Electrical device

Abstract

This electrical device (30) includes: a housing (50) provided with housing-side terminals (54, 55) that electrically connect electronic components; a board (60) which is a substantially plate-shaped member housed in the housing (50) and which has board-side terminals (64, 65) that electrically connect the electronic components; a heat dissipation member (70) that uses a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the base material of the board (60) and is provided so as to overlap one surface (60a) of the board (60); and spring members (35, 36) which are provided on the other surface (60b) of the board (60), electrically connect the board-side terminals (64, 65) to the housing-side terminals (54, 55), and have a biasing force that presses the board (60) against the heat dissipation member (70).

Description

Electrical equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical device.

[0002] For example, shock absorbers of a vehicle are controlled by an electrical device. A conventional technique relating to such an electrical device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-222999.

[0003] In the electrical device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a circuit board is housed in a housing, and the circuit board and a damper are electrically connected to each other.

[0004] JP 2019-83269 A

[0005] Generally, a substrate becomes hot when powered on. From the viewpoint of extending the life of the substrate, it is desirable to be able to prevent heat from building up inside the housing.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical device that can prevent heat from building up inside a housing.

[0007] As a result of extensive research, the inventors discovered that by placing a heat dissipation member with a higher thermal conductivity than the base material of the board on one side of the board and providing a spring member on the other side of the board to urge the board toward the heat dissipation member, it is possible to prevent heat from building up inside the housing. The present invention was completed based on this discovery.

[0008] The present disclosure will be described below.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, there is provided an electrical device having: a housing provided with housing-side terminals for electrically connecting electronic components; a substrate that is a substantially plate-shaped member housed in the housing and has substrate-side terminals for electrically connecting electronic components; a heat dissipation member made of a material with a higher thermal conductivity than the base material of the substrate and provided so as to overlap one side of the substrate; and a spring member provided on the other side of the substrate, electrically connecting the substrate-side terminals to the housing-side terminals and having a biasing force that presses the substrate against the heat dissipation member.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical device that can prevent heat from building up inside the housing.

[0011] 2 is a perspective view illustrating the relationship between an electrical equipment device according to an embodiment, a shock absorber on which the electrical equipment device is mounted, and an external power source that energizes the electrical equipment device. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical equipment device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the circuit board shown in FIG. 3.

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are merely examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0013] <Example> Please refer to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 shows the head of a shock absorber 10 provided in a saddle-ride type vehicle. The shock absorber 10 is, for example, a rear cushion, and is a device that attenuates energy such as vibrations received from the road surface.

[0014] The shock absorber 10 is provided with a housing 20 into which the lower part of the electrical device 30 is inserted. The electrical device 30 is used to control the shock absorber 10. In other words, the shock absorber 10 is an electronically controlled suspension. An external power supply connector 15a, which is a connector for an external power supply 15 that is an external power source, is connected to the electrical device 30. The electrical device 30 receives power from the external power supply 15.

[0015] 2 and 3 , the electrical device 30 includes a housing 50 serving as a case, a substantially rectangular plate-shaped circuit board 60 housed in the housing 50 and capable of conducting current, a heat dissipation member 70 that is placed on an upper surface 60 a (one surface 60 a) of the circuit board 60 and serves as a lid for the housing 50, and dissipates heat from the circuit board 60, an electrical component seal 34 that is provided on the outer periphery of the heat dissipation member 70 and prevents dust from entering the housing 50, spring members 35 and 36 that abut against a lower surface 60 b (the other surface 60 b) of the circuit board 60 and have a biasing force that presses the circuit board 60 against the heat dissipation member 70, a balance spring 37 that abuts against the lower surface 60 b of the circuit board 60 and presses the circuit board 60 against the heat dissipation member 70 while applying a rotational force opposite to that of the spring members 35 and 36, and an electric actuator 38 that is provided inside the housing 50 and is electrically connected to the circuit board 60.

[0016] 1 , the outer periphery of the housing 50 is provided with an elastic member 41 that is elastically deformable and that positions the housing 50 relative to the housing 20, and an O-ring 42 that prevents dust from entering the housing 20.

[0017] 2, the enclosure 50 has an insertion section 51 that is inserted into the housing 20 and has the electric actuator 38 installed therein, a connector connection section 52 that can connect to the external power connector 15a, and an enclosure main body 53 that houses the circuit board 60 and the like.

[0018] 1 and 3, housing-side terminals 54, 55 for electrically connecting electronic components are provided inside the housing 50. The housing-side terminals 54, 55 include a connector terminal 54 electrically connected to the external power connector 15a and an actuator terminal 55 connected to the electric actuator 38.

[0019] The housing body 53 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape and is open at the top. A heat dissipation member locking portion 53a for locking the heat dissipation member 70 is formed on the side of the housing body 53. The heat dissipation member locking portion 53a is formed as a generally rectangular hole.

[0020] 3, a board receiving portion 53b capable of receiving the board 60 is formed from the bottom of the housing body 53 toward the underside 60b of the board 60. Under normal circumstances, the board 60 is spaced apart from the board receiving portion 53b. When the heat dissipation member 70 is pushed downward, the board 60 comes into contact with the board receiving portion 53b, preventing the heat dissipation member 70 from further descending.

[0021] The substrate 60 is, for example, an engine control unit substrate (ECU substrate). The substrate 60 is made of a glass plate, which is a base material, on whose surface copper wires are printed, and on which a plurality of components such as integrated circuits (ICs), resistors, capacitors, and transistors are mounted.

[0022] 4, the substrate 60 has a substantially rectangular shape, with a pair of long sides referred to as long sides 60c and a pair of short sides shorter than the long sides 60c referred to as short sides 60d.

[0023] Here, the thermal conductivity of glass, which is an example of the base material of the substrate 60, is 0.5 to 1.0 W / m·K.

[0024] 3, the board 60 is provided with board-side terminals 64 and 65. The board-side terminals 64 and 65 are electrically connected to the housing-side terminals 54 and 55 via the spring members 35 and 36, respectively.

[0025] 2, the heat dissipation member 70 is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy. The heat dissipation member 70 has a substantially rectangular cylindrical heat dissipation member leg 71 extending from the upper surface 60a of the substrate 60, a heat dissipation member lid 72 covering the upper end of the heat dissipation member leg 71, and a claw-shaped heat dissipation member claw 73 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the heat dissipation member leg 71 and engaged with the heat dissipation member engaging portion 53a.

[0026] Here, the thermal conductivity of aluminum, which is an example of the material of the heat dissipation member 70, is 195 to 250 W / m·K, and the thermal conductivity of stainless steel is 14 to 20 W / m·K.

[0027] The tip of the heat dissipation member leg portion 71 abuts along the edge of the upper surface 60 a of the substrate 60 .

[0028] The heat dissipation member claws 73 are engaged with the heat dissipation member engaging portions 53a with a predetermined gap therebetween, allowing the heat dissipation member 70 to be displaced up and down by the amount of this gap.

[0029] The heat dissipation member 70 may have heat dissipation member contact portions 67, 68 (see FIG. 3) that extend from the heat dissipation member lid portion 72 to the upper surface 60a of the substrate 60 and have their tips abutting the upper surface 60a. The heat dissipation member contact portion 67 is preferably positioned to correspond to the portion of the lower surface 60b that is biased by the spring members 35, 36. Alternatively, the heat dissipation member contact portion 68 may abut against metal foil printed on the upper surface 60a of the substrate 60. These structures enable more efficient heat dissipation.

[0030] See Figure 3. The spring members 35, 36 are both compression coil springs made of steel. The spring members 35, 36 include a first spring member 35 that electrically connects the external power supply 15 (see Figure 1) to the circuit board 60, and a second spring member 36 that electrically connects the circuit board 60 to the electric actuator 38 (see Figure 1). Under normal conditions, the spring members 35, 36 are always in contact with both the housing-side terminals 54, 55 and the circuit board-side terminals 64, 65.

[0031] Here, the thermal conductivity of stainless steel, which is the material of the spring members 35 and 36, is 14 to 20 W / m·K, which is lower than the thermal conductivity of copper, which is 350 to 400 W / m·K.

[0032] Referring to Figure 4, the first spring members 35 are arranged at positions overlapping a line L1 perpendicular to the pair of long sides 60c, 60c. The second spring members 36 are arranged on a line L2 parallel to the line L1 on which the first spring members 35 are arranged. For example, six first spring members 35 are arranged, and two second spring members 36 are arranged.

[0033] The first spring member 35 and the second spring member 36 are arranged symmetrically with respect to a line L3 connecting the centers of the pair of short sides 60d, 60d.

[0034] The balance spring 37 is a compression coil spring made of steel. The balance spring 37 is disposed at a position overlapping a line L4 perpendicular to the pair of long sides 60c. The balance spring 37 is also disposed symmetrically with respect to a line L3 connecting the centers of the pair of short sides 60d.

[0035] Also see Figure 3. Using the center G of the long side 60c as a reference, the biasing forces of the spring members 35 and 36 are applied to rotate the substrate 60 in a first direction R1. On the other hand, the biasing force of the balance spring 37 is applied to rotate the substrate 60 in a second direction R2 opposite to the first direction R1. It is preferable that the biasing forces applied in the rotational directions of the spring members 35 and 36 and the balance spring 37 are balanced.

[0036] Referring to Fig. 3, the case-side terminals 54, 55 have pin-shaped case-side terminal pins 54a, 55a and case-side terminal receiving portions 54b, 55b that are integrally formed with the case-side terminal pins 54a, 55a and against which the spring members 35, 36 abut.

[0037] One of the housing side terminal pins 54a is a connector terminal pin 54a whose tip abuts the external power source 15 (see Figure 1), and the other housing side terminal pin 54b is an actuator terminal pin 54b extending from the electric actuator 38 (see Figure 1).

[0038] One of the housing side terminal receiving portions 54b is the first housing side terminal receiving portion 54b against which the first spring member 35 abuts, and the other housing side terminal receiving portion 55b is the second housing side terminal receiving portion 55b against which the second spring member 36 abuts.

[0039] That is, the connector terminal 54 is made up of a connector terminal pin 54a and a first housing-side terminal receptacle 54b, and the actuator terminal 55 is made up of an actuator terminal pin 54b and a second housing-side terminal receptacle 55b.

[0040] The board side terminals 64, 65 have pin-shaped board side terminal pins 64a, 65a and board side terminal receiving portions 64b, 65b that extend radially from the board side terminal pins 64a, 65a in a disk shape and against which the spring members 35, 36 abut.

[0041] One of the board-side terminal pins 64a is a first board-side terminal pin 64a extending toward the first housing-side terminal receiving portion 54b, and the other board-side terminal pin 64a is a second board-side terminal pin 65a extending toward the second housing-side terminal receiving portion 55b.

[0042] One of the board-side terminal receiving portions 64b is the first board-side terminal receiving portion 64b against which the first spring member 35 abuts, and the other board-side terminal receiving portion 65b is the second board-side terminal receiving portion 65b against which the second spring member 36 abuts.

[0043] The first board-side terminal 64 includes a first board-side terminal pin 64a and a first board-side terminal receptacle 64b. The second board-side terminal 65 includes a second board-side terminal pin 65a and a second board-side terminal receptacle 65b.

[0044] The electrical device 30 described above will be summarized below.

[0045] 3. First, the electrical device 30 includes a housing 50 having housing-side terminals 54, 55 for electrically connecting electronic components, a substrate 60 that is a generally plate-shaped member housed in the housing 50 and has substrate-side terminals 64, 65 for electrically connecting the electronic components, a heat dissipation member 70 made of a material with a higher thermal conductivity than the base material of the substrate 60 and provided so as to overlap an upper surface 60a (one surface 60a) of the substrate 60, and spring members 35, 36 provided on a lower surface 60b (the other surface 60b) of the substrate 60, electrically connecting the board-side terminals 64, 65 to the housing-side terminals 54, 55 and having a biasing force for pressing the substrate 60 against the heat dissipation member 70.

[0046] The spring members 35, 36 bias the board 60 toward the heat dissipation member 70, so that the board 60 is constantly pressed against the heat dissipation member 70. When the board 60 becomes hot, the heat of the board 60 is released to the outside via the heat dissipation member 70. It is possible to provide an electrical device 30 that can prevent heat from building up inside the housing 50.

[0047] Furthermore, the board-side terminals 64, 65 are electrically connected to the housing-side terminals 54, 55 by the spring members 35, 36. The spring members 35, 36 that press the board 60 against the heat dissipation member 70 are also used to electrically connect the board-side terminals 64, 65 and the housing-side terminals 54, 55, which contributes to a reduction in the number of parts.

[0048] Furthermore, by using the spring reaction force to hold the board 60, it is possible to reduce the number of fastening parts such as bolts. This eliminates the need to drill holes for bolts in the board 60, and components can be mounted adequately even on a smaller board 60. As a result, the board 60 can be made smaller.

[0049] Second, the first electrical device 30 further includes an electric actuator 38 that is electrically connected to the housing side terminals 54, 55 and that operates when electricity is applied from the housing side terminals 54, 55, and the spring members 35, 36 are torsion coil springs.

[0050] When the electric actuator 38 generates heat, the heat is transmitted through the terminals, but if the spring members 35, 36 are torsion coil springs, the transmission path becomes longer, which has the effect of suppressing heat transmission. In addition, since the spring members 35, 36 themselves act as inductors, noise can be suppressed.

[0051] Third, in the second electrical device 30, the spring members 35, 36 are made of a material with a lower thermal conductivity than copper. By using the spring members 35, 36 with a lower thermal conductivity, the transfer of heat from the electric actuator 38 is suppressed.

[0052] Fourth, in the third electrical device 30, the housing side terminals 54, 55 include a connector terminal 54 that can be connected to an external power source, and the spring members 35, 36 include a first spring member 35 that connects the connector terminal 54 and the board side terminal 64.

[0053] The connector terminal 54 for supplying power and the board 60 are electrically connected by the first spring member 35. This allows the board 60 to be urged toward the heat dissipation member 70 with a stronger force. This allows the board 60 to be more reliably brought into contact with the heat dissipation member 70, and allows the heat of the board 60 to be dissipated to the outside.

[0054] Fifth, in any of the first to fourth electrical devices 30, when the circuit board 60 has an approximately rectangular shape and the pair of longer sides are long sides 60c, the spring forces of the spring members 35, 36 are applied so as to rotate the circuit board 60 in a first direction R1 based on the center of the long sides 60c, and a balance spring 37 is provided which is a spring that applies a spring force so as to rotate the circuit board 60 in a second direction R2 opposite to the first direction R1.

[0055] The provision of the balance spring 37 prevents the substrate 60 from tilting, and allows the entire substrate 60 to be more reliably brought into contact with the heat dissipation member 70. This makes it possible to more efficiently dissipate heat from the substrate 60 to the outside.

[0056] Sixth, in any one of the first to fifth electrical devices 30, the lower surface 60b of the board 60 is spaced apart from the housing 50. The upper surface 60a of the board 60 is pressed against the heat dissipation member 70 by the spring members 35, 36, and the lower surface 60b of the board 60 is floating. This eliminates the need for fasteners such as bolts to secure the board 60 to the housing 50, and contributes to a reduction in the number of components. Furthermore, since there is no need to drill bolt holes or the like in the board 60, it becomes possible to mount more components on the board 60 of the same size. Furthermore, by being spaced apart from the housing 50, it becomes possible to suppress heat transfer from the housing 50.

[0057] Seventh, in any one of the first to sixth electrical devices 30, the board-side terminals 64, 65 have board-side terminal receiving portions 64b, 65b against which the spring members 35, 36 abut. This prevents the spring members 35, 36 from directly abutting against the copper foil or the like on the board 60. This ensures a more reliable electrical connection, contributing to a longer product life.

[0058] Eighth, in the electrical device 30 of any one of the first to seventh embodiments, the heat dissipation member 70 is in contact with the edge of the substrate 60. Heat is dissipated to the outside via the edge of the substrate 60. The center of the substrate is a space for arranging components such as ICs, which is preferable because it allows for a large space to be secured for mounting the components.

[0059] Ninth, the electrical device 30 according to any one of the first to eighth aspects is mounted on a vehicle. The electrical device 30 is small and has a high heat dissipation effect, so it is suitable for vehicles that are equipped with high-temperature components such as an engine and have limited mounting space.

[0060] See Fig. 1. A tenth embodiment is an electrical device 30 according to any one of the first to ninth embodiments, which is used in a shock absorber 10. The electrical device 30 is small and has a high heat dissipation effect, so it is suitable for shock absorbers 10, which generally have limited installation space and become hot during damping. It is particularly suitable for use in areas with limited installation space, such as the rear cushion of a saddle-ride type vehicle.

[0061] Although the electrical device 30 of the present invention has been described as being mounted on the rear cushion of a saddle-ride type vehicle, it can also be applied to a shock absorber of a passenger car or a front fork of a saddle-ride type vehicle, and is not limited to these types.

[0062] As long as the functions and effects of the present invention are exhibited, the present invention is not limited to the examples.

[0063] The electrical device of the present invention is suitable for installation on the rear cushion of a saddle-ride type vehicle.

[0064] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Shock absorber 30... Electrical device 35... First spring member (spring member) 36... Second spring member (spring member) 37... Balance spring 38... Electric actuator 50... Housing 54... Connector terminal (housing side terminal) 55... Actuator terminal (housing side terminal) 60... Board, 60a... Upper surface (one surface), 60b... Lower surface (other surface), 60c... Long side 64... First board side terminal (board side terminal), 64a... First board side terminal pin (board side terminal pin), 64b... First board side terminal receptacle (board side terminal receptacle) 65... Second board side terminal (board side terminal), 65a... Second board side terminal pin (board side terminal pin), 65b... Second board side terminal receptacle (board side terminal receptacle) 70... Heat dissipation member

Claims

1. An electrical device comprising: a housing provided with housing-side terminals for electrically connecting electronic components; a board that is a substantially plate-shaped member housed in the housing and has board-side terminals for electrically connecting electronic components; a heat dissipation member made of a material with a higher thermal conductivity than the base material of the board and provided so as to overlap one side of the board; and a spring member provided on the other side of the board, electrically connecting the board-side terminals to the housing-side terminals and having a biasing force that presses the board against the heat dissipation member.

2. The electrical device according to claim 1, further comprising an electric actuator electrically connected to the housing-side terminal and actuated by the passage of electricity from the housing-side terminal, wherein the spring member is a torsion coil spring.

3. The electrical device according to claim 2, wherein the spring member is made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than copper.

4. The electrical device according to claim 3, wherein the housing-side terminal includes a connector terminal connectable to an external power source, and the spring member includes a second spring member connecting the connector terminal and the board-side terminal.

5. The electrical device according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board has a substantially rectangular shape, and when the pair of longer sides are taken as the long sides, the biasing force of the spring member is applied so as to rotate the circuit board in a first direction with the center of the long sides as a reference, and a balance spring is provided which is a spring that applies a biasing force so as to rotate the circuit board in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

6. The electrical device according to claim 1, wherein the other surface of the substrate is spaced apart from the housing.

7. The electrical device according to claim 1, wherein the board-side terminal has a board-side terminal receiving portion against which the spring member abuts.

8. The electrical device according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation member is in contact with the edge of the circuit board.

9. The electrical device according to claim 1, which is mounted on a vehicle.

10. The electrical device according to claim 1, which is used in a shock absorber.

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