POWER CONTROL UNIT AND HYBRID VEHICLE COMPRISING SAME

• US 20090294195A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: SAITO, Osamu, OTSUKA, Hiroshi, AMANO, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,952,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.275
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/405 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• 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 7/14329 specially adapted for the configuration of power bus bars
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A power control unit which comprises a plurality of semiconductor elements including a plurality of high-potential side semiconductor elements and a plurality of low-potential side semiconductor elements, and each having a first face and a second face, a collector terminal or an emitter terminal provided on the first face, or an emitter terminal and a gate terminal provided on the first face; a plurality of bus bars electrically connected with at least one of the semiconductor elements, and forming a power module together with the semiconductor elements; a terminal block having signal lines and a resin mold which supports the signal lines; and an engaging portion provided on at least one of the bus bars, and engaging with a portion of the terminal block, and also supporting the terminal block, the signal lines directly connected with the gate electrodes through the engaging portion.

Claims

1. A power control unit comprising:

a plurality of semiconductor elements including a plurality of high-potential side semiconductor elements and a plurality of low-potential side semiconductor elements, and each having a first face and a second face, a collector terminal or an emitter terminal provided on the first face, or an emitter terminal and a gate terminal provided on the first face;

a plurality of bus bars electrically connected with at least one of the semiconductor elements, and forming a power module together with the semiconductor elements;

a terminal block having signal lines and a resin mold which supports the signal lines; and

an engaging portion provided on at least one of the bus bars, and engaging with a portion of the terminal block, and also supporting the terminal block, the signal lines of the terminal block directly connected with the gate electrodes of the semiconductor elements through the engaging portion.

2. The power control unit according to claim 1, wherein the terminal block has a flange portion and a protruding portion, in which the flange portion is supported by the bus bars, and the protruding portion is protruded from one face of the flange portion;

the engaging portion has an opening portion and a supporting portion, in which the opening portion has an opening into which the protruding portion of the terminal block is inserted, and the supporting portion surrounds the opening and supports the flange portion.

3. The power control unit according to claim 1, wherein the bus bars further have:

a power supply bus bar electrically connected with the first face of each of the high-potential side semiconductor elements;

a plurality of AC output bus bars electrically connected with the second face of the high-potential side semiconductor elements respectively, and electrically connected with the first face of the low-potential side semiconductor elements respectively; and

a ground bus bar electrically connected with the second face of each of the low-potential side semiconductor elements respectively,

wherein the power supply bus bar has a power supply plate portion and a power supply erect portion, in which the power supply plate portion is substantially parallel to a reference face comprising the arrangement direction of the semiconductor elements, and the power supply erect portion along a direction intersecting the reference face;

the AC output bus bars have an output plate portion which is substantially parallel to the reference face and an output erect portion along a direction intersecting the reference face;

the ground bus bar has a ground plate portion which is substantially parallel to the reference face and a ground erect portion along a direction intersecting the reference face; and

the power supply plate portion, the output plate portions, and the ground plate portion are stacked together with an insulating material therebetween.

4. The power control unit according to claim 3, wherein the power supply plate portion and the ground plate portion are mutually adjacent.

5. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

an engine;

an electric generator driven by a mechanical output of the engine;

a battery charged by an electrical output of the electric generator;

a motor driven by at least one of a discharge output of the battery and the electrical output; and

a power control unit according to claim 1,

wherein a power module has a first power module which controls the motor and a second power module which controls the electric generator;

the first power module and the second power module are arranged on the same base; and

the first power module and the second power module have in common at least one of the power supply plate and the ground plate.