Vehicle power module assemblies

• US 10,099,574 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2015
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lei, Guangyin, Chen, Chingchi, Zou, Ke, Degner, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Hung S
• Application Number:
  US14/687,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20160303995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 361825
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49524 the additional leads being a tape carrier or flat leads
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49537 Plurality of lead frames mounted in one device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49575 Assemblies of semiconductor devices on lead frames
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/952 Housing details

Abstract

A vehicle power stage assembly is disclosed which may include a power stage housing, a power stage supported by the housing, and a pair of stacked DC leadframes. The pair of stacked DC leadframes are of opposite polarity and spaced apart from one another. Each of the DC leadframes may extend from the power stage and each has distal and proximal ends. The spacing between the leadframes may be such that parasitic inductances associated with current flowing through each of the leadframes at least partially cancel one another. Each of the leadframes may define a first and second side surface opposite one another. The first side surfaces may be coplanar and the second side surfaces may be coplanar. A distance between the spaced apart pair of DC leadframes may be based on a preselected amount of current and a material of the DC leadframes.

Claims

1. A vehicle power stage assembly comprising:

a power stage housing including a first slot and a second slot;

a power stage supported by the housing; and

a pair of stacked DC leadframes of opposite polarity spaced apart from one another, each extending from the power stage through one of the first slot and the second slot, and each having distal and proximal ends,

wherein the spacing between the leadframes is such that parasitic inductances associated with current flowing through each of the leadframes at least partially cancel one another.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the leadframes further defines a connector tab configured to electrically connect to a capacitor module and wherein the leadframes are arranged such that the connector tabs extend in opposite directions from one another and outer surfaces of the tabs are substantially coplanar.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the leadframes are spaced apart a distance falling within a range of 0.25 millimeters to 1.0 millimeters.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the leadframes defines a first and second side surface opposite one another and wherein the first side surfaces are coplanar and the second side surfaces are coplanar.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the leadframes are oriented parallel to one another.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein a distance between the spaced apart pair of DC leadframes is based on a preselected amount of current and a material of the DC leadframes.

7. A vehicle power module assembly comprising:

a frame defining a stage cavity and a first slot open to the cavity; and

a power stage disposed within the cavity and having a pair of DC leadframes extending through the first slot, wherein the first slot is defined such that distal and proximal ends of one of the leadframes are equally spaced apart relative to corresponding distal and proximal ends of the other of the leadframes.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the frame further defines a second slot open to the cavity and wherein the power stage further has an AC leadframe extending through the second slot.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the frame further defines a signal pin slot open to the cavity, wherein the power stage further has at least one set of signal pins extending through the signal pin slot, and wherein the slots are arranged relative to one another such that the DC leadframes and pins each extend from a different side of the power stage.

10. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the DC leadframes are spaced apart a distance such that parasitic inductances associated with current flowing through each of the leadframes at least partially cancel one another.

11. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the DC leadframes are spaced apart a distance falling within a range of 0.1 millimeters to 20.0 millimeters.

12. The assembly of claim 7, further comprising a capacitor module having a pair of DC leadframe receiving connectors and arranged with the frame such that the connectors are spaced apart from one another at a distance equal to the spacing between the DC leadframes.

13. A vehicle power module assembly comprising:

a frame defining a cavity and first and second DC slots spaced apart from one another; and

a power stage disposed within the cavity and having a pair of DC leadframes of opposite polarity, one of the DC leadframes extending through one of the slots and the other of the DC leadframes extending through the other of the slots,

wherein the stage and slots are arranged with one another to position proximal and distal ends of one of the DC leadframes at equal spacings from proximal and distal ends of the other of the DC leadframes.

14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein each of the DC leadframes further has a tab extending from the distal end and away from other of the tabs, and wherein outer surfaces defined by each of the tabs are coplanar.

15. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the DC leadframes are spaced to reduce stray inductances associated with the DC leadframes.

16. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the frame further defines an AC slot arranged with the power stage such that the AC slot is on a side of the frame which does not include the DC slots.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the frame further defines a pair of signal pin slots arranged with the power stage such that the signal pin slots are on a side of the frame which does not include the DC slots or the AC slot.