Inverter assembly

• US 10,326,378 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2015
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
• Original Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
• Inventors: Doo, Young Mok, Schulz, Steven E., Hiti, Silva
• Primary Examiner(s): Pape, Zachary
• Application Number:
  US14/952,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/52 Cooling of switch parts cooling of contacts H01H1/62
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/162 Electrical connections between or with rails or bus-bars rails having primarily a non electrical function H01R4/64
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1432 specially adapted for power drive units or power converters
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/14329 specially adapted for the configuration of power bus bars
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/2089 for power electronics, e.g. for inverters for controlling motor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/209 Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure H05K7/20909 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

Power inverter assemblies are provided herein for use with motor vehicles. An inverter assembly may have a symmetrical structure configured to convert DC input power to AC output power. The inverter assembly may include a housing enclosing a symmetrical DC input portion, a symmetrical AC output portion, a DC link capacitor, and a gate drive portion having a pair of power modules. The symmetrical DC input portion can include a DC input bus bar sub-assembly to which the DC link capacitor is coupled, and a second DC bus bar sub-assembly that may electrically couple the DC link capacitor with the power modules. The symmetrical AC output portion may include a three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly to which the power modules can be electrically coupled. A cooling sub-assembly may be provided for cooling the power modules with fluid transfer using a coolant.

Claims

1. An inverter assembly, comprising:

a housing that encloses;

a DC input bus bar sub-assembly;

a DC link capacitor electrically coupled to the DC input bus bar sub-assembly;

a second DC bus bar sub-assembly that electrically couples the DC link capacitor with at least first and second power modules each comprising three output terminals;

a single three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly comprising at least a first set of three power module tabs electrically coupled to respective ones of the three output terminals of the first power module and a second set of three power module tabs electrically coupled to respective ones of the three output terminals of the second power module; and

a cooling sub-assembly that is associated with the plurality of power modules;

wherein the three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly comprises;

three bus bars, each comprising;

a bar body having a front surface and a back surface;

at least two power module tabs spaced apart from one another, a first tab of the at least two power module tabs being coupled with the first power module of the inverter assembly and a second tab of the at least two power module tabs being coupled with the second power module of the inverter assembly, the power module tabs extending away from the back surface, and wherein each of the at least two power module tabs is in direct contact with the bar body;

an output tab extending from the front surface; and

the bar body of a first of the three bus bars is positioned behind the bar body of a second of the three bus bars and a third of the three bus bars is positioned in front of the second of the three bus bars.

2. An inverter assembly, comprising:

a housing that encloses;

a DC input bus bar sub-assembly;

a DC link capacitor electrically coupled to the DC input bus bar sub-assembly;

a second DC bus bar sub-assembly that electrically couples the DC link capacitor with at least first and second power modules each comprising three output terminals;

a single three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly comprising at least a first set of three power module tabs electrically coupled to respective ones of the three output terminals of the first power module and a second set of three power module tabs electrically coupled to respective ones of the three output terminals of the second power module; and

a cooling sub-assembly that is associated with the plurality of power modules;

wherein the second DC bus bar sub-assembly comprises;

a pair of bus bars that each comprise;

a bar body;

a plurality of input tabs extending from a first end of the bar body, the plurality of input tabs are coupled to the DC link capacitor; and

a plurality of output tabs, wherein the plurality of output tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the bar body relative to one another;

the bar bodies of the pair of bus bars are overlaid upon one another but spaced apart from one another; and

the plurality of input tabs of a first of the pair of bus bars are disposed into alternating relationship with the plurality of input tabs of a second of the pair of bus bars in alignment with one another.

3. The inverter assembly according to claim 2, wherein the three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly comprises three substantially symmetrical output tabs that each carry a unique phase of an AC power signal generated by the plurality of power modules.

4. The inverter assembly according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of output tabs of the first of the pair of bus bars are adjacent to the plurality of output tabs of the second of the pair of bus bars.

5. The inverter assembly according to claim 4, wherein an output tab of the first of the pair of bus bars and an output tab of the second of the pair of bus bars, which are adjacent to one another, are electrically coupled to one of the plurality of power modules.

6. The inverter assembly according to claim 2, further comprising a gate drive circuit board, wherein the plurality of power modules are electrically coupled to the gate drive circuit board.

7. The inverter assembly according to claim 6, wherein the gate drive circuit board is notched to accommodate a plurality of output tabs of the second DC bus bar subassembly.

8. The inverter assembly according to claim 2, wherein heat sinks of the plurality of power modules are disposed within a cavity formed by a sidewall of the cooling subassembly.

9. The inverter assembly according to claim 8, wherein the cooling subassembly comprises an input port and an output port that are disposed centrally to the housing and in between the heat sinks of the plurality of power modules.

10. The inverter assembly according to claim 8, wherein the cooling subassembly comprises an input port disposed on a first end of an underside of the housing and an output port disposed on a second end of the underside of the housing.

11. The inverter assembly according to claim 2, further comprising a terminal block that supportingly couples the DC input bus bar sub-assembly with a lower enclosure of the housing.

12. The inverter according to claim 2, further comprising a positive output bus bar and a negative output bus bar that are embedded into the DC link capacitor, wherein the positive output bus bar and the negative output bus bar are electrically coupled to a plurality of input tabs of the second DC bus bar sub-assembly.

13. The inverter according to claim 2, wherein the DC input bus bar subassembly is electrically coupled with a first connector and a second connector that are each at least partially embedded into the DC link capacitor.

14. The inverter according to claim 13, wherein the DC input bus bar sub-assembly comprises a pair of bus bars that each comprise:

an input tab;

an output tab; and

a bar body, the input tab extending in alignment with a first section of the bar body, the output tab extending normally to a second section of the bar body.

15. An inverter assembly, comprising:

a housing that encloses;

a DC input bus bar sub-assembly;

a DC link capacitor electrically coupled to the DC input bus bar sub-assembly;

a gate drive circuit board;

at least first and second power modules mounted to the gate drive circuit board, the power modules producing an AC power signal, each power module comprising three output terminals; and

a second DC bus bar sub-assembly that electrically couples the DC link capacitor with the plurality of power modules,

a single three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly comprising at least a first set of three power module tabs electrically coupled to respective ones of the three output terminals of the first power module and a second set of three power module tabs electrically coupled to respective ones of the three output terminals of the second power module;

wherein the gate drive circuit board comprises notching that allows input tabs of the plurality of power modules to directly couple with a plurality of positive and negative output tabs of the second DC bus bar sub-assembly.

16. The inverter assembly according to claim 15, wherein the gate drive circuit board comprises additional notching that allows power module tabs of the three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly to directly couple with the output tabs of the plurality of power modules.

17. An inverter assembly, comprising:

a housing that encloses;

a DC input bus bar sub-assembly;

a DC link capacitor electrically coupled to the DC input bus bar sub-assembly;

a second DC bus bar sub-assembly that electrically couples the DC link capacitor with at least first and second power modules each comprising three output terminals;

a single three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly comprising at least a first set of three power module tabs electrically coupled to respective ones of the three output terminals of the first power module and a second set of three power module tabs electrically coupled to respective ones of the three output terminals of the second power module; and

a cooling sub-assembly that is associated with the plurality of power modules;

wherein the three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly comprises;

a first bus bar comprising a first power module tab of the first set, a first power module tab of the second set, and a first output of the three phase output AC bus bar subassembly;

a second bus bar comprising a second power module tab of the first set, a second power module tab of the second set, and a second output of the three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly; and

a third bus bar comprising a third power module tab of the first set, a third power module tab of the second set, and a third output of the single three phase output AC bus bar sub-assembly.