Relay layout structure for electric fan

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a relay layout structure for an electric fan whereby a short circuit can be prevented to allow a relay to be placed in a fan shroud. [Solution] This relay layout structure for an electric fan comprises: a radiator 10; a fan shroud 30 provided on the vehicle-rear side of the radiator and supporting an electric fan 20; a relay 40 capable of switching the electric fan on and off; and a protector 50 protecting the relay. The relay has a case 41, a base 42 provided inside the case, and a resistor 43 provided outside the case and electrically connected to the base. The case is disposed on one side 30a of the fan shroud in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and is provided in an opening 31 of the fan shroud such that the resistor is disposed on the other side 30b of the fan shroud in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The protector is provided on the other side of the fan shroud and covers the resistor.

Description

Electric fan relay layout structure

[0001] The present invention relates to an arrangement structure of a relay for an electric fan.

[0002] The vehicle has an internal combustion engine as a driving source for running, a radiator that cools the coolant for the internal combustion engine, an electric fan that cools the radiator, and a fan shroud that supports the electric fan. Similarly, a vehicle having an electric motor as a driving source for running also has a radiator that cools the coolant for a power supply device that supplies power to the electric motor, an electric fan, and a fan shroud (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] The electric fan has a relay that switches the operation of the fan motor on and off, and the relay has the function of switching the rotation speed of the fan motor between high and low.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-041433

[0005] If the relay is located on the fan shroud, it must be positioned so that it will not be pinched between other hard metal vehicle components (such as the radiator or intake manifold) during a vehicle collision, to prevent a short circuit.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a layout structure for a relay for an electric fan that prevents the occurrence of a short circuit and enables the relay to be placed on the fan shroud.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electric fan relay arrangement structure including a radiator, a fan shroud provided rearward of the radiator and supporting an electric fan, a relay capable of switching the electric fan on and off, and a protector for protecting the relay. The relay has a case, a circuit board provided inside the case, and a resistor provided outside the case and electrically connected to the circuit board, the case being disposed on one side of the fan shroud in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, and the resistor being disposed on the other side of the fan shroud in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, and the protector is provided on the other side of the fan shroud and covers the resistor.

[0008] According to the present invention, since the protector covers the relay resistor, the relay can be mounted on the fan shroud so that the relay resistor will not be pinched between other hard metal vehicle parts in the event of a vehicle collision. This provides an electric fan relay mounting structure that prevents short circuits from occurring and allows the relay to be mounted on the fan shroud.

[0009] 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing an embodiment of an arrangement structure of an electric fan relay of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of an engine room provided with a protector that covers a resistor of the electric fan relay. FIG. 3 is a side view showing an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing, in partial cross section, a main part of the engine room provided with a protector. FIG. 5 is a front view showing an enlarged view of a main part of a radiator. FIG. 6 is a front view of a fan shroud as seen from the front side of the vehicle. FIG. 7 is a back view of the fan shroud as seen from the rear side of the vehicle. FIG. 8 is a front view showing an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a front view as seen from the front side of the vehicle used to explain the arrangement position of a harness connector of the relay.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown here are merely examples for embodying the technical concept of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, all other embodiments, examples, and operational techniques that can be conceived by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention are included in the scope and spirit of the present invention, as well as in the scope of the inventions set forth in the claims and their equivalents.

[0011] In addition, for the convenience of illustration and ease of understanding, the drawings attached to this specification may be represented schematically with the scale, aspect ratio, shape, etc. appropriately changed from the actual product, but these are merely examples and do not limit the interpretation of the present invention.

[0012] In this specification, ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," etc. may be used. However, unless otherwise specified, these ordinal numbers are used to identify components for the sake of convenience, and do not specify the number or order.

[0013] <Embodiments> An embodiment of an electric fan relay arrangement structure of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the X axis indicates the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the Y axis indicates the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the Z axis indicates the height direction of the vehicle. The embodiments will be described using an example of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine as a driving source for traveling.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle includes a radiator 10 that cools the coolant for an internal combustion engine, an electric fan 20 that cools the radiator 10, a fan shroud 30 that is provided on the vehicle rear side of the radiator 10 and supports the electric fan 20, a relay 40 that can switch the electric fan 20 on and off, and a protector 50 that protects the relay. The relay 40 includes a case 41, a circuit board 42 that is provided inside the case 41, and a resistor 43 that is provided outside the case 41 and electrically connected to the circuit board 42. The resistor 43 of the relay 40 controls the current when the rotation speed of the fan motor 21 is switched to low. The relay 40 is provided in an opening 31 of the fan shroud 30 so that the case 41 is located on one side 30a of the fan shroud 30 in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the resistor 43 is located on the other side 30b of the fan shroud 30 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The protector 50 is provided on the other side 30 b of the fan shroud 30 and covers the resistor 43 .

[0015] In Fig. 1, reference numerals 61 and 62 schematically indicate harness connectors connected to the relay 40. Reference numeral 70 indicates an intake manifold of the engine. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, in the vehicle of the embodiment, the other side 30b of the fan shroud 30 faces the radiator 10. As shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the resistor 43 of the relay 40 is disposed on the radiator 10 side of the fan shroud 30.

[0016] With this configuration, the protector 50 covers the resistor 43 of the relay 40, so that the relay 40 can be disposed in the fan shroud 30 so that the resistor 43 of the relay 40 will not be pinched between another hard metal vehicle part (the radiator 10 in this embodiment) in the event of a vehicle collision. Thus, it is possible to provide an electric fan relay arrangement structure that allows the relay 40 to be disposed in the fan shroud 30 while preventing the occurrence of a short circuit.

[0017] Furthermore, the protector 50 can block the radiant heat from the radiator 10. Therefore, the resistor 43 is less affected by the radiant heat from the radiator 10, and can fully function as a heat dissipation member.

[0018] It is also conceivable to prevent a short circuit by increasing the space between the fan shroud 30 and the radiator 10 so that the resistor 43 of the relay 40 will not be pinched in the event of a vehicle collision. However, in this case, increasing the space would result in an increase in the overhang, which could lead to a deterioration in styling.

[0019] Another option is to place the relay 40 in a location where the resistor 43 of the relay 40 will not come into contact with the radiator 10 during a vehicle collision. For example, the relay 40 could be placed inside a fuse box where it will not come into contact with the radiator 10. However, in this case, the installation space for the relay 40 would be large in the front-to-rear, left-to-right, and height directions of the vehicle. This would result in poor layout flexibility and would affect the shape of the hood.

[0020] In the embodiment, since the protector 50 that covers the resistor 43 is provided, there is no need to change the space between the fan shroud 30 and the radiator 10, which does not deteriorate the styling. In addition, the installation space for the relay 40 does not become large, which does not deteriorate the layout.

[0021] The protector 50 is preferably formed from a metal material, such as iron. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the protector 50 is preferably further provided with an insulator 80. With this configuration, the protector 50 formed from a metal material can withstand the load applied by another hard metal vehicle component (such as the radiator 10 receding in the embodiment) that interferes with the protector 50 during a collision. This ensures a survival space between the resistor 43 of the relay 40 and the protector 50. If the protector 50 cannot withstand the load and cannot ensure a survival space, the insulator 80 can prevent the resistor 43 of the relay 40 from making metal contact with the radiator 10 via the protector 50, causing a short circuit of the resistor 43.

[0022] As described above, the other side 30b of the fan shroud 30 faces the radiator 10. As shown in FIG. 5 , the radiator 10 has a fin structure. The radiator 10 includes tubes 11 through which coolant flows and fins 12 arranged in cooling air passages between adjacent tubes 11. If the insulator 80 were provided outside the protector 50, there is a risk that the protector 50 and the fin 12 would be electrically connected and the resistor 43 would be shorted out if the fin 12 of the radiator 10 broke through the insulator 80. Therefore, it is preferable that the insulator 80 be provided inside the protector 50. This configuration prevents the fin 12 of the radiator 10 from breaking through the insulator 80, thereby preventing the resistor 43 from being shorted out.

[0023] As described above, the other side 30b of the fan shroud 30 faces the radiator 10. As shown in Fig. 4, it is preferable that the gap La between the protector 50 and the resistor 43 is larger than the gap Lb between the protector 50 and the radiator 10. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the insulator 80 from melting due to heat dissipation from the resistor 43.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the resistor 43 has a shape with a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction. The protector 50 has a shape with a hat-shaped cross section. As shown in FIG. 1 , the protector 50 has a first plate portion 51 that covers the resistor 43 and a second plate portion 52 that is continuous with the first plate portion 51. The protector 50 is fixed to the fan shroud 30 by fastening the second plate portion 52 to the fan shroud 30 with fastening members such as bolts 32. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 , the protector 50 has a pair of windows 53 that face each other across the resistor 43. If the hat cross section of the protector 50 is oriented in the lateral direction of the resistor 43, the opening area of ​​the pair of windows 53 will be small. Because the protector 50 has a long, tunnel-like shape with a small cross-sectional area, the heat dissipation performance of the resistor 43 will be reduced, and there is a risk that the insulator 80 will melt due to the heat dissipation from the resistor 43. Therefore, it is preferable that the hat cross section of the protector 50 is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the resistor 43. This configuration allows the opening area of ​​the pair of windows 53 to be set large. This prevents the heat dissipation performance of the resistor 43 from being reduced, and prevents the insulator 80 from melting due to heat dissipation from the resistor 43.

[0025] As described above, the other side 30b of the fan shroud 30 faces the radiator 10. As shown in Fig. 9, the relay 40 includes harness connectors 61, 62 provided on the opposite side of the circuit board 42 from the resistor 43. The harness connectors 61, 62 are preferably provided offset from a hard metal vehicle component (the intake manifold 70 in this embodiment) provided on the rear side of the vehicle when viewed from the front. Note that Fig. 9 is a front view illustrating the case 41 of the relay 40 and the harness connectors 61, 62, with the fan shroud 30 omitted.

[0026] In addition to preventing a short circuit of the resistor 43 of the relay 40, it is also preferable to prevent a short circuit of the harness connectors 61, 62 of the relay 40. The radiator 10, which is a hard metal vehicle component, is located in front of the fan shroud 30 and may overlap the entire fan shroud 30 in a front view. In such a case, the resistor 43 provided on the radiator 10 side cannot escape from the radiator 10. Therefore, by protecting the resistor 43 with the protector 50 as described above, a short circuit of the resistor 43 can be prevented.

[0027] On the other hand, the harness connectors 61, 62 of the relay 40 are provided on the opposite side of the radiator 10. The intake manifold 70, which is a hard metal vehicle component, is located behind the fan shroud 30 and may only partially overlap with the fan shroud 30 in a front view. The area above the imaginary line Lc shown in FIG. 9 is the area where the intake manifold 70 and the fan shroud 30 overlap. Therefore, the harness connectors 61, 62 of the relay 40 can be offset from the intake manifold 70 and provided on the fan shroud 30 in an area where they do not overlap with the intake manifold 70 (the area below the imaginary line Lc). This allows the harness connectors 61, 62 of the relay 40 to escape from the intake manifold 70. Therefore, short-circuiting of the harness connectors 61, 62 can be prevented without adding a protector 50 to the case 41 side.

[0028] As described above, the other side 30b of the fan shroud 30 faces the radiator 10. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 , the protector 50 has a pair of windows 53 that face each other across the resistor 43. The pair of windows 53 faces the center of the electric fan 20, and the cooling air 22 generated by the operation of the electric fan 20 flows through the pair of windows 53. The white arrows in FIGS. 6 and 8 indicate the flow of the cooling air 22. This configuration allows the cooling air 22 generated by the operation of the electric fan 20 to flow around the resistor 43. This improves the heat dissipation performance of the resistor 43 and prevents the insulator 80 from melting due to heat dissipation from the resistor 43.

[0029] There are three types of short circuits in the relay 40 during a vehicle frontal collision: first, a short circuit in the resistor 43 of the relay 40; second, a short circuit in the harness connectors 61 and 62 of the relay 40; and third, a short circuit in the circuit board 42.

[0030] The first short circuit occurs when another hard metal vehicle part (the radiator 10 in this embodiment) comes into contact with the resistor 43. The first short circuit can be avoided by covering the resistor 43 of the relay 40 with a protector 50 (see FIG. 1).

[0031] The second short circuit occurs when another hard metal vehicle part (the intake manifold 70 in this embodiment) comes into contact with the harness connectors 61, 62 of the relay 40. The second short circuit can be avoided by offsetting the harness connectors 61, 62 of the relay 40 from the other hard metal vehicle part (see FIG. 9).

[0032] The third short circuit occurs when another hard metal vehicle part (the intake manifold 70 in this embodiment) comes into contact with the base plate 42 of the relay 40. When the other hard metal vehicle part crushes the case 41, it first abuts against the bolt 32 and does not interfere with the base plate 42. This makes it possible to avoid the third short circuit (see FIG. 1).

[0033] <Modifications> Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate based on the claims.

[0034] For example, while the embodiment has been described in which the vehicle has an internal combustion engine as a driving source for running, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to vehicles (hybrid vehicles or electric vehicles) that have an electric motor as a driving source for running.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the other side 30b of the fan shroud 30 on which the resistor 43 of the relay 40 is arranged faces the radiator 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the other side 30b of the fan shroud 30 on which the resistor 43 of the relay 40 is arranged may face the intake manifold 70, as opposed to the embodiment.

[0036] The following embodiments are also included within the scope of the present invention: an electric fan relay arrangement structure according to claim 2 or 3 having the features of claim 4; an electric fan relay arrangement structure according to any one of claims 2 to 4 having the features of claim 5; an electric fan relay arrangement structure according to any one of claims 2 to 5 having the features of claim 6; and an electric fan relay arrangement structure according to any one of claims 2 to 6 having the features of claim 7.

[0037] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Radiator 20 Electric fan 21 Fan motor 22 Cooling air 30 Fan shroud 31 Opening 40 Relay 41 Case 42 Board 43 Resistor 50 Protector 51 First plate portion 52 Second plate portion 53 Window portion 61, 62 Harness connector 70 Intake manifold 80 Insulator

Claims

1. An arrangement structure for an electric fan relay comprising: a radiator; a fan shroud provided on the vehicle rear side of the radiator and supporting an electric fan; a relay capable of switching the electric fan on and off; and a protector for protecting the relay, wherein the relay has a case, a base provided inside the case, and a resistor provided outside the case and electrically connected to the base, the case being arranged on one side of the fan shroud in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction, and the resistor being provided in an opening of the fan shroud so as to be arranged on the other side of the fan shroud in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction, and the protector being provided on the other side of the fan shroud and covering the resistor.

2. The electric fan relay arrangement structure according to claim 1, wherein the protector is made of a metal material and further provided with an insulator.

3. An arrangement structure of an electric fan relay as described in claim 2, wherein the other side of the fan shroud faces the radiator, the radiator has a fin structure, and the insulator is provided inside the protector.

4. An arrangement structure of an electric fan relay as described in claim 1, wherein the other side of the fan shroud faces the radiator, and the gap between the protector and the resistor is larger than the gap between the protector and the radiator.

5. An arrangement structure of an electric fan relay as described in claim 1, wherein the resistor has a shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and the protector has a shape with a hat cross section, the orientation of the hat cross section being the longitudinal direction of the resistor.

6. An arrangement structure of an electric fan relay as described in claim 1, wherein the other side of the fan shroud faces the radiator, the relay has a harness connector provided on the opposite side of the base from the resistor, and the harness connector is offset from a hard metal vehicle part provided on the rear side of the vehicle in a front view.

7. An arrangement structure of an electric fan relay as described in claim 1, wherein the other side of the fan shroud faces the radiator, the protector has a pair of windows that open opposite each other across the resistor, the pair of windows facing the center of the electric fan, and cooling air generated by operation of the electric fan flows through the pair of windows.

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