Power conversion device and vehicle

Abstract

To provide a power conversion device for converting a current, and a vehicle having the same.SOLUTION: A power conversion device 20 for converting a current includes: a main body unit 32 for converting a current input to a vehicle having the power conversion device; an output unit 36 that is separated from the main body unit 32 and has an output terminal unit 46 for outputting a current converted by the main body unit 32; and a conductive member 38 that connects the main body unit 32 and the output unit 36 to transmit a current from the main body unit 32 to the output terminal unit 46.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power conversion device that converts electric current and a vehicle equipped with the power conversion device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development into fuel cells has been conducted to contribute to energy efficiency, ensuring that more people have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and advanced energy.

[0003] For example, research and development is being conducted on fuel cell vehicles, which are vehicles that run on the output power of a fuel cell.

[0004] The fuel cell vehicle further includes a power conversion device. The power conversion device is a device that converts input power (see also Patent Document 1). The power conversion device of Patent Document 1 is disposed in the front of the fuel cell vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-187949 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The output power of the power conversion device is supplied to a rotating electric machine, a secondary battery, etc., which are provided in the fuel cell vehicle. Here, the output terminal portion of the power conversion device is connected to the rotating electric machine and the secondary battery via wiring members such as high-voltage cables.

[0007] It is preferable that wiring members such as high-voltage cables are arranged so as not to interfere with other members when pressure is applied to the front of the vehicle.

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A first aspect of the present invention is a power conversion device comprising: a main body that converts input power; an output unit that is separate from the main body and has an output terminal for outputting the power converted by the main body; and a conductive member that connects the main body and the output unit and transmits the power from the main body to the output terminal.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention is a vehicle equipped with a power conversion device according to the first aspect described above, wherein the power conversion device is installed in a power compartment of the vehicle that is formed forward of the passenger compartment, and the vehicle further comprises a dash panel installed between the power compartment and the passenger compartment, and a wiring member connected to the output terminal unit, the output unit being arranged below the main body unit, the output terminal unit being provided at the rear of the output unit, and the power compartment having a retraction space between the dash panel and the lower part of the vehicle for retracting the output unit and the wiring member rearward. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the degree of freedom in the layout of the wiring members is improved, and the wiring members can be arranged so as not to interfere with other members when pressure is applied to the front of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the fuel cell, the power conversion device, the dash panel, and the evacuation space. [Figure 3] Fig. 3A is an end view taken along line IIIA-IIIA in Fig. 2. Fig. 3B is an exploded view of the power converter of Fig. 3A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment.

[0014] In FIG. 1, arrow DF indicates the forward direction. Arrow DB indicates the backward direction, which is opposite to the forward direction. In FIG. 1, arrow DD indicates the downward direction (the direction of gravity). Arrow DU indicates the upward direction, which is opposite to the downward direction. The forward / backward direction and the up / down direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0015] The vehicle 10 is a fuel cell vehicle having a vehicle interior 12 and a power compartment 14. The power compartment 14 is disposed forward of the vehicle interior 12. However, at least a portion of the power compartment 14 (such as an evacuation space 28 described below) may extend below the vehicle interior 12.

[0016] The vehicle 10 also includes a dash panel 16, a fuel cell 18, a power converter 20, a rotating electrical machine 22, a secondary battery 24, and a plurality of wiring members 26 (261, 262).

[0017] The dash panel 16 is a plate member extending in the vertical direction so as to separate the passenger compartment 12 and the power compartment 14. A lower portion 161 of the dash panel 16 may be curved rearward. The dash panel 16 forms an evacuation space 28 between itself and the lower portion 101 of the vehicle 10. The evacuation space 28 is located between the lower portion 101 of the vehicle 10 and the passenger compartment 12.

[0018] The evacuation space 28 is an empty space within the power chamber 14. However, the evacuation space 28 has a size large enough to accommodate the output section 36 of the power conversion device 20 and the wiring member 26. The output section 36 of the power conversion device 20 and the wiring member 26 will be described in more detail later.

[0019] 2 is a perspective view showing the fuel cell 18, the power conversion device 20, the dash panel 16, and the evacuation space 28. The direction of this perspective view is along the arrow II in FIG.

[0020] 2, arrow DL indicates the left direction, and arrow DR indicates the right direction, which is opposite to the left direction. The left-right direction is perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down directions already described.

[0021] The dash panel 16 illustrated in this embodiment has a recess 16R recessed toward the rear. The recess 16R is formed in a lower portion 161 of the dash panel 16. In this embodiment, the escape space 28 refers to a space formed by the lower portion 101 of the vehicle 10 and, in particular, the recess 16R of the dash panel 16.

[0022] The fuel cell 18 is a power generating device that generates electricity by utilizing a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The fuel cell 18 is disposed in front of the dash panel 16 in the power compartment 14.

[0023] The hydrogen required for power generation is supplied to the fuel cell 18 from a hydrogen tank 30. The hydrogen tank 30 is provided, for example, at the rear of the vehicle 10 (see FIG. 1). The fuel cell 18 is supplied with air, for example. In this case, the fuel cell 18 can generate power by utilizing a chemical reaction between the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen tank 30 and oxygen in the air.

[0024] The power conversion device 20 is disposed in the power compartment 14, rearward of the fuel cell 18 and forward of the dash panel 16. The power conversion device 20 converts the electric power input from the fuel cell 18 and supplies it to the rotating electric machine 22, the secondary battery 24, etc. The power conversion device 20 includes, for example, a boost converter.

[0025] The rotating electric machine 22 rotates using the electric power supplied from the power conversion device 20. The rotational force of the rotating electric machine 22 is transmitted to the drive wheels (for example, the front wheels) of the vehicle 10 via a transmission or other transmission mechanism.

[0026] The secondary battery 24 is installed, for example, between the passenger compartment 12 and the lower portion 101 of the vehicle 10. The secondary battery 24 is also installed rearward of the evacuation space 28 (see FIG. 1). The secondary battery 24 stores power supplied from the power conversion device 20. The power stored in the secondary battery 24 is supplied to the rotating electric machine 22 as needed.

[0027] The power converter 20 and the secondary battery 24 supply power to the rotating electrical machine 22 via an inverter (not shown).

[0028] Each of the plurality of wiring members 26 is, for example, a high-voltage cable. The plurality of wiring members 26 includes a wiring member 261 and a wiring member 262.

[0029] The wiring member 261 connects the power converter 20 and the rotating electric machine 22. The power converter 20 supplies electric power to the rotating electric machine 22 via the wiring member 261.

[0030] The wiring member 262 connects the power conversion device 20 and the secondary battery 24. The power conversion device 20 supplies power to the secondary battery 24 via the wiring member 262. The wiring member 262 may be passed through the evacuation space 28. This makes it less likely that the wiring member 262 will interfere with other members.

[0031] Fig. 3A is an end view taken along line IIIA-IIIA in Fig. 2. Fig. 3B is an exploded view of the power converter 20 in Fig. 3A.

[0032] The power conversion device 20 will be further described below. The power conversion device 20 includes a main body 32, a buffer member 34, an output section 36, and a plurality of conductive members 381. The main body 32 also includes an input terminal section 40, a conversion module 42, and a first housing 44.

[0033] The input terminal unit 40 has an input terminal (input terminal group) that is connected to the fuel cell 18. The fuel cell 18 and the input terminal unit 40 are connected via a conductive member 382 (see FIG. 2). The conductive member 382 is, for example, a bus bar. The power generated by the fuel cell 18 is input to the input terminal unit 40 via the conductive member 382.

[0034] The input terminal section 40 is provided on the upper part of the main body section 32. However, the arrangement of the input terminal section 40 on the main body section 32 may be changed in design as needed.

[0035] The conversion module 42 includes a predetermined electric circuit that converts the input electric power. This electric circuit is, for example, a transformer circuit. The conversion module 42 is connected to the input terminal unit 40. The electric power of the fuel cell 18 is input to the conversion module 42 via the input terminal unit 40.

[0036] The first housing 44 houses the input terminal unit 40 and the conversion module 42. However, a portion of the input terminal unit 40 is exposed to the outside of the first housing 44 to allow connection between the input terminal unit 40 and the fuel cell 18. The first housing 44 also has a first communication portion 44O. The first communication portion 44O is an opening for communicating between the inside of the first housing 44 and the inside of the output unit 36. The first communication portion 44O is formed in a contact portion (contact surface) of the first housing 44 that comes into contact with the output unit 36.

[0037] The main body 32 described above may be attached to the fuel cell 18. For example, the front part 44F of the first housing 44 is attached to the fuel cell 18. In addition, a cooling path through which a refrigerant flows for cooling at least one of the main body 32 and the fuel cell 18 may be arranged between the main body 32 and the fuel cell 18.

[0038] The buffer member 34 is a guard member for absorbing stress that the main body portion 32 receives when pressure is applied from the front of the vehicle 10. By mitigating the stress that the main body portion 32 receives when pressure is applied from the front of the vehicle 10, the risk of the main body portion 32 being damaged is reduced.

[0039] The buffer member 34 is attached to the rear portion 32B of the main body portion 32. However, the arrangement of the buffer member 34 may be changed in design as needed. For example, the buffer member 34 may be attached to the side portion 32S of the main body portion 32. Furthermore, multiple buffer members 34 may be attached to the main body portion 32.

[0040] The output unit is a separate part from the main body 32. The output unit includes an output terminal unit and a second housing .

[0041] The output terminal section 46 has output terminals (output terminal group) connected to the multiple wiring members 26. The output terminal section 46 is provided so as to face a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the main body section 32 and the output section 36. In this embodiment, the arrangement direction of the main body section 32 and the output section 36 is the up-down direction. The output terminal section 46 illustrated in Figures 3A and 3B faces rearward.

[0042] The second housing 48 houses the output terminal portion 46. However, a portion of the output terminal portion 46 is exposed to the outside of the second housing 48 to allow connection of the output terminal portion 46 with the rotating electric machine 22, the secondary battery 24, etc. The second housing 48 also has a second communication portion 48O. The second communication portion 48O, together with the first communication portion 44O of the first housing 44, is an opening that communicates between the interior of the first housing 44 and the interior of the second housing 48. The second communication portion 48O is formed in a contact portion (contact surface) of the second housing 48 that comes into contact with the first housing 44.

[0043] The second housing 48 is fastened together with the first housing 44 using, for example, bolts. In this case, the first housing 44 attached to the fuel cell 18 can support the second housing 48.

[0044] This allows the output unit 36 ​​to be disposed in front of the evacuation space 28. In this case, when pressure is applied to the front of the vehicle 10, the output unit 36 ​​can move rearward to retreat into the evacuation space 28. Note that when the output unit 36 ​​moves rearward, the main body 32 may also move rearward together with the output unit 36.

[0045] By retracting the output portion 36 into the retraction space 28, the plurality of wiring members 26 connected to the output terminal portion 46 can also be retracted into the retraction space 28. As a result, interference between other members installed outside the retraction space 28 and the plurality of wiring members 26 retracted into the retraction space 28 due to the influence of the pressure described above is prevented.

[0046] As described above, the power converter 20 is disposed between the fuel cell 18 and the dash panel 16. That is, the power converter 20 is disposed between the fuel cell 18 and the evacuation space 28. In this case, the fuel cell 18 is not installed between the power converter 20 and the evacuation space 28. This allows for a simple layout of the wiring member 262.

[0047] Each of the plurality of conductive members 381 is, for example, a bus bar. A bus bar is a conductive member that can stably transmit a large current. The plurality of conductive members 381 pass through the first communication portion 44O and the second communication portion 48O. Therefore, a portion of each conductive member 381 is housed in the first housing 44. Furthermore, the portion of each conductive member 381 that is not housed in the first housing 44 is housed in the second housing 48.

[0048] Furthermore, the plurality of conductive members 381 connect the conversion module 42 and the output terminal unit 46. For example, each conductive member 381 is fastened to the conversion module 42 and the output terminal unit 46 together using a bolt.

[0049] The conversion module 42 and the output terminal unit 46 are connected via the plurality of conductive members 381, so that the electric power converted by the conversion module 42 is transmitted to the output terminal unit 46 via the plurality of conductive members 381. As a result, the electric power converted by the conversion module 42 is supplied from the output terminal unit 46 via the plurality of conductive members 381 to the rotating electric machine 22, the secondary battery 24, etc.

[0050] According to the above-described power conversion device 20, the main body 32 and the output section 36 are separate bodies, which increases the degree of freedom in the layout of the vehicle 10 with respect to the wiring member 26.

[0051] For example, the evacuation space 28 of the vehicle 10 exemplified in this embodiment is formed behind the power conversion device 20. In this case, in order to protect the wiring members 26, the output terminal portion 46, etc. as much as possible from pressure applied from the front of the vehicle 10, it is preferable that the output terminal portion 46 face the direction of the evacuation space 28.

[0052] Furthermore, the secondary battery 24 of the vehicle 10 exemplified in this embodiment is installed behind the power conversion device 20. In this case, in order to avoid interference as much as possible between the wiring member 262 connecting the power conversion device 20 and the secondary battery 24 and other members installed ahead of the power conversion device 20, it is preferable that the output terminal portion 46 to which the wiring member 262 is connected faces the secondary battery 24.

[0053] In view of the above, it is preferable that the output terminal portion 46 faces rearward in the vehicle 10 exemplified in this embodiment.

[0054] However, the layout of the vehicle 10 varies depending on the manufacturer and model of the vehicle 10. Therefore, there may be cases where it is desirable for the output terminal portion 46 to face rightward, leftward, or forward.

[0055] In this regard, in the power conversion device 20, the main body 32 and the output unit 36 ​​are separate bodies, so the orientation of the output terminal unit 46 can be changed without making any changes to the main body 32. Therefore, various layouts of the vehicle 10 can be easily realized.

[0056] [Inventions Obtained from the Embodiments] The invention that can be understood from the above-described embodiment and modifications will be described below.

[0057] <First invention> The first invention is a power conversion device (20) comprising a main body (32) that converts input power, an output section (36) that is separate from the main body and has an output terminal section (46) for outputting the power converted by the main body, and a conductive member (381) that connects the main body and the output section and transmits the power from the main body to the output terminal section.

[0058] This increases the degree of freedom in the layout of the wiring members, so that the wiring members can be arranged so as not to interfere with other members when pressure is applied to the front of the vehicle.

[0059] The conductive member may be a bus bar, which allows a large current to be transmitted stably between the main body and the output portion.

[0060] The first aspect of the invention may further include a buffer member (34) attached to the main body for protecting the main body from impact, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the main body.

[0061] <Second Invention> A second invention is a vehicle (10) equipped with the power conversion device (20) according to the first invention, wherein the power conversion device is installed in a power compartment (14) of the vehicle that is formed forward of a passenger compartment (12), and the vehicle further includes a dash panel (16) installed between the power compartment and the passenger compartment, and a wiring member (26) connected to the output terminal unit, the output unit being disposed below the main body unit, the output terminal unit being provided at the rear of the output unit, and the power compartment having an evacuation space (28) between the dash panel (16) and a lower part (101) of the vehicle for retracting the output unit and the wiring member rearward.

[0062] This makes it possible to protect the wiring members from pressure when pressure is applied from the front of the vehicle.

[0063] The second aspect of the present invention may further include a fuel cell (18) that is installed in the power chamber, further forward of the power converter, and supplies power to the main body. This prevents the fuel cell from getting in the way when the output unit and the wiring members are retracted into the retraction space.

[0064] The second invention may include a secondary battery (24) provided rearward of the evacuation space and between the passenger compartment and the underside (101) of the vehicle, and the wiring member may connect the output terminal portion (46) and the secondary battery (24). This allows the wiring member connecting the output terminal portion and the secondary battery to be laid out in the evacuation space, thereby preventing interference between the wiring member connecting the output terminal portion and the secondary battery and other members. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10...Vehicle 12...Car compartment 14...Power compartment 16...Dash panel 18... fuel cell 20... power conversion device 24... Secondary battery 26... Wiring member 28...Evacuation space 32...Main body 34...Buffer member 36...Output section 381...Conductive member 46...Output terminal portion 101...Underside of vehicle

Claims

1. a main body that converts input power; an output unit that is separate from the main body unit and has an output terminal unit for outputting the electric power converted by the main body unit; a conductive member that connects the main body and the output unit and transmits the power from the main body to the output terminal unit; Equipped with the output unit is detachably connected to the main body unit, A power conversion device in which, when the main body and the output unit are connected by the conductive member, the orientation of the output terminal unit can be changed to one direction that intersects with the direction from the main body to the output unit, and another direction that intersects with the direction from the main body to the output unit.

2. The power conversion device according to claim 1, The power conversion device, wherein the conductive member is a bus bar.

3. The power conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, The power conversion device further includes a buffer member attached to the main body portion for protecting the main body portion from impact.

4. A vehicle equipped with a power conversion device, The power conversion device is a main body that converts input power; an output unit that is separate from the main body unit and has an output terminal unit for outputting the electric power converted by the main body unit; a conductive member that connects the main body and the output unit and transmits the power from the main body to the output terminal unit; and is installed in a power compartment formed in the vehicle body forward of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, The vehicle is a dash panel installed between the power compartment and the passenger compartment; a wiring member connected to the output terminal portion; Furthermore, the output portion is disposed below the main body portion, the output terminal unit is provided at the rear of the output unit, The vehicle, wherein the power chamber has a retraction space between the dash panel and a lower portion of the vehicle, for retracting the output portion and the wiring member rearward.

5. 5. The vehicle according to claim 4, The vehicle further includes a fuel cell that is installed in the power chamber, forward of the power conversion device, and that supplies power to the main body.

6. 6. A vehicle according to claim 4 or 5, a secondary battery provided behind the evacuation space and between the passenger compartment and a lower portion of the vehicle; The wiring member connects the output terminal portion and the secondary battery.

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