10. In Fig. 3, the x-axis is defined as the horizontal direction, and the y-axis is defined as the vertical direction. The x-axis and y-axis are referred to in the illustration of inter-board terminal binder 63 and connector terminal binder 65.

[0029] The vehicle connector 57 and the signal connector 58 may be provided in two sets for redundancy as shown in FIG. 3, or in other arrangements, one set may be provided. The configuration in which two sets of connectors 57 and 58 are provided is mainly adopted in a "completely two-system" drive device in which two systems of inverter circuits are connected to separate power sources and various signals are input and output redundantly. On the other hand, in a "two-system" drive device in which two systems of inverter circuits are connected in parallel to a common power source and various signals are shared between the systems, one set of connectors is mainly provided. In this embodiment, matters for each system are not mentioned, so in FIG. 3, the connectors of the two systems are not distinguished from each other and are given the same reference numerals "57" and "58".

[0030] The vehicle connector 57 is provided with two power terminals 45p including a positive power terminal connected to the positive electrode of the vehicle power supply 905 and a ground terminal connected to the ground, and five communication terminals 45c, for example, connected to a vehicle communication network 906 such as CAN. The power terminal 45p, through which a large current flows, has a connection portion with the harness formed in a rectangular column shape. The signal connector 58 is provided with six sensor terminals 45s, for example, connected to a harness 94 from the torque sensor 93. The symbols "45p", "45c", and "45c" indicating the type of connector terminal 45 are used only in FIG. 3. In FIG. 4 and subsequent figures, the terminals are uniformly referred to as "connector terminals 45" without distinction of use.

[0031] Two or more boards on which electronic components constituting the control unit 10 are mounted are housed inside the connector housing 50. The two or more boards are provided in layers on the opposite side of the motor frame 840 from the motor 80 (the upper side in FIG. 2).

[0032] Next, the configuration of the control unit of each embodiment will be described in order. The reference numerals of the control units of the first to third embodiments have the embodiment number added as the third digit following "10". The first to third embodiments include two boards. Configurations including three or more boards will be referred to as other embodiments.

[0033] (First embodiment) The configuration of the control unit 101 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 9. Fig. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the entire unit, and Fig. 5 shows an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the area surrounded by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 4, as viewed from the arrow V. Figs. 6(a), (b), 7(a), and (b) show plan views of a connector terminal binder 65, an end substrate 33, an inter-substrate terminal binder 63, and a general substrate 31, respectively. Fig. 8 shows a plan view of an inter-substrate terminal binder 63 of another embodiment, and Fig. 9 shows a development view of the inter-substrate terminal binder 63.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 4, two boards, a general board 31 and an end board 33, are provided in this order from the motor frame 840 side. In this specification, the names are distinguished solely by the arrangement of the boards, regardless of the functions of the electronic components mounted on the boards. The board provided on the side furthest from the motor frame 840, i.e., the board closest to connectors 57 and 58, is referred to as the "end board," and one or more boards other than the end board are referred to as the "general board."

[0035] In the first to third embodiments including two boards, one general board 31 and one end board 33 are provided. For example, an inverter circuit that energizes the motor windings 42 is mounted on the general board 31. Components such as a filter circuit and a communication driver are mounted on the end board 33.

[0036] 7(b), the general board 31 is formed with a screw hole 341 and a motor terminal hole 342. The general board 31 is fixed to a motor frame 840 with a screw 41, and a motor terminal 42 which is connected to a motor winding 880 is connected thereto.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 6(b) and Fig. 7(b), inter-board terminal holes 343 are formed in general board 31 and end board 33 at positions along the outer periphery. A plurality of inter-board terminals 43 are electrically connected between general board 31 and end board 33 by a press-fit method. Fig. 4 shows only three inter-board terminals 43 on each side out of the many inter-board terminals 43. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6(b), connector terminal holes 345 corresponding to four connectors 57, 58 are formed in end board 33 toward the center.

[0038] That is, in projection of motor 80 in the axial direction, the multiple inter-board terminals 43 are arranged in a region radially outward from the multiple connector terminals 45. Since connectors 57, 58 are provided near the center of top plate portion 561 of connector housing 50, the multiple connector terminals 45 are inevitably arranged in the central region. Therefore, by arranging the multiple inter-board terminals 43 in the radially outer region, the mounting space for boards 31, 33 can be used effectively.

[0039] One end of the connector terminal 45 is electrically connected to the end board 33 by a press-fit method, and the other end is exposed at the opening of the connectors 57, 58. In this embodiment, the configuration in which the multiple connector terminals 45 are inserted through the bottom of the opening of the connectors 57, 58 is not limited. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 4 etc., the multiple connector terminals 45 are not insert or outsert molded into the connector housing 50 before the control unit 101 is assembled, and are separated from the connector housing 50. Therefore, the multiple connector terminals 45 are first connected at one end to the end board 33, and then exposed at the opening of the connectors 57, 58 in the final assembly process. In FIG. 4, five connector terminals 45 are shown in the vehicle system connector 57 and two connector terminals 45 are shown in the signal system connector 58 according to the cross-sectional line in FIG. 3.

[0040] 5 shows an example of the configuration of electrical connection between inter-board terminal 43 and general board 31 and end board 33 by the press-fit method. The same applies to the connection portion between one end of connector terminal 45 and end board 33. In the following specification, when it is self-evident that "connection between terminal and board" means electrical connection, the word "electrical" will be omitted as appropriate. Connection portion 38 such as a via hole is provided in terminal hole 343 of general board 31 and end board 33. Connection portion 38 is electrically connected to electronic components or connection portions of other terminals via a conductive pattern, bus bar, etc. (not shown).

[0041] Press-fit connection is achieved by pressing press-fit portion 48, which is formed to be elastically deformable at the end of inter-board terminal 43, into terminal hole 345. The shape of press-fit portion 48, which has a through hole formed at the end of the terminal, is disclosed in Figures 6 and 7 of Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 6443055, corresponding US Publication: US10424991B2).

[0042] In a configuration in which terminals 43 and substrates 31, 33 are electrically connected by press-fit connection, no soldering is required, so high-temperature heating is not necessary, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In addition, the prohibited areas on substrates 31, 33 where elements cannot be mounted due to soldering become smaller, increasing the effective mounting area.

[0043] The resin inter-board terminal binder 63 holds middle portions of the inter-board terminals 43 so as to bundle the adjacent inter-board terminals 43. By bundling the inter-board terminals 43 with the inter-board terminal binder 63, the relative positional accuracy of the inter-board terminals 43 is ensured.

[0044] Here, a plurality of inter-board terminals 43 adjacent to each other within a specific range is defined as "a group of inter-board terminals." For example, in Figures 6(b) and 7(b), a plurality of inter-board terminals 43 arranged along the left periphery of end substrate 33 and general substrate 31 constitute "a certain group of inter-board terminals." Also, a plurality of inter-board terminals 43 arranged along the right periphery of end substrate 33 and general substrate 31 constitute "another group of inter-board terminals."

[0045] An inter-board terminal binder 63R according to one embodiment shown in Fig. 7(a) is formed as an annular integral part, and bundles two groups of inter-board terminals 43. Inter-board terminal binders 63A and 63B according to another embodiment shown in Fig. 8 are formed by dividing them into two parts in the circumferential direction, and each of them bundles one group of inter-board terminals 43. In Fig. 9, the reference numerals of the inter-board terminal binders 63R, 63A, and 63B according to each embodiment are collectively indicated as "63". As shown in Fig. 9, the inter-board terminal binder 63 has, for example, a pin header type configuration.

[0046] 4, 5, 9, etc., the inter-board terminal binder 63 is integrally formed with pressure-receiving ribs 637 that protrude from the surfaces of the body portion 635 on the general board 31 side and the end board 33 side toward both boards 31, 33. The pressure-receiving ribs 637 abut against the surfaces of the opposing boards 31, 33 and function as "pressure-receiving supports" that receive the load applied during assembly.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 5, the height Hs between both ends of the pressure-receiving rib 637 is set to be equal to the distance from the upper surface 312 of the general substrate 31 to the lower surface 332 of the end substrate 33. As shown in the left side of Fig. 5, a pair of pressure-receiving ribs 637 abutting on both substrates 31, 33 may be provided at the same position in the axial projection view. Alternatively, as shown in the right side of Fig. 5, the pressure-receiving ribs 637 abutting on both substrates 31, 33 may be provided at different positions in the axial projection view. In the example shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the pressure-receiving ribs 637 are provided at a total of four positions on both circumferential sides of each group of inter-substrate terminals 43.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 6(a), the resin connector terminal binder 65 holds the middle parts of the connector terminals 45 so as to bundle a group of connector terminals 45 corresponding to each connector 57, 58. A thickness recess 649 may be provided in the excess thickness part. The connector terminal binder 65 bundles the connector terminals 45, thereby ensuring the relative positional accuracy of the connector terminals 45. The connector terminal binder 65 illustrated in FIG. 6(a) is composed of two connector terminal binders 65h1, 65h2. Each of the connector terminal binders 65h1, 65h2 commonly bundles the connector terminals 45 corresponding to the adjacent vehicle system connectors 57 and signal system connectors 58 for each system. In addition, four connector terminal binders may be provided so as to bundle the connector terminals 45 for each vehicle system connector 57 and signal system connector 58 of each system. Alternatively, one connector terminal binder 65 may commonly bundle all the connector terminals 45 of the two systems.

[0049] 4, the resin connector housing 50 has a bottomed cylindrical shape in which an outer tube portion 562 extends from the outer edge of a top plate portion 561 facing the end board 33 toward the motor 80. A protrusion 563 formed at the tip of the outer tube portion 562 is inserted into an annular seal groove 843 filled with adhesive. When the connector housing 50 is assembled, a load receiving portion 564 provided at the end of the outer tube portion 562 abuts against a frame outer edge portion 844 of the motor frame 840.

[0050] 3, the top plate portion 561 is provided with the connectors 57, 58 whose openings face the opposite side to the end substrate 33. At the bottom of the openings of the connectors 57, 58, for example, terminal insertion holes 54 are formed into which the connector terminals 45 can be inserted with a clearance fit. Even if there is a gap on the outer periphery of the connector terminal 45, there is no risk of water or foreign matter entering when the harness is inserted into the connectors 57, 58.

[0051] As described above, in the first embodiment, the pressure-receiving rib 637 formed integrally with the inter-board terminal binder 63 functions as a "pressure-receiving support provided between the boards 31, 33." In a state in which a press-fit load is received by the pressure-receiving rib 637, both ends of the inter-board terminals 43 bound by the inter-board terminal binder 63 are press-fit connected to the boards 31, 33 by a press-fit method. Therefore, in the driving device 800 having a two-board configuration, a press-fit connection with small dimensional variation and stable quality can be efficiently realized.

[0052] Furthermore, since the pressure-receiving rib 637 functioning as a pressure-receiving support is formed integrally with the inter-board terminal binder 63, the number of parts and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

[0053] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, since the adjacent connector terminals 45 are bound by the connector terminal binder 65, the relative positional accuracy is improved, and therefore the connector housing 50 can be easily assembled by blind connection.

[0054] In addition, a load receiving portion 564 is provided at the end of the outer tube portion 562 of the connector housing 50. This prevents stress from concentrating on the connection portion between the connector terminals 45 and the end board 33 when the connector housing 50 is assembled.

[0055] Second embodiment Next, the control unit 102 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. In the second embodiment, a configuration similar to the pressure-receiving rib 637 of the inter-board terminal binder 63 is also applied to the connector terminal binder 65. The connector terminal binder 65 is integrally formed with a restricting rib 657 that protrudes from the surfaces of the body portion 655 on the end board 33 side and the top plate portion 561 side toward the end board 33 and the top plate portion 561. The restricting rib 657 abuts against the opposing surfaces of the end board 33 and the top plate portion 561 to restrict the assembly position of the connector housing 50. The height between both ends of the restricting rib 657 is set to be equal to the distance from the upper surface of the end board 33 to the lower surface of the top plate portion 561.

[0056] Here, in a configuration in which the connector terminals 45 are loosely fitted into the terminal insertion holes 54, the load during assembly of the connector housing 50 is relatively low. Therefore, the main function of the restricting rib 657 is to restrict the assembly position of the connector housing 50, rather than to bear the load applied during assembly. In the second embodiment, the restricting rib 657 is provided on the connector terminal binder 65, so that the connector housing 50 can be easily and accurately assembled in a blind connection.

[0057] Third embodiment A control unit 103 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In the third embodiment, one or more pressure-receiving supports 77 are provided that are separate from the inter-board terminal binder 63. The pressure-receiving supports 77 come into contact with the surfaces of the opposing boards 31, 33 and receive the load applied during assembly. The height Hs of the pressure-receiving supports 77 is set to be equal to the distance from the upper surface 312 of the general board 31 to the lower surface 332 of the end board 33. For example, the pressure-receiving supports 77 are disposed around the inter-board terminal binder 63. The pressure-receiving supports 77 may be made of metal or resin, and the method of fixing the pressure-receiving supports 77 to the boards 31, 33 may be set as appropriate.

[0058] In the third embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, both ends of a plurality of inter-board terminals 43 bound by an inter-board terminal binder 63 are press-fit connected to the boards 31, 33 by a press-fit method in a state in which a press-fit load is received by a pressure-receiving support 77 provided between the boards 31, 33. Therefore, in the drive device 800 having a two-board configuration, a press-fit connection with small dimensional variation and stable quality can be efficiently realized. In addition, because of the simple columnar shape, it is easily possible to accommodate changes in the inter-board dimensions of the control unit.

[0059] (Reference form) A control unit 108 according to a reference embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. In the reference embodiment, a commercially available board-to-board (BtoB) connector 71 is used as a configuration for electrically connecting the general board 31 and the end board 33 without soldering, instead of the press-fit type inter-board terminal 43. Figure 12 shows a state before connection in which the inter-board connection parts attached to the boards 31, 33 are separated.

[0060] A lower component 711 of the board-to-board connector 71 is surface-mounted on an upper surface 312 of the general board 31, and an upper component 713 is attached to a lower surface 332 of the end board 33. A plurality of pins 714 of the upper component 713 are inserted through holes in the end board 33 and electrically connected to a pattern (not shown) on the upper surface 333.

[0061] 13, the board-to-board connector 71 is disposed in a radially outer region of the connector terminals 45 when projected in the axial direction of the motor 80, similar to the inter-board terminals 43 in the first embodiment and the like. The type and number of the inter-board connection parts 71 are selected depending on the number of available pins, ratings, and the like.

[0062] Even in the configuration using board-to-board connector 71 as in the reference embodiment, high-temperature heating is not required because the terminals and the board are electrically connected without soldering, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In addition, the prohibited areas on boards 31 and 33 where elements cannot be mounted due to soldering are reduced, increasing the effective mounting area.

[0063] (Other embodiments) (a) The number of general boards is not limited to one, and two or more may be provided in layers. When there are two or more general boards, a plurality of inter-board terminals 43 are electrically connected between the general boards by a press-fit method. An inter-board terminal binder 63 is provided between the general boards to bundle the plurality of inter-board terminals 43 connected therebetween. Furthermore, a pressure-receiving rib 637 formed integrally with the inter-board terminal binder 63, or a separate pressure-receiving support 77 is provided between the general boards.

[0064] In a configuration including two or more general boards, the general boards are assembled one by one in order, starting from the bottom board closest to the motor frame 840 to the top board arranged directly below the end board 33. In the assembly process for each stage, both ends of a plurality of inter-board terminals 43 bound by the inter-board terminal binder 63 are press-fit connected to the boards by the press-fit method while receiving a press-fit load from the pressure-receiving rib 637 or the pressure-receiving support 77. This makes it possible to efficiently realize press-fit connections with small dimensional variation and stable quality.

[0065] (b) There may be one or more connectors provided on the top plate portion 561 of the connector housing 50. The number of connectors and the use of each connector terminal are not limited to those in the above embodiment, and may be set appropriately according to needs.

[0066] (c) The connection shape of the press-fit method is not limited to the one exemplified in the drawings of the above embodiment. For example, as disclosed in Figures 10 to 12 of Patent Document 1, a pair of opposing claws may be in elastic contact with the side surfaces of the terminal.

[0067] (d) In addition to the example configuration shown in Fig. 4 etc., as a configuration in which a plurality of connector terminals 45 are inserted through the bottom of the opening of connectors 57, 58, the connector terminals 45 may be insert- or outsert-molded into connector housing 50 at a stage prior to assembling control unit 101. In that case, since the plurality of connector terminals 45 are already bundled, there is no need to further provide connector terminal binder 65.

[0068] (e) The drive unit 800 of the present invention is not limited to being used as a steering assist motor for an electric power steering device, and may be used as a reaction motor or a steering motor for a steer-by-wire system, or as a drive unit for any other motor.

[0069] As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 10(101-103)...Control unit, 31 General board, 33 End board, 43 .... Board-to-board terminal, 45 .... Connector terminal, 50 ··· connector housing, 561 ... top plate portion, 562 ... outer cylinder portion, 57, 58: Connector, 637···Pressure rib (pressure support), 77···Pressure support, 80···motor, 860···stator, 865···rotor.

Claims

1. A drive device comprising a motor (80) including a stator (860) and a rotor (865), and a control unit (10) provided on one side of the motor in the axial direction for controlling the motor, the drive device being integrally configured, a metal motor frame (840) provided at an axial end of the motor on the control unit side; two or more boards on which electronic components constituting the control unit are mounted, the two or more boards including an end board (33) provided on the side opposite to the motor frame and furthest from the motor frame, and one or more general boards (31) other than the end board, the two or more boards being provided in layers on the side opposite to the motor frame and on which electronic components constituting the control unit are mounted; a resin connector housing (50) having a bottomed tubular shape including a top plate portion (561) facing the end board and an outer tubular portion (562) extending from an outer edge of the top plate portion toward the motor and having an end fixed to the motor or the motor frame, the top plate portion having one or more connectors (57, 58) with an opening facing the opposite side to the end board; A plurality of connector terminals (45) each having one end electrically connected to the end board by a press-fit method and the other end exposed to an opening of the connector; a plurality of inter-board terminals (43) electrically connected by a press-fit method between the general board and the end board, and between the general boards when the number of the general boards is two or more; one or more resin inter-board terminal binders (63) for holding intermediate portions of the inter-board terminals so as to bundle the adjacent inter-board terminals; One or more pressure-receiving supports (637, 77) are provided between the general board and the end board, and between the general boards when the number of the general boards is two or more, and are in contact with the surfaces of the boards facing each other to receive a load applied during assembly; A drive unit comprising:

2. The drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the inter-board terminal binder is integrally formed with a pressure-receiving rib (637) that functions as the pressure-receiving support.

3. 3. The drive device according to claim 1, further comprising one or more resin connector terminal binders (65) for holding intermediate portions of the connector terminals so as to bundle the connector terminals adjacent to each other.

4. 4. The drive device according to claim 3, wherein the connector terminal binder is integrally formed with a restricting rib (657) that abuts against opposing surfaces of the end board and the top plate portion and restricts an assembly position of the connector housing.

5. The drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connector housing is provided with a load receiving portion (564) at an end of the outer cylindrical portion, the load receiving portion abutting against the motor frame.

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