JP4690769B2 - Electric compressor for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular electric compressor used in an air conditioner for a vehicle such as an electric vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, vehicles that use electric power, such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, have been rapidly developed and introduced into the market. In such a vehicle air conditioner equipped in such a vehicle, an electric compressor that uses electricity as power for driving a compressor that compresses and sends out refrigerant is employed, unlike a vehicle that runs on an internal combustion engine. Has been.
Such an electric compressor generally employs a configuration in which a compression mechanism and an electric motor are hermetically sealed with a built-in housing in the same housing. Furthermore, the electric compressor of the vehicle air conditioner includes a separate inverter control device that performs operation control by supplying electric power input from a power source to the electric motor.

In an inverter circuit-integrated electric compressor, the inverter circuit is housed in a casing provided on the upper side surface of the motor housing, and a power transistor or a capacitor, which is a heating element of the inverter circuit, is placed in contact with the bottom surface of the casing. It has been proposed to cool with a suction refrigerant flowing in the motor housing. (For example, see Patent Document 1)
JP2003-262187A (FIG. 2 etc.)

Incidentally, a vehicular electric compressor (hereinafter referred to as an “electric compressor”) used in a vehicular air conditioner is an engine room together with an electric motor that generates a driving force for driving a vehicle, an internal combustion engine for driving a generator, and the like. Installed inside. For this reason, it becomes an installation environment that is easily affected by radiant heat, etc., and in order to protect the various electrical and electronic components that make up the inverter control device from the surrounding environment and to ensure operation, for example, a capacitor that is a heating element Cooling and electromagnetic noise (EMI) countermeasures are required.
In addition, equipment installed in the engine room, such as an electric compressor, is required to be downsized due to installation space limitations. Furthermore, since the equipment installed in the engine room, such as an electric compressor, is generally given priority to the equipment arrangement on the vehicle side, it is desirable that the equipment can be easily adapted to various installation forms.

From such a background, in an electric compressor used for a vehicle air conditioner, in order to ensure reliability and durability, cooling of a capacitor constituting the inverter control device and electromagnetic shielding are necessary, and various It is desirable to have a capacitor installation configuration that allows for easy installation.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can improve the reliability and durability of a capacitor in an inverter control device, and can further easily adapt to various installation forms. The purpose is to provide a compressor.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means.
An electric compressor for a vehicle according to the present invention is an electric compressor for a vehicle in which a compression mechanism is driven by the electric motor to compress the refrigerant of the air conditioner for the vehicle. The control device housed and installed in the first housing in close contact with the low-pressure refrigerant chamber and the capacitor body housed in the second housing formed of the electromagnetic noise shielding material are removable from the control devices. A separate capacitor, and a connection terminal protruding from the capacitor body between the capacitor and the control device is inserted into the first housing and fixed to the substrate of the control device. The connection terminal is bent so that the terminal shape extending in a straight line in the direction of insertion into the housing has a step in the vertical direction, and the connection terminal base portion and the distal end portion after the bending are substantially parallel It is, is characterized in that for electrically connecting in a state where the capacitor body is brought into contact with the low temperature portion of the housing.

According to such an electric compressor for a vehicle of the present invention, the control device for controlling the electric motor is housed and installed in the first housing that is in close contact with the low-pressure refrigerant chamber of the housing that houses the compression mechanism. The capacitor body is housed in a second casing made of electromagnetic noise shielding material and is provided with a separate capacitor that can be removed from the control equipment, and the space between the capacitor and the control equipment projects from the capacitor body. The connection terminal is electrically connected by inserting the connection terminal into the first housing and fixing it to the substrate of the control device, and the connection terminal extends in a vertical direction with a terminal shape extending linearly in the direction of insertion into the housing. The connecting terminal base and the tip after bending are almost parallel, and the capacitor body is electrically connected in contact with the low temperature part of the housing. Kind and separate The capacitor can be cooled by sucked refrigerant of the low pressure refrigerant chamber while blocking electromagnetic noise is housed installed in the housing of the electromagnetic noise shielding material.

In the above-described vehicular electric compressor, it is preferable that the connection terminal has at least two bend forming portions , whereby the bend forming portion is easily elastically deformed, thereby reducing a dimensional error at the time of mounting the capacitor. Can be absorbed.

  According to the vehicle electric compressor of the present invention, in the control device such as an inverter control device for controlling the electric motor, the control device and the capacitor are configured separately, and the control device is in close contact with the low-pressure refrigerant chamber of the housing. The refrigerant is stored and installed in the first casing and cooled by the suction refrigerant, and the condenser is stored and installed in the casing made of an electromagnetic noise shielding material in close contact with the low-pressure refrigerant chamber of the housing to take measures against cooling and electromagnetic noise. . For this reason, even if an electric compressor for vehicles is installed in an engine room that is easily affected by radiant heat, etc., the temperature environment in which the operation of control devices and capacitors composed of various electric and electronic components is guaranteed Can be maintained, and failure due to electromagnetic noise can be prevented, so that a remarkable effect can be obtained in improving the reliability and durability of the capacitor and the control device including the capacitor.

In addition, since the control equipment and the capacitor are housed in separate housings, the compressor and the control device are shared and combined with different capacitor capacities as necessary, or no capacitor is required. In this case, it is possible to easily cope with various installation forms such as removing the electric compressor itself by reducing the size.
In addition, since the capacitor's connection terminal has a bent portion at the straight portion in the terminal insertion direction, the separate capacitor is easily elastically deformed, so that the dimensions when the capacitor is mounted It can be easily mounted and assembled by absorbing errors.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electric compressor for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
The vehicular electric compressor described in the present embodiment is used in a refrigerant circuit of a vehicular air conditioner installed in a vehicle that travels using electric power, such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. This electric compressor for vehicles employs an electric motor that uses electricity as power to drive a compression mechanism that compresses low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant (intake refrigerant) and sends it to a refrigerant circuit.
Such a vehicular electric compressor (hereinafter referred to as “electric compressor”) 1 is a hermetically sealed type in which a compression mechanism (not shown) such as a scroll compression mechanism and an electric motor (not shown) are built in the same housing 2. A compressor configuration is generally employed. Moreover, such an electric compressor 1 is provided with the inverter control apparatus 10 which supplies the electric power input from the power supply to an electric motor, and performs operation control. The inverter control device 10 is installed in close contact with the housing 2 of the electric compressor 1. The inverter control device 10 is electrically connected to a power supply unit 20 that supplies power to the inverter control device 10 and a power supply control device 21 that controls operations of the inverter control device 10 and the power supply unit 20.

The housing 2 has a hollow cylindrical shape that is installed with its axis substantially horizontal.
Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the housing 2 has a bottomed cylindrical first storage portion (housing main body) 2a having an opening at one end and storing an electric motor therein, It is divided in two into a bottomed cylindrical second storage part (lid part) 2b having an opening at one end and storing the compression mechanism therein. The first storage part 2a and the second storage part 2b are joined together with the openings facing each other, and the flanges provided at both openings are fixed detachably by bolts, nuts, etc. ing.

In the present embodiment, a low-pressure refrigerant chamber of a compression mechanism (not shown) is formed inside the first storage portion 2a, and a refrigerant inlet 3 communicating with the internal low-pressure refrigerant chamber is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first storage portion 2a. Is provided. The low-pressure refrigerant chamber is connected to the refrigerant circuit of the vehicle air conditioner through the refrigerant inlet 3, and low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant vaporized through the indoor heat exchanger or the outdoor heat exchanger is fed into the low-pressure refrigerant chamber. ing.
That is, the outer peripheral surface and the bottom surface of the first storage portion 2a are cooled in comparison with the other portions of the housing 2 because the portion near the refrigerant inlet 3 is cooled by the low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant that is the suction refrigerant. .

As shown in FIG. 1, a compressor base 4 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 2 along the longitudinal direction of the first storage portion 2 a. On the compressor base 4, electric components and electronic A protective case 11 is provided as a first housing that houses the control equipment of the inverter control device 10 composed of electrical components such as components and forms an inverter chamber.
Here, the compressor base 4 and the protective case 11 are made of a light material having a high thermal conductivity such as aluminum or an aluminum base alloy. Further, the inverter control device 10 includes a control device including a substrate 12 such as a CPU and an electrical component such as a power element 13 housed in a protective case 11, and a first storage portion having a bottomed cylindrical shape. And a capacitor 14 provided in close contact with the bottom surface of 2a. In this case, for example, the power element 13 having a large calorific value may be arranged at a position near the refrigerant intake 3 of the first storage portion 2a so as to perform efficient cooling with the sucked refrigerant. Further, the condenser 14 that is desirably cooled can be cooled by the sucked refrigerant because it is disposed in close contact with the bottom surface of the first storage portion 2a.
Of course, the electrical components of the inverter control unit 10 are insulated from the protective case 11 and the compressor base 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, a capacitor main body 17 such as a smoothing capacitor is housed and installed in a capacitor 14 via a resin layer 16 inside a capacitor case 15 formed of an electromagnetic noise shielding material as a second housing. Yes. The capacitor 14 includes a pair of copper bars 18 protruding from the capacitor body 17 as connection terminals.
The capacitor case 15 is formed of an electromagnetic noise shielding material having a function of shielding electromagnetic noise (EMI), such as aluminum, an aluminum-based alloy, an iron-based material, and an iron powder-containing resin. The capacitor case 15 is a container having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose one surface to be brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the first storage portion 2a. Accordingly, the capacitor main body 17 housed and installed therein is brought into contact with the low temperature portion of the housing 2. Can be cooled directly.

  Further, between the capacitor 14 and the substrate 12, the copper bar 18 inserted into the protective case 11 is fixed to the terminal 12a of the substrate 12 with screws or the like, so that the capacitor body 17 is brought into contact with the low temperature portion of the housing 2. It is electrically connected in the state. By bringing the capacitor case 15 into close contact with the bottom surface portion of the first storage portion 2a in this way, the internal capacitor body 17 is not only shielded from electromagnetic noise, but can also have a waterproof effect.

Further, the copper bar 18 is provided with a bent portion 19 at a straight portion in the terminal insertion direction. As shown in FIG. 1B, the bent forming portion 19 is provided with two bent portions 19a and 19b by bending a terminal shape extending linearly in the insertion direction. As a result, the straight copper bar 18 is substantially parallel with a step in the vertical direction between the base portion 19c and the tip portion 19d, and the tip portion 19d is a straight portion directed in the terminal insertion direction.
Since the copper bar 18 provided with such a bent portion 19 is easily elastically deformed in the vertical direction where the step is formed, when connecting the capacitor 14 to the substrate 12, the dimensional tolerance of the component or Corresponding to the assembly tolerance, the tip 19d can be fixed to the terminal 12a in a state where the copper bar 18 is appropriately elastically deformed.

  As described above, when the protective case 11 that houses the control devices and the capacitor 14 are separated, the electric compressor 1 does not require the capacitor 14 that is integrally connected to the inverter control device 10. The capacitor 14 that requires a relatively large installation space can be easily removed and downsized. The case where the capacitor 14 is not required is, for example, a case where the capacitor capacity need not be held on the electric compressor 1 side. Specifically, the capacitor capacity required on the device side supplying power to the inverter control device 10. This is the case. In addition, the capacitor 14 that can be easily removed means that it can be easily replaced by selecting an optimum capacitor capacity for the system, so that it can be easily customized according to the application and various conditions. It is possible to easily cope with various installation forms.

By the way, about the bending formation part 19 of the copper bar 18 mentioned above, the modification as demonstrated below other than the embodiment mentioned above is attained.
The bending portion 20 of the first modification shown in FIG. 4 is obtained by bending two bent portions 20a and 20b at a substantially right angle, and the straight copper bar 18A has a base portion 20c and a tip portion 20d. The tip portion 20d is a straight portion directed in the terminal insertion direction. Further, the bent portion 21 of the second modified example shown in FIG. 5 is obtained by bending two bent portions 21a and 21b into a substantially U shape, and the straight copper bar 18B includes a base portion 21c and a bent portion 21b. The front end 21d is substantially parallel with a step in the vertical direction, and the front end 21d is a straight portion directed in the terminal insertion direction.
Since the copper bars 18A and 18B provided with the bent portions 20 and 21 of the first and second modified examples are easily elastically deformed in the vertical direction where the step is formed, the capacitor 14 is When connecting to the substrate 12, the tip portions 20d and 21d can be fixed to the terminals 12a in a state where the copper bars 18A and 18B are appropriately elastically deformed in accordance with the dimensional tolerance and assembly tolerance of the parts.

  As described above, in the electric compressor 1 of the present invention, the inverter control device 10 is configured such that the control devices in the protective case 11 and the capacitor 14 are separated. The control devices are housed and installed in a protective case 11 that is in close contact with the low-pressure refrigerant chamber of the housing 2 and receives cooling of the suction refrigerant, and the capacitor 14 is made of an electromagnetic noise shielding material that is in close contact with the low-pressure refrigerant chamber of the housing 2. The capacitor case 15 is housed and installed to take measures against cooling and electromagnetic noise. For this reason, even if the electric compressor 1 is installed in an engine room that is easily affected by radiant heat or the like, the temperature at which the operation of the control equipment and the capacitor 14 composed of various electric and electronic parts is guaranteed by cooling. Since the environment can be maintained and a failure due to electromagnetic noise can be prevented, the reliability and durability of the capacitor 14 and the inverter control device 10 including the capacitor 14 can be improved.

In addition, since the control devices and the capacitor 14 are separate structures that are housed and installed in different housings such as the protective case 11 and the capacitor case 15, the compressor and the inverter control device 10 are shared, and as necessary. Various installation forms such as a configuration in which capacitors having different capacitor capacities are combined, or a configuration in which the capacitor 14 is removed and the electric compressor 1 is miniaturized can be easily handled.
In the separate capacitor 14, the copper bar 18 serving as the connection terminal of the capacitor 14 has a bending portion 19 at the straight portion in the terminal insertion direction, so that the bending portion 19 is easily elastically deformed. By doing so, the dimensional error at the time of capacitor | condenser attachment can be absorbed and it can attach and assemble easily.
In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can change suitably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the structural example of the vehicle electric compressor which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a fragmentary sectional side view which shows the internal structural example of an inverter control part, (b) is an enlarged connection terminal part of a capacitor | condenser. FIG. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which looked at the inside of the inverter control part shown to Fig.1 (a) from the bottom face direction of the housing. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of an electric compressor for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the principal part which shows the 1st modification of the connection terminal part of a capacitor | condenser. It is a side view of the principal part which shows the 2nd modification of the connection terminal part of a capacitor | condenser.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric compressor for vehicles 2 Housing 2a 1st accommodating part 2b 2nd accommodating part 3 Refrigerant intake 4 Compressor base 10 Inverter control apparatus 11 Protective case (1st housing | casing)
12 Board (electric parts)
13 Power elements (electrical parts)
14 Capacitor 15 Capacitor case (second housing)
16 Resin layer 17 Capacitor body 18, 18A, 18B Copper bar (connection terminal)
19, 20, 21 Folding part

Claims (2)

In the vehicle electric compressor for driving the compression mechanism by the electric motor and compressing the refrigerant of the vehicle air conditioner,
A control device for controlling the electric motor includes a control device housed and installed in a first housing in close contact with a low-pressure refrigerant chamber of a housing housing the compression mechanism, and a second housing formed of an electromagnetic noise shielding material. A capacitor body is housed in the body and is provided with a separate capacitor that can be removed from the control devices,
The capacitor and the control device are electrically connected by inserting a connection terminal protruding from the capacitor body into the first housing and fixing the connection terminal to the substrate of the control device, The connection terminal is bent so that the terminal shape extending linearly in the direction of insertion into the housing has a step in the vertical direction, and the connection terminal base and the tip after bending are substantially parallel, and the capacitor An electric compressor for a vehicle , wherein the main body is electrically connected in a state of being in contact with the low temperature portion of the housing .   The vehicular electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal has at least two bent forming portions.

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