JP5874533B2 - Converter and assembling method of the converter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a converter that converts electric power of a fuel cell and a method for assembling the converter.

  A so-called fuel cell vehicle is equipped with a fuel cell that generates electric power by an electrochemical reaction of reaction gases (fuel gas and oxidizing gas), a converter that converts electric power of the fuel cell, and the like. For example, the fuel cell or the converter may be provided under the floor of the fuel cell vehicle.

  The above-described converter includes a reactor, a power module, a control board for controlling the power module, and the like in the converter case (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-003288 A

  By the way, in the said converter, in order to make a gravity center low for stabilization of a vehicle and to improve waterproofing performance, it can be proposed to laminate | stack a reactor, a power module, and a control board in this order from the bottom.

  However, a configuration and method for specifically assembling the converter to a vehicle have not been proposed. When assembling, it is necessary to connect the external power supply etc. to the control board in the converter with an electric wire. At that time, if the electric wire connector connected to the control board is taken out from the converter case Then, a large work space is required in the converter case. In addition, since the electric wire may be pulled outward, the connector may come off from the control board. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a fixing portion, which increases the size of the case and the number of parts.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a converter and a method for assembling the converter with high assemblability while keeping the converter case compact.

  The present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is a converter for converting the power of a fuel cell, and a control board having a reactor, a power module, and a control circuit for controlling the power module in a converter case is arranged from the bottom to the top. Arranged in this order, the converter case has a lower case and an upper case removable from the lower case, and an electrical wire connector for connecting to the control board is externally connected to the lower case. It is the converter provided with the insertion hole for inserting from.

  According to the present invention, since the connector of the electric wire can be inserted from the outside with the upper case opened, the connector can be easily connected to the control board without a large work space. Therefore, high assemblability of the converter can be realized while keeping the converter case compact.

  The lower case may be provided with a reactor accommodating portion that accommodates the reactor, and a wall may be provided between the insertion hole and the reactor accommodating portion. In such a case, it is possible to prevent the connector from coming into contact with the reactor accommodating portion during insertion into the insertion hole. In addition, it is not necessary to take care so that the connector does not come into contact with the reactor accommodating portion, and the assembling property is improved.

  A seal portion for making the internal space of the reactor accommodating portion airtight may be provided in front of the insertion hole, and the wall may be provided between the seal portion and the insertion hole. In such a case, when the connector is inserted into the insertion hole, the connector can be prevented from coming into contact with the seal portion and the seal portion being deteriorated.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a method of assembling a converter that converts fuel cell power into a fuel cell vehicle, and includes a power module and a control circuit that controls the power module in an upper case of the converter case. A step of attaching the board, a step of attaching a reactor in the lower case of the converter case fixed to the vehicle, and an external connector for connecting to the control board is inserted through the insertion hole of the lower case. A method for assembling a converter, comprising: a step; a step of connecting the connector to the control board; and a step of fixing the upper case over the lower case.

  According to the present invention, high assemblability can be realized while keeping the converter case compact.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the electric system of the fuel cell system mounted in a fuel cell vehicle. It is sectional drawing of the vehicle which shows the example of installation of the converter in a fuel cell vehicle from the front side. It is sectional drawing of the vehicle which shows the example of installation of the converter in a fuel cell vehicle from the side. It is explanatory drawing of the longitudinal cross-section which shows the internal structure of a converter. It is explanatory drawing of the longitudinal cross-section which shows the internal structure of the converter at the time of connecting a connector to a control board.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a fuel cell vehicle 1 having a converter according to the present embodiment includes a fuel cell system 10.

  The fuel cell system 10 includes, for example, a fuel cell 20, a converter 21, an inverter 22, a battery 23, a battery converter 24, a traction motor 25, a sensor group 26, a controller 27, and the like.

  The fuel cell 20 is, for example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell including a cell stack (cell stack) in which a plurality of cells (power generation cells) are stacked. In the fuel cell 20, fuel gas is supplied to the anode electrode side, and oxidizing gas is supplied to the cathode electrode side, and power is generated by an electrochemical reaction between the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas. The fuel cell 20 is provided with a voltage sensor for detecting the output voltage from the cell stack and a current sensor (none of which is shown) for detecting the output current.

  Converter 21 changes the output voltage of fuel cell 20. The battery 23 functions as a surplus power storage source, a regenerative energy storage source at the time of regenerative braking, and an energy buffer at the time of load fluctuation accompanying acceleration or deceleration of the fuel cell vehicle 1. The input / output voltage of the battery 23 is adjusted by the battery converter 24. The inverter 22 converts DC power output from the fuel cell 20 or the battery 23 into three-phase AC power and outputs it to the traction motor 25.

  The traction motor 25 is a drive source of the fuel cell vehicle 1 and generates regenerative power during deceleration. The rotation by the traction motor 25 is decelerated to a predetermined number of rotations by the reduction device 30 and transmitted to the tire 31 via the shaft.

  The controller 27 is a computer system for controlling the fuel cell system 10 and includes, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like. The controller 27 is based on various signals output from the sensor group 26 (for example, a signal indicating the accelerator opening, a signal indicating the vehicle speed, a signal indicating the output current of the fuel cell 20 and the output terminal voltage, etc.). 20, the converter 21, the inverter 22, and the like are controlled to supply predetermined required power to the traction motor 25.

  The fuel cell vehicle 1 has a structure in which at least the fuel cell 20 and the converter 21 are disposed under the floor plate 41 of the passenger compartment 40 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example. The converter 21 is disposed in a center tunnel 50 disposed between the left and right seats 42 of the fuel cell vehicle 1, for example. Converter 21 is provided along a center line extending in the front-rear direction X of vehicle 1. For example, the converter 21 is fixed to a vehicle frame extending in the left-right direction Y of the vehicle 1. The fuel cell 20 is provided on the rear side of the converter 21 in the center tunnel 50.

  The converter 21 includes a converter case 70 that is divided into an upper case 70a and a lower case 70b. In the converter case 70, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a reactor unit 80, an IPM (Intelligent Power Module) 81, and a control board 82 are provided in order from the bottom.

  The IPM 81 includes, for example, a power device that controls power, such as a power MOSFET and an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a drive circuit for the power device, a self-protection function, and the like. The control board 82 includes a control circuit that controls the IPM 81.

  A connector 92 for connecting the connector 91 of the electric wire 90 from the outside is provided at the front portion of the control board 82. The electric line 90 includes an information line for sending a signal to the control board 82 and a power supply line for sending electric power.

  The reactor unit 80 includes, for example, two reactor blocks 100 and 101 in the front-rear direction X. Each reactor block 100, 101 has a pair of upper and lower reactor accommodating parts 100a, 100b and a reactor accommodating part 101a, 101b, respectively. In each reactor housing portion, for example, two reactors 110 are arranged in the front-rear direction X. Between the pair of upper and lower reactor accommodating parts 100a and 100b and between the reactor accommodating parts 101a and 101b, a cooling flow path 120 which is an internal space is formed, and supply to the cooling flow path 120 (not shown) Cooling water is supplied from the flow path, and thereby the reactor 110 of each reactor accommodating portion can be cooled. In addition, cooling fins are formed on the surfaces of the pair of upper and lower reactor accommodating portions 100a and 100b and the reactor accommodating portions 101a and 101b on the cooling channel 120 side.

  Seal blocks 130, 131, 132, 133 for forming a closed cooling channel 120 are formed on the side portions in the front-rear direction X between the pair of upper and lower reactor accommodating portions 100 a, 100 b and the reactor accommodating portions 101 a, 101 b. Is provided. Concave portions are formed on the side portions in the front-rear direction X of the reactor accommodating portions 100a and 100b and the reactor accommodating portions 101a and 101b, and seal blocks 130 to 133 are fitted in the concave portions.

  The seal block 130 on the front side of the reactor block 100 is formed by extending a part of the lower case 70b, and constitutes a part of the lower case 70b. The seal block 131 on the rear side of the reactor block 100 and the seal block 132 on the front side of the reactor block 101 are connected to each other. The seal block 133 on the rear side of the reactor block 101 is formed by extending the lower case 70b and constitutes a part of the lower case 70b. Between each seal block 130-133 and reactor accommodating part 100a, 100b, 101a, 101b, it is the seal part 135, and seal agents, such as FIPG (Formed In Place Gasket), are apply | coated to the said seal part 135 Has been.

  An insertion hole 140 through which the connector 91 of the electric wire 90 connected to the control board 82 can be inserted from the outside is formed in the front side surface of the lower case 70b. The connector 91 can be inserted into the lower case 70 b via the grommet 141 provided in the insertion hole 140.

  A wall 150 is provided in front of the insertion hole 140 and between the insertion hole 140 and the seal block 130. The wall 150 is formed, for example, by extending a part of the lower case 70b, and is a part of the lower case 70b. The wall 150 covers the seal part 135 between the seal block 130 and the reactor accommodating parts 100a and 100b when viewed from the insertion hole 140 side. The wall 150 is connected to the seal block 130, for example. Therefore, a part of the lower case 70 b branches off from the main body of the lower case 70 b and extends upward to form a wall 150, and extends from the wall 150 to the rear side to form a seal block 130.

  Next, a method for assembling the above converter 21 to the fuel cell vehicle 1 will be described. First, the lower case 70 b is fixed in the center tunnel 50 of the fuel cell vehicle 1. This fixing is performed, for example, by fixing the lower case 70b to the vehicle frame with a screw.

  Next, the reactor part 80 is attached in the lower case 70b. After that, as shown in FIG. 4, the connector 91 of the electric wire 90 is inserted from the insertion hole 140 of the lower case 70b. At this time, the movement of the connector 91 is restricted by the wall 150, and the connector 91 does not contact the sealant of the seal part 135 between the seal block 130 and the reactor accommodating parts 100a and 100b.

  On the other hand, the IPM 81 and the control board 82 are attached in the upper case 70a. This attachment may be performed any time before the connector 91 is inserted into the insertion hole 140 of the lower case 70b, or after the connector 91 is inserted into the insertion hole 140.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the connector 91 of the electric wire 90 is connected to the connector 92 of the control board 82. Thereafter, the upper case 70a is put on the lower case 70b and fixed with bolts or the like.

  According to the present embodiment, since the connector 91 of the electric wire 90 can be inserted from the outside with the upper case 70a opened, the connector 91 can be easily connected to the control board 82 without a large work space.

  Since the wall 150 is provided between the insertion hole 140 and the reactor accommodating portions 100a and 100b, the connector 91 can be prevented from coming into contact with the reactor accommodating portions 100a and 100b when inserted into the insertion hole 140. Moreover, it is not necessary to use care so that the connector 91 does not contact the reactor accommodating portions 100a and 100b, and the assembling property is improved.

  Further, a seal portion 135 for making the cooling passage 120 of the reactor accommodating portions 100a and 100b airtight is provided in front of the insertion hole 140, and a wall 150 is provided between the seal portion 135 and the insertion hole 140. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the connector 91 from coming into contact with the seal portion 135 and deteriorating the seal portion 135 during insertion into the insertion hole 140. In particular, since a sealant such as FIPG for the seal portion 135 takes several days to harden, preventing the connector 91 from coming into contact with the seal portion 135 greatly improves the assemblability.

  Since the insertion hole 140 is provided on the front side of the lower case 70b, the center tunnel 50 can be made smaller than in the case where the insertion hole 140 is provided on the side surface or the rear surface. Also, since the insertion hole 140 is at the top of the reactor part 81, that is, the height close to the reactor accommodating part 100a, the position of the insertion hole 140 is too low, and there is a concern about interference with the lower vehicle frame at the time of collision, The position of the insertion hole 140 is too high so that the height dimension of the lower case 70b is increased and the entire case is not increased.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various modifications or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the idea described in the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood.

  For example, the structure of the converter 21 in the above embodiment, the installation position of the converter 21 and the like are not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied when the converter has other structures and other arrangements.

  The present invention is useful when realizing high assemblability while keeping the converter case compact.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel cell vehicle 10 Fuel cell system 20 Fuel cell 21 Converter 70 Converter case 70a Upper case 70b Lower case 80 Reactor part 81 IPM
82 Control board 90 Electric wire 91 Connector 100, 101 Reactor block 110 Reactor 140 Insertion hole 150 Wall

Claims (3)

A converter for converting the power of a fuel cell,
In the converter case, a reactor, a power module, and a control board having a control circuit for controlling the power module are arranged in this order from bottom to top.
The converter case has a lower case, and an upper case removable from the lower case,
The control board is disposed in the upper case,
The lower case is provided with an insertion hole for inserting a connector of an electric wire connected to the control board from the outside,
In the lower case, a reactor accommodating portion for accommodating the reactor is disposed,
A converter , wherein a wall is provided between the insertion hole and the reactor accommodating portion . In the front of the insertion hole, there is a seal part for airtight internal space of the reactor accommodating part,
The converter according to claim 1 , wherein the wall is provided between the seal portion and the insertion hole. A method of assembling a converter for converting power of a fuel cell into a fuel cell vehicle,
Attaching a power module and a control board having a control circuit for controlling the power module in the upper case of the converter case;
Attaching the reactor in the lower case of the converter case fixed to the vehicle;
Inserting an electrical wire connector for connecting to the control board from the outside through the insertion hole of the lower case;
Connecting the connector to the control board;
Attaching the upper case to the lower case and fixing the upper case.

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