JP5621882B2 - Power supply - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device including a circuit board on which a heating element is mounted.

  A power supply device that is mounted on a vehicle and drives a motor that runs the vehicle is charged and discharged with a large current and generates heat. Moreover, in a hybrid car, it is charged by an engine or regenerative braking and generates heat. Since heat generation causes a decrease in the electrical performance of the battery, cooling air is blown to cool the battery that generates heat. In addition, this power supply device controls the charging / discharging of the battery and mounts electrical components in order to improve safety. As an electrical component, a contactor is connected in series with the battery. The contactor is switched off in a state where the ignition switch of the vehicle is switched off to cut off the output of the battery. Further, the contactor is switched on when the ignition switch is switched on and the vehicle is running. A large charge / discharge current flowing through the battery flows through the contactor in the on state. The charging / discharging current of the battery generates Joule heat by the contact resistance of the contactor. Further, a contactor that cuts off a large current also has a high contact pressure at the contact point, and the current of the exciting coil becomes large, and heat is generated due to Joule heat of the exciting coil. Therefore, the contactor in the ON state rises in temperature due to heat generated by the contact current and the Joule heat of the exciting coil. A contactor whose temperature has risen may cause a thermal failure on surrounding electronic components or printed circuit boards. In addition, other heating parts such as resistors and semiconductors that generate heat with current are also mounted on the electrical case. In order to prevent the adverse effects caused by the heat generated by these electrical components, a power supply device has been developed that cools the battery and electrical components by forcibly blowing air. (See Patent Document 1)

JP 2008-16189 A

  The power supply device described in Patent Document 1 is shown in FIG. This power supply device cools the electrical component 93 with cooling air that cools the battery 91. With this structure, the battery 91 and the electrical component 93 can be cooled by the common cooling fan 97. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a separate cooling fan for cooling the battery 91 and the electrical component 93, and the cooling mechanism can be simplified. However, the power supply device with this structure is housed in the electrical case 94 because the electrical case 94 is disposed next to the battery case 92 in order to cool the heat generating components of the electrical case 94 with cooling air that cools the battery 91. The heat generated by the heat generating component affects the battery 91.

  The present invention has been developed for the purpose of solving the above drawbacks. An important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device capable of cooling an electrical component such as a heat generating component housed in an electrical case.

  In order to solve the above problems, a power supply device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of batteries, a heat generating component including a heat generating element, a circuit board on which the heat generating element is mounted, an electrical case that houses the circuit board, Is provided. The electrical case includes an opening, a metal case to which the circuit board is fixed, and a resin case that closes the opening of the metal case. The metal case has heat radiation fins, and the heating element includes the circuit board. And is thermally coupled to the metal case.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while reducing the heat generating element mounted in a circuit board, it can be reduced in weight, making an electrical equipment case into a strong structure.

It is sectional drawing of the power supply device for conventional vehicles. It is a perspective view of the power supply device for vehicles concerning one example of the present invention. It is a vertical longitudinal cross-sectional view of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the electrical equipment case part of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is a top view of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the connection structure of the battery case and electrical component case of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of the power supply device for vehicles concerning one example of the present invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies a vehicle power supply device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the vehicle power supply device as follows.

  Further, in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the scope of claims, numbers corresponding to the members shown in the examples are indicated in the “claims” and “means for solving problems” sections. It is added to the members. However, the members shown in the claims are not limited to the members in the embodiments.

  The power supply device for a vehicle shown in FIGS. 2 to 7 includes a battery case 2 that houses a plurality of batteries 1, an electrical case 4 that houses electrical components including a heat generating component 3, An inflow side duct 5 that blows a cooling gas to the surface of the battery 1 to cool the battery 1; an exhaust side duct 6 that exhausts cooling air that has passed through the surface of the battery 1 and cooled the battery 1; A blower fan 7 that forcibly blows cooling air from the inflow side duct 5 through the surface of the battery 1 to the discharge side duct 6 is provided.

  The battery 1 housed in the battery case 2 is cooled by cooling air that is forced into the interior. The electrical case 4 has a closed structure that does not blow cooling air inside, and is provided with a heat radiating portion 8 so as to be exposed on the surface. The electrical case 4 is a sealed case sealed in a waterproof structure, and dissipates internal heat by a heat radiating portion 8 provided on the surface.

  The heat radiating section 8 radiates and cools the heat generating component 3 such as a contactor housed in the electrical case 4. In the electrical case 4 of FIGS. 3 and 4, the heat radiating portion 8 is used in part of the case. In the electrical case 4, a portion to be the heat radiating portion 8 is formed of aluminum, or the whole is formed of aluminum to improve heat conduction. 3 and 4 is divided into upper and lower parts. The electrical case 4 includes a heat radiating case 4A used in combination with the heat radiating portion 8 and a cover case 4B that closes the opening of the heat radiating case 4A. The electrical case 4 is a sealed case in which the opening of the heat radiating case 4A is closed to a watertight structure with a cover case 4B. The heat radiating case 4A used in combination with the heat radiating portion 8 is made of a metal such as aluminum and has heat radiating fins 9 on the surface. The electrical case 4 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is divided into upper and lower parts, and the lower case is used as a heat radiating case 4A and the upper case is used as a cover case 4B. In the electrical case 4 which divides the case into upper and lower parts and uses the lower case as a metal heat dissipation case 4A, the electric parts are fixed to the heat dissipation case 4A which is a tough metal case, and the upper opening is covered with a plastic cover. It can be closed with case 4B. The electrical case 4 having this structure can reduce the weight of the cover case 4B as a plastic case while connecting a heavy electrical component to the heat radiating case 4A to form a tough structure.

  In the electrical case 4 of FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower case is the heat dissipation case 4A, but the upper case can be the heat dissipation case and the lower case can be the cover case. The electrical case can also radiate heat over a wide area from the entire surface of the case by using the entire case as a heat dissipation case.

  Further, the electrical case 4 of FIG. 4 is provided with heat radiation fins 9 on the surface of the heat radiation case 4 </ b> A used together with the heat radiation portion 8. The radiating fins 9 are parallel ridges, and the surface area is increased to increase the radiating area. The parallel heat dissipating fins 9 are provided so as to extend vertically when they are provided on the side surface so that air can flow smoothly by the flow of air. In addition to improving the cooling efficiency of the heat radiating portion 8, the heat radiating fins 9 serve as reinforcing ribs to reinforce the heat radiating case 4A. The heat radiating case 4A shown in FIG. 4 has a structure in which heat radiating fins 9 are provided on the bottom surface to improve the strength of the bottom surface and heavy electrical components can be accommodated.

  The electrical case 4 is arranged so that the heat generating component 3 such as a contactor or a precharge resistor is thermally coupled to the heat radiating case 4 </ b> A that is the heat radiating portion 8. The thermal coupling between the heat radiating part 8 and the heat generating part 3 is performed by placing the heat generating part 3 in contact with the inner surface of the heat radiating part 8 or filling a heat conductive paste or the like between the heat generating part 3 and the heat radiating part 8. Realize. Since the contactor and the precharge resistor generate a large amount of heat, they can be arranged in a heat coupled state in the heat radiating portion 8 to reduce the temperature rise. A heat generating component other than the contactor and the precharge resistor, for example, a heat generating element such as a power transistor or MOSFET, generates less heat than the contactor or the precharge resistor. Therefore, these heat-generating parts are fixed to the heat dissipating fins themselves and dissipate heat inside the electric case 4, or are fixed to the circuit board 17, and the heat dissipating part of the electric case 4 is connected via the circuit board 17. 8 can be thermally coupled to dissipate heat.

  The contactor connected in series with the battery 1 and the precharge resistor connected in series with the battery 1 are the heat generating component 3 having a large heat generation amount. A block diagram of a power supply device for a vehicle is shown in FIG. As shown in this figure, the vehicle power supply apparatus has a contactor 10 and a precharge circuit 11 connected to the output side of the battery 1. The contactor 10 is switched on when the vehicle is running, that is, when the ignition switch that is the main switch of the vehicle is switched on. The contactor 10 is a relay that energizes an exciting coil (not shown) to turn on a contact. Since the contactor 10 is a relay with a large current, the contactor 10 generates heat due to the current flowing through the exciting coil in the ON state, and also generates heat due to the large current flowing through the contact. The thermal energy of the contactor 10 is conducted to the heat radiating portion 8 and radiated. The contactor 10 is switched off in a state in which the vehicle stops traveling, that is, in a state in which the ignition switch is switched off.

The precharge circuit 11 precharges the large-capacitance capacitor 15 connected in parallel with the DC / AC inverter 14 that is a load before the positive contactor 10A is switched on. This is because if the contactor 10 is switched on without precharging the capacitor 15, an excessive charge current of the capacitor 15 flows through the contact of the contactor 10 and damages the contact. The precharge circuit 11 is a circuit in which a precharge resistor 13 and a precharge relay 12 are connected in series in order to reduce the precharge current of the capacitor 15. The negative contactor 10B and the precharge relay 12 are turned on to precharge the capacitor 15. The precharge current when precharging is limited to a small value by the precharge resistor 13. The precharge current decreases in inverse proportion to the electrical resistance of the precharge resistor 13. Accordingly, the precharge resistor 13 precharges the capacitor 15 by limiting the precharge current to be small. The precharge current causes the precharge resistor 13 to generate heat by Joule heat. Heat generation due to Joule heat of the precharge resistor 13 is proportional to the product of the square of the current and the electrical resistance. The precharge current is large, and the precharge resistor 13 generates heat due to the precharge current for precharging the capacitor 15. After the capacitor 15 is precharged by the precharge circuit 11, the positive contactor 10A is switched on and the precharge relay 12 is switched off.

  The electrical case 4 also includes a control circuit 16 that detects the voltage and current of the battery 1 and controls charging and discharging of the battery 1. The electronic component that realizes the control circuit 16 has a smaller current and a smaller amount of heat generation than the contactor 10 and the precharge resistor 13. Therefore, these electronic components are fixed to the circuit board 17 and connected to the heat radiating case 4A via the circuit board 17 to radiate heat from the heat radiating case 4A.

  In the power supply device shown in the figure, the battery case 2 is a metal case, and the electrical case 4 is fixed to one end of the elongated battery case 2. In the illustrated power supply apparatus, an adiabatic air gap 19 is provided between the battery case 2 and the electrical case 4. The adiabatic air gap 19 insulates the electrical case 4 and the battery case 2 from each other. The adiabatic air gap 19 is provided between the battery case 2 and the vertical wall 27 of the electrical equipment case 4 so as to extend vertically. Furthermore, the heat insulating air gap 19 is open at the top and bottom without connecting the top and bottom of the battery case 2 to the electrical equipment case 4. The adiabatic air gap 19 efficiently cools the electrical case 4 and the battery case 2 by smoothly raising the air heated by the electrical case 4 and the battery case 2 like a chimney. This is because the air heated in the adiabatic air gap 19 becomes lighter and rises. The cooling of the chimney action is reduced whether the interval (d) of the adiabatic air gap 19 is too narrow or conversely too wide. If the gap (d) of the adiabatic air gap 19 is too narrow, the resistance of air flow increases. Accordingly, the gap (d) of the adiabatic air gap 19 is preferably wider than 2 mm, more preferably wider than 3 mm. On the contrary, if the heat insulation air gap 19 is too wide, the air in the heat insulation air gap 19 does not rise as a whole, that is, only the air in the surface portion of the electrical case 4 and the battery case 2 rises, and the air in the middle No longer rises. Therefore, the space | interval (d) of the heat insulation air gap 19 becomes like this. Preferably it is narrower than 30 mm, More preferably, it makes narrower than 25 mm.

  Further, the battery case 2 of FIGS. 3 and 4 protrudes into the heat insulating air gap 19 and is provided with heat radiating fins 29 on the surface of the vertical wall 27. The radiating fins 29 are a plurality of plate-like ridges parallel to each other, and are provided so as to extend vertically. The heat radiating fin 29 heats and raises the air in the heat insulating air gap 19 with the heat of the vertical wall 27 heated by the battery 1. Therefore, the structure in which the heat dissipating fins 29 extending vertically in the heat insulating air gap 19 raise the air in the heat insulating air gap 19 more smoothly and cool the battery case 2 effectively. 3 and 4, the heat dissipating fins 29 disposed in the heat insulating air gap 19 are fixed to the battery case 2, but the heat dissipating fins may be fixed to the vertical wall of the electrical equipment case.

  In order to connect the electrical case 4 to the battery case 2 by providing the adiabatic air gap 19, the power supply device of FIGS. 4 to 6 is provided with a connection boss 28 that protrudes toward the electrical case 4 on the surface of the battery case 2. ing. The connecting boss 28 is provided on the vertical wall 27 of the battery case 2 in an integral structure. A female screw hole 28 </ b> A is provided in the center of the connecting boss 28. A set screw 30 penetrating the electrical case 4 is screwed into the connecting boss 28, and the electrical case 4 is fixed to the battery case 2. This connection structure is characterized in that the electrical case 4 can be firmly and firmly fixed while the battery case 2 is thin. This is because the set screw 30 can be screwed deeply into the connecting boss 28 and fixed. In other words, it is because a large number of screw threads of the set screw 30 can be screwed into the connecting boss 28 and fixed. In addition, this connecting structure has a feature that the electrical case 4 and the battery case 2 can be effectively insulated. This is because the electrical case 4 and the battery case 2 are locally connected by a structure in which the set screw 30 is screwed and fixed to the connection boss 28 in addition to the heat insulation air gap 19. Furthermore, this connection structure can adjust the space | interval (d) of the heat insulation air gap 19 to an optimal value with the length of the connection boss | hub 28 provided in the battery case 2. FIG.

In the battery case 2 of FIG. 5, connecting bosses 28 are provided at two locations on both sides of the vertical wall 27, and a heat insulating air gap 19 extending vertically is provided between these connecting bosses 28. The electrical case 4 is fixed to the battery case 2 so as not to be displaced by being screwed to connecting bosses 28 provided on both sides of the battery case 2. In the connection structure shown in the figure, the connection boss 28 is provided on the battery case 2. On the contrary, the connection boss is provided on the electrical case, and a set screw passing through the battery case is screwed into the connection boss. It can also be fixed. Although not shown, a cylindrical spacer can be sandwiched between the electrical case and the battery case, and a set screw that penetrates the electrical case can be screwed into the battery case and fixed so as to be inserted through the spacer.

  In the power supply device shown in FIG. 3, a holder case 20 is disposed inside the battery case 2, and an inflow side duct 5 and a discharge side duct 6 are provided between the battery case 2 and the holder case 20. The holder case 20 shown in the figure houses a large number of batteries 1 in a state where three batteries 1 are arranged in the vertical direction. The holder case 20 has an inlet 21 and an outlet 22 for cooling air that is forced to blow and cool the battery 1 that is housed. The battery case 2 shown in the figure has an inlet 21 at the top of the holder case 20 and an outlet 22 at the bottom.

  The holder case 20 stores the battery 1 in the state of a battery module. The battery module is formed by connecting a plurality of unit cells in series and connecting them in a straight line. The unit cell is a rechargeable battery such as a nickel metal hydride battery or a lithium ion secondary battery. The battery module shown in the figure has a cylindrical shape by connecting cylindrical batteries in a straight line. The plurality of battery modules housed in the holder case 20 are connected to each other in series. However, the battery module in the holder case can be connected in series and in parallel.

  The power supply device of FIG. 3 exhausts the cooling air that has passed through the holder case 20 and the inflow side duct 5 that supplies the cooling air to each holder case 20 between the battery case 2 and the holder case 20. A discharge-side duct 6 is provided. Furthermore, the power supply device includes a cooling fan 7 that forcibly blows cooling air from the inflow side duct 5 through the battery case 2 to the discharge side duct 6. The power supply device of FIG. 3 has a cooling fan 7 connected to the duct 5 on the inflow side. The cooling fan 7 forcibly sends cooling air to the duct 5 on the inflow side.

  The power supply device of FIG. 3 has an inflow side duct 5 above the holder case 20 and a discharge side duct 6 below the holder case 20. The power supply device can be arranged upside down from the state shown in FIG. The power supply device arranged upside down cools the battery module in the holder case by blowing cooling air from the bottom to the top. The holder case that blows cooling air from bottom to top can smoothly flow cooling air.

  The battery case 2 includes a lower case 2A and an upper case 2B. In the lower case 2A, one holder case 20 is fixed, or a plurality of holder cases are fixed side by side. The upper case 2B is fixed to the upper surface of the holder case 20.

  The lower case 2A is a frame for fixing the holder case 20. The lower case 2A is provided with ridges (not shown) along both sides, and both ends of the holder case 20 are mounted and fixed on the ridges, and the discharge-side duct 6 is interposed between the holder case 20 and the lower case 2A. Provided. The lower case 2A adjusts the vertical width of the duct 6 on the discharge side with the height of the ridges. Although not shown, a power supply device that has a discharge duct between the holder case and the lower case gradually increases the height of the ridges in the direction in which the cooling air flows, and discharges in the direction in which the cooling air flows. The side duct can be widened.

The upper case 2 </ b> B is a cover that covers the upper surface of the holder case 20, and the inflow side duct 5 is provided between the upper case 2 </ b> B and the holder case 20. Although not shown, the power supply device can narrow the gap between the upper case and the holder case gradually in the direction in which the cooling air flows, thereby narrowing the inflow side duct in the direction in which the cooling air flows.

  Furthermore, the battery case 2 fixes end plates (not shown) located on both end surfaces of the battery module to the holder case 20. The end plate is formed of an insulating material such as plastic and connects bus bars fixed to electrode terminals provided at both ends of the battery module in a fixed position. The bus bar is a metal plate that connects adjacent battery modules in series. The end plate is fixed to the fixed position of the holder case 20 by fixing the bus bar to the battery module with screws.

  The holder case 20 shown in FIG. 3 accommodates the battery modules in a parallel posture in a plurality of stages in the cooling air blowing direction (vertical direction in the figure). The holder case 20 of FIG. 3 stores battery modules arranged in three stages.

  As shown in the enlarged sectional view of FIG. 4, the holder case 20 accommodates battery modules in a plurality of stages (three stages in the figure) inside the pair of opposing walls 23. Further, the inflow side and the discharge side of the pair of opposing walls 23 are closed by the inflow wall 24 and the discharge wall 25, and a closed chamber is formed by the pair of the opposing walls 23, the inflow wall 24 and the discharge wall 25. A battery module is housed in the chamber.

  The holder case 20 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has an inlet 21 and an outlet 22 for sending cooling air to the battery module accommodated therein. The cooling air flowing into the holder case 20 from the inlet 21 cools the battery module and is discharged from the outlet 22.

  In the illustrated holder case 20, the inlet 21 is opened to the inlet wall 24, and the outlet 22 is opened to the outlet wall 25. The inflow port 21 is opened on both sides of the inflow wall 24, and blows cooling air that flows into the inside between the battery module on the inflow wall side and the opposing wall 23. The inflow wall 24 in the figure opens the inflow port 21 directly above the inner surface of the opposing wall 23. The inflow port 21 blows cooling air along the inner surface of the opposing wall 24 and allows the cooling air to pass between the opposing wall 23 and the battery module.

  The inflow port 21 is opened on both sides of the inflow wall 24, but is not necessarily specified directly above the inner surface of the facing wall 23 as shown in the figure. For example, the opening can be made so as to be shifted from right above the inner surface of the opposing wall to the center. The battery module on the inflow wall side increases the heat exchange amount in the air gap 26 approaching the opposing wall 23 on both side portions, but does not increase the heat exchange amount in other portions. The cooling air that cools the battery module on the inflow wall side has a lower temperature than the cooling air that cools the other battery modules, and efficiently cools the battery module with the narrow air gap 26.

  When the inlet 21 is opened at the center of the inlet wall 24, the cooling air flowing into the holder case 20 from the inlet 21 flows along the upper half surface of the battery module in the drawing to cool the battery module. To do. The power supply apparatus shown in the figure does not cool the upper surface of the battery module on the inflow wall side with cooling air, but only cools it with the air gap 26 between the opposing walls 23 formed on both sides, and makes the cooling balance of the other battery modules uniform. To do.

  3 and 4 has a plurality of inlets 21 arranged side by side on the upper surface of the holder case 20 facing the duct 5 on the inflow side. The cooling air of the duct 5 on the inflow side is divided and flows into the holder case 20 from the plurality of inflow ports 21, and the battery 1 in the holder case 20 is forcibly cooled by the inflowing cooling air.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery 2 ... Battery case 2A ... Lower case
2B ... Upper case 3 ... Heat-generating component 4 ... Electrical component case 4A ... Heat dissipation case
4B ... Cover case 5 ... Duct on the inflow side 6 ... Duct on the discharge side 7 ... Blower fan 8 ... Radiation part 9 ... Radiation fin 10 ... Contactor 10A ... Positive contactor
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10B ... Negative contactor 11 ... Precharge circuit 12 ... Precharge relay 13 ... Precharge resistor 14 ... DC / AC inverter 15 ... Capacitor 16 ... Control circuit 17 ... Circuit board 19 ... Adiabatic air gap 20 ... Holder case 21 ... Current Inlet 22 ... Discharge port 23 ... Incoming wall 24 ... Inlet wall 25 ... Discharge wall 26 ... Blower gap 27 ... Vertical wall 28 ... Connecting boss 28A ... Female screw hole 29 ... Heat radiation fin 30 ... Set screw 91 ... Battery 92 ... Battery case 93 ... Electrical component 94 ... Electrical case 97 ... Cooling fan

Claims (6)

Multiple batteries,
A heat generating component including a heat generating element;
A circuit board on which the heating element is mounted;
A electric case disposed adjacent to the fixed surface, and the electrical case for accommodating the circuit board,
A fixing member for fixing the electrical case to the fixing surface ,
The electrical case is
A bottom case made of metal having a bottomed opening and to which the circuit board is fixed;
An upper case made of resin that closes the bottomed opening of the lower case made of metal, and
The metal lower case is
A fixing part in which a through hole through which the fixing member is inserted is formed;
A heat dissipating fin provided on the lower case made of the metal so as to be located on the surface of the electrical case, and thermally coupled to the heating element ;
The power supply device , wherein the fixing member is inserted through a through hole of the fixing portion so as to fix the metal lower case to the fixing surface instead of the resin upper case . The power supply device according to claim 1,
The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is a set screw that is inserted into the through hole formed in the fixing portion. The power supply device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein
The power radiating fin is formed in a ridge parallel to each other. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The heat radiation fin is provided on a bottom surface of the metal lower case. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The power supply device further comprises a heat conductive paste filled between the heat radiating fins and the heat generating component. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The power supply device, wherein the heating element includes a MOSFET.

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