Integrated module

Abstract

This integrated module comprises: a plurality of drivers which respectively energize a plurality of auxiliary apparatuses mounted on a vehicle; a common substrate on which the plurality of drivers are mounted; and a module housing which holds the substrate.

Description

Aggregation Module

[0001] The present invention relates to an aggregation module that includes a driver for energizing accessories mounted on a vehicle.

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles are equipped with various accessories (e.g., electric pumps, valve devices, etc.). These accessories are energized by the driver. Technology related to such drivers is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1, the source of which is shown below.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes an inverter device that includes a power module with a switching element, a cooling module that cools the power module, a control board that includes a control circuit that controls the switching element, an AC bus bar connected to an AC terminal of the power module, and a current sensor that detects a current flowing through the AC bus bar.

[0004] JP 2017-153228 A

[0005] The inverter device described in Patent Document 1 is miniaturized by providing a control board with a power module mounted on one side of the cooling module and providing an AC bus bar and a current sensor on the other side of the cooling module. However, as described above, a vehicle is equipped with various accessories, and providing an inverter device for each accessory would result in a large size. Therefore, when considering compatibility with multiple accessories, there is room for improvement in miniaturization.

[0006] Therefore, there is a demand for an aggregation module that can be made smaller.

[0007] The characteristic configuration of the aggregation module of the present invention is that it comprises a plurality of drivers that supply power to each of a plurality of auxiliary devices installed in a vehicle, a common board on which the plurality of drivers are mounted, and a module housing that holds the board.

[0008] With this characteristic configuration, multiple drivers can be aggregated and mounted on a common board, which allows for a smaller size compared to when multiple drivers are mounted on separate boards. This makes it possible to reduce the weight of the aggregated module. Furthermore, when considering installation in a vehicle, the smaller size allows for greater flexibility in installation.

[0009] Another characteristic feature of the aggregation module of the present invention is that it comprises a plurality of drivers that energize each of a plurality of auxiliary devices mounted on a vehicle, a common board on which the plurality of drivers are mounted, and a module housing that holds the board, and distributes coolant to a plurality of devices mounted on the vehicle.

[0010] With this characteristic configuration, the aggregation module can be made smaller as described above, and the coolant can be distributed to multiple devices mounted on the vehicle, making it possible to appropriately cool the devices.

[0011] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a cooling module, a diagram of a circuit board seen from above, and a diagram of a vehicle cooling circuit.

[0012] The aggregation module according to the present invention is configured so that a plurality of drivers can be mounted on a board. Hereinafter, an aggregation module 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of the aggregation module 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the aggregation module 1 is configured to include a driver 82, a board 20, and a module housing 30. Fig. 2 shows a view of the board 20 as seen from above.

[0014] A plurality of drivers 82 are provided, and each driver supplies electricity to a plurality of auxiliary devices 2 mounted on the vehicle. The plurality of auxiliary devices 2 mounted on the vehicle are a plurality of devices that assist in driving a power source (e.g., an engine or a rotating electric machine) that runs (drives) the vehicle in which the integrated module 1 is mounted. Examples of such auxiliary devices 2 include a generator, a radiator, an oil pump, a water pump, motors for driving these pumps, and a valve device. A vehicle is equipped with such a plurality of auxiliary devices 2, and in this embodiment, the plurality of auxiliary devices 2 includes a motor 81, a water pump (an example of a "pump") 3, and a valve device 4. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the motor 81 drives the valve device 4. The motor 81, the water pump 3, and the valve device 4 will be described later.

[0015] The driver 82 energizes the motor 81 and the water pump 3. The driver 82 can be configured to include a plurality of arm sections each having a high-side switching element and a low-side switching element connected in series with each other, such as an H-bridge or a three-phase inverter.

[0016] An operation command is transmitted from a control unit (not shown) to each of the drivers 82. The operation command includes command values ​​such as rotational speed and output torque, and the driver 82 is controlled based on these command values. As a result, a current of a current value corresponding to the command value flows from the driver 82 to the coil of the motor 81 that drives the valve device 4 and the coil of the motor (not shown) of the water pump 3.

[0017] A plurality of drivers 82 are mounted on the board 20. In this embodiment, the plurality of drivers 82 are mounted on a common board 20. That is, a plurality of drivers 82 are mounted on a single board 20. In Fig. 1, the drivers 82 are shown as a driver 82A that energizes the motor 81, a driver 82B that energizes the motor of the water pump 3A, and a driver 82C that energizes the motor of the water pump 3B.

[0018] In this embodiment, a motor 81, a driver 82A, a driver 82B, and a driver 82C are mounted on the substrate 20. The drivers 82A, 82B, and 82C are configured using switching elements, and terminals of the switching elements can be fixed by soldering to lands provided on the substrate 20. Of course, the terminals of the switching elements can also be fixed by inserting them into through holes provided in the substrate 20.

[0019] Furthermore, a control unit (not shown) that controls at least one of the plurality of drivers 82 may be mounted on the substrate 20. The control unit that controls at least one of the plurality of drivers 82 corresponds to a PWM control unit, for example, when the motor 81 or the water pump 3 is driven by PWM control. The control unit is not limited to a PWM control unit, and may be, for example, a power supply control unit that is provided at the input stage of the driver 82 and is capable of cutting off power supplied to the driver 82.

[0020] The substrate 20 is made of a rigid substrate from the viewpoint of heat dissipation and load resistance. In particular, by using a printed circuit board, it can be realized inexpensively.

[0021] The module housing 30 holds the substrate 20. The module housing 30 is made of, for example, resin. The module housing 30 has a flow path housing 40, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the substrate 20 is held on an outer surface 41 of the flow path housing 40. The outer surface 41 of the flow path housing 40 is provided with a protrusion 42 that protrudes from the outer surface 41, and the substrate 20 is placed on the protrusion 42 and fastened with bolts 43.

[0022] Furthermore, the flow path housing 40 is formed with a plurality of wall portions 48 extending upright from the outer surface 41, and a top plate 46 is supported across these wall portions 48. As a result, the circuit board 20 is accommodated in a space 47 surrounded by the flow path housing 40, the wall portions 48, and the top plate 46. Furthermore, a bus bar 80 is insert-molded into the flow path housing 40, and power is supplied from the bus bar 80 to a predetermined land on the circuit board 20 via a press fit. In the example of FIG. 1 , wiring electrically connected to the bus bar 80 is provided inside the wall portions 48, and a connector portion 49 is formed to protrude from the wall portions 48 on the side opposite the space 47. As a result, power from the bus bar 80 can be extracted via the connector portion 49.

[0023] The motor 81 drives the valve device 4. In this embodiment, a gear 81C is provided on one end of a rotating shaft 81B of a rotor 81A of the motor 81. A gear 81D (an example of a "transmission") that reduces the rotational speed of the motor 81 is provided to mesh with this gear 81C, and this gear 81D is configured to mesh with a gear 4B provided on the rotating shaft 4A of the valve device 4. This enables the motor 81 to drive the valve device 4.

[0024] The motor 81 is provided so that the other end of the rotation shaft 81B passes through the circuit board 20, and is supported on the circuit board 20 via a motor housing 81F. The motor housing 81F and the circuit board 20 may be fastened together using, for example, bolts, or may be fixed together by other methods. The motor 81 and the circuit board 20 can be electrically connected by inserting a press fit 22 into a through hole 21 provided in the circuit board 20.

[0025] As described above, the rotating shaft 81B of the motor 81 has the gear 81C provided at one end, and the other end is supported by a bearing inserted into a recess 44 formed in the outer surface 41. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rotating shaft 81E of the gear 81D is also supported by a bearing inserted into a recess 45 formed in the outer surface 41. Therefore, the motor 81 and the gear 81D are held by the module housing 30.

[0026] The water pump 3 circulates coolant through a cooling flow path 70. The cooling flow path 70 is connected to a power source, such as an engine or a rotating electrical machine, or to a device other than the power source, such as a generator or a battery. The coolant discharged from the water pump 3 is supplied through the cooling flow path 70. The coolant may be a cooling water such as long-life coolant (LLC), insulating oil such as paraffin, or a refrigerant condensate such as hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) or hydrofluoroolefin (HFO). This allows the coolant to cool a supply destination (such as an engine, a rotating electrical machine, a generator, or a battery). In this embodiment, two water pumps 3 are provided as shown in FIG. 1 , and when distinguishing between them, one water pump 3 will be referred to as water pump 3A and the other water pump 3 will be referred to as water pump 3B.

[0027] The valve device 4 is configured to be able to adjust the amount of coolant flowing through the cooling flow path 70 or switch the flow path based on the output of the motor 81. As shown in FIG. 1 , the valve device 4 is provided in the cooling flow path 70. The valve device 4 may be provided to adjust the amount of coolant drawn into the water pump 3 or to switch the flow path, or may be provided to adjust the amount of coolant discharged from the water pump 3 or to switch the flow path. In this embodiment, the valve device 4 is provided in the cooling flow path 70 in which the water pump 3A is provided.

[0028] In this embodiment, the module housing 30 holds the substrate 20, as well as the water pump 3A, the water pump 3B, and the valve device 4. In this embodiment, the water pump 3A and the water pump 3B are provided such that the vane portions 3A1 and 3B1 are located on the cooling flow path 70 side of the module housing 30, and the valve device 4 is provided such that the valve portion 4C is located on the cooling flow path 70 side of the module housing 30.

[0029] The above-mentioned cooling flow passage 70 is formed inside the flow passage housing 40, and a coolant flows through this cooling flow passage 70. The flow passage housing 40 is made of resin, and the cooling flow passage 70 can be formed, for example, by drilling holes in the split surface.

[0030] The heat sink 50 is provided across the substrate 20 and the cooling channel 70. In this embodiment, one side of the heat sink 50 is attached to the substrate 20 via a gap filler 54, and the other side of the heat sink 50 is exposed to the cooling channel 70. As shown in FIG. 2 , the heat sink 50 may be attached to, for example, the back side of the area of ​​the substrate 20 where the driver 82 is mounted. Furthermore, when viewed from above, the heat sink 50 may be configured so that at least the portion of the cooling channel 70 overlapping with the heat sink 50 extends outward from the heat sink 50. That is, when viewed from above, the cooling channel 70 may be configured so that the heat sink 50 overlaps with the cooling channel 70. This allows heat from the driver 82 to be easily transferred to the heat sink 50. A sealing member 56 (e.g., an O-ring) may be provided on the flange 55 of the heat sink 50.

[0031] In this embodiment, the heat sink 50 is provided in the flow path housing 40 and has fins 51 that stand upright toward the inside of the cooling flow path 70. This allows the heat sink 50, to which heat from the driver 82 has been transferred, to be directly cooled by the coolant flowing through the cooling flow path 70. This allows the driver 82 to be cooled more efficiently. The heat sink 50 may be configured so that the fins 51 stand upright, intersecting (preferably perpendicular to) the flow direction of the coolant flowing through the cooling flow path 70, or so that the fins 51 stand upright, parallel to the flow direction of the coolant flowing through the cooling flow path 70. The heat sink 50 may also be configured to have a plurality of plate-like members or pins instead of the fins 51.

[0032] As described above, by configuring the circuit board 20 on which multiple drivers 82 are mounted to be held by the module housing 30, it is possible to configure an aggregation module 1 that aggregates multiple drivers 82. With such aggregation module 1, it is possible to reduce the size even when multiple drivers 82 are provided on the circuit board 20. In addition, the multiple drivers 82 can also be appropriately cooled.

[0033] Furthermore, the aggregation module 1 described above can distribute coolant to multiple devices 9 mounted on a vehicle. The devices 9 are destinations of the coolant, such as the engine, rotating electrical machine, generator, and battery. Figure 3 shows a circuit diagram of the aggregation module 1 distributing coolant to the battery 7 and chiller 8. The chiller 8 is also included in the devices 9.

[0034] 3 , a coolant circuit 10 through which coolant flows to a battery 7 and a chiller 8 is configured together with a water pump 3 energized by a driver 82 of the aggregation module 1 and a valve device 4 driven by a motor 81 energized by the driver 82. As a result, coolant flows to the battery 7 and chiller 8 via the water pump 3 and the valve device 4. A refrigerant also flows to the chiller 8 through a refrigerant circuit 11, and heat exchange occurs between the refrigerant and the coolant in the chiller 8. In this way, the aggregation module 1 can be realized as a cooling aggregation module.

[0035] Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the aggregation module 1 will be described.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the module housing 30 has been described as holding the motor 81, the gear 81D, the valve device 4, and the water pump 3. However, the module housing 30 may be configured to hold at least one of the motor 81, the gear 81D, the valve device 4, and the water pump 3. Furthermore, the module housing 30 does not have to hold the motor 81, the gear 81D, the valve device 4, and the water pump 3.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, the module housing 30 may be configured to hold a sensor used to control the auxiliary device 2. This allows the aggregation module 1 to be further miniaturized.

[0038] In the above embodiment, a control unit that controls at least one of the plurality of drivers 82 is mounted on the board 20. However, the board 20 does not necessarily have to be mounted with a control unit.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the substrate 20 has been described as being supported on the outer surface 41 of the flow path housing 40. However, the substrate 20 may be supported at a location different from the outer surface 41 of the flow path housing 40, or may be supported in a state separated from the outer surface 41, for example.

[0040] [Outline of the above embodiment] The aggregation module 1 described above will now be outlined.

[0041] (1) The aggregation module 1 includes a plurality of drivers 82 that supply power to each of a plurality of auxiliary devices 2 mounted on the vehicle, a common board 20 on which the plurality of drivers 82 are mounted, and a module housing 30 that holds the board 20.

[0042] According to this configuration, multiple drivers 82 can be aggregated and mounted on a common substrate 20, which allows for a smaller size compared to when multiple drivers 82 are mounted on separate substrates. This makes it possible to reduce the weight of the aggregated module 1. Furthermore, when considering mounting the aggregated module in a vehicle, the smaller size allows for greater flexibility in mounting.

[0043] (2) The aggregation module 1 comprises a plurality of drivers 82 that energize each of a plurality of auxiliary devices 2 mounted on the vehicle, a common board 20 on which the plurality of drivers 82 are mounted, and a module housing 30 that holds the board 20, and distributes coolant to a plurality of devices 9 mounted on the vehicle.

[0044] According to this configuration, as described above, the aggregation module 1 can be made smaller, and the coolant can be distributed to multiple devices 9 mounted on the vehicle, making it possible to appropriately cool the devices 9.

[0045] (3) In the aggregation module 1 described in (1) or (2), it is preferable that the plurality of accessories 2 include a motor 81, and the module housing 30 further holds the motor 81.

[0046] According to this configuration, the circuit board 20 and the motor 81 are held in a common module housing 30, which allows for miniaturization. Also, the driver 82 mounted on the circuit board 20 and the motor 81 can be provided close to each other, which simplifies the routing of wiring. Furthermore, the wiring length can be shortened, which allows for reduced power loss.

[0047] (4) In the aggregation module 1 described in (3), it is preferable that the module housing 30 further holds a gear (transmission) 81D that reduces the rotation speed of the motor 81.

[0048] According to this configuration, the board 20, the motor 81, and the gear 81D are held in a common module housing 30, which allows for downsizing. In addition, the motor 81 and the gear 81D can be provided close to each other, which prevents the gear 81D from becoming too large.

[0049] (5) In the aggregation module 1 described in (3) or (4), the multiple auxiliary machines 2 include a valve device 4 that adjusts the amount of fluid flowing through the cooling flow path (flow path) 70 or switches the cooling flow path 70 based on the output of the motor 81, and it is preferable that the module housing 30 further holds the valve device 4.

[0050] According to this configuration, the circuit board 20, the motor 81, and the valve device 4 are held in a common module housing 30, which makes it possible to reduce the size.

[0051] (6) In the aggregated module 1 described in (1) or (2), the plurality of auxiliary machines 2 preferably include a water pump 3 that circulates fluid through the cooling passage 70, and the module housing 30 preferably further holds the water pump 3.

[0052] According to this configuration, the circuit board 20 and the water pump 3 are held in a common module housing 30, which allows for a more compact design. Also, the driver 82 mounted on the circuit board 20 and the water pump 3 can be provided close to each other, which simplifies the routing of wiring. Furthermore, the shorter wiring length allows for a reduction in power loss.

[0053] (7) In the aggregation module 1 described in (1) or (2), it is preferable that the module housing 30 further holds a sensor used to control the auxiliary device 2.

[0054] According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the size of the module because the board 20 and the sensor are held in the common module housing 30. Furthermore, it is possible to provide the driver 82 and the sensor mounted on the board 20 in close proximity to each other, which simplifies the routing of the wiring.

[0055] The present invention can be used in an aggregation module that includes a driver that energizes accessories on a vehicle.

[0056] 1: Aggregation module, 2: Auxiliary equipment, 3: Water pump (pump), 4: Valve device, 9: Equipment, 20: Board, 30: Module housing, 70: Cooling flow path (flow path), 81: Motor, 81D: Gear (transmission), 82: Driver

Claims

1. A plurality of drivers for energizing a plurality of auxiliary devices mounted on the vehicle, respectively; A common substrate on which a plurality of the drivers are mounted; a module housing for holding the substrate; An aggregation module comprising:

2. A plurality of drivers for energizing a plurality of auxiliary devices mounted on the vehicle, respectively; A common substrate on which a plurality of the drivers are mounted; a module housing for holding the substrate; A cooling aggregation module that distributes coolant to a plurality of devices mounted on the vehicle.

3. The plurality of accessories include a motor; The aggregation module of claim 1 or 2, wherein the module housing further holds the motor.

4. 4. The aggregation module of claim 3, wherein the module housing further carries a transmission for reducing the rotational speed of the motor.

5. The plurality of auxiliary machines include a valve device that adjusts an amount of fluid flowing through a flow path or switches the flow path based on an output of the motor, The aggregation module of claim 3 , wherein the module housing further holds the valve device.

6. The plurality of auxiliary machines include a pump that circulates a fluid through a flow path, The aggregation module of claim 1 or 2, wherein the module housing further holds the pump.

7. 3. The aggregation module of claim 1 or 2, wherein the module housing further holds sensors used to control the accessories.