WO2024257163A1 - Terminal block, vehicle drive device using same, and electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a highly reliable terminal block having improved resistance to vibration, a vehicle drive device using same, and an electric vehicle. This terminal block (100) comprises: bus bars (101a) extending in a first direction and each having a first fitting section (108) at an end part thereof; and holders (102) each having a holding part (102a) for holding the bus bars (101a) and each having a second fitting section (113) at an outer peripheral end part of the holding part (102a). First fitting sections (108) and the second fitting sections (113) are respectively disposed at different positions in the first direction.

Description

Terminal block, vehicle drive device using same, and electric vehicle

This application relates to a terminal block and a vehicle drive device and an electric vehicle that use the terminal block.

Conventionally, terminal blocks connected to rotating electric machines for drive devices of electric vehicles are susceptible to the effects of road conditions or vibrations from the engine, and therefore are required to have a vibration-resistant structure. In addition, terminal blocks are required to be able to absorb variations in the assembly positions or dimensions of the parts to be connected.
In addition, since a vehicle drive device often uses a combination of a pair of rotating electric machines, one of which operates mainly as a drive motor and the other mainly as a generator, the vehicle drive device is required to arrange the above-mentioned terminal block in a manner that achieves both space efficiency and vibration resistance within the vehicle drive device. Furthermore, as a result of the above-mentioned requirements, electric vehicles such as electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles equipped with a vehicle drive device having a terminal block are required to have improved reliability.

　In the past, to solve one of the problems mentioned above, a structure has been proposed that provides a clearance in each direction to hold the terminal block and absorb variations in the assembly position or dimensions of the parts to be connected (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2021-235198

However, in the conventional terminal block disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1, clearances are provided in each direction between the bus bar and the holder, which causes a problem in that it is not possible to prevent the bus bar from breaking due to the stress amplitude caused by vibration, especially for long bus bars.
In addition, the conventional terminal block disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is designed to be used mainly as a terminal block for an in-vehicle battery pack, and is not designed to be used as a terminal block for a drive device of an electric vehicle such as a hybrid electric vehicle, although the in-vehicle use requires resistance to vibration. In the conventional terminal block disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, no proposal is made regarding a terminal block structure that can withstand relatively large vibrations in the vehicle drive device. Therefore, there is a problem that resistance to vibrations cannot be improved, particularly in the vehicle drive device. In addition, as a result of the above-mentioned problems, there is a problem that reliability cannot be improved in the electric vehicle.
Furthermore, terminal blocks not only connected to rotating electric machines, but also terminal blocks provided in power supply parts of electrical equipment are expected to be affected by vibrations generated by the equipment body or transmitted from the outside, and there is a demand for terminal blocks that can withstand relatively large vibrations, similar to the problem described above.

This application discloses technology to solve the problems described above, and aims to provide a highly reliable terminal block with improved vibration resistance, as well as a vehicle drive unit and an electric vehicle that use the same.

The terminal block disclosed in the present application comprises a bus bar extending in a first direction and having a first fitting portion at an end thereof, and a holder having a holding portion for holding the bus bar and a second fitting portion at an outer peripheral end portion of the holding portion, wherein the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are each positioned at different positions in the first direction.
In addition, the vehicle driving device disclosed in the present application comprises the above-mentioned terminal block, a rotating electric machine connected to the terminal block, and a housing that houses the terminal block and the rotating electric machine therein, and the housing is formed by a first housing member to which the terminal block and the rotating electric machine are commonly attached, and a second housing member that houses the rotating electric machine and the terminal block together with the first housing member.
In addition, the vehicle driving device disclosed in the present application comprises the above-mentioned terminal block and a rotating electric machine connected to the terminal block, and the rotating electric machine includes a first rotating electric machine that operates as a drive motor and a second rotating electric machine that operates as a generator, and the terminal block is provided with a plurality of bus bars connected to the first rotating electric machine and a plurality of other bus bars connected to the second rotating electric machine, and the terminal block is shared by the first rotating electric machine and the second rotating electric machine.
Further, the electric vehicle disclosed in the present application is an electric vehicle having the above-mentioned vehicle drive device, wherein the first direction is a left-right direction of the electric vehicle, and the rotating electric machine is arranged on the side of the internal combustion engine facing the first direction.

The terminal block disclosed in this application and the vehicle drive device and electric vehicle using the same can provide a highly reliable terminal block with improved resistance to vibration, as well as a vehicle drive device and electric vehicle using the same.

1 is a perspective view showing a terminal block according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the terminal block according to the first embodiment; 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams for explaining a method of assembling the terminal block according to the first embodiment. 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams for explaining a method of assembling the terminal block according to the first embodiment. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a combination of a holder and a bus bar of the terminal block according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a combination of a holder and a bus bar of the terminal block according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing modified examples of the terminal block according to the first embodiment; 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle drive device to which a terminal block according to a first embodiment is attached; 1 is a perspective view showing an electric vehicle equipped with a vehicle drive device having a terminal block according to a first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a terminal block holder according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a terminal block according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a terminal block according to a third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a terminal block according to a third embodiment.

Hereinafter, a terminal block according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this application, the term "orthogonal" includes cases where the two are orthogonal, and also includes cases where the intersecting angle is about 85° to 95° and can be considered to be substantially orthogonal. In addition, in each drawing, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent objects.

Embodiment 1.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a terminal block according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the terminal block according to embodiment 1 as viewed from the vehicle vertical direction (Z direction), and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of line A-A in Fig. 2.
As shown in FIG. 1 , terminal block 100 of the first embodiment is used in an electric vehicle such as an electric automobile or a hybrid electric automobile, and includes bus bar 101 that electrically connects multiple devices mounted in the left-right direction (X direction) of the vehicle, holder 102 that holds bus bar 101 and is formed from an insulating material, bracket portion 103 for assembling holder 102 to a first housing member 114a described later, and nut 104 for connecting the device to bus bar 101.

As shown in FIG. 1, the holder 102 is provided with bus bars 101a and 101b as bus bars 101 of different shapes, and it is assumed that the above-mentioned devices are driven by three-phase AC. The bus bars 101a and 101b are arranged so that three systems of bus bars 101 having roughly the same shape corresponding to the three phases are adjacent to each other in parallel. As will be described in detail separately, a pair of rotating electric machines of different shapes is commonly connected to the terminal block 100, and one and the other of the pair of rotating electric machines of different shapes are connected to the bus bar 101a and the bus bar 101b, respectively.

In the following, the configuration of bus bar 101a to which one of the characteristic configurations of terminal block 100 of the first embodiment is applied and the manner in which it is fixed to holder 102 will be described in detail.
In the terminal block 100 according to the first embodiment, the holder 102 has a plurality of slot-shaped holding portions 102a for holding the respective bus bars 101a, and the respective bus bars 101a are arranged in the holding portions 102a so as to be parallel to each other in the vehicle front-rear direction (Y direction). Each holding portion 102a has a holder fitting portion 113 for fitting with the bus bar 101a, a protrusion 105 for holding the bus bar 101a, and a nut groove 106 for storing a nut 104. In the holder 102 of the terminal block 100 according to the first embodiment, the protrusion 105 also serves as the function of the holder fitting portion 113, and the holder fitting portion 113 and the protrusion 105 are the same component part.

As shown in FIG. 1, the protrusions 105, which are the holder fitting portions 113 of the holders 102, are provided on each of the holders 102 in the vehicle front-rear direction (Y direction). Specifically, the protrusions 105 are provided on both ends of the holding portion 102a in the vehicle front-rear direction (Y direction). Furthermore, these protrusions 105 provided on both ends are arranged at different positions in the vehicle left-right direction (X direction) with their positions shifted. As will be described later, when assembling the bus bar 101a to the holding portion 102a, if the protrusions 105 are in the same position on both ends of the holding portion 102a in the vehicle front-rear direction (Y direction), it is necessary to arrange the notches, which are the bus bar fitting portions 108 of the bus bar 101a, in the same position for assembly. If the bus bar fitting portions 108 of the bus bar 101a were arranged in the same position, the intervals between the notches of the bus bar 101a would be narrowed, which would reduce the strength of the bus bar 101a and could cause the current density of the bus bar 101a to become too high. For this reason, the protrusions 105 are arranged in different positions by shifting their positions in the left-right direction (X direction) of the vehicle.
In addition, when the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction of the vehicle (X direction) and intersecting the fore-aft direction of the vehicle (Y direction) is defined as the vertical direction of the vehicle (Z direction), the protrusion 105 is positioned so as to regulate the position of the bus bar 101a with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle (Z direction).

In the terminal block 100 according to the first embodiment, the bus bar 101a includes terminal holes 107 for fastening the bus bar 101a to an apparatus mounted on the vehicle with a bolt, and bus bar fitting portions 108 provided in the vehicle front-rear direction (Y direction), one on each side, so as to engage with the holder fitting portion 113 of the holder 102. Specifically, the bus bar fitting portions 108 are formed by providing, for example, recessed notches at both ends of the bus bar 101a in the vehicle front-rear direction (Y direction). Moreover, these bus bar fitting portions 108 provided at both ends are disposed at different positions in the vehicle left-right direction (X direction), with their positions shifted from one another.
In this way, by arranging the cutout portions, which are busbar fitting portions 108 of busbar 101a, at different positions in the left-right direction of the vehicle (X direction), it is possible to prevent the gap between busbar fitting portion 108 of busbar 101a and the busbar fitting portion 108 provided on the opposite side in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle (Y direction) from narrowing (the narrow portion can be eliminated), and it is possible to minimize an increase in the current density of busbar 101a when power is supplied to the equipment.

The number of protrusions 105 and holder fitting portions 113 provided on holding portion 102a of holder 102, and the number of bus bar fitting portions 108 of bus bar 101a can be set arbitrarily in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction (Y direction) or the vehicle left-right direction (X direction).
The shape of the nut 104 is not limited to a square. In addition, there may be a gap between the nut 104 and the nut groove 106 that stores the nut 104. Furthermore, the nut 104 may be directly attached to the bus bar 101a by crimping or the like.

4 and 5 are schematic diagrams for explaining the method of assembling the terminal block according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the method of forming the terminal block 100 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. First, after inserting the nut 104 into the nut groove 106 of the holder 102, as shown in FIG. 4, the bus bar fitting portion 108 of the bus bar 101a is aligned with the position of the holder fitting portion 113 of the holder 102, and the bus bar 101a is brought into contact with the holder 102 from the vertical direction of the vehicle (Z direction). Here, in the state shown in FIG. 4, the holder fitting portion 113 and the bus bar fitting portion 108 are at the same height in the vertical direction of the vehicle (Z direction), and the bus bar 101a and the holder 102 are in a fitted state from this stage. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the bus bar 101a is slid in the horizontal direction of the vehicle (X direction). As described above, the terminal block 100 is formed by assembling the bus bar 101a and the nut 104 to the holder 102.

6 and 7 are schematic diagrams showing examples of combinations of the holder and busbar of the terminal block according to embodiment 1. In the terminal block 100 according to embodiment 1, the holder fitting portion 113 of the holder 102 and the busbar fitting portion 108 of the busbar 101a are rectangular in shape, but as shown in FIG. 6, the holder fitting portion 113 may be semicircular in shape. The holder fitting portion 113 may also be any shape, such as triangular. Also, as long as they can be assembled, it is not necessary to match the shapes of the holder fitting portion 113 and the busbar fitting portion 108. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the holder fitting portion 113 may be semicircular and the busbar fitting portion 108 may be rectangular, such as a trapezoid.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the terminal block according to the first embodiment. In the terminal block 100 according to the first embodiment, the projection 105 of the holder 102 and the holder fitting portion 113 have the same function, but the functions may be separated. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, a projection portion that serves as the bus bar fitting portion 112 may be provided on the bus bar 101a, and the holder fitting portion 113 of the holder 102 may be aligned as a holder groove in the direction of the arrow as shown in Fig. 8, and the holder may be slid further in the direction of the arrow, in the left-right direction of the vehicle (X direction), for assembly.
With this structure, the bus bar 101a can be moved in the left-right direction (X direction) of the vehicle, and the gap with the connecting parts can be filled when the bolt is fastened. This makes it possible to restrict the movement of the bus bar 101a in the vertical direction (Z direction) of the vehicle by the protrusion 105 while suppressing the bending stress of the bus bar 101a when the bolt is fastened, and to reduce the stress amplitude due to vibration caused by road conditions such as riding over a step or unevenness of the road. This results in a structurally strong and highly reliable product.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a vehicle drive device to which the terminal block according to embodiment 1 is attached. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an electric vehicle equipped with a vehicle drive device having the terminal block according to embodiment 1. Note that in FIG. 10, the second housing member 114b is omitted. Below, the terminal block 100 according to embodiment 1, the mounting form of the pair of rotating electric machines 115 and 116, and their positional relationship when mounted on the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 9, in a vehicle drive device 130 equipped with the terminal block 100 according to the first embodiment, the terminal block 100 and the rotating electric machine 115 and the rotating electric machine 116 to which the terminal block 100 is connected are commonly fixed to a first housing member 114a constituting the housing 114 of the vehicle drive device 130. The terminal block 100 is also shared by the rotating electric machine 115 and the rotating electric machine 116. As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of rotating electric machines are provided, and the terminal block 100 is electrically connected to the connection plate of each rotating electric machine. Of the pair of rotating electric machines, one rotating electric machine 115 is a rotating electric machine that mainly operates as a drive motor, and the other rotating electric machine 116 is a rotating electric machine that mainly operates as a generator, and are provided in combination in the vehicle drive device 130.

As mentioned above, the rotating electric machine 115 mainly operates as a drive motor, and the rotating electric machine 116 mainly operates as a generator, but it is possible to switch the operating mode and exchange the roles of each other. The housing 114 of the vehicle drive device 130 also has a second housing member 114b, and is composed of a first housing member 114a and a second housing member 114b. The rotating electric machine 115, the rotating electric machine 116, and the terminal block 100 are housed inside the housing 114.

In addition, the terminal block 100 is provided with a total of six bus bars 101, including three bus bars 101a each connected to a three-phase connection plate 117 of the rotating electric machine 115 and three bus bars 101b each connected to a three-phase connection plate 118 of the rotating electric machine 116, and is assembled to a common holder 102. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, the terminal holes 107 provided in the bus bars 101a and 101b are arranged on the same side. Furthermore, the mounting surfaces of the terminal holes of the bus bars corresponding to the power supply of each rotating electric machine are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the axial direction of each rotating electric machine, preventing interference with each other when attaching the power supply lines to each rotating electric machine (or the power supply lines from the rotating electric machine to an external device during power generation operation), and providing an arrangement that is easy to install.

10, in an electric vehicle 140 equipped with a vehicle drive device 130 having the terminal block 100 according to the first embodiment, the X direction corresponds to the left-right direction of the vehicle, the Y direction corresponds to the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the Z direction corresponds to the up-down direction of the vehicle. The X direction corresponds to the axial direction of the rotating electric machines 115 and 116.
10 , a power feeder 119 connected to the rotating electric machine 115 and a power feeder 120 connected to the rotating electric machine 116 are connected to the terminal block 100 as independent three-phase power feeders. Specifically, a bus bar 101a and a terminal hole 107 for connection to the rotating electric machine 115, which are mounted on a common holder 102, and a bus bar 101b and a terminal hole 107 for connection to the rotating electric machine 116 are connected to three-phase power feeders 119 and 120 of different systems, respectively.
As shown in Fig. 10, the internal combustion engine 121 is disposed near the rotating electric machine 116 operating as a generator in the axial direction and in the left-right direction (X direction) of the vehicle. The internal combustion engine 121 is disposed, for example, on the rear side of the first housing member 114a. The transmission 122 is disposed near the rotating electric machine 115 operating as a drive motor in the axial direction and in the left-right direction (X direction) of the vehicle. In Fig. 10, the transmission 122 is disposed, for example, on the rear side of the first housing member 114a, but it is also possible to dispose it on the side of the second housing member 114b, which is not shown in Fig. 10.

As described above, in the vehicle drive device 130 equipped with the terminal block 100 according to embodiment 1, a common terminal block 100 is provided for a pair of rotating electric machines consisting of a rotating electric machine 115 that mainly operates as a drive motor and a rotating electric machine 116 that mainly operates as a generator, and a total of six bus bars, each of which is connected to each rotating electric machine and has two sets of three-phase bus bars 101, are assembled to a holder 102 made of a single common member. This results in an arrangement that improves space efficiency within the vehicle drive device 130. As a result, it is possible to make the housing 114 that houses the pair of rotating electric machines and the terminal block 100 compact, and a vehicle drive device 130 with a smaller overall size can be obtained in terms of the ratio of power performance as the vehicle drive device 130. In addition, the terminal blocks that would normally need to be installed on each of a pair of rotating electric machines are shared, and the six bus bars, each with two sets of three-phase bus bars 101, are assembled to a holder 102 made from a single common member, reducing the number of parts and making assembly work more efficient.

Furthermore, by making the housing 114 compact, the amount of housing material used or the reduction in the number of heavy housing materials leads to a reduction in the weight of the vehicle drive device 130, contributing to improved fuel efficiency of the vehicle and also making it possible to simplify the members for mounting the vehicle drive device 130 to the electric vehicle 140. As a result, it is possible to obtain a structure that contributes to a significant reduction in cost without affecting performance or contributing to improved fuel efficiency.
Furthermore, since the shared terminal block 100 is fixed to the first housing member 114a that is common to the pair of rotating electric machines, and one terminal is positioned in the vicinity of both of the pair of rotating electric machines, in particular at a position approximately the same distance from both of them, it is expected that the vibrations caused by the rotational operation of each rotating electric machine will interfere with each other and be attenuated. This works in conjunction with the effect of increasing the resistance to vibration due to the positional relationship of the terminal block 100 with respect to the direction of the vehicle, and more significantly improves the resistance to vibration, and as a result, it is possible to improve the reliability of the terminal block 100 alone or the vehicle drive device 130 as a whole.

In the above-described example of the terminal block 100, the positional relationship with the left-right, front-rear, and up-down directions of the vehicle when mounted on the vehicle is illustrated as a preferred example. However, even in the structure of the terminal block 100 alone, the terminal block 100 can shift the bus bar 101 in the first direction corresponding to the left-right direction of the vehicle, the second direction corresponding to the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the third direction corresponding to the up-down direction of the vehicle, as described in the first embodiment. Therefore, by filling the gap with the connecting part when the bolt is fastened, it is possible to suppress bending stress when the bolt is fastened while restricting movement in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the stress amplitude due to vibration mainly in the second direction can be reduced, as envisaged in this application.

In the above-described example of the terminal block 100, the bus bars 101 are assembled to a common holder 102 and connected to the rotating electric machine 115 and the rotating electric machine 116, respectively. The bus bar 101a connected to the rotating electric machine 115 is provided with a holder fitting portion 113 on the holder 102 using the bus bar 101a made of a crank-shaped conductor plate, which is a characteristic configuration of the terminal block 100 of the first embodiment, and the bus bar fitting portion 108 is engaged with the holder fitting portion 113 and is provided at a position shifted in the first direction. However, conversely, a similar configuration may be applied only to the bus bar 101b connected to the rotating electric machine 116, and of course, a similar configuration may be applied to both the bus bars 101a and 101b, including the bus bar 101b connected to the rotating electric machine 116.

Furthermore, as described in the first embodiment, a common terminal block 100 is provided for a pair of rotating electric machines consisting of a rotating electric machine 115 that mainly operates as a drive motor and a rotating electric machine 116 that mainly operates as a generator, and the bus bars 101 for a total of six systems, each of which is provided with two sets of three-phase bus bars 101, are attached to a holder 102 made of a common member, and the effects of the vehicle drive device 130 according to the first embodiment, which are obtained by adopting a configuration of the common terminal block 100 for the pair of rotating electric machines and the first housing member 114a, can be obtained in the same way even if the above-mentioned characteristic configuration is not used for both bus bars 101 connected to the rotating electric machine 115 and the rotating electric machine 116 in the terminal block 100.

As described above, terminal block 100 according to the first embodiment includes bus bar 101a extending in a first direction and having bus bar fitting portion 108 as a first fitting portion at an end thereof, and holder 102 having holding portion 102a for holding bus bar 101a and having holder fitting portion 113 as a second fitting portion at an outer peripheral end portion of holding portion 102a, where the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are disposed at different positions in the first direction. Also, the first fitting portion is a notch portion, and the second fitting portion is protrusion 105.
In addition, the bus bars 101a are provided in parallel in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and when a direction perpendicular to the first and second directions is defined as a third direction, the protrusions 105 regulate the position of the bus bars 101a with respect to the third direction. Furthermore, in the terminal block 100 mounted on a vehicle, the first direction is the left-right direction of the vehicle, the second direction is the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the third direction is the up-down direction of the vehicle.
In addition, the first fitting portions are provided at both ends of the bus bar 101a in the second direction and are arranged at different positions in the first direction, and the second fitting portions are provided at both ends of the retaining portion 102a in the second direction and are arranged at different positions in the first direction.

Furthermore, according to the vehicle driving device 130 equipped with the terminal block 100 according to embodiment 1, the device includes the terminal block 100, a rotating electric machine connected to the terminal block 100, and a housing 114 that houses the terminal block 100 and the rotating electric machine therein, and the housing is formed by a first housing member 114a to which the terminal block 100 and the rotating electric machine are commonly attached, and a second housing member 114b that houses the rotating electric machine and the terminal block 100 together with the first housing member 114a.
Furthermore, according to a vehicle driving device 130 equipped with the terminal block 100 according to embodiment 1, the device is equipped with the terminal block 100 and a rotating electric machine connected to the terminal block 100, and the rotating electric machine includes a first rotating electric machine 115 that operates as a driving motor and a second rotating electric machine 116 that operates as a generator, and the terminal block 100 is provided with a plurality of bus bars 101a connected to the first rotating electric machine 115 and a plurality of other bus bars 101b connected to the second rotating electric machine, and the terminal block 100 is shared by the first rotating electric machine 115 and the second rotating electric machine 116.
Furthermore, according to an electric vehicle 140 equipped with a vehicle drive device 130 having a terminal block according to embodiment 1, the first direction is the left-right direction of the electric vehicle 140, and the rotating electric machine is arranged on the side of the internal combustion engine 121 facing the first direction.

Therefore, according to the terminal block 100 of the first embodiment, the vehicle drive device 130 to which the terminal block 100 is attached, and the electric vehicle 140 equipped with the vehicle drive device 130 having the terminal block, it is possible to obtain one or more of the following effects: improving the vibration resistance required for the terminal block provided in the power supply section of the electric device, particularly improving the vibration resistance required for the terminal block 100 connected to the rotating electric machine for the vehicle drive device 130 of the electric vehicle 140; arranging the terminal block 100 in the vehicle drive device 130 to improve space efficiency; suppressing the stress generated in the terminal block 100, particularly restricting the movement of the bus bar 101 in the vertical direction of the vehicle; and reducing the stress amplitude due to vibration. As a result, according to the terminal block 100 of the first embodiment, the vehicle drive device 130 to which the terminal block 100 is attached, and the electric vehicle 140 equipped with the vehicle drive device 130 having the terminal block, it is possible to improve reliability.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a holder of a terminal block according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the terminal block according to the second embodiment.
11 and 12, the same reference numerals as those used to explain the terminal block 100 in the first embodiment indicate the same or corresponding configurations, and the description thereof will be omitted. Note that the terminal block 100 in the second embodiment has the same overall configuration of the vehicle drive device 130 and the same connection to the devices mounted on the electric vehicle 140 as those in the first embodiment.

The terminal block 100 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the holding portion 102a of the holder 102 has a protrusion 109 on a surface that faces the protrusion 105 across the bus bar 101a. Here, the surface that faces the protrusion 105 across the bus bar 101a is the surface of the holding portion 102a on which the bus bar 101a is placed. The protrusions 109 are provided at one location on each side of the left-right direction of the vehicle (X direction). This configuration makes it possible to further regulate the position of the bus bar 101a in the vertical direction of the vehicle (Z direction).

In the second embodiment, the shape of the protrusion 109 is rectangular, but it may be hemispherical or any other shape. By designing the bus bar 101a to have no gap in the vertical direction (Z direction) of the vehicle between the protrusion 105 and the protrusion 109, the bus bar 101a is sandwiched between the protrusion 105 and the protrusion 109 and is held in place by the frictional force between the bus bar 101a and the protrusion 105 and the protrusion 109. As a result, even if an impact load is applied to the terminal block 100 during transportation, the bus bar 101a can be held in place without falling off the holder 102.

As described above, in terminal block 100 according to embodiment 2, holding portion 102a is provided with another protrusion, protrusion 109, on a surface opposing protrusion 105 across bus bar 101a, and another protrusion, protrusion 109, is provided at both ends of holding portion 102a in the extension direction of bus bar 101a, which is the first direction, and in the left-right direction of the vehicle (X direction).
Furthermore, according to terminal block 100 of embodiment 2, bus bar 101a is sandwiched between protrusion 105 and protrusion 109, which is another protrusion, and is held in place by the frictional force between protrusion 105 and protrusion 109, which is another protrusion.

Therefore, according to the terminal block 100 of the second embodiment, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, the holding force of the holder 102 against the bus bar 101a is increased, thereby further improving reliability.

Embodiment 3.
Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a terminal block according to the third embodiment, and Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the terminal block according to the third embodiment. In Fig. 13 and Fig. 14, the same reference numerals as those used to explain the terminal block 100 in the first and second embodiments indicate the same or corresponding configurations, and the description thereof will be omitted. Note that the terminal block 100 in the third embodiment has the same overall configuration of the vehicle drive device 130 and the same connection to the devices mounted on the electric vehicle 140 as in the first embodiment.

In the terminal block 100 according to the third embodiment, the holding portion 102a of the holder 102 has a protrusion 110 on a surface facing the protrusion 105 across the bus bar 101a, and the bus bar 101a has a recess 111 at a position that engages with the protrusion 110 when the bus bar 101a is assembled to the holder 102. Here, the surface facing the protrusion 105 across the bus bar 101a is the surface on which the bus bar 101a is placed in the holding portion 102a. The protrusion 110 and the recess 111 are provided at one each end in the left-right direction (X direction) of the vehicle. With this configuration, the bus bar 101a can be held without falling off the holder 102 while restricting the position of the bus bar 101a not only in the vertical direction (Z direction) of the vehicle but also in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the vehicle.

As described above, the terminal block 100 according to the first to third embodiments, the vehicle drive device 130 to which the terminal block 100 is attached, and the electric vehicle 140 equipped with the vehicle drive device 130 having the terminal block 100 can provide the effects of the first to third embodiments, particularly in hybrid electric vehicles that are subject to vibrations from the engine in addition to vibrations from the road surface.

Although the present application describes various exemplary embodiments and examples, the various features, aspects, and functions described in one or more embodiments are not limited to application to a particular embodiment, but may be applied to the embodiments alone or in various combinations.
Therefore, countless modifications not exemplified are assumed within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present specification, including, for example, modifying, adding, or omitting at least one component, and further, extracting at least one component and combining it with a component of another embodiment.

100 terminal block, 101, 101a, 101b bus bar, 102 holder, 102a holding portion, 103 bracket portion, 104 nut, 105 protrusion, 106 nut groove, 107 terminal hole, 108 bus bar fitting portion, 109 protrusion, 110 protrusion, 111 recess, 112 bus bar fitting portion, 113 holder fitting portion, 114 housing, 114a first housing member, 114b second housing member, 115 rotating electric machine, 116 rotating electric machine, 117 connection plate, 118 connection plate, 119 power supply line, 120 power supply line, 121 internal combustion engine, 122 transmission, 130 vehicle drive device, 140 electric vehicle

Claims (12)

a bus bar extending in a first direction and having a first fitting portion at an end thereof;
a holder having a holding portion that holds the bus bar and a second fitting portion at an outer circumferential end of the holding portion,
The terminal block, wherein the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are disposed at different positions in the first direction. The terminal block according to claim 1, characterized in that the first mating portion is a notch and the second mating portion is a protrusion. The bus bars are provided in a plurality of parallel arrangements in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,
3. The terminal block according to claim 2, wherein when a direction perpendicular to the first and second directions is defined as a third direction, the protrusion regulates a position of the bus bar with respect to the third direction. A terminal block mounted on a vehicle,
the first direction is a left-right direction of the vehicle,
the second direction is a front-to-rear direction of the vehicle,
4. The terminal block according to claim 3, wherein the third direction is a vertical direction of the vehicle. the first fitting portions are provided at the ends of the bus bar on both sides in the second direction and are disposed at different positions in the first direction,
5. The terminal block according to claim 3, wherein the second fitting portions are provided at both ends of the holding portion in the second direction and are disposed at different positions in the first direction. the holding portion is provided with another protrusion on a surface facing the protrusion with the bus bar in between,
6. The terminal block according to claim 2, wherein the other projections are provided on both ends of the holding portion in the first direction. The terminal block according to claim 6, characterized in that the bus bar is sandwiched between the protrusion and the other protrusion and is held in place by the frictional force between the protrusion and the other protrusion. The terminal block according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the bus bar has a recess at a position corresponding to the other protrusion, and the other protrusion is disposed in the recess. The terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
a rotating electric machine connected to the terminal block;
a housing that houses the terminal block and the rotating electric machine therein,
A vehicle drive device characterized in that the housing is formed by a first housing member to which the terminal block and the rotating electric machine are commonly attached, and a second housing member that accommodates the rotating electric machine and the terminal block together with the first housing member. The terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
a rotating electric machine connected to the terminal block,
the rotating electric machine includes a first rotating electric machine operating as a drive motor and a second rotating electric machine operating as a generator,
the terminal block is provided with a plurality of bus bars connected to the first rotating electric machine and a plurality of other bus bars connected to the second rotating electric machine;
The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal block is shared by the first rotating electric machine and the second rotating electric machine. a housing that accommodates the terminal block, the first rotating electric machine, and the second rotating electric machine therein;
The vehicle drive device described in claim 10, characterized in that the housing is formed by a first housing member to which the terminal block, the first rotating electric machine and the second rotating electric machine are commonly attached, and a second housing member that accommodates the first rotating electric machine, the second rotating electric machine and the terminal block together with the first housing member. An electric vehicle having the vehicle drive device according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
the first direction is a left-right direction of the electric vehicle,
The electric vehicle, wherein the rotating electric machine is disposed on a side of an internal combustion engine facing the first direction.

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