JP5413675B2 - Power converter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power conversion device configured by housing an inverter or the like composed of a plurality of semiconductor modules in a case, and in particular, a refrigerant supply pipe and a lead wire cable for cooling a semiconductor module in a through-hole provided in a side wall of the case. It is related with the power converter device characterized by the structure which attaches the grommet for inserting etc. in an airtight state to a sealing state.

  Conventionally, as a power conversion device, as in the electric device device of Patent Document 1, a case main body 3 in which a concave attachment portion 3a is formed at a box-shaped opening end shown in a side view of FIG. 1 is fixed to the opening end. A casing (case) that is formed of a lid 4 and houses an electric device therein, and a cord connected to the electric device can be inserted therethrough, and is fitted into the attachment portion 3a and pressed by the lid body 4 to be attached to the attachment portion. In an electrical apparatus apparatus including a grommet 5 made of an elastic seal member that is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of 3a, there is a structure in which the attachment portion 3a and the grommet 5 are substantially semicircular.

  In this structure, since the attachment portion 3a of the case body 3 and the grommet 5 are substantially semicircular, when the grommet 5 is pressed by the lid body 4, the inner peripheral surface of the attachment portion 3a and the grommet 5 are formed. The entire surface is in close contact, and the surface pressure acts appropriately on each part of the contact surface. Therefore, there is an advantage that the overall sealing performance is improved.

JP 2002-369346 A

  By the way, in the structure of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is a slight height between the upper surface (exposed surface) of the grommet 5 fitted to the mounting portion 3 a of the case body 3 and the upper surface of the side wall of the case body 3. A step d1 occurs. In this case, when the upper surfaces of both the grommet 5 and the case body 3 are pressed by the lid body 4 in order to seal the case, the upper surface of the grommet 5 is not pressed uniformly, and gaps are generated at both corners of the upper surface. Sometimes.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, it is necessary to insert a highly sticky sealing material 6 such as a liquid gasket or an adhesive between the upper surface of both the grommet 5 and the case body 3 and the lid body 4. However, in this case, since the upper surfaces of both the grommet 5 and the case body 3 and the lid body 4 are bonded by the sealing material 6, after the assembly, after disassembling and reassembling each, The sealing material 6 is difficult to peel off, and even if it is peeled off, there is a problem that the sealing material 6 adheres to the grommet 5 or the case body 3 and cannot be reused.

  Further, the sealing material 6 attached to the case body 3 may become a residue and fall on the electronic components or wiring patterns in the case, and in this case, an electronic device such as an inverter may cause electric leakage or malfunction. As a result, there is a problem that it cannot be reused.

  Moreover, in order to disassemble so that the sealing material 6 may not fall in a case, the curing for that was needed and the problem concerning the man-hour had arisen.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a grommet is fitted to the attachment portion of the side wall of the case body, and the case opening is inserted into the grommet exposed surface on the opening side with a sealing material interposed therebetween, and the lid body In the structure where the grommet is pressed and sealed in a sealed manner, the case body, grommet, sealing material and lid can be easily disassembled and reassembled so that no man-hours are required. It aims at providing the power converter device which can be prevented from falling in a case.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that a case main body in which a semicircular concave through-hole is formed on a box-shaped side wall with one open and a lid that covers the opening. And a case in which an electronic component including an inverter that performs power conversion is housed in the case, and an elastic member that is fitted to the mounting portion and pressed against the lid body and closely contacts the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion In the power conversion device having a semicircular grommet and a seal member made of an elastic member that is pressed between the case body and the lid body and is in close contact with the case body and the lid body, the seal material includes the seal The contact portion of the material with the grommet has a shape having a convex portion that protrudes upward with a slightly larger width on both sides than the size of the contact portion, and the lid body is a convex portion of the seal material. Part fits hermetically Characterized in that a shape having a recess to be.

  According to this structure, since the part which presses the grommet of a sealing material is thick with a convex part, the thickness dimension of the absolute value of this thick part becomes long, and a convex part can be utilized effectively. In other words, since the convex portion that presses the grommet of the sealing material is thick, when the sealing material is pressed with the lid, the compression distance of the convex portion is long, so that it can be formed between the grommet and the case body. Steps can be absorbed. In this case, there is no gap between the grommet and the sealing material, and the sealing material is not cut. Further, since the sealing material is an elastic member, it is easy to peel off, and when it is peeled off, the sealing material does not fall into the case and adheres. Therefore, the case main body, the grommet, the sealing material, and the lid can be easily disassembled and reassembled so that man-hours are not required.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the concave portion of the lid body has a wall surface only on the inside of the case body, the outside of the case body is opened, and the sealing material can be inserted from the opened portion. It is characterized by being.

  According to this structure, since the sealing material can be inserted from the open part of the recessed part of a cover body, the setting of a sealing material becomes easy.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the grommet, a through hole through which a cooling pipe for cooling the electronic component or a conductive wire cable for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the electronic component is opened at the center of the grommet. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, all the components that need to be connected to the inside and outside of the case main body can be assembled from one direction of the case main body, so that the assemblability is improved.

  The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that the grommet is provided with a connector for exchanging signals with the electronic component at the center of the grommet.

  According to this configuration, when an electrical connection is made to an electronic component in the case, the electrical connection can be facilitated because the connection can be made via the connector disposed outside the case.

It is a partial side view which shows the structure of the grommet periphery of the side wall of the conventional power converter device. It is a partial side view which shows the structure at the time of inserting a sealing material between the grommet and the cover body of the side wall of the conventional power converter device. It is a top view which shows the structure at the time of removing the cover body of the case of the power converter device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is a side view of the case as seen from the direction of arrow Y1 in FIG. 3. It is a side view at the time of fitting the refrigerant | coolant supply pipe | tube and the refrigerant | coolant discharge pipe in the insertion state via the sealing material in the attaching part of the side surface of the said case. It is the partial side view used as the partial perspective view of the state which covered the case main body in the part in the broken-line frame shown in FIG. 5 with the cover body. (A) is a partial side view of each component of the structure shown in FIG. 6, (b) is sectional drawing of line segment A1-A2 shown to (a). It is a side view which shows the level | step difference of the side wall of a case main body, and a grommet. It is sectional drawing which shows the other recessed part formed in a sealing material. It is a side view which shows the through-hole of a grommet. (A) The front view of the connector arrange | positioned at a grommet, (b) is a side view.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, parts corresponding to each other in all the drawings in this specification are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the overlapping parts will be omitted as appropriate.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration when the cover of the case of the power conversion device according to the embodiment of the present invention is removed.

  A power conversion apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 3 is connected to a plurality of semiconductor modules 21 constituting a part of a power conversion circuit such as a DC-DC (direct current-direct current) converter circuit or an inverter circuit, and to cool these semiconductor modules 21. The semiconductor laminated unit 2 formed by alternately laminating a plurality of cooling pipes 22 and the case main body 3 that accommodates the semiconductor laminated unit 2 inside, for example, an alternating current that is a power source of an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, etc. Used to generate a drive current for energizing the motor. In addition, it is also used in motor drive inverters for industrial equipment, air conditioner inverters for building air conditioning, and the like.

  The semiconductor stacked unit 2 discharges the cooling medium from the outside of the case body 3 to the outside of the case body 3 through the refrigerant supply pipe 41 for supplying the cooling medium to the inside of the plurality of cooling pipes 22 from the outside. The refrigerant discharge pipe 42 is connected to the cooling pipe 22 at one end in the stacking direction. The refrigerant supply pipe 41 and the refrigerant discharge pipe 42 are two substantially semicircular shapes formed on the side surface of the case body 3 as shown in FIG. 4 which is a side view of the case body 3 viewed from the direction of the arrow Y1 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting portion 3 a cut out in a concave shape is inserted through a grommet 5 made of an elastic member such as waterproof rubber. That is, the grommet 5 has a substantially semicircular shape that is slightly larger in size than the attachment portion 3a. Furthermore, a through-hole is formed in the central portion of the grommet 5, and the refrigerant supply pipe 41 or the medium discharge pipe 42 is inserted into the through-hole in an airtight state.

  Further, the refrigerant supply pipe 41 and the refrigerant discharge pipe 42 are jigs for engaging a holding jig (not shown) for holding the refrigerant supply pipe 41 and the refrigerant discharge pipe 42 inside the case body 3 rather than the grommet 5. A tool engaging portion 61 is fitted on the outer periphery, and a hose positioning portion 62 is fitted on the outer periphery outside the case body 3. The hose positioning portion 62 is provided with an external discharge hose 621 for supplying a cooling medium from the outside of the case body 3 to the refrigerant supply pipe 41 and an external discharge for discharging the cooling medium from the refrigerant discharge pipe 42 to the outside of the case body 3. The hose 622 is positioned.

  Further, the semiconductor stacked unit 2 is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of semiconductor modules 21 and a plurality of cooling pipes 22. The cooling pipes 22 are connected to each other on the upstream side by a supply side connecting portion 221, and on the downstream side. Are connected by a discharge side connecting portion 222. A spring member 11 having an elastic force is disposed between the case body 3 and the semiconductor laminated unit 2 on the downstream side. Here, the case main body 3 includes a main member that contacts the main surface of the cooling pipe 22 at the upstream end and the member contact portion 32 that contacts the fixing member 12 that locks both ends of the spring member 11 in the width direction. And a surface contact portion 33. The spring member 11 is disposed between the contact plate 13 that contacts the main surface of the cooling pipe 22 at the downstream end and the fixing member 12 in a biased state in which the semiconductor stacked unit 2 is pressed upstream. To do. Due to the biasing force of the spring member 11, the main surface of the cooling pipe 22 at the upstream end is in contact with the main surface contact portion 33.

  Next, FIG. 6 shows a state where the upper opening of the case body 3 is covered. FIG. 6 is a side view that is a partial perspective view (a sealing material 73 is seen through) showing a portion surrounded by a broken line frame W1 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the opening of the case body 3 is sealed with a lid 71 on the upper surface of the box-shaped side wall of the case body 3 via a sealing material 73. Further, FIG. 7A shows a state where these members are disassembled. FIG.7 (b) is sectional drawing when each member shown to (a) is cut | disconnected by line segment A1-A2.

  A feature of the present embodiment is that the sealing material 73 has a shape having convex portions 73a bulging upward in a slightly larger width on both sides than the lateral width of the contact portion of the sealing material 73 with the grommet 5. Further, the lid 71 has a shape having a concave portion 71a into which the convex portion 73a of the sealing material 73 is fitted in a sealed state. Further, the sealing material 73 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the thickness of the convex portion 73a is several times thicker than other portions.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, when the grommet 5 is fitted to the mounting portion 3 a of the case body 3, there is a slight gap between the upper surface (exposed surface) of the grommet 5 and the upper surface of the side wall of the case body 3. The height difference d1 occurs, but when this is pressed and fixed by the lid 71 through the sealing material 73 from above, the lid 71 and the sealing material 73 form the grommet 5 as shown in FIG. The upper surface is pressed uniformly. This eliminates the occurrence of a gap at both corners of the upper surface of the grommet 5 as in the conventional structure.

  The reason for this is that the portion of the sealing material 73 that presses the grommet 5 is thick with the convex portion 73a, so that the thickness dimension of the absolute value of this thick portion becomes long and the convex portion 73a can be used effectively. is there. That is, if the sealing material 73 is thin as in the prior art, when the cover member 71 is pressed, the compression distance due to the pressing may be short and the step d1 between the grommet 5 and the case body 3 may not be absorbed. In this case, a gap is generated. Further, when the sealing material is compressed too much, it may be cut.

  However, since the convex part 73a which presses the grommet 5 of the sealing material 73 is thick like this embodiment, when the sealing material 73 is pressed with the cover body 71, the compression distance of the convex part 73a Can absorb the step d1. In this case, no gap is generated. Moreover, it does not cut.

  As described above, according to the power conversion device 1 of the present embodiment, the grommet 5 is fitted to the attachment portion 3a on the side wall of the case body 3, and the opening of the case body 3 is placed on the grommet exposed surface on the opening side. In the structure of inserting and pressing the grommet 5 with the lid 71 to cover the grommet 5 in a hermetically sealed manner, the sealing material 73 has a contact portion of the sealing material 73 with the grommet 5 slightly on both sides than the size of the contact portion. A shape having a convex portion 73a bulging upward in a large width is formed, and the lid 71 has a shape having a concave portion 71a into which the convex portion 73a of the sealing material 73 is fitted in a sealed state. .

  According to this structure, the case main body 3, the grommet 5, the sealing material 73, and the lid body 71 can be easily disassembled and reassembled so as not to take man-hours. That is, since the sealing material 73 is an elastic member, it is easy to peel off, and even if the sealing material 73 is peeled off, the sealing material 73 does not fall into the case and adheres to electronic components, wiring patterns, or the like. Therefore, the power conversion device 1 can be reused. Moreover, since the curing for preventing the sealing material from falling into the case is not required as in the prior art, it is possible to prevent the number of man-hours from being increased.

  Furthermore, since the grommet 5 is compressed with an appropriate pressure by the convex portion 73a of the sealing material 73, the sealing material 73 is not cut off due to being compressed too much.

  Further, a conventional liquid gasket or a highly sticky sealing material such as an adhesive may be interposed between the lid 71 and the sealing material 73. In this case, it is possible to ensure the airtight state between the lid 71 and the sealing material 73 more reliably, and further, the sealing material 73 is an elastic member between the sealing material 73 and the case main body 3 and is peeled off. It is easy to disassemble and reassemble the sealing material 73 and the case body 3 easily.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, a recess 71 b of the lid 71 may be formed. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 7B, and the concave portion 71 b has a concave shape having a side wall only inside the case body 3. That is, since the outer side of the case of the recess 71b has no side wall and is open, there is an advantage that the sealing material 73 can be easily inserted from this open portion.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the refrigerant supply pipe 41 or the refrigerant discharge pipe 42 as the cooling pipe is inserted into the through-hole 5a in the central portion of the grommet 5 shown in FIG. A lead wire cable that transmits and receives signals between an electronic component such as an inverter and an external device (not shown) may be inserted in an airtight state. Even in this case, the same effect as described above can be obtained. Moreover, since it is possible to assemble all the parts that need to be connected to the inside and outside of the case from one direction of the case body 3, the assembling property is improved.

  Further, a connector 81 as shown in FIG. 11 may be attached to the central portion of the grommet 5. 11A is a front view of the connector 81, and FIG. 11B is a side view. The connector 81 is connected to a predetermined electronic component inside the case of the grommet 5 and is connected to a connector of an external device (not shown) outside the case. Thus, when the connector 81 is attached to the grommet 5, the electronic component in a case and an external device can be connected easily.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power converter 2 Semiconductor laminated unit 3 Case main body 3a Attachment part 4,71 Cover body 71a, 71b Recessed part 5 Grommet 5a Through-hole 6,73 Sealing material 73a Protruding part 11 Spring member 12 Fixing member 13 Contacting plate part 21 Semiconductor Module 22 Cooling pipe 32 Member abutting part 33 Main surface abutting part 41 Refrigerant supply pipe 42 Refrigerant discharge pipe 61 Jig engaging part 62 Hose positioning part 81 Connector 221 Supply side connection part 222 Discharge side connection part 621 External supply hose 622 External discharge hose

Claims (4)

An electronic component including an inverter for converting power is housed in the case, which is composed of a case main body having a semicircular concave mounting portion formed in a box-shaped side wall that is open on one side and a lid that covers the opening. Between the case main body and the lid body, and a semicircular grommet made of an elastic member that is fitted to the attachment portion and is pressed by the lid body and is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the attachment portion. In the power converter having the sealing material by the elastic member that is closely attached to the case body and the lid body,
The sealing material has a shape in which a contact portion of the sealing material to the grommet has a convex portion that protrudes upward with a slightly larger width than the size of the contact portion. Is a shape having a concave portion in which the convex portion of the sealing material is fitted in a sealed state.   The concave portion of the lid body has a wall surface only on the inner side of the case body, the outer side of the case body is opened, and the sealing material can be inserted from the opened portion. The power converter device described in 1.   The grommet is characterized in that a through-hole through which a cooling pipe for cooling the electronic component or a conductive wire cable for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the electronic component is opened at the center of the grommet. The power converter according to 1 or 2.   The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the grommet is provided with a connector for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the electronic component at a central portion of the grommet.

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