Disclosed herein is a technique for dissipating heat from a relay.
Conventionally, a technique for dissipating heat generated by energization of a relay to the outside has been known. In the electronic unit box disclosed in Patent Document 1, relays are disposed on the flat plate portion of a heat dissipation plate. The terminals of the relays that have penetrated the through holes of the flat plate portion are soldered to the connection portion of the flexible printed circuit, and are electrically connected to the control substrate through the flexible printed substrate.
Patent Document 1 JP 2001-298290A (FIG. 4)
When the relays are energized, it is preferable that the heat of the terminals can be dissipated to the outside efficiently, because the portions of the terminals in the relays become hotter than the exterior. However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the exterior of each relay is in contact with the heat dissipation plate, the terminal is inserted into the through hole of the heat dissipation plate with a gap. Accordingly, there has been a problem in that the heat of the terminals of the relays is not easily transmitted to the heat dissipation plate, and the dissipation of the heat of the relays is not sufficient.
The technique described in the present specification has been completed based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to improve dissipation of heat of a relay.
A relay unit described in the present specification includes: bus bars serving as conductive paths; a relay including a contact portion for turning on and off energization of the bus bars and a plurality of terminals connected to the contact portion, the bus bars being fixed to the plurality of terminals; and a heat dissipation member that is fixed to a terminal among the plurality of terminals of the relay, receives heat of the terminal, and dissipates the heat.
With this configuration, because the heat dissipation member is fixed to the terminal of the relay, the heat dissipation member can receive the heat of the terminal and dissipate the heat to the outside. This makes it possible to improve the heat dissipation of the heat of the relay.
The following aspects are preferable as embodiments of the technique described in this specification.
The relay unit may include: a plurality of the relays; a plurality of the heat dissipation members; and a fan, wherein the plurality of heat dissipation members are disposed in the air flow path of the fan.
In this way, the heat dissipation of the heat dissipation members can be promoted by the air blowing from the fan.
The heat dissipation member may overlap a bus bar, and the heat dissipation member may be disposed on the side opposite to the relay with respect to the bus bar.
In this manner, the degree of freedom of the shape of the heat dissipation member can be increased as compared with the configuration in which the heat dissipation member is disposed on the relay side with respect to the bus bar. Accordingly, it is easy to improve heat dissipation by the shape of the heat dissipation member.
The relay unit may further include a fuse disposed in the conductive path, and a partition wall partitioning the heat dissipation member and the fuse.
With this configuration, transfer of heat from the heat dissipation member to the fuse is suppressed by the partition wall. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the influence that the heat from the heat dissipation member has on the operation of the fuse.
The relay unit may include a plurality of the relays, a plurality of the heat dissipation members, a fan, and a base member on which the plurality of relays are mounted, wherein a ventilation hole is formed through a bottom plate portion of the base member on which the fan is disposed.
With this configuration, when the air passes through the ventilation hole when the fan blows, the cooling efficiency of the heat dissipation members can be enhanced.
The fan may be disposed so as to be able to blow air in a direction along the bottom plate portion, and the plurality of heat dissipation members are disposed in the air flow paths on both sides of the fan.
In this manner, the heat of the heat dissipation members can be dissipated efficiently by the fan.
The fan is disposed to be able to blow air in a direction orthogonal to the bottom plate portion.
In this manner, the air blown by the fan can easily pass through the through hole of the base member, and therefore the cooling efficiency of the heat dissipation member can be enhanced.
According to the technique described herein, the dissipation of the heat of the relay can be improved.
A first embodiment will be described with reference to
A relay unit 10 of the present embodiment is mounted in a vehicle such as an electric car or a hybrid car, for example, and is disposed in a power supply path from a power source such as a battery to a load such as a motor. Hereinafter, the X direction and the Y direction in
The relay unit 10 includes: a pair of relays 11A and 11B; a plurality of bus bars 20A to 20D serving as conductive paths; a plurality of heat dissipation members 30A and 30B fixed to the respective relays 11A and 11B to dissipate heat of the relays 11A and 11B; a fan 35 that blows air to the plurality of heat dissipation members 30A and 30B; and a base member 40 on which the bus bars 20A to 20D, the relays 11A and 11B, the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B, and the fan 35 are mounted.
The relays 11A and 11B are, for example, mechanical relays to which a relatively large current such as a drive current of a car is supplied. The relays 11A and 11B are composed of a first relay 11A disposed on the left end side of the base member 40, and a second relay 11B that is disposed on the right end side of the base member 40 and is connected in series to the first relay 11A via a circuit on the power source and load side.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The bus bars 20A to 20D are plates made of metal such as copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, or an aluminum alloy. The bus bars 20A to 20D are bent according to the wiring path and are connected to the pair of terminals 15A and 15B of the relays 11A and 11B, respectively. As shown in
As shown in
The bus bar 20C that is connected to one terminal 15B of the relay 11B is connected to one end of an external connection bus bar 25B via a fuse 28. The fuse 28 is provided with a fusing portion inside a cylindrical member. Two ends of the cylindrical member are fuse terminals 28A that are electrically connected to the fusing portion, and the bus bars 20A to 20D are connected to the fuse terminals 28A. Each of the other end sides of the external connection bus bars 25A and 25B is screwed to a terminal (not shown) of a terminal portion of an external electric wire with a screw 68, and is electrically connected to the load via the electric wire. The terminals of the fuse 28 are screwed with screws 65 to the base member 40 together with the bus bar 20C and the external connection bus bar 25B. The terminals of the current sensor 29 are bolted with bolts 69 to nuts fixed to the base member 40 together with the bus bar 20B and the external connection bus bar 25A.
One end of the bus bar 20A is connected to the other terminal 15A of the relay 11A, and the other end thereof is connected to the terminal of the terminal portion of an external electric wire, and is electrically connected to the negative electrode side of the power source via this electric wire. One end of the bus bar 20D is connected to the other terminal 15A of the relay 11B, and the other end thereof is connected to the terminal of the terminal portion of an electric wire, and is electrically connected to the positive electrode side of the power source via this electric wire.
The heat dissipation members 30A and 30B are made of a member such as metal having high thermal conductivity such as copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or the like, and are flat as shown in
A through hole 31A, through which the shaft portion 61 of the bolt 60 serving as a fastening member is inserted, is formed through each terminal connection portion 31. A portion between the terminal connection portion 31 and the receiving portion 33 is bent in accordance with a path from the terminal 15B to the position where the air from the fan 35 is received. In both of the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B, the plate surface of the terminal connection portion 31 and the plate surface of the receiving portion 33 extend in directions orthogonal to each other. Each receiving portion 33 is disposed on the air flow path (air flow path A1 in
As shown in
A metal fixing member 38 for fixing the fan 35 to the base member 40 is attached to the bottom surface of the fan 35. The fixing member 38 is fastened and fixed to the fixing holes 36A on the lower end side of the fan case 36 with bolts 39A and nuts 39B. The fixing member 38 includes: a flat seat portion 38A on which the bottom portion of the fan 35 is placed; and a pair of extending portions 38B that extend in a crank shape from the side edges of the seat portion 38A to the left and right. The seat portion 38A is disposed slightly downward with respect to the pair of extending portions 38B. In each extending portion 38B, a fastening hole 38C for fastening and fixing the fan 35 to the base member 40 with a bolt 63 is formed.
The base member 40 is made of synthetic resin, and includes a main body 41 and a cover 53 for closing the back surface side of the main body 41 as shown in
As shown in
Each surrounding wall 47 has a rectangular shape in which electronic components such as the relays 11A and 11B, the fuse 28, a precharge relay 18, and a precharge resistor 19 can be fitted. The surrounding wall 47 is provided with a locking portion 47A for locking the electronic component to prevent the electronic component from coming off. The precharge relay 18 and the precharge resistor 19 are connected in series to each other, and in parallel to the relay 11A. The precharge relay 18 and the precharge resistor 19 prevent seizure of the contact portion 13 due to the large current flowing in the relays 11A and 11B.
The partition wall 49 is provided to couple the side walls of the surrounding walls 47 surrounding the left and right relays 11A and 11B without a gap, and is formed in a range that entirely partitions the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B and the fuse 28 from each other. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The dissipation of the heat generated from the relays 11A and 11B will be described.
The terminals 15A and 15B generate heat due to energization of the contact portions 13 of the relays 11A and 11B. The heat of the terminals 15A and 15B is transmitted from the terminals 15A and 15B to the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B, and is dissipated from the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B. Here, because the fan 35 is driven, as shown in
According to the above-mentioned embodiment, the following actions and effects are produced.
The relay unit 10 includes: the bus bars 20A to 20D serving as the conductive paths; the relays 11A and 11B including contact portions 13 for turning on and off energization of the bus bars 20A to 20D, and a plurality of terminals 15A and 15B connected to the contact portions 13, the bus bars 20A to 20D being fixed to the terminals 15A and 15B; and the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B that are fixed to the terminals 15A and 15B of the relays 11A and 11B, receive heat of the terminals 15A and 15B, and dissipate the heat.
According to the present embodiment, because the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B are fixed to the terminals 15A and 15B of the relays 11A and 11B, the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B can receive the heat of the terminals 15A and 15B and dissipate the heat from the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B to the outside. This makes it possible to improve the dissipation of the heat of the relays 11A and 11B.
The relay unit 10 includes: the plurality of relays 11A and 11B; the plurality of heat dissipation members 30A and 30B; and the fan 35, wherein the plurality of heat dissipation members 30A and 30B are disposed in the air flow path of the fan 35.
In this manner, the heat dissipation of the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B can be promoted by the air blowing from the fan 35.
The bus bars 20A to 20D and the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B overlap each other, and the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B are disposed on the side opposite to the relays 11A and 11B with respect to the bus bars 20A to 20D.
In this manner, the degree of freedom of the shapes of the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B can be increased as compared with the configuration in which the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B are disposed on the side of the relays 11A and 11B with respect to the bus bars 20A to 20D. Accordingly, it is easy to improve heat dissipation.
The relay unit 10 includes a fuse 28 disposed in the conductive path, and a partition wall 49 partitioning the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B and the fuse 28 from each other.
With this configuration, transfer of heat from the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B to the fuse 28 is suppressed by the partition wall 49. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the influence that the heat from the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B has on the operation of the fuse 28.
The relay unit 10 includes the plurality of relays 11A and 11B, the plurality of heat dissipation members 30A and 30B, the fan 35, and the base member 40 on which the plurality of relays 11A and 11B are mounted, wherein the ventilation hole 45 is formed through the bottom plate portion 42 of the base member 40 on which the fan 35 is disposed.
With this configuration, when air passes through the ventilation hole 45 when the fan 35 blows, the cooling efficiency of the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B can be enhanced.
The fan 35 is disposed so as to be able to blow air in a direction along the bottom plate portion 42, and the plurality of heat dissipation members 30A and 30B are disposed in the air flow paths on both sides of the fan 35.
In this manner, the heat of the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B can be dissipated efficiently by the fan 35.
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to
As shown in
The heat dissipation members 71A and 71B are made of a member such as metal having high thermal conductivity such as copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or the like, and are flat. As shown in
Each terminal connection portion 72 is provided with a through hole 72A through which the shaft portion 61 of the bolt 60 serving as a fastening member is inserted. A portion between the terminal connection portion 72 and the receiving portion 74 is bent in accordance with a path from the terminals 15A and 15B to the air flow path of the fan 35. The plate surface of the receiving portion 74 extends in a direction inclined with respect to the plate surface of the terminal connection portion 72.
As shown in
According to the second embodiment, the fan 35 is disposed so as to be able to blow air in the direction orthogonal to the bottom plate portion 81.
In this manner, air blown by the fan 35 can easily pass through the ventilation plate portion 44 of the base member 40, and therefore the cooling efficiency of the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B can be enhanced.
The technique described in the present specification is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings, and, for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the technique described in the present specification.
(1) In the above embodiment, the relay unit 10 is provided with one fan 35. However, a plurality of fans 35 may also be provided. Also, the relay unit 10 may not include the fan 35, and may also be configured so that heat is naturally dissipated from the heat dissipation members 30A, 30B, 71A, and 71B.
(2) The relay unit 10 includes a pair of (two) relays 11A and 11B and the heat dissipation members 30A and 30B, but the present invention is not limited to this. A different number of relays and a different number of heat dissipation members may also be included. For example, the relay unit may also be configured to include one relay and one heat dissipation member.
(3) The heat dissipation members 30A, 30B, 71A, and 71B are disposed on the side opposite to the relays 11A and 11B with respect to the bus bars 20A to 20D, but the present invention is not limited to this. The heat dissipation members 30A, 30B, 71A, and 71B may also be disposed on the side of the relays 11A and 11B with respect to the bus bars 20A to 20D.
(4) The heat dissipation members 30A, 30B, 71A, and 71B are flat, but the present invention is not limited to this. The heat dissipation members may also be, for example, rod-shaped.
(5) The terminals 15A and 15B are in the form of nuts and are fastened by the bolts 60, but the present invention is not limited to this. The terminals may also be in the form of bolts, and may also be fastened by nuts serving as fastening members. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the terminals are fastened by the fastening members, and, for example, the terminals may also be fixed to the bus bars and the heat dissipation members through welding.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2017-110576 | Jun 2017 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2018/018854 | 5/16/2018 | WO | 00 |