Electrical equipment and methods for connecting electrical equipment

Abstract

To facilitate connection work and to reduce the space of a connection portion when connecting a connection terminal of electrical equipment and a wiring.SOLUTION: Electrical equipment that has a bus bar at a connection terminal and uses a bus bar to connect the bus bar to a wiring extending from external equipment, and the bus bar is bent such that the longer the wire is, the shallower the angle becomes, depending on the length of the wire from the reference position to the bus bar. Then, the tip (end side of the wiring) of the bus bar beyond the bent position and the end of the wiring are connected to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric device and a method for connecting the electric device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, methods for connecting a connection terminal (wiring terminal) to a wiring (electric wire) in an electrical device such as a power converter have been used, such as directly connecting the end of the wiring to the connection terminal using welding or fasteners such as bolts and nuts, or by providing a bus bar on the connection terminal and connecting this bus bar to the wiring using welding or fasteners such as bolts and nuts.

[0003] One example of a technique for connecting wiring using a bus bar is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-251729 (Patent Document 1). In this patent document, a bus bar is formed by punching and bending a conductive metal plate, and the tabs standing from the bus bar are twisted to match the orientation of the female terminal to be connected, enabling direct connection without the need for an intermediate terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-251729 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In connecting a connection terminal of an electrical device to a wiring, a method is employed in which the connection end of the wiring is bent so that it is approximately parallel to the connection terminal before connection. This conventional wiring connection method will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 10 denotes an electrical device such as a power converter, and reference numerals 21 to 23 denote connection terminals of the electrical device 10. Reference numerals 41a and 41b denote electric wires constituting the wiring 41, and these electric wires 41a and 41b are connected to the connection terminal 21 while being bent so that they are approximately parallel to the connection terminal. The connection is made by welding or fasteners such as bolts and nuts. Similarly, reference numerals 42a and 42b denote electric wires constituting the wiring 42. Similarly, reference numerals 43a and 43b denote electric wires constituting the wiring 43. Reference numeral 60 denotes a partition plate located at the boundary between the electrical device 10 and an external device. The partition plate 60 has wiring holes for passing the wires 41 to 43. In such a configuration, when connecting the wires 41 to 43 to the connection terminals 21 to 23, it is necessary to bend the ends of the wires so that they are substantially parallel to the connection terminals before the connection.

[0006] However, when connecting a wiring terminal of an electrical device that requires a large current to pass through it, the cross-sectional area of ​​the wiring used to pass the large current must be large. As the cross-sectional area of ​​the wiring increases, its bending rigidity increases, making it difficult to easily bend the end of the wiring. Furthermore, due to its high rigidity, it is difficult to increase the curvature, and a curved section is required to achieve the required bending state, which requires a considerable amount of space. This also increases the length of the wire used for wiring. In particular, when an electrical device is housed in a housing, the housing volume becomes large, which is a major obstacle to achieving compactness. This is also true when connecting a bus bar to a connection terminal and the bus bar. In other words, conventional methods require bending the end of the wiring to connect the bus bar to the end of the wiring, resulting in the same technical issues as those described above.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an electrical device and a method for connecting an electrical device that facilitates the connection work when connecting the connection terminal (wiring terminal) of the electrical device to wiring and that can reduce the space required for the connection portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one example of the present invention is an electrical device that uses a bus bar, which has a connection terminal and connects the bus bar to a wiring extending from an external device, wherein the bus bar is bent so that the angle becomes shallower as the length of the wiring increases, and the tip of the bent bus bar is connected to the tip of the wiring.

[0009] Another example of the present invention is a method for connecting electrical devices using a bus bar, which is provided at a connection terminal of the electrical device and connects the bus bar to an end of a wiring extending from an external device, in which the bus bar is bent at an angle that becomes shallower as the length of the wiring increases, and the tip of the bus bar is connected to the end of the wiring. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a bus bar is provided on the connection terminal, and the bus bar is bent at a shallower angle as the length of the wiring increases, thereby eliminating or reducing bending of the end of the wiring. This makes it possible to provide an electrical device and a method for connecting an electrical device that facilitates the connection work when connecting the connection terminal of the electrical device to the wiring and reduces the space required for the connection. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a connection configuration of electrical devices according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged view showing a connection portion of the electrical device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electrical device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connection configuration of conventional electrical devices. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific examples. It should be noted that the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the contents of the examples described below, and those skilled in the art will readily understand that the configuration of the present invention can be modified without departing from the technical concept or spirit of the present invention. In the configurations of the examples described below, the same reference numerals are used for identical devices and parts having similar operations or functions, and redundant explanations may be omitted. The position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings are simplified to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and do not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component.

[0013] Example The configuration of an electric device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 1. The electric device 10 shown in the embodiment of Fig. 1 is assumed to be a three-phase reactor, which is an electric component of a power conversion device. The electric device 10 is provided with connection terminals (wiring terminals) 21, 22, and 23. Bus bars 31, 32, and 33, which have different bending angles, are provided (attached) to the connection terminals 21, 22, and 23, respectively.

[0014] In this embodiment, when bus bars are provided on the connection terminals, the bus bars 31 to 33 and the connection terminals 21 to 23 are separate bodies and are attached using fasteners such as bolts and nuts, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the connection terminals and the bus bars may be directly connected by welding or the like. Alternatively, the connection terminals and the bus bars may not be separate bodies, but may be integrated with the bus bars, with the ends of the bus bars extended to enable bending of the bus bars.

[0015] The ends of the wiring 41-43 used to electrically connect the electrical device 10 (more specifically, the connection terminals 21-23) to an external device (not shown) are connected to the tips of the bus bars 31-33 (portions of the wiring closer to the tips than the bent portions) by known methods such as welding or fasteners. In this embodiment, crimp terminals are provided at the ends of the wiring, and the crimp terminals are fastened to the tips of the bus bars using bolts and nuts to connect the wiring to the bus bars. The wiring 41 uses two electric wires, 41a and 41b. Similarly, the wiring 42 uses two electric wires, 42a and 42b, and the wiring 43 uses two electric wires, 43a and 43b, with crimp terminals at both ends. The reason for using two electric wires for the wiring is to allow a large current to flow. Therefore, in the present invention, it is not necessary to use two electric wires for the wiring; using a single electric wire will not pose any problems.

[0016] 1 are bus bars at the end of the external device to which the connection is made. These bus bars 51, 52, and 53 have different heights (lengths) to ensure an insulation distance for the protruding portions of the wiring connection bolts. Note that it is not essential for the present invention to configure the other connection end of the external device as a bus bar; it is sufficient if bus bars are provided at the connection terminals of the electrical device 10 to be connected.

[0017] The partition plate 60, which separates the electrical device 10 from the outside, has wiring holes through which the wires 41-43 pass. In this embodiment, the positions of these wiring holes are used as reference positions for determining the bending angles of the busbars 31-33. That is, the busbars 31-33 are bent so that the longer the wires are, the shallower the bending angle is, depending on the length of the wires from the position of these wiring holes (the reference position in this embodiment) to the busbars. This bending must be performed before connecting the wires to the busbars. However, since the length of the wires from the reference position to the busbars is generally known in advance, attaching the busbars to the connection terminals in a bent state at a predetermined bending angle can facilitate the connection between the wires and the busbars. Bending the busbars 31-33 in this manner shortens the length of the wires 41-43 to the reference position. This reduces the amount of wire used for wiring. For example, by designing the bending angles of bus bars 31, 32, and 33 to be shallower in ascending order of distance from the wiring hole (reference position) so that they are in a straight line toward the wiring hole provided in partition plate 60, the wiring between the wiring hole and bus bars 31, 32, and 33 can be made straight, thereby minimizing the wiring length.

[0018] Next, the connection between the wiring 41 and the busbar 31 will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the method of connecting the wiring 41 and the busbar 31 in Figure 1, and shows an enlarged view of the connection portion. Note that the other wirings 42 and 43 are connected to the other busbars 32 and 33 in a similar manner, and therefore the related reference numerals are written in parentheses in Figure 2. Reference numerals 211 and 212 are through-holes for connecting the busbar 31 and the connection terminal 21, and the busbar 31 and the connection terminal 21 can be fastened together by using these holes to fasten them with bolts and nuts or the like.

[0019] 2 is bent to correspond to the length from the reference position of the wiring 41 to the busbar in order to reduce bending at the end of the wiring 41. The wiring 41 is composed of two electric wires 41a and 41b, and crimp terminals 411a and 411b are provided at the ends of the electric wires. These crimp terminals 411a and 411b are fixed to the tip of the busbar 31 with bolts and nuts 70 as shown in the figure, thereby connecting the busbar 31 and the wiring 41 (electric wires 41a and 41b). This connection is not limited to fasteners such as nuts and bolts, and other known connection methods such as welding can also be used.

[0020] 2, in this embodiment, the bus bar 31 extends in the extension direction of the connection terminal 21. By starting to bend the bus bar 31 at a position away from metal parts including the reactor frame, it is possible to ensure an insulation distance.

[0021] Although FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the wiring hole (the reference position in this embodiment) of the partition plate 60 is provided at the left end of the partition plate 60, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the same effect can be achieved by providing a wiring hole in the center of the partition plate 60. Since FIG. 3 has the same configuration as FIG. 1, except for the position of the wiring hole in the partition plate 60, the description of FIG. 3 will be omitted. Also, while FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the wiring hole is provided in the center, the wiring hole may be provided in a position different from that shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Here, the reference position refers to a position that serves as a reference when setting the bending angle of the bus bar, and is not limited to the wiring hole. Furthermore, it is not necessary to provide the partition plate 60. Furthermore, the reference position may be a space for wiring provided on the side surface (for example, the bottom surface) of a housing that houses the electrical device 10.

[0022] According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the connection terminal is provided with a bus bar, and the bus bar is bent at a shallower angle as the length of the wiring increases, thereby eliminating or reducing the bending of the connection end of the wiring. This configuration facilitates the connection between the connection terminal of the electrical device and the wiring and reduces the space required for the connection. Furthermore, the bus bar can be extended in the extension direction of the connection terminal to ensure the required insulation distance. Furthermore, when the electrical device is housed in a housing, the volume of the housing can be reduced, thereby achieving a more compact design. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 10... Electrical equipment, 21-23... Connection terminal, 31-33... Bus bar, 41-43... Wiring, 41a, 41b, 42a, 43a, 43b... Electric wire, 51-53 Bus bar, 60... Partition plate, 70... Bolt nut

Claims

1. An electrical device using bus bars, each of which has a bus bar at a plurality of connection terminals, and which connects the plurality of bus bars to a plurality of wirings extending from an external device, the bus bar includes a connection portion for connecting to the connection terminal and a tip portion, the plurality of connection terminals are provided with the bus bars each having a different bending angle between the connection portion and the tip portion, the bus bar is bent such that the bending angle between the connection portion and the tip end portion becomes shallower as the length of the wiring increases, and the tip end portion of the bent bus bar is connected to the tip end portion of the wiring, The bending angle of the bus bar is set in accordance with the length of the wiring from a reference position to the bus bar, so that the longer the length of the wiring, the shallower the angle. The reference position is the position of a wiring hole provided in a partition plate provided between the external device and the electric device.

2. 2. The electrical device according to claim 1, The electrical device is characterized in that the bus bar is extended from the connection terminal to a length that ensures insulation.

3. A method for connecting an electrical device using bus bars, in which bus bars are provided at a plurality of connection terminals of the electrical device, and the bus bars are connected to a plurality of wires extending from an external device, the bus bar includes a connection portion for connecting to the connection terminal and a tip portion, the plurality of connection terminals are provided with the bus bars each having a different bending angle between the connection portion and the tip portion, the bus bar is bent such that the bending angle between the connection portion and the tip end portion becomes shallower as the length of the wiring increases, and the tip end portion of the bus bar and the tip end portion of the wiring are connected to each other; The bending angle of the bus bar is set in accordance with the length of the wiring from a reference position to the bus bar, so that the longer the length of the wiring, the shallower the angle. The method for connecting electrical devices, wherein the reference position is the position of a wiring hole provided in a partition plate disposed between the external device and the electrical device.

4. 4. The method for connecting electrical devices according to claim 3, The method for connecting electrical devices is characterized in that the bus bar extends from the connection terminal to a length that ensures insulation.

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