JP7516772B2 - Motor Unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a motor unit.

In AC motors, a structure is known in which the coil wire extending from the stator is connected to the inverter via multiple conductive plate parts (bus bars). Patent Document 1 discloses a structure for connecting bus bars together, in which bolts are passed through insertion holes provided in each plate part and fastened to screw holes provided in a base part supporting one of the plate parts.

JP 2017-079531 A

In conventional fastening structures, the base and one of the plates are fixed to each other. Therefore, if it is difficult to adjust the relative positions of the plates, the insertion holes in the pair of plates and the screw holes in the base may not match, making it difficult to insert the bolt.

One aspect of the present invention aims to provide a motor unit that makes it easy to connect bus bars to each other.

One embodiment of the motor unit of the present invention includes a motor, an inverter that controls the current supplied to the motor, a housing that accommodates the motor and the inverter, a first bus bar connected to one of the motor and the inverter and a second bus bar connected to the other of the motor and the inverter, a bus bar holder that is fixed to the housing and holds the first bus bar, connection screws that connect the first bus bar and the second bus bar, and a terminal block that has a screw hole and into which the connection screws are inserted. The terminal block has an attachment portion that can be attached to the first bus bar in a position adjustable manner.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a motor unit is provided that allows easy connection of bus bars.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a motor unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the motor unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the motor unit according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a busbar unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an inverter side terminal connection portion and a terminal block according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a terminal block according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal block of the first modified example. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a terminal block according to the second modification. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a bus bar holder and a terminal block according to the third modification. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a bus bar holder and a terminal block according to the fourth modified example.

The motor unit according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and can be modified as desired within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

In the following description, the vertical direction is defined based on the positional relationship when the motor unit 1 of this embodiment shown in each figure is mounted on a vehicle positioned on a horizontal road surface. In addition, in the drawings, the XYZ coordinate system is appropriately shown as a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. In the XYZ coordinate system, the Z axis direction is the vertical direction. The +Z side is the upper side in the vertical direction, and the -Z side is the lower side in the vertical direction. In the following description, the upper side in the vertical direction is simply called the "upper side", and the lower side in the vertical direction is simply called the "lower side". The X axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the Z axis direction and is the front-rear direction of the vehicle on which the motor unit 1 is mounted. The Y axis direction is a direction perpendicular to both the X axis direction and the Z axis direction, and is the left-right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction). In this embodiment, the +Y side is one axial side of the motor axis J, and the -Y side is the other axial side of the motor axis J.

Unless otherwise specified in the following description, the direction parallel to the motor axis J of the motor 2 (Z-axis direction) will be referred to simply as the "axial direction", the radial direction centered on the motor axis J will be referred to simply as the "radial direction", and the circumferential direction centered on the motor axis J, i.e., around the axis of the motor axis J, will be referred to simply as the "circumferential direction".

Hereinafter, a motor unit 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The motor unit 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle that uses a motor as a power source, such as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHV), or an electric vehicle (EV), and is used as the power source thereof.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the motor unit 1. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the motor unit 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the motor unit 1 includes a motor 2, a sub-busbar unit 70, a busbar unit 77, a housing 6, and an inverter 8. The motor unit 1 may also include a reduction gear (not shown) that reduces the rotation of the motor 2 and outputs it to the outside.

<Motor>
The motor 2 of this embodiment is a three-phase motor. The motor 2 is accommodated inside a housing 6. The motor 2 includes a rotor 20 that rotates about a motor axis J that extends horizontally, a stator 30 located radially outside the rotor 20, and bearings 26 and 27 that rotatably support the rotor 20. The motor 2 of this embodiment is an inner rotor type motor.

The rotor 20 rotates when an AC current is supplied from the inverter 8 to the stator 30. The rotor 20 has a shaft 21, a rotor core 24, and a rotor magnet (not shown).

The shaft 21 extends in the axial direction around the motor axis J. The shaft 21 rotates around the motor axis J. The shaft 21 is rotatably supported by bearings 26 and 27. The bearings 26 and 27 are located on either side of the shaft 21 in the axial direction, sandwiching the rotor core 24. The bearings 26 and 27 are held in the housing 6.

The rotor core 24 is made of laminated silicon steel plates. The rotor core 24 is a cylindrical body extending along the axial direction. Multiple rotor magnets (not shown) are fixed to the rotor core 24. The multiple rotor magnets are arranged in the circumferential direction with alternating magnetic poles.

The stator 30 has a stator core 32, a coil 31 wound around the stator core 32, and an insulator (not shown) interposed between the stator core 32 and the coil 31. The stator 30 is held in the housing 6.

The stator core 32 is annular and centered on the motor axis J. The stator core 32 has a plurality of magnetic pole teeth (not shown) extending radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the annular yoke. A coil wire is wound between the magnetic pole teeth. The coil wire wound around the magnetic pole teeth constitutes the coil 31. In other words, the coil 31 is wound around the stator core 32 via an insulator.

Three connection coil wires 31c corresponding to the U, V, and W phases extend from the end of one axial side (+Y side) of the coil 31. The connection coil wire 31c has a twisted coil wire, a crimp terminal 31a crimped to the tip, and an insulating tube that covers the outer circumference of the coil wire. The connection coil wire 31c is connected to the sub-busbar unit 70 at the crimp terminal 31a.

<Housing>
The housing 6 accommodates the motor 2, the inverter 8, the sub-busbar unit 70, and the busbar unit 77. A motor accommodating space 60A that accommodates the motor 2, and an inverter accommodating space 60B that accommodates the inverter 8 are provided inside the housing 6. The inverter accommodating space 60B is located radially outside the motor accommodating space 60A.

Although detailed illustration is omitted, a gear accommodating space 60C is further provided inside the housing 6. The gear accommodating space 60C is located on the other axial side (-Y side) of the motor accommodating space 60A. A plurality of gears (not shown) are arranged in the gear accommodating space 60C. Each gear is connected to the shaft 21 to form a reduction mechanism, and the power of the motor 2 is output from an output shaft (not shown).

The housing 6 has a housing body 65, a closing member 61, and an inverter cover 63. The housing body 65, the closing member 61, and the inverter cover 63 are made of, for example, aluminum die casting.

The housing body 65 has a cylindrical portion 66 extending along the motor axis J, a bottom portion 67 located at the end of the cylindrical portion 66 on the other axial side (-Y side), and a box-shaped portion 68 located radially outward of the cylindrical portion 66.

The cylindrical portion 66 opens to one axial side (+Y side). The opening of the cylindrical portion 66 is blocked by a blocking member 61. The blocking member 61 faces the bottom portion 67 in the axial direction. The bottom portion 67 and the blocking member 61 support the shaft 21 via the bearings 26, 27. The motor housing space 60A is a space surrounded by the cylindrical portion 66, the bottom portion 67, and the blocking member 61.

The cylindrical portion 66 has an extension portion 66a at one end on one axial side (+Y side) that extends radially outward in the circumferential direction. An extension space 60Aa is provided inside the extension portion 66a.

The expansion space 60Aa is part of the motor housing space 60A. The expansion space 60Aa is also located on one axial side of the inverter housing space 60B. A part of the sub-busbar unit 70 is arranged in the expansion space 60Aa.

A partition wall portion 68a, which is part of the box-shaped portion 68, is located between the expansion space 60Aa and the inverter housing space 60B. The partition wall portion 68a extends along a plane perpendicular to the motor axis J. The partition wall portion 68a separates the expansion space 60Aa from the inverter housing space 60B.

A through hole 68h is provided in the partition portion 68a. The through hole 68h connects the expansion space 60Aa (i.e., the motor housing space 60A) with the inverter housing space 60B. The sub-busbar unit 70 is inserted into the through hole 68h.

The box-shaped portion 68 opens upward. The opening of the box-shaped portion 68 is covered by the inverter cover 63. The inverter housing space 60B is a space surrounded by the box-shaped portion 68 and the inverter cover 63.

The inverter cover 63 has a top plate portion 63a extending horizontally. The top plate portion 63a covers the inverter accommodation space 60B from above. The top plate portion 63a is provided with a window portion 63w that penetrates in the vertical direction. The window portion 63w is covered by a lid member 63c. The lid member 63c is detachable from the top plate portion 63a. As described later, a connection portion 8j between the inverter bus bar 8d and the bus bar 78 is located directly below the window portion 63w.

<Inverter>
The inverter 8 is fixed to the rear surface of the top plate portion 63a of the inverter cover 63. The inverter 8 is electrically connected to the motor 2 via the sub-bus bar unit 70 and the bus bar unit 77. The inverter 8 controls the current supplied to the motor 2.

The inverter 8 has an inverter body 8a and three inverter bus bars 8d extending from the inverter body 8a. That is, the motor unit 1 has an inverter bus bar (second bus bar) 8d. The inverter body 8a has, for example, a power board, a capacitor, a switching element, etc., and converts DC current supplied from a battery (not shown) into AC current. The inverter bus bar 8d is connected to the bus bar 78 of the bus bar unit 77 within the inverter accommodation space 60B.

<Sub-busbar unit>
2, the sub-busbar unit 70 has a plurality of (three) sub-busbars 75, a sub-busbar holder 76 that holds the plurality of sub-busbars 75, and a sealing member 70A. That is, the motor unit 1 includes the plurality of sub-busbars 75, the sub-busbar holder 76 that holds the plurality of sub-busbars 75, and a sealing member 70A.

The sub-busbars 75 are made of plate-shaped conductors (conductive plate portions). The three sub-busbars 75 are connected to the connecting coil wires 31c that extend from the coils 31. The three sub-busbars 75 are also connected to the inverter 8 via busbars 78.

The sub-busbar 75 has a sub-busbar body portion 75a extending along the axial direction and a terminal connection portion 75b located on one axial side of the sub-busbar body portion 75a.

The sub-busbar body 75a is held by the sub-busbar holder 76. The other axial end of the sub-busbar body 75a is exposed from the sub-busbar holder 76. The sub-busbar 75 is connected to the busbar 78 at the other axial end of the sub-busbar body 75a.

The terminal connection portion 75b is bent in the thickness direction of the sub-busbar main body portion 75a. The thickness direction of the terminal connection portion 75b coincides with the axial direction. The terminal connection portion 75b is exposed from the sub-busbar holder 76. The terminal connection portion 75b is connected to the connection coil wire 31c.

The sub-busbar holder 76 is made of an insulating material. In this embodiment, the sub-busbar holder 76 is made of a resin material. The sub-busbar holder 76 has a holder body portion 76a that holds the sub-busbar 75, and a holder flange portion 76b that protrudes from the holder body portion 76a.

The holder body 76a has a rectangular prism shape extending along the axial direction. The holder body 76a is inserted into a through hole 68h provided in the partition wall 68a. The holder body 76a has an outer peripheral surface 76ab that faces in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The holder body 76a has three retaining holes 76c that penetrate in the axial direction.

One sub-busbar holder 76 is inserted into one retaining hole 76c. For example, adhesive is injected between the inner circumferential surface of the retaining hole 76c and the sub-busbar holder 76. The adhesive seals the gap between the inner circumferential surface of the retaining hole 76c and the sub-busbar holder 76.

The holder flange portion 76b is located at one axial end of the holder body portion 76a. The holder flange portion 76b protrudes from the outer peripheral surface 76ab of the holder body portion 76a along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction. The holder flange portion 76b extends all the way around the holder body portion 76a.

The holder flange portion 76b has a fixing hole that penetrates in the axial direction. A fixing screw is inserted into the fixing hole to fix the sub-busbar unit 70 to the partition portion 68a of the housing main body 65.

The holder flange portion 76b has an opposing surface 76bb facing the other axial side. The opposing surface 76bb faces the surface of the partition wall portion 68a facing one axial side via a seal member 70A. The seal member 70A is sandwiched in the axial direction between the opposing surface 76bb and the surface of the partition wall portion 68a facing one axial side. The seal member 70A seals between the sub-busbar holder 76 and the partition wall portion 68a.

<Busbar unit>
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the motor unit 1 including the bus bar unit 77. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bus bar unit 77.

As shown in FIG. 4, the busbar unit 77 has a plurality (three) of busbars (first busbars) 78, a busbar holder 79 that holds the plurality of busbars 78, and a plurality (three) of terminal blocks 80. That is, the motor unit 1 includes a plurality of busbars 78, a busbar holder 79, and a plurality of terminal blocks 80. The busbar unit 77 is disposed in the inverter accommodating space 60B together with the inverter 8. The busbar unit 77 is fixed to the housing 6 at the busbar holder 79.

The three bus bars 78 are embedded in a bus bar holder 79 by insert molding. The bus bar holder 79 is made of an insulating resin material.
The three bus bars 78 are embedded in the bus bar holder 79 by insert molding, but this is not limited to this. For example, the bus bar holder 79 may be composed of a base member and a cover member, and each of the three bus bars 78 may be sandwiched between the cover member and the base member. In other words, the bus bar holder 79 may support the bus bars 78 by sandwiching them between the base member and the cover member.

The busbars 78 are made of plate-shaped conductors (conductive plate portions). The three busbars 78 are connected to the U-phase sub-busbars 75, the V-phase sub-busbars 75, and the W-phase sub-busbars 75, respectively. That is, the three busbars 78 are connected to the stator 30 via the sub-busbars 75. The busbars 78 are also connected to the inverter busbars 8d of the inverter 8. That is, the busbars 78 relay and electrically connect the sub-busbars 75 and the inverter 8. The busbars 78 supply the AC current output from the inverter 8 to the motor 2. The busbars 78 are arranged in the inverter accommodating space 60B.

The busbar 78 has a busbar body 78a extending along the inner surface of the inverter accommodating space 60B, an inverter side terminal connection portion 78c located at one end of the busbar body 78a, and a motor side terminal connection portion 78d located at the other end of the busbar body 78a. The inverter side terminal connection portion 78c is connected to the inverter 8. The motor side terminal connection portion 78d is connected to the sub-busbar 75.

The three inverter side terminal connection parts 78c are aligned along the axial direction. On the other hand, the three motor side terminal connection parts 78d are aligned along the vertical direction. The busbar main body part 78a curves between the inverter side terminal connection parts 78c and the motor side terminal connection parts 78d. The busbar 78 is embedded in the busbar holder 79 at the busbar main body part 78a. The busbar 78 is exposed from the busbar holder 79 at the motor side terminal connection parts 78d and the inverter side terminal connection parts 78c.

The busbar holder 79 has a partition wall portion 79w located between adjacent motor side terminal connection portions 78d. The partition wall portion 79w is disposed between a pair of motor side terminal connection portions 78d. Since the busbar unit 77 is provided with three motor side terminal connection portions 78d, the busbar holder 79 has two partition wall portions 79w located between them. The partition wall portion 79w protrudes in the plate thickness direction of the motor side terminal connection portions 78d. The partition wall portion 79w can increase the creepage distance between adjacent motor side terminal connection portions 78d. This allows the motor side terminal connection portions 78d to be brought closer to each other, making the busbar unit 77 smaller, while ensuring the insulation performance of the busbar unit 77.

The three inverter side terminal connection parts 78c are aligned in the vertical direction. The inverter side terminal connection parts 78c extend horizontally. The inverter side terminal connection parts 78c are provided with fixing holes 78cc that penetrate in the plate thickness direction.

The inverter side terminal connection portion 78c is overlapped with the inverter bus bar 8d. The fixing hole 78cc of the inverter side terminal connection portion 78c overlaps with the fixing hole 8da of the inverter bus bar 8d. A connection screw 89 is inserted into the fixing holes 78cc and 8da. When the connection screw 89 is fastened to the terminal block 80 described below, the bus bar 78 and the inverter bus bar 8d are connected to each other to form the connection portion 8j.

As shown in FIG. 3, the window 63w of the inverter cover 63 exposes the connection screw 89. This makes it easy to use a tool to access the inverter housing space 60B through the window 63w, facilitating the process of electrically connecting the stator 30 and the inverter 8.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the inverter side terminal connection portion 78c and the terminal block 80. As shown in FIG.
The inverter side terminal connection portion 78c has a standing portion 78ca extending upward from an upper end surface 79a of the bus bar holder 79 and a flat plate portion 78cb bent horizontally from the upper end of the standing portion 78ca. A terminal block 80 is attached to the standing portion 78ca. A fixing hole 78cc is provided in the flat plate portion 78cb. The inverter side terminal connection portion 78c is connected to the inverter bus bar 8d at the flat plate portion 78cb.

The terminal block 80 has a nut body 81 and a terminal block main body 82 that holds the nut body 81. The nut body 81 is rectangular in plan view. A screw hole 81a into which a connection screw 89 is inserted is provided in the center of the nut body 81 in plan view. The screw hole 81a extends along the central axis J1. When the terminal block 80 is attached to the erected portion 78ca, the screw hole 81a is positioned directly below the fixing hole 78cc. The terminal block main body 82 is made of, for example, a resin material. A recess 83 into which the nut body 81 is inserted is provided on the upper surface of the terminal block main body 82.

In this embodiment, the terminal block 80 has a nut body 81 with a screw hole 81a. However, the terminal block 80 may have the screw hole 81a directly provided thereon.

The recess 83 has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The recess 83 has an inner peripheral surface 83a that surrounds the outer peripheral surface 81b of the nut body 81. The inner peripheral surface 83a has a number of crush ribs 83b that extend in the depth direction of the recess 83. In this embodiment, since the recess 83 has a rectangular shape, the inner peripheral surface 83a has four flat surfaces. Two crush ribs 83b are provided on each flat surface.

When the nut body 81 is inserted into the recess 83, the crush rib 83b comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 81b of the nut body 81 and undergoes plastic and elastic deformation. As a result, the crush rib 83b is pressed against the outer peripheral surface 81b of the nut body 81, preventing the nut body 81 from coming out of the recess 83.

The terminal block 80 is attached to the standing portion 78ca by moving the terminal block 80 in the thickness direction of the standing portion 78ca. The terminal block 80 is mounted on the upper end surface 79a of the bus bar holder 79 while attached to the inverter side terminal connection portion 78c. That is, the lower surface 80a of the terminal block 80 is in surface contact with the upper end surface 79a of the bus bar holder 79. The lower surface 80a of the terminal block 80 is a plane perpendicular to the central axis J1 of the screw hole 81a described below. The terminal block 80 is positioned in the direction along the central axis J1 by contacting the upper end surface 79a with the lower surface 80a.

The terminal block body 82 has a base portion 82b and an attachment portion 84. The terminal block 80 is attached to the bus bar 78 at the attachment portion 84. That is, the terminal block 80 has an attachment portion 84 that is attached to the bus bar 78.

The attachment of the mounting portion 84 to the bus bar 78 is a temporary fixation to simplify the assembly process. The mounting portion 84 is firmly fixed to the bus bar 78 by fastening the connection screw 89 to the screw hole 81a of the terminal block 80.

The base portion 82b is rectangular in plan view. The recess 83 is provided on the upper surface of the base portion 82b. The base portion 82b may be provided with a recess to prevent sink marks or the like in the terminal block main body 82.

The mounting portion 84 has a pair of claw portions 85 extending from the base portion 82b. Each of the pair of claw portions 85 has a claw body portion 85a and a protrusion 85b. The claw body portions 85a of the pair of claw portions 85 extend parallel to each other from the base portion 82b. The protrusions 85b of the pair of claw portions 85 protrude in opposing directions from the tips of the claw body portions 85a.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal block 80 attached to the upright portion 78ca of the bus bar 78. As shown in FIG.
6, the width direction of the standing portion 78ca is defined as a first direction D1, and the thickness direction of the standing portion 78ca is defined as a second direction D2. The second direction D2 is perpendicular to the first direction D1 and the central axis J1 of the screw hole 81a. When the terminal block 80 is attached to the standing portion 78ca, the pair of claws 85 are located on both sides of the bus bar 78 in the width direction.

The distance a1 between the parallel extending claw main bodies 85a is greater than the width dimension A1 of the erected portion 78ca (i.e., the dimension in the first direction D1). Therefore, by disposing the erected portion 78ca between a pair of claw main bodies 85a, a gap is provided on both sides of the width direction of the erected portion 78ca. In other words, a gap is provided between the bus bar 78 and the claw main body 85a in the first direction D1. This makes it possible to adjust the position of the terminal block 80 in the first direction D1 while it is attached to the erected portions 78ca.

In the second direction D2, the distance b1 from the base portion 82b to the protrusion 85b is greater than the thickness dimension B1 of the standing portion 78ca (i.e., the dimension in the second direction D2). Therefore, by disposing the standing portion 78ca between the pair of claw main body portions 85a, a gap is provided between the standing portion 78ca and the protrusion 85b and between the standing portion 78ca and the base portion 82b. In other words, in the second direction D2, a gap is provided between the bus bar 78 and the protrusion 85b. This makes it possible to adjust the position of the terminal block 80 in the second direction D2 while it is attached to the standing portion 78ca.

As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the bus bar holder 79 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the box-shaped portion 68 that houses the inverter 8. Meanwhile, the inverter 8 is fixed to the inverter cover 63 that covers the opening of the box-shaped portion 68. That is, the bus bar unit 77 and the inverter 8 are fixed to the housing main body 65 and the inverter cover 63, respectively, and further, the housing main body 65 and the inverter cover 63 are fixed to each other. Therefore, due to the cross-stacked relationship, the relative positions of the bus bar unit 77 and the inverter bus bar 8d may not match each other.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the bus bar 78 and the inverter bus bar 8d are fixed by inserting and fastening connection screws 89 into the respective fixing holes 78cc and 8da. The relative positional deviation between the bus bar 78 and the inverter bus bar 8d is allowed only by the difference in diameter of the connection screws in the fixing holes 78cc.

In addition, in this embodiment, the terminal block 80, which is provided with a screw hole 81a and into which the connection screw 89 is inserted, is attached to the bus bar 78 so that its position can be adjusted. Therefore, the position of the screw hole 81a relative to the fixing holes 78cc, 8da of the bus bar 78 and the inverter bus bar 8d can be adjusted within the movable range of the terminal block 80. Therefore, even if the fixing holes 78cc, 8da are misaligned with each other and it is difficult for the connection screw 89 to move relative to the fixing holes 78cc, 8da, the position of the screw hole 81a can be adjusted. This makes it easier to connect the bus bar 78 and the inverter bus bar 8d.

As shown in FIG. 6, the distance a2 between the opposing protrusions 85b is smaller than the width dimension A1 (i.e., the dimension in the first direction D1) of the erected portion 78ca. Therefore, even if the terminal block 80 moves relative to the erected portion 78ca, the erected portion 78ca does not interfere with the protrusions 85b, preventing the terminal block 80 from coming off the bus bar 78.

The pair of protrusions 85b each have an inclined surface 85c. The inclined surfaces 85c of the pair of protrusions 85b are inclined in a direction away from each other toward the tip side of the claw portion 85. In the process of assembling the terminal block 80 to the standing portion 78ca, the standing portion 78ca comes into contact with the pair of inclined surfaces 85c. As a result, the pair of claw main bodies 85a elastically deform in a direction away from each other, and the standing portion 78ca rides up the protrusions 85b and is positioned between the pair of claw main bodies 85a. That is, the claw portion 85 of this embodiment has a snap-fit structure. This allows the terminal block 80 to be attached to the bus bar 78 in a simple process.

In this embodiment, the pair of claws 85 are arranged on both sides of the width of the standing portion 78ca, but a configuration in which a pair of claws are arranged on both sides of the thickness of the standing portion 78ca can also be adopted. In other words, the above-mentioned configuration can be adopted in which the thickness direction of the standing portion 78ca is the first direction D1 and the width direction of the standing portion 78ca is the second direction D2.

In the present embodiment, the terminal block 80 is attached to the bus bar 78 connected to the motor 2 at the connection portion 8j that connects the bus bars together. However, for example, a configuration in which the terminal block 80 is attached to the inverter bus bar 8d can also be adopted. Also, at the connection portion between the bus bar 78 and the sub-bus bar 75, a terminal block of a similar configuration may be attached to either one of them. In other words, the bus bar to which the terminal block 80 is attached may be a bus bar connected to either the motor 2 or the inverter 8.

(Variation 1)
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a terminal block 180 according to a first modified example that can be used in this embodiment.
The terminal block 180 of this modified example is attached to the standing portion 78ca by moving it along the width direction of the standing portion 78ca. Note that the same components as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

As in the above embodiment, the terminal block 180 has a nut body 81 and a terminal block main body 182 that holds the nut body 81. The nut body 81 has a screw hole 81a. The terminal block main body 182 has an attachment portion 184 that is attached to the bus bar 78.

The mounting portion 184 has a claw portion 185 extending along the second direction D2, an opposing portion 188 opposing the claw portion 185 in the first direction D1, and a connecting portion 187. The connecting portion 187 connects the claw portion 185 and the opposing portion 188 at the base end of the claw portion 185. The claw portion 185 and the opposing portion 188 are located on both sides of the bus bar 78 in the thickness direction (i.e., the second direction D2) and face each other.

The claw portion 185 has a claw body portion 185a and a protrusion 185b. The claw body portion 185a extends from the connecting portion 187 in the first direction D1. The claw body portion 185a also extends parallel to the opposing portion 188. The protrusion 185b protrudes from the tip of the claw body portion 185a towards the opposing portion 188.

The distance b3 between the claw main body 185a and the opposing portion 188 is greater than the thickness dimension B1 of the erected portion 78ca (i.e., the dimension in the second direction D2). Therefore, by disposing the erected portion 78ca between the claw main body 185a and the opposing portion 188, gaps are provided on both sides of the erected portion 78ca in the thickness direction. In other words, in the second direction D2, gaps are provided between the bus bar and the claw main body 185a and the opposing portion 188. This makes it possible to adjust the position of the terminal block 180 in the first direction D1 while it is attached to the erected portion 78ca.

In the first direction D1, the distance a3 from the connecting portion 187 to the protrusion 185b is greater than the width dimension A1 of the erected portion 78ca (i.e., the dimension in the first direction D1). Therefore, by disposing the erected portion 78ca between the claw main body portion 185a and the opposing portion 188, a gap is provided between the erected portion 78ca and the protrusion 185b and between the erected portion 78ca and the connecting portion 187. In other words, in the first direction D1, a gap is provided between the bus bar 78 and the protrusion 185b. This makes it possible to adjust the position of the terminal block 180 in the first direction D1 while it is attached to the erected portion 78ca.

The distance b4 between the protrusion 185b and the opposing portion 188 is smaller than the thickness dimension B1 of the erected portion 78ca (i.e., the dimension in the second direction D2). Therefore, even if the terminal block 180 moves relative to the erected portion 78ca, the erected portion 78ca does not interfere with the protrusion 185b, and the terminal block 180 is prevented from coming off the bus bar 78.

The protrusion 185b has an inclined surface 185c. The inclined surface 185c of the protrusion 185b inclines in a direction away from the opposing portion 188 as it approaches the tip side of the claw portion 185. In the process of assembling the terminal block 180 to the standing portion 78ca, the standing portion 78ca comes into contact with the inclined surface 185c. As a result, the claw main body portion 185a elastically deforms in a direction away from the opposing portion 188, and the standing portion 78ca rides up the protrusion 185b and is positioned between the claw main body portion 185a and the opposing portion 188.

According to this modification, the screw holes 81a can be adjusted in position relative to the bus bar 78 and the inverter bus bar 8d. This makes it easier to connect the bus bar 78 and the inverter bus bar 8d.

In this modified example, the claw portion 185 and the opposing portion 188 are disposed on both sides of the thickness direction of the standing portion 78ca, but a configuration in which the claw portion 185 and the opposing portion 188 are disposed on both sides of the width direction of the standing portion 78ca can also be adopted. In other words, the above-mentioned configuration can be adopted in which the thickness direction of the standing portion 78ca is the first direction D1 and the width direction of the standing portion 78ca is the second direction D2.

(Variation 2)
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a terminal block 280 according to a second modified example that can be used in this embodiment.
The terminal block 280 of this modification is attached to the standing portion 78ca by moving the terminal block 280 in the width direction of the standing portion 78ca, similarly to the modification 1. Note that the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As in the above embodiment, the terminal block 280 has a nut body 81 and a terminal block main body 282 that holds the nut body 81. The nut body 81 has a screw hole 81a. The terminal block main body 282 has an attachment portion 284 that is attached to the bus bar 78.

The mounting portion 284 has a gripping portion 285 extending along the second direction D2, an opposing portion 288 opposing the gripping portion 285 in the first direction D1, and a connecting portion 287. The connecting portion 287 connects the gripping portion 285 and the opposing portion 288 at the base end of the gripping portion 285. The gripping portion 285 and the opposing portion 288 are located on either side of the bus bar 78 in the thickness direction (i.e., the second direction D2) and face each other.

The distance between the gripping portion 285 and the facing portion 288 is slightly smaller than the thickness dimension B1 of the erected portion 78ca (i.e., the dimension in the second direction D2). Therefore, by disposing the erected portion 78ca between the gripping portion 285 and the facing portion 288, the gripping portion 285 elastically deforms and presses the erected portion 78ca against the facing portion 288. In other words, the gripping portion 285 clamps the bus bar 78 by elastically deforming. According to this modified example, the terminal block 280 can be easily attached to the bus bar 78.

In this modified example, the mounting portion 284 resiliently clamps the standing portion 78ca and is not firmly fixed. Therefore, the mounting portion 284 can slide and move in the first direction D1 relative to the standing portion 78ca. That is, the position of the terminal block 280 can be adjusted in the first direction D1 while attached to the standing portion 78ca. The terminal block 280 can also move in the second direction D2 by further elastically deforming the gripping portion 285. That is, according to this modified example, the position of the screw hole 81a can be adjusted relative to the bus bar 78 and the inverter bus bar 8d. This makes it easier to connect the bus bar 78 and the inverter bus bar 8d.

(Variation 3)
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a bus bar holder 379 and a terminal block 380 according to a third modification that can be used in this embodiment.
In this modified example, the motor unit 1 includes a rotation restricting portion 305 that restricts relative rotation between a bus bar holder 379 and a terminal block 380. Note that the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Here, the direction in which the terminal block 380 is attached to the bus bar 78 is called the third direction D3, and the direction perpendicular to the third direction D3 and the central axis J of the screw hole 81a is called the fourth direction D4. As in the above embodiment, the terminal block 380 of this modified example is attached to the standing portion 78ca by moving the terminal block 380 in the thickness direction of the standing portion 78ca. That is, in this modified example, the third direction D3 coincides with the thickness direction of the standing portion 78ca, and the fourth direction D4 coincides with the width direction of the standing portion 78ca.

The busbar holder 379 has an upper end surface 379a from which the erected portion 78ca of the busbar 78 extends. A recess 305a recessed downward is provided on the upper end surface 379a. The recess 305a opens to one side in the third direction D3. The recess 305a has a pair of holding surfaces 305p facing one side and the other side in the fourth direction D4. The pair of holding surfaces 305p extend along the third direction D3 and face each other in the fourth direction D4.

The terminal block 380 has a nut body 81 and a terminal block main body 382 that holds the nut body 81. The terminal block main body 382 also has a base portion 82b, an attachment portion 84, and a protrusion 305b provided on the lower end surface 380a of the base portion 82b. The terminal block 380 is attached to the bus bar 78 at the attachment portion 84.

The protrusion 305b protrudes downward from the lower end surface 380a. The protrusion 305b has a pair of retained surfaces 305q facing one side and the other side in the fourth direction D4. The pair of 305q extends along the third direction D3 and faces opposite each other in the fourth direction D4.

The terminal block 380 is mounted on an upper end surface 379a of the bus bar holder 379 in a state where it is attached to the inverter side terminal connection portion 78c. Furthermore, the convex portion 305b of the terminal block 380 is inserted into the concave portion 305a of the bus bar holder 379. A pair of held surfaces 305q of the convex portion 305b each face a holding surface 305p of the concave portion 305a via a gap. Providing a gap between the held surfaces 305q and the holding surfaces 305p allows the terminal block 380 to wobble in the fourth direction D4 relative to the bus bar holder 379.
Furthermore, the protrusion 305b and the recess 305a each have a surface that faces the bus bar holder 379 with a sufficiently large gap therebetween in the third direction D3. Therefore, the terminal block 380 is allowed to wobble relative to the bus bar holder 379 in the third direction D3.

During the process of fastening the connection screw 89 to the screw hole 81a of the terminal block 380, a torque is applied to the terminal block 380 that tends to rotate together with the connection screw 89. When the convex portion 305b is inserted into the concave portion 305a, the held surface 305q interferes with the holding surface 305p, and the rotation of the terminal block 380 is restricted. That is, the convex portion 305b and the concave portion 305a constitute a rotation restriction portion 305 that restricts the relative rotation of the bus bar holder 379 and the terminal block 380 around the screw hole 81a. Note that if the rotation restriction portion 305 is not provided, the rotation of the terminal block 380 is restricted by the mounting portion 84. For this reason, the mounting portion 84 needs to have sufficient rigidity, and there are cases where the terminal block must be enlarged.

In this modified example, the rotation restricting portion 305 is described as being composed of a rectangular recess 305a and a rectangular protrusion 305b that fits into the recess 305a. However, the rotation restricting portion 305 is not limited to this modified example as long as it interferes with the screw hole 81a in the circumferential direction to restrict the rotation of the terminal block 380.

(Variation 4)
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a bus bar holder 479 according to a fourth modified example that can be used in this embodiment.
In this modification, a bus bar holder 479 includes a covering portion. Note that the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As in the above embodiment, in this modified example, the inverter side terminal connection portion 78c of the bus bar 78 has a flat portion 78cb in which a fixing hole 78cc is provided, and an upright portion 78ca that is bent downward from one end of the flat portion 78cb.

The bus bar holder 479 of this modified example has a covering portion 479b that covers the erected portion 78ca of the bus bar 78. The covering portion 479b extends upward from the upper end surface 479a.

The terminal block 80 is attached to the covering portion 479b at the mounting portion 84. Therefore, the mounting portion 84 is attached to the bus bar 78 via the bus bar holder 479. A gap is provided between the covering portion 479b and the mounting portion 84. This allows the mounting portion 84 to be attached to the bus bar 78 in a position adjustable manner.

As shown in this modified example, terminal block 80 does not have to be directly attached to bus bar 78, but may be attached so as to be capable of adjusting its position relative to bus bar 78.
In this modification, the case where the covering portion 479b is a part of the bus bar holder 479 has been described, but the covering portion may be another member. Also, the covering portion may be provided by wrapping a tape or the like around the standing portion 78ca.

The above describes the embodiments of the present invention and their variations, but the configurations and combinations thereof in the embodiments and variations are merely examples, and additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications of the configurations are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

1...motor unit, 2...motor, 6...housing, 8...inverter, 8d...inverter bus bar (second bus bar), 63...inverter cover, 63w...window portion, 65...housing body, 68...box-shaped portion, 76ab, 81b...outer peripheral surface, 78...bus bar, 78...bus bar (first bus bar), 78cb...terminal, 79, 379, 479...bus bar holder, 80, 180, 280, 380...terminal block, 81...nut body, 81a...screw hole, 82, 182, 282, 382...terminal block body, 83...recess, 83a...inner surface, 83b...crush rib, 84, 184, 284...mounting part, 85, 185...claw part, 85a, 185a...claw body part, 85b, 185b...projection, 89...connection screw, 188, 288...opposing part, 285...gripping part, 305...rotation restriction part, a1, a2, a3, b1, b3, b4...distance, D1...first direction, D2...second direction

Claims (9)

A motor having a rotor that rotates about a motor axis ;
an inverter for controlling a current supplied to the motor;
a housing that accommodates the motor and the inverter;
a first bus bar connected to one of the motor and the inverter and a second bus bar connected to the other of the motor and the inverter;
a bus bar holder fixed to the housing and holding the first bus bar;
a connection screw that connects the first bus bar and the second bus bar;
a terminal block having a screw hole and into which the connection screw is inserted;
the terminal block has an attachment portion that is attached to the first bus bar in a position adjustable manner,
The first bus bar is
a standing portion extending upward from an upper end surface of the bus bar holder;
A flat plate portion bent from an upper end of the standing portion;
having
The terminal block includes:
a nut body in which the screw hole is provided;
A terminal block main body that holds the nut body;
having
The terminal block body is provided with a recess into which the nut body is inserted,
the flat plate portion overlaps with the nut body, a lower surface of the terminal block, and an upper end surface of the bus bar holder in a vertical direction;
a lower surface of the terminal block contacts an upper end surface of the bus bar holder;
the attachment portion has a pair of claw portions located on both sides of the first bus bar in a first direction,
The claw portions are elastically deformable in directions away from each other,
The mounting portion is attached to the standing portion,
a gap is provided in the second direction between the upright portion and an end face of the terminal block on a second direction side perpendicular to the first direction,
The motor unit has a fixing hole in which the connection screw is inserted, the erected portion being provided . The pair of claw portions each have a claw body portion extending parallel to each other, and protrusions protruding in opposing directions from tips of the claw body portions,
a distance between the claw main bodies extending in parallel to each other is greater than a dimension of the first bus bar in the first direction;
a distance between the projections facing each other is smaller than a dimension of the first bus bar in the first direction;
The motor unit according to claim 1 . a gap is provided between the first bus bar and the claw main body in the first direction;
a gap is provided between the first bus bar and the protrusion in a direction perpendicular to the first direction;
The motor unit according to claim 2 . A motor having a rotor that rotates about a motor axis;
an inverter for controlling a current supplied to the motor;
a housing that accommodates the motor and the inverter;
a first bus bar connected to one of the motor and the inverter and a second bus bar connected to the other of the motor and the inverter;
a bus bar holder fixed to the housing and holding the first bus bar;
a connection screw that connects the first bus bar and the second bus bar;
a terminal block having a screw hole and into which the connection screw is inserted;
the terminal block has an attachment portion that is attached to the first bus bar in a position adjustable manner,
The first bus bar is
a standing portion extending upward from an upper end surface of the bus bar holder;
A flat plate portion bent in the axial direction from an upper end of the standing portion;
having
The terminal block includes:
a nut body in which the screw hole is provided;
A terminal block main body that holds the nut body;
having
The terminal block body is provided with a recess into which the nut body is inserted,
the flat plate portion overlaps with the nut body, a lower surface of the terminal block, and an upper end surface of the bus bar holder in a vertical direction;
a lower surface of the terminal block contacts an upper end surface of the bus bar holder;
the mounting portion has a claw portion and an opposing portion that are located on both sides of the first bus bar in the second direction and that face each other,
The claw portion is elastically deformable in a direction away from the opposing portion,
The mounting portion is attached to the standing portion,
a gap is provided in the first direction between the upright portion and an end face of the terminal block on a first direction side perpendicular to the second direction,
The motor unit has a fixing hole in which the connection screw is inserted, the erected portion being provided.
The claw portion has a claw body portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the second direction and a projection projecting from a tip of the claw body portion toward the opposing portion,
a distance between the claw body portion and the facing portion is greater than a dimension of the first bus bar in the second direction;
a distance between the protrusion and the facing portion is smaller than a dimension of the first bus bar in the second direction;
The motor unit according to claim 4 . a gap is provided between the first bus bar and the claw main body and between the first bus bar and the claw main body and the facing portion in the second direction;
a gap is provided between the first bus bar and the protrusion in a direction perpendicular to the second direction;
The motor unit according to claim 5 . The recess has a crush rib extending in a depth direction on an inner peripheral surface surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the nut body.
The motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . a rotation restricting portion that restricts relative rotation between the bus bar holder and the terminal block around the screw hole,
The motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . The housing includes a housing main body having a box-shaped portion that houses the inverter;
an inverter cover that covers the opening of the box-shaped portion,
the bus bar holder is fixed to an inner wall surface of the box-shaped portion,
The motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the inverter cover is provided with a window portion through which the connecting screw is exposed.

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