Noise removal device

Abstract

Disclosed is a noise removal device capable of coping with high currents while having a pair of current-carrying members that has a simpler shape and improved assemblability and having a smaller size as a whole.　A noise removal device 10 comprises: an annular magnetic body 14 having an inner hole 16; and a pair of current-carrying members 12, 12 extending through the inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14. The pair of current-carrying members 12, 12 are composed of a formable metal wire material and extend through the inner hole 16. In the inner hole 16, the pair of current-carrying members 12, 12 are arranged next to each other leaving a gap therebetween. Connection parts 18, 20 to which mating members 17, 19 can be assembled are provided at both ends of each of the current-carrying members 12, 12.

Description

Noise removal device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a noise removal device.

[0002] In vehicles that run by motor drive, such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, a bus bar, which is a current-carrying member through which a large current flows, is wired. In Patent Document 1, in order to remove noise from such a bus bar, it has been proposed to adopt a noise removal device (filter device) in which an annular magnetic body such as a ferrite core is externally inserted with respect to a pair of bus bars.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-152457

[0004] By the way, in order to cope with the increasing current of in-vehicle devices in recent years, the required cross-sectional area of the bus bar has been increasing. In order to secure the cross-sectional area of the bus bar formed by press punching a metal flat plate, instead of the plate thickness dimension that is difficult to manufacture, the plate width dimension that has little influence on manufacturing is increased. Therefore, a pair of bus bars with a large plate width dimension are arranged vertically so that the pair of bus bars are arranged opposite to each other with a gap in the plate thickness direction, and are arranged so as to penetrate the inner hole of the annular magnetic body. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1, at least one bus bar is extended so as to be separated from the other bus bar in the plate width direction so that an operator can access connection parts such as bolt fastening parts provided at both ends of each bus bar protruding from the inner hole of the magnetic body, and the overlap of the connection parts of each bus bar in the arrangement direction (vertical direction) is eliminated to enable the operator to access the connection parts from above or the like.

[0005] However, in such a conventional countermeasure against increasing current, not only does the shape of the bus bar become complicated, but also the assemblability when arranging a pair of bus bars through the inner hole of the magnetic body deteriorates. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10 of Patent Document 1, it is also conceivable to increase the long-axis dimension of the annular magnetic body and arrange a pair of bus bars in parallel with a large gap in the long-axis direction, but an increase in the size of the entire device is inevitable, and it is hard to say that it is a desirable countermeasure.

[0006] Therefore, we disclose a noise suppression device that can handle high currents while simplifying the shape of a pair of conductive components, improving ease of assembly, and miniaturizing the entire device.

[0007] The noise reduction device of the present disclosure comprises an annular magnetic body having an internal bore, and a pair of current-carrying members extending through the internal bore of the magnetic body, wherein the pair of current-carrying members are made of a formable metal wire and extend through the internal bore, the pair of current-carrying members are arranged side by side in the internal bore with a gap between them, and each current-carrying member is provided at both ends with a connecting portion to which a mating member is assembled.

[0008] The noise reduction device described herein allows for simplification of the shape of a pair of conductive members, improved ease of assembly, and miniaturization of the entire device, while also enabling handling of high currents.

[0009] Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the noise reduction device according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the noise reduction device shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a plan view of the noise reduction device shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the IV-IV cross section in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the noise reduction device shown in Figure 1 with the insulating retaining member attached to the magnetic material and the housing case containing the magnetic material. Figure 6 is a front perspective view of the insulating retaining member constituting the noise reduction device shown in Figure 1. Figure 7 is a rear perspective view of the insulating retaining member shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 is a plan view of the insulating retaining member shown in Figure 6. Figure 9 is a front view of the insulating retaining member shown in Figure 6. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-X line in Figure 9. Figure 11 is a front perspective view of the noise reduction device according to Embodiment 2.

[0010] <Description of Embodiments of the Disclosure> First, embodiments of the Disclosure will be listed and described. The noise reduction device of the Disclosure comprises (1) an annular magnetic body having an internal bore, and a pair of current-carrying members extending through the internal bore of the magnetic body, wherein the pair of current-carrying members are made of a metal wire that can be formed and extend through the internal bore, the pair of current-carrying members are arranged side by side in the internal bore with a gap between them, and each current-carrying member is provided at both ends with a connection portion to which a mating member is assembled.

[0011] According to the noise reduction device of this embodiment, the pair of current-carrying members that penetrate the inner bore of the annular magnetic material are made of metal wires that can be formed and extend linearly with a constant cross-section, instead of thin-walled, wide busbars formed by press punching. Because the metal wires can be formed, the circumferential change in the radial dimension of the cross-sectional area of ​​the metal wire is kept small, so the dimensions can be increased not only in the width direction but also in the height direction, thereby increasing the cross-sectional area of ​​the current-carrying members. This makes it possible to advantageously respond to the demand for high currents. Furthermore, unlike conventional thin-walled, wide busbars, there is no longer a need to penetrate the inner bore of the annular magnetic material with the pair of busbars arranged vertically, and the pair of current-carrying members can penetrate the inner bore with a gap between them and arranged horizontally. Moreover, connection parts are provided at both ends of each horizontally arranged current-carrying member to which a mating member can be assembled. Therefore, unlike conventional structures, it is not necessary to extend the conductive members beyond a certain extent to eliminate overlap at the connection points of each busbar in the vertical direction in order to ensure worker access to the connection points. As a result, the shape of the pair of conductive members can be simplified, and the ease of assembling the pair of conductive members to the annular magnetic body can also be improved.

[0012] Furthermore, unlike conventional structures, there is no need to employ an annular magnetic material with a larger longitudinal dimension of the inner bore to eliminate overlap at the connection points of each busbar, which allows for a smaller overall size of the device.

[0013] Furthermore, any well-known annular magnetic material, such as ferrite cores or nanocrystalline soft magnetic cores, can be used as the annular magnetic material. In addition, any metal wire that can be formed can be used to constitute the conductive member, and this may include metal wires with rectangular cross-sections including squares, or metal wires extending with circular or elliptical cross-sections.

[0014] (2) Preferably, in (1) above, an insulating retaining member is further provided which is fitted into the inner hole of the magnetic material, wherein the insulating retaining member has an insulating partition wall extending axially through the inner hole of the magnetic material, and a pair of housing cylinders arranged apart by the insulating partition wall, each housing a pair of current-carrying members. Since the insulating retaining member is fitted into the inner hole of the magnetic material, a pair of current-carrying members can be stably held within the magnetic material while ensuring insulation. Moreover, the insulating retaining member is provided with a pair of housing cylinders separated by an insulating partition wall extending axially through the inner hole of the magnetic material, and each current-carrying member is housed in each housing cylinder. Therefore, compared to conventional structures in which a pair of busbars passing through the inner hole are separated only by space, the risk of the pair of current-carrying members coming into contact with each other can be suppressed or avoided.

[0015] (3) In (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that each current-carrying member extends in the longitudinal direction with a rectangular cross-sectional shape in which the ratio of the long side to the short side is in the range of 1 to 1.5. Because the current-carrying member extends with a rectangular cross-sectional shape, surfaces for forming connection parts with other members can be easily secured at both ends and in the middle of each current-carrying member, and since the ratio of the long side to the short side is in the range of 1:1.5, the current-carrying member can be formed by forming. Therefore, current-carrying members and noise reduction devices can be manufactured efficiently.

[0016] (4) In the above (2) or (3) which is dependent on (2), it is preferable that the insulating retaining member includes a first outer surface and a second outer surface which are arranged opposite to each other with a pair of housing cylinders in between in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the current-carrying members are arranged, and at least one of the first outer surface and the second outer surface is provided with an opening recess which opens at a position avoiding the housing cylinders. Since the insulating retaining member includes a first outer surface and a second outer surface which are arranged opposite to each other with a pair of housing cylinders in between, insulating properties with respect to the magnetic material can be advantageously ensured. Moreover, since the opening recess is formed with an opening on at least one of the first outer surface and the second outer surface, the insulating distance of the first or second outer surface can be advantageously increased by the opening recess, and insulating properties between the pair of current-carrying members and between the current-carrying members and the magnetic material can be further advantageously ensured.

[0017] (5) In the above (4), the insulating retaining member includes a third outer surface and a fourth outer surface that are arranged opposite each other with a pair of housing cylinder portions in between in the direction of arrangement of the current-carrying members, and each of the third outer surface and the fourth outer surface is provided with a locking claw portion that extends in a cantilevered manner from the base end side toward the tip side, while the base end sides of the first outer surface and the second outer surface are each provided with a flange portion that protrudes toward the magnetic material side, and the insulating retaining member is detachably assembled to the inner hole of the magnetic material by arranging the magnetic material between the flange portion and the locking claw portion.

[0018] By inserting the insulating retaining member into the inner bore of the magnetic material from the tip side, the locking claws elastically deform inward in the direction of the alignment of the conductive members. As each locking claw passes through the inner bore of the magnetic material, each locking claw elastically returns to its original shape and locks into the peripheral edge on the tip side of the inner bore of the magnetic material. The insertion end of such an insulating retaining member is defined by the flange portions protruding from the first and second outer surfaces contacting the peripheral edge on the base side of the inner bore of the magnetic material. As a result, the insulating retaining member is mounted to the inner bore of the magnetic material by sandwiching it between the locking claws and flange portions. In particular, by providing flange portions and locking claw portions that contact the peripheral edge of the inner bore of the magnetic material on the four surrounding surfaces (first to fourth outer surfaces) of the insulating retaining member, rattling of the insulating retaining member relative to the inner bore of the magnetic material can also be suppressed.

[0019] (6) In any one of (1) to (5) above, it is preferable that a pair of the magnetic materials extends straight through the inner holes of a plurality of the magnetic materials, and a relay connection portion is provided in the portion exposed between adjacent magnetic materials so that a relay conductive member can be connected. Since the pair of current-carrying members are made of metal wire that can be formed, and the relay connection portion is provided in the portion exposed between adjacent magnetic materials of a pair of current-carrying members arranged side by side, a relay conductive member can be connected to the current-carrying members that extend straight through the inner holes of each of the adjacent magnetic materials. This makes it possible to provide a compact noise reduction device with even higher noise reduction performance and greater wiring flexibility.

[0020] <Details of Embodiments of the Disclosure> Specific examples of the noise reduction device of the Disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the Disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the Claims as indicated by the Claims.

[0021] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, a noise reduction device 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. This noise reduction device 10 is installed inside an electrical junction box in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and removes noise in the conductive member 12 that connects the electrical components inside the electrical junction box. Specifically, the noise reduction device 10 comprises an annular magnetic body 14 made of ferrite or the like, and a conductive member 12 inserted into an inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14. The magnetic body 14, such as ferrite, functions as a low-pass filter to remove high-frequency components (noise) of the current flowing through the conductive member 12. The noise reduction device 10 can be positioned in any orientation, but in the following description, "up" refers to the upper part in Figure 4, "down" refers to the lower part in Figure 4, "left" refers to the upper part in Figure 3, "right" refers to the lower part in Figure 3, "front" refers to the left in Figure 3, and "rear" refers to the right in Figure 3. In addition, for multiple identical members, only some members may be given reference numerals, and the reference numerals for other members may be omitted.

[0022] <Noise Reduction Device 10> As described above, the noise reduction device 10 comprises a magnetic body 14 having an inner hole 16 and an energizing member 12 extending through the inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14. The noise reduction device 10 comprises a pair of energizing members 12, 12, and these pair of energizing members 12, 12 are arranged to be separated from each other in the left-right direction.

[0023] <Conductive Members 12> Each conductive member 12 is made of a metal wire that can be formed, and each conductive member 12 extending through the inner hole 16 is arranged side by side in the left-right direction within the inner hole 16 with gaps between them. The material of each conductive member 12 is not limited as long as it is a metal that can be formed and has good conductivity, but for example, copper (including copper alloys) or aluminum (including aluminum alloys) can be used. In Embodiment 1, each conductive member 12 is formed as a prismatic shape having a rectangular cross-section, and each conductive member 12 is formed by bending it into a predetermined shape by forming.

[0024] The rectangular cross-sectional shape of each current-carrying member 12 is not flat like a typical busbar, for example, but rather has a ratio of thickness (vertical dimension) to width (horizontal dimension) that is somewhat larger than that of a typical busbar. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the ratio of the length of the long side (horizontal dimension) b to the length of the short side (vertical dimension) a is preferably in the range of 1 to 1.5 (a:b = 1:(1 to 1.5)), in other words, a ≤ b ≤ 1.5a. As a result, the cross-sectional shape of each current-carrying member 12 is not flat, but is somewhat close to a square. In Embodiment 1, the cross-sectional shape of each current-carrying member 12 has a horizontal dimension that is slightly larger than the vertical dimension, resulting in a slightly horizontally elongated rectangular shape. Each current-carrying member 12 extends in the longitudinal direction with the above-described rectangular cross-sectional shape.

[0025] In particular, in Embodiment 1, the front portion of each current-carrying member 12 extends substantially straight in the front-rear direction, and these substantially straight portions are inserted into the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14. On the other hand, the rear portion of each current-carrying member 12 is bent to match, for example, the placement position of the electrical component to which each current-carrying member 12 is connected, and a rear connection portion 18 is provided at the rear end of each current-carrying member 12 as a connection portion to which a mating member 17, which is a component of the electrical component, is assembled. Furthermore, a front connection portion 20 is provided at the front end of each current-carrying member 12 as a connection portion to which a mating member 19, which is a component of another electrical component, is assembled. Note that the same mating member 17 may be connected to the rear connection portion 18 of each current-carrying member 12, or different mating members 17 may be connected. Similarly, the same mating member 19 may be connected to the front connection portion 20 of each current-carrying member 12, or different mating members 19 may be connected.

[0026] The rear connecting portion 18 and the front connecting portion 20, which constitute both longitudinal ends of each of the energizing members 12, have a smaller thickness dimension compared to the longitudinal middle portion of each energizing member 12, and bolt insertion holes 22 that penetrate in the thickness direction are formed in each of the rear connecting portion 18 and the front connecting portion 20. The mating members 17 and 19 are fixed to each of the rear connecting portion 18 and the front connecting portion 20 by bolts (not shown) inserted through each of the bolt insertion holes 22. In addition, nuts (not shown) may be fixed to each of the rear connecting portion 18 and the front connecting portion 20 on the side opposite to the direction in which the bolts are inserted into each bolt insertion hole 22, and the rear connecting portion 18 and the front connecting portion 20 may be fixed to the mating member by fastening the bolts inserted through each bolt insertion hole 22 to the nuts.

[0027] Furthermore, in the longitudinal direction of each current-carrying member 12, a relay connection portion 24 is provided at a position away from the insertion portion into the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14, allowing a relay conductive member 26 to be connected. In Embodiment 1, bolt insertion holes 28 are formed on both the front-rear and rear-direction sides of the insertion portion into the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14 in each current-carrying member 12, penetrating each current-carrying member 12 in the thickness direction, and the relay connection portion 24 is formed including the portion surrounding each bolt insertion hole 28. The shape of the relay conductive member 26 is not limited, but for example, it can be formed by a busbar with bolt insertion holes 30 formed at both ends. The relay conductive member 26 is fixed to the relay connection portion 24 with the bolt insertion holes 28 and 30 aligned with each other. For example, the relay conductive member 26 can be fixed to the relay connection part 24 by overlapping the relay conductive member 26 on the upper surface of the relay connection part 24 and fastening bolts (not shown) inserted through the bolt insertion holes 28 and 30 to nuts (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the relay connection part 24. In this embodiment 1, each relay conductive member 26 is provided protruding upward from the relay connection part 24 of each current-carrying member 12.

[0028] By connecting the relay conductive members 26 to each relay connection section 24 in this manner, the conductive path can be branched from each current-carrying member 12 to the relay conductive members 26. In particular, in Embodiment 1, each current-carrying member 12 is prismatic in shape, and the upper surface of each current-carrying member 12 onto which the relay conductive members 26 are superimposed is a flat surface, so that bolt fastening between each relay connection section 24 and each relay conductive member 26 can be performed stably. Note that the method of fixing the relay conductive members 26 to each relay connection section 24 is not limited to bolt fastening, and known fixing methods such as welding can be used.

[0029] <Magnetic Material 14> The magnetic material 14 is an annular member made of, for example, ferrite (particularly Mn-Zn ferrite) or nanocrystalline soft magnetic material, and as shown in Figure 4, the cross-section has an outer shape that is approximately oval or elliptical, with the left-right dimension being larger than the vertical dimension overall. An inner hole 16 is formed in the central part of the magnetic material 14, penetrating in the front-to-back direction, and this inner hole 16 has a horizontally elongated shape, with the left-to-right dimension being larger than the vertical dimension. In Embodiment 1, the inner hole 16 has a horizontally elongated, approximately rounded rectangular cross-section, and is formed with a constant cross-sectional shape over the entire length of the magnetic material 14 in the front-to-back direction.

[0030] The magnetic material 14 is housed in an insulating housing case 32, and the outer and inner surfaces of the magnetic material 14 are covered by the housing case 32. Specifically, the housing case 32 comprises an outer cylindrical portion 34 having a substantially oval or elliptical cross-section that covers the outer circumferential surface of the magnetic material 14, an inner cylindrical portion 36 having a substantially rounded rectangular cross-section that covers the inner circumferential surface of the magnetic material 14, and an annular front wall portion 38 and rear wall portion 40 that cover the front and rear surfaces of the magnetic material 14 and connect the outer cylindrical portion 34 and the inner cylindrical portion 36. A central hole 42 is formed by an inner hole in the inner cylindrical portion 36, which penetrates the central part of the housing case 32 in the front-to-back direction. The central hole 42 has a horizontally elongated substantially rounded rectangular cross-section, similar to the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14. In the first embodiment, leg portions 44 that protrude outward in the left-right direction are integrally formed in the outer cylindrical portion 34 of the housing case 32. Metal collars 46 are fixed to each leg portion 44 in an embedded state.

[0031] The housing case 32, having the shape described above, can be formed as an integrally molded product comprising the magnetic material 14 and each color 46 by, for example, molding the housing case 32 with the magnetic material 14 and each color 46 set inside the molding cavity of the housing case 32 during the molding process. Alternatively, the housing case 32 may be composed of multiple members, and the housing case 32 having the magnetic material 14 inside may be constructed by assembling the multiple members with the magnetic material 14 housed inside.

[0032] <Insulating Retaining Member 48> An insulating retaining member 48 is installed in the central hole 42 of the housing case 32 (i.e., the inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14) to house and hold each current-carrying member 12. The insulating retaining member 48 is made of an insulating synthetic resin. As shown in Figures 6 to 10, the insulating retaining member 48 has an insulating partition wall 50 that extends axially (front-rear direction) through the inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14, and a pair of housing cylindrical parts 52, 52 that are separated by the insulating partition wall 50 and each house each current-carrying member 12. In other words, the insulating retaining member 48 is provided with a pair of housing cylindrical parts 52, 52, and the insulating partition wall 50 is provided between them. In Embodiment 1, each housing cylindrical part 52 extending in the front-rear direction is provided separated from each other in the left-right direction, and the insulating partition wall 50 is provided in the left-right central part of the insulating retaining member 48. Each of these housing cylinders 52 has a front-to-back dimension that is larger than the insulating partition wall 50, and the front end of each housing cylinder 52 protrudes forward beyond the front end of the insulating partition wall 50.

[0033] In particular, in Embodiment 1, each housing cylinder 52 has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to each current-carrying member 12, and is a slightly elongated rectangular cross-section. That is, each housing cylinder 52 has an upper wall 54, a lower wall 56, left-right inward wall 58, and left-right outward wall 60 that surround each current-carrying member 12 from all four sides, and each wall 54, 56, 58, and 60 extends in the front-rear direction. The insulating partition wall 50 described above is formed by including a part of each left-right inward wall 58 in each housing cylinder 52.

[0034] More specifically, the insulating retaining member 48 includes an upper surface 62 as a first outer surface and a lower surface 64 as a second outer surface, which are arranged opposite each other with the housing cylinder portion 52 in between, in a vertical direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement (left-right direction) of each current-carrying member 12. In short, the upper surface 62 as the first outer surface of the insulating retaining member 48 is composed of the upper surface of the upper wall portion 54 of each housing cylinder portion 52 and the upper surface of the insulating partition wall 50. In Embodiment 1, the upper surface of each upper wall portion 54 and the upper surface of the insulating partition wall 50 are smoothly continuous, and the upper surface 62 is formed as a flat surface. Similarly, the lower surface 64 as the second outer surface of the insulating retaining member 48 is composed of the lower surface of the lower wall portion 56 of each housing cylinder portion 52 and the lower surface of the insulating partition wall 50. In Embodiment 1, the lower surface of each lower wall portion 56 and the lower surface of the insulating partition wall 50 are smoothly continuous, and the lower surface 64 is formed as a flat surface.

[0035] Furthermore, the insulating retaining member 48 includes a left surface 66 as a third outer surface and a right surface 68 as a fourth outer surface, which are positioned opposite each other with the housing cylinder portion 52 in between, in the direction of alignment (left-right direction) of each current-carrying member 12. In short, the left surface 66 as the third outer surface of the insulating retaining member 48 is formed by the outer surface of the left-right outer wall portion 60 of the left housing cylinder portion 52. Also, the right surface 68 as the fourth outer surface of the insulating retaining member 48 is formed by the outer surface of the left-right outer wall portion 60 of the right housing cylinder portion 52.

[0036] In this embodiment, a through-hole 70 is formed in the insulating partition wall 50 in the central left-right portion of the insulating holding member 48, penetrating in the front-rear direction. In Embodiment 1, the through-hole 70 is formed with a rectangular cross-sectional shape in which the vertical dimension is larger than the left-right dimension. In addition, at least one of the first outer surface (upper surface 62) and the second outer surface (lower surface 64) is provided with an opening recess 72 that opens into the insulating partition wall 50, in other words, at a position that avoids each housing cylinder portion 52. In Embodiment 1, at the rear end portion of the insulating partition wall 50, opening recesses 72 are formed on both the upper surface 62 and the lower surface 64. Each opening recess 72 penetrates the upper and lower wall portions that constitute the insulating partition wall 50, and the internal space of each opening recess 72 communicates with the internal space of the through-hole 70. That is, the internal space of the insulating partition wall 50 communicates with the external space not only through the openings on both the front-rear and rear sides of the through-hole 70, but also through the opening recesses 72 on both the vertical sides.

[0037] Furthermore, flange portions 74 projecting outward in the vertical direction, which face the magnetic material 14, are provided at the base end (rear end) of the first outer surface (upper surface 62) and the second outer surface (lower surface 64). In Embodiment 1, flange portions 74 are provided at the rear ends of the upper surface 62 and the lower surface 64, extending substantially along their entire length in the left-right direction. Each flange portion 74 has a predetermined vertical dimension, and in Embodiment 1, the aforementioned opening recesses 72 are formed spanning each flange portion 74. In short, each opening recess 72 is formed to penetrate through each flange portion 74 in the front-rear direction as well. A cylindrical projection 75 projecting rearward is provided at the periphery of the rear opening of the through hole 70, spanning each of the upper and lower flange portions 74. This ensures creepage distance between each current-carrying member 12 and ensures insulation between each current-carrying member 12.

[0038] Furthermore, each of the third outer surface (left surface 66) and the fourth outer surface (right surface 68) is provided with a locking claw portion 76 that extends in a cantilevered manner from the base end (rear end) to the tip end (front end). Specifically, the left and right outer walls 60 of each housing cylinder portion 52 constituting the left surface 66 and the right surface 68 are provided with a pair of slits 78, 78 extending from the front end toward the rear at a predetermined distance apart in the vertical direction, and elastic tongue pieces 80 that can be elastically deformed in the horizontal direction are provided between these vertically. As a result, each elastic tongue piece 80 protrudes in a cantilevered manner from the rear end to the front end, and each locking claw portion 76 is formed by providing a locking claw 82 at the protruding tip (front end) of each elastic tongue piece 80.

[0039] Each locking claw 82 has an inclined surface 84 at its front end that slopes backward as it moves outward in the left-right direction, and an orthogonal surface 86 at its rear end that extends in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. As a result, as will be described later, when the insulating retaining member 48 is fitted into the central hole 42 of the housing case 32, the inclined surface 84 of each locking claw 82 comes into contact with the inner surface of the central hole 42, causing each locking claw portion 76 to be elastically deformed inward in the left-right direction along the slope of each inclined surface 84. Furthermore, as each locking claw 82 passes through the central hole 42, each locking claw portion 76 elastically returns to its original shape, and the orthogonal surface 86 of each locking claw 82 is locked to the periphery of the central hole 42 in the housing case 32. As a result, the insulating retaining member 48 is assembled into the central hole 42 (inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14) of the housing case 32. On the other hand, with the insulating retaining member 48 assembled to the housing case 32, the insulating retaining member 48 can be removed from the housing case 32 by releasing the engagement between each locking claw 82 (each orthogonal surface 86) and the central hole 42. Therefore, in Embodiment 1, the insulating retaining member 48 is detachably assembled to the central hole 42 (the inner hole 16 of the magnetic material 14) of the housing case 32.

[0040] <Assembly Method of Noise Reduction Device 10> The following describes a specific example of how to assemble the noise reduction device 10. However, the assembly method of the noise reduction device 10 is not limited to the description below.

[0041] First, a housing case 32 integrally comprising the magnetic material 14 and each color 46 is molded. Then, the insulating retaining member 48 is inserted from the rear into the central hole 42 of the housing case 32. As a result, the inclined surfaces 84 of each locking claw 82 provided on the insulating retaining member 48 come into contact with the rear opening periphery of the central hole 42, and each locking claw portion 76 elastically deforms inward in the left-right direction along the inclination of each inclined surface 84. As a result, further insertion of the insulating retaining member 48 is permitted, and as each locking claw 82 passes through the central hole 42, each locking claw portion 76 elastically returns to its original shape, and the orthogonal surfaces 86 of each locking claw 82 are locked to the front opening periphery of the central hole 42. Furthermore, insertion of the insulating retaining member 48 into the central hole 42 is restricted by the fact that each flange portion 74 protruding outward in the vertical direction of the insulating retaining member 48 comes into contact with the rear opening periphery of the central hole 42. In this way, as shown in Figure 5, the insulating retaining member 48 is assembled to the housing case 32 (magnetic material 14). With the insulating retaining member 48 assembled to the housing case 32 (magnetic material 14), the housing case 32 (magnetic material 14) is positioned between each flange portion 74 and each locking claw portion 76 (in particular, each locking claw 82) in the front-rear direction.

[0042] Then, from the state shown in Figure 5, each energizing member 12 is inserted into each housing cylinder 52 from the rear. After that, if necessary, the relay conductive member 26 is fixed to the relay connection portion 24 of each energizing member 12 by a known fixing method such as bolt fixing. As a result, the noise reduction device 10 of Embodiment 1 is completed.

[0043] The noise reduction device 10 manufactured in this manner is attached, for example, inside an electrical junction box in a vehicle by bolts (not shown) inserted through each leg portion 44 (each collar 46). Furthermore, the front connection portion 20 and rear connection portion 18 of each current-carrying member 12 are connected to electrical components (or busbars, etc., extending from electrical components) inside the electrical junction box, thereby electrically connecting the electrical components inside the electrical junction box through each current-carrying member 12 of the noise reduction device 10. When current flows through each current-carrying member 12, noise in the current is removed by the magnetic material 14 provided around each current-carrying member 12.

[0044] According to the noise removing device 10 of the first embodiment having the structure as described above, each energizing member 12 is constituted by a metal wire material capable of forming. Thereby, each energizing member 12 can be formed into a predetermined shape and its shape is maintained. In particular, by maintaining the shape of each energizing member 12, for example, in an electrical connection box, electrical components (opposing members 17, 19) provided at positions displaced not only in the front - rear direction but also in the left - right direction and the up - down direction can be stably connected by each energizing member 12. Also, these energizing members 12 are arranged side - by - side (in the left - right direction) in the inner hole 16 (central hole 42 of the housing case 32) of the magnetic body 14. Thereby, for example, without making the longitudinal dimension of each energizing member 12 longer than necessary, connection (for example, bolt fastening) with the opposing members 17, 19 from the up - down direction and the front - rear direction can be performed. As a result, miniaturization of the noise removing device 10 is achieved. Further, even when each energizing member 12 has a certain cross - sectional area, the magnetic body 14 does not become large in the up - down direction, and an increase in size in the up - down direction in the magnetic body 14, and thus in the noise removing device 10, can be avoided.

[0045] An insulating holding member 48 is adapted to be mounted in the inner hole 16 (central hole 42 of the housing case 32) of the magnetic body 14, and the insulating holding member 48 includes a pair of housing cylinder portions 52, 52 and an insulating partition wall 50 positioned therebetween. Thereby, displacement of each energizing member 12 in the inner hole 16 of the magnetic body 14 is prevented and insulation between the energizing members 12 is ensured. In particular, the insulating partition wall 50 is provided with a through - hole 70 penetrating in the front - rear direction, and since each energizing member 12 faces in the left - right direction through the space inside the through - hole 70, insulation between the energizing members 12 is more stably ensured.

[0046] Each of these current-carrying members 12 has a rectangular cross-section, and it is preferable that the ratio of the long side to the short side is within the range of 1 to 1.5. By setting the ratio of the long side to the short side within the above range, each current-carrying member 12 does not become a flat shape like a general bus bar, and each current-carrying member 12 having a larger thickness dimension than a general bus bar can be obtained. Thereby, the cross-sectional area of each current-carrying member 12 can be made larger than that of a general bus bar, and the noise removal device 10 corresponding to a larger current can be provided.

[0047] And, at the rear ends of the upper surface 62 and the lower surface 64 of the insulating holding member 48, respective opening recesses 72 are provided, and the creepage distance between each current-carrying member 12 is ensured. Thereby, insulation between each current-carrying member 12 is ensured. Also, the creepage distance between each current-carrying member 12 is ensured by each flange portion 74 and cylindrical protruding portion 75 provided at the rear end portion of the insulating holding member 48, and improvement in insulation between the current-carrying members 12 is achieved.

[0048] Each locking claw portion 76 is provided on the left surface 66 and the right surface 68 of the insulating holding member 48, and each flange portion 74 is provided on the upper surface 62 and the lower surface 64. When the insulating holding member 48 is mounted in the inner hole 16 (central hole 42 of the housing case 32) of the magnetic body 14, the magnetic body 14 (housing case 32) is sandwiched and held between each locking claw portion 76 (particularly, each locking claw 82) and each flange portion 74 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the insulating holding member 48 is stably held with respect to the magnetic body 14 (housing case 32). In particular, since the orthogonal surface 86 of each locking claw 82 is locked to the peripheral portions on both left and right sides in the lateral direction of the front opening of the central hole 42, and the flange portion 74 abuts against the peripheral portions on both upper and lower sides in the vertical direction of the rear opening of the central hole 42, rattling of the insulating holding member 48 with respect to the magnetic body 14 (housing case 3) can also be suppressed.

[0049] <Embodiment 2> Hereinafter, the noise reduction device 90 of Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 11. In Embodiment 2, a second magnetic body 14 is provided in the portion that extends straight forward from the front of each current-carrying member 12. In short, in Embodiment 2, each current-carrying member 12 extends straight through each inner hole 16 (central hole 42 of each housing case 32) of a plurality (two in Embodiment 2) of magnetic bodies 14. As a result, each magnetic body 14 can be arranged in series in the conductive path of each current-carrying member 12, thereby improving the noise reduction effect of the magnetic bodies 14. Since the other structures are the same as in Embodiment 1, the same effects as in Embodiment 1 can be achieved.

[0050] Furthermore, in Embodiment 2, each magnetic body 14 (each housing case 32) is arranged to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction, and the relay connection portion 24 of each current-carrying member 12 is exposed between each magnetic body 14 in the front-rear direction. Each relay conductive member 26 that protrudes upward is connected to each relay connection portion 24 that is exposed between each magnetic body 14 in the front-rear direction. In this configuration as well, the conductive path can be branched by each relay conductive member 26, and the same effect as in Embodiment 1 is achieved. Note that in the embodiment shown in Figure 11, each insulating retaining member 48 is attached to each magnetic body 14 (each housing case 32) on both sides in the front-rear direction in a direction facing each other in the front-rear direction, but each insulating retaining member 48 may be attached to each magnetic body 14 (each housing case 32) in the same direction.

[0051] <Modifications> Although Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 have been described in detail above as specific examples of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited by these specific descriptions. Modifications, improvements, etc., to the extent that they can achieve the objectives of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications of embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0052] (1) In the above embodiment, each current-carrying member 12 had a rectangular cross-section, and each housing cylinder portion 52 had a rectangular cross-section corresponding to each current-carrying member 12, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The cross-sectional shape of each current-carrying member may be circular (including perfect circles, ovals, ellipses, semicircles, etc.) or a polygon other than a square. Also, the cross-sectional shape of each housing cylinder portion may or may not correspond to the cross-sectional shape of each current-carrying member, and may be circular or a polygon other than a square, similar to the current-carrying members. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shapes of the left and right current-carrying members may be different, and the cross-sectional shapes of the left and right housing cylinder portions may be different. By making the cross-sectional shapes of the current-carrying members and housing cylinder portions polygonal, it is possible to prevent the current-carrying members from rotating around a central axis extending in the front-rear direction within the housing cylinder portion. Alternatively, by making the cross-sectional shape of at least one of the current-carrying members and housing cylinder portions circular, the current-carrying members may be able to rotate around a central axis extending in the front-rear direction within the housing cylinder portion.

[0053] (2) In the embodiment 1 described above, each current-carrying member 12 was inserted into each housing cylinder portion 52 of the insulating holding member 48 from the rear opening side (the side on which the locking claw 82 is provided in each locking claw portion 76). However, each current-carrying member may be inserted into each housing cylinder portion from the front opening side, or the insertion direction of each current-carrying member may differ in the left and right housing cylinder portions.

[0054] (3) In the above embodiment, the bending direction of each current-carrying member 12 shown in the figure is merely illustrative, and the bending direction of each current-carrying member can be set arbitrarily. Also, in the above embodiment, the noise reduction devices 10 and 90 are described as being installed inside the electrical connection box in the vehicle, but this is merely illustrative, and the noise reduction devices according to this disclosure can be installed in an appropriate location inside the vehicle.

[0055] 10 Noise reduction device (Embodiment 1) 12 Conductive member 14 Magnetic material 16 Inner hole 17 Mating member 18 Rear connection part (connection part) 19 Mating member 20 Front connection part (connection part) 22 Bolt insertion hole 24 Relay connection part 26 Relay conductive member 28, 30 Bolt insertion hole 32 Housing case 34 Outer cylinder part 36 Inner cylinder part 38 Front wall part 40 Rear wall part 42 Central hole 44 Leg part 46 Collar 48 Insulating retaining member 50 Insulating partition wall 52 Housing cylinder part 54 Upper wall part 56 Lower wall part 58 Left and right inner wall part 60 Left and right outer wall part 62 Top surface (first outer surface) 64 Bottom surface (second outer surface) 66 Left surface (third outer surface) 68 Right side (fourth outer surface) 70 Through hole 72 Opening recess 74 Flange portion 75 Cylindrical projection 76 Locking claw portion 78 Slit 80 Elastic tongue 82 Locking claw 84 Inclined surface 86 Orthogonal surface 90 Noise reduction device (Embodiment 2)

Claims

1. A noise reduction device comprising: an annular magnetic body having an internal bore; and a pair of conductive members extending through the internal bore of the magnetic body, wherein the pair of conductive members are made of formable metal wire and extend through the internal bore, the pair of conductive members are arranged side by side in the internal bore with a gap between them, and each conductive member is provided at both ends with a connection portion to which a mating member is attached.

2. The noise reduction device according to claim 1, further comprising an insulating retaining member fitted into the inner hole of the magnetic material, wherein the insulating retaining member has an insulating partition wall extending axially through the inner hole of the magnetic material, and a pair of housing cylindrical portions arranged apart by the insulating partition wall, each housing a pair of the current-carrying members.

3. The noise reduction device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the current-carrying members extends in the longitudinal direction with a rectangular cross-sectional shape in which the ratio of the long side to the short side is in the range of 1 to 1.

5.

4. The noise reduction device according to claim 2, wherein the insulating retaining member includes a first outer surface and a second outer surface arranged opposite to each other with a pair of housing cylindrical portions in between, in a direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement of the current-carrying members, and at least one of the first outer surface and the second outer surface is provided with an opening recess that opens at a position avoiding the housing cylindrical portions.

5. The noise reduction device according to claim 4, wherein the insulating retaining member includes a third outer surface and a fourth outer surface arranged opposite to each other in the direction of arrangement of the current-carrying members, with a pair of housing cylindrical portions sandwiched between them, and each of the third outer surface and the fourth outer surface is provided with a locking claw portion extending in a cantilevered manner from the base end to the tip end, while the base ends of the first outer surface and the second outer surface are each provided with flange portions projecting toward the magnetic material, and the insulating retaining member is detachably assembled to the inner hole of the magnetic material by arranging the magnetic material between the flange portion and the locking claw portion.

6. The noise reduction device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pair of the current-carrying members extend straight through the internal holes of a plurality of the magnetic materials, and a relay connection portion is provided at the portion exposed between adjacent magnetic materials, allowing a relay conductive member to be connected.

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