Capacitor for inverter of electrified vehicle and associated method

• US 10,424,439 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wang, Miao
• Primary Examiner(s): McFadden, Michael P
• Application Number:
  US15/783,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20190115155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 3612742
• 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: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/50 using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 2/08 Cooling arrangements; Heating arrangements; Ventilating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 2/103 Sealings, e.g. for lead-in wires; Covers
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/224 Housing; Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/258 Temperature compensation means
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/40 Structural combinations of fixed capacitors with other electric elements, the structure mainly consisting of a capacitor, e.g. RC combinations
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/143 using compensating arrangements for reducing noise from the supply in transmission systems H04B15/005
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An electrified vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, an electric machine electrically coupled to a battery pack through an inverter. Further, the inverter includes a capacitor with an internal cooling channel. A method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A capacitor for an inverter of an electrified vehicle, comprising:

an internal cooling channel having a width dimension and a height dimension, wherein the exterior of the capacitor includes a front face, a rear face, first and second sides, a top, and a bottom, the internal cooling channel includes a plurality of segments, and each segment is parallel to an adjacent one of the front face, rear face, first side, and second side and spaced-apart from the respective adjacent one of the front face, rear face, first side, and second side by an amount substantially equal to the width dimension of the internal cooling channel.

2. The capacitor as recited in claim 1, further comprising a capacitor bulk located interiorly of the internal cooling channel, and wherein the internal cooling channel is located interiorly of an exterior of the capacitor.

3. The capacitor as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an inlet and an outlet, the internal cooling channel configured to direct fluid from the inlet to the outlet.

4. The capacitor as recited in claim 1, wherein the height dimension is greater than the width dimension.

5. The capacitor as recited in claim 1, wherein the internal cooling channel is concentric with a perimeter of the capacitor.

6. The capacitor as recited in claim 1, wherein the height dimension of each segment of the internal cooling channel extends perpendicular to the top and bottom and parallel to the respective adjacent one of the front face, rear face, first side, and second side of the capacitor, and wherein the width dimension of each segment of the internal cooling channel extends perpendicular to the respective adjacent one of the front face, rear face, first side, and second side of the capacitor.

7. The capacitor as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of segments includes a first segment spaced-apart from the front face by the amount and extending substantially parallel to the front face, a second segment spaced-apart from the first side by the amount and extending substantially parallel to the first side, a third segment spaced-apart from the rear face by the amount and extending substantially parallel to the rear face, a fourth segment spaced-apart from the second side by the amount and extending substantially parallel to the second side, and a fifth segment spaced-apart from the front face by the amount and extending substantially parallel to the front face.

8. The capacitor as recited in claim 7, wherein the first segment extends from an inlet of the internal cooling channel to the second segment, and the fifth segment extends from the fourth segment to an outlet of the internal cooling channel.