Power conversion apparatus and electric vehicle

• US 10,321,585 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2018
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakatsu, Kinya, Suzuki, Hideyo, Nishikimi, Fusanori, Matsuo, Takeshi, Satou, Toshiya
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Toan C
• Application Number:
  US16/199,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20190098777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 197 Days
• Field of Search: 363141, 363144, 361689, 361699, 180 6521
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/00 Electric propulsion with power supplied within the vehicle with power supply from force of nature, e.g. sun or wind, B60L8/00; for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/291 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron [B], silicon [Si], germanium [Ge], arsenic [As], antimony [Sb], tellurium [Te] and polonium [Po], and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48472 the other connecting portion not on the bonding area also being a wedge bond, i.e. wedge-to-wedge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49111 the connectors connecting two common bonding areas, e.g. Litz or braid wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3735 Laminates or multilayers, e.g. direct bond copper ceramic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49811 Additional leads joined to the metallisation on the insulating substrate, e.g. pins, bumps, wires, flat leads H01L23/49827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49861 Lead-frames fixed on or encapsulated in insulating substrates H01L23/4985, H01L23/49805 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5385 Assembly of a plurality of insulating substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/642 Capacitive arrangements H01L23/49589, H01L23/645, H01L23/647, H01L23/66 take precedence; capacitive effects between wiring layers on the semiconductor body H01L23/5222
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/29 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/32 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 : of a plurality of wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/73 : Means for bonding being of different types provided for in two or more of groups H01L24/10, H01L24/18, H01L24/26, H01L24/34, H01L24/42, H01L24/50, H01L24/63, H01L24/71
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/072 : the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/16 : the devices being of types provided for in two or more different main groups of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N, e.g. forming hybrid circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 : Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 : Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 : Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/008 : Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/123 : Suppression of common mode voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/327 : against abnormal temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 : Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/5387 : in a bridge configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0026 : provided with connectors and printed circuit boards [PCB], e.g. automotive electronic control units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0043 : comprising a frame housing mating with two lids wherein the PCB is flat mounted on the frame housing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1432 : specially adapted for power drive units or power converters
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/14322 : wherein the control and power circuits of a power converter are arranged within the same casing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 : Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

The metallic case of a power conversion apparatus includes a casing having a side wall, as well as an upper case and a lower case, a first area being formed between a cooling jacket provided at the inner periphery of the side wall and the lower case, the metal base plate dividing the first area between the cooling jacket and the upper case into a lower side second area and an upper side third area, first and second power modules being fastened to a top surface and a capacitor module being provided in the first area, driving circuits that drive inverter circuits of the power modules respectively being provided in the second area, and a control circuit that controls the driver circuits being provided in the third area.

Claims

1. A power converter apparatus comprising:

a capacitor module that has capacitor cells for smoothing DC voltage;

a power module that has an inverter circuit;

a driving circuit board that has a driver circuit for driving the inverter circuit;

a control circuit board that has a control circuit for controlling the driver circuit;

a cooling jacket in which cooling medium flows;

an apparatus casing to which the cooling jacket is fixed;

a lower case that is fixed to a bottom surface of the apparatus casing;

a metal base plate that is fixed to a top surface of the apparatus casing; and

an upper case that is fixed to the metal base plate, wherein

a first space for housing the capacitor module is formed between the lower case and the cooling jacket,

a second space for housing the power module and the driving circuit board is formed between the cooling jacket and the metal base plate,

a third space for housing the control circuit board is formed between the metal base plate and the upper case,

the control circuit board is fixed onto the metal base plate,

an inlet pipe for introducing the cooling medium into the cooling jacket is fixed onto a portion of the apparatus casing closer to the bottom surface of the apparatus casing than to the top surface of the apparatus casing, and

the apparatus casing has a flange portion at the top surface of the apparatus casing for contacting with the metal base plate.

2. The power converter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a support portion is formed on the metal base plate, and

the control circuit board is fixed onto a top surface of the support portion.

3. The power converter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a metal base having a heat releasing fins is provided on a bottom surface of the power module, and

the heat releasing fins is configured to be in direct contact to the cooling medium flowing in the cooling jacket.

4. The power converter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a metal plate is provided between the power module and the driving circuit board.

5. The power converter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a connector is fixed on an outer peripheral wall of the second space, and

a signal cable of the connector is connected to the control circuit board arranged in the third space through a first opening formed in the metal base plate.

6. The power converter apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the signal cable is disposed along a guide board formed by the metal base plate.

7. The power converter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the metal base plate has a second opening, and

an electronic component mounted on the driving circuit board is protruded into the third space through the second opening.

8. The power converter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the capacitor module has a conductor board connected with the capacitor cells,

a capacitor terminal is formed by bending the conductor board upward, and

the capacitor terminal of the capacitor module is extended and connected to the power module through a through-hole formed in the apparatus casing.

9. The power converter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the capacitor module includes two capacitors for filtering common mode noise,

the two capacitors are arranged on one side of the power converter apparatus in a longitudinal direction of the power converter apparatus, and

the inlet pipe is arranged on another side of the power converter apparatus in the longitudinal direction.