POWER CONVERSION APPARATUS

• US 20110194247A1
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: NAKASAKA, Akira, Oohama, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,582,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/689
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/40 Mountings or securing means for detachable cooling or heating arrangements heating H01L23/345; fixed by friction, plugs or springs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4012 for stacked arrangements of a plurality of semiconductor devices assemblies per se H01L25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4093 Snap-on arrangements, e.g. clips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• 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 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20854 Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure H05K7/20863 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

In a power conversion apparatus, electronic components and a cooler are integrated in a frame as an internal unit. The internal unit is fixed within a case through the frame. The frame has such a shape that the electronic components are surrounded by the frame, and includes a first wall section, and second and third wall sections extending from both sides of the first wall section. The cooler includes a coolant introduction tube and a coolant discharge tube. The coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube project outward from to the frame. The first to third wall sections include a support wall section supporting at least one of the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube, and a frame wall section not supporting the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube. The thickness of the support wall section is larger than the thickness of the frame wall section.

Claims

1. A power conversion apparatus comprising:

electronic components configuring a power conversion circuit;

a cooler for cooling at least part of the electronic components; and

a case housing the electronic components and the cooler;

wherein

the at least part of the electronic components and the cooler are fixed to and integrated in a frame as an internal unit,

the internal unit is fixed within the case through the frame,

the frame has such a shape that the at least part of the electronic components configuring the internal unit is surrounded by the frame, and includes a first wall section, and a second wall section and a third wall section which extend from both sides of the first wall section,

the cooler includes a coolant introduction tube introducing coolant into the cooler and a coolant discharge tube discharging the coolant from the cooler, the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube projecting outward from the frame,

the first to third wall sections include a support wall section which supports at least one of the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube, and a frame wall section which does not support the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube, and

the thickness of the support wall section is larger than the thickness of the frame wall section.

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

the first wall section is provided with a pair of concave portions in which the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube are respectively disposed.

3. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the first wall section contacts a front surface of the cooler at a central portion between the pair of concave portions, and a forming area of the front surface of the cooler falls within a forming area of the central portion in the height direction which is perpendicular to the direction in which the concave portions are arranged and the direction in which the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube project.

4. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube are held by clamping members with respect to the first wall section,

the first wall section has lateral adjacent portions at positions adjacent to the concave portions and at the sides of the second and third wall sections, and

end faces of the lateral adjacent portions closer to the opening sides of the concave portions are recessed with respect to the central portion.

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

the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube are held by clamping members with respect to the first wall section, and

the first wall section includes threaded holes, into which fixing screws for fixing the clamping members are respectively screwed, and engaged portions in which engaging portions for stopping turn of the clamping members are respectively engaged.

6. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the frame includes a fourth wall section which joins the second and third wall sections at rear ends thereof, and surrounds the at least part of the electronic components from four sides.

7. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the internal unit includes semiconductor modules, which incorporate switching elements, as the electronic components,

the cooler includes therein coolant passages,

the internal unit incorporates a stacked body in which the coolant passages and the semiconductor modules are stacked alternately,

the internal unit includes a pressure member for pressing the stacked body in the stacking direction, and

the pressure member is interposed between one of the first wall section and the fourth wall section and one end in the stacked direction of the stacked body, and the other end in the stacked direction of the stacked body is supported by the other of the first wall section and the fourth wall section.

8. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the coolant passages are formed by cooling tubes.

9. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pressure member is interposed between a rear wall section and a rear end of the stacked body whose front end is supported by a front wall section.

10. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the fourth wall section includes a rear contact surfaces which the pressure member contacts,

the first wall section includes a front contact surface which the front end of the stacked body contacts, and

the rear contact surface and the front contact surface are parallel to each other.

11. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the front contact surface projects from the inner surface of the first wall section around thereof to the stacked body.

12. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the first wall section includes a front outer side surface parallel to the front contact surface at the outer side surface thereof.

13. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the frame includes component fixing sections, which are for fixing part of the electronic components configuring the power conversion circuit, at both sides of the frame with reference to the height direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal directions of the first wall section and the fourth wall section and the longitudinal directions of the second and third wall sections, and

at least one of the component fixing sections is disposed at each of the sides of the first wall section with reference to the height direction.

14. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

at least one of the component fixing sections is disposed at each of the sides of the fourth wall section with reference to the height direction.

15. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube are provided so as to project from the case,

annular packing is disposed between both the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube and the case, the annular packing sealing clearances between both the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube and the case, and

the outer side surface of the first wall section has recessed surfaces, which are recessed backward, at positions opposed to the annular packing.

16. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

at least part of the first wall section forms an H-shaped wall section having a substantially H-shaped cross section, the H-shaped wall section being configured with a pair of longitudinal plate sections perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a connecting section connecting the pair of longitudinal plate sections together at the center of the pair of longitudinal plate sections, and

the H-shaped wall section includes ribs which are orthogonal to the longitudinal plate sections and the connecting section and are partially provided between the pair of longitudinal plate sections and the connecting section.

17. A power conversion apparatus comprising:

electronic components configuring a power conversion circuit;

a cooler for cooling at least part of the electronic components; and

a case housing the electronic components and the cooler;

wherein

the at least part of the electronic components and the cooler are fixed to and integrated in a frame as an internal unit,

the internal unit is fixed within the case through the frame,

the frame has such a shape that the at least part of the electronic components configuring the internal unit is surrounded by the frame from four sides, and includes a front wall section and a rear wall section, and a pair of side wall sections joining the front wall section and rear wall section at both ends thereof,

the cooler is formed so that a coolant introduction tube and a coolant discharge tube are supported by the front wall section and projects outward from the front wall section, or so that one of the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube is supported by the front wall section and projects outward from the front wall section, and the other of the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube is supported by the rear wall section and projects outward from the rear wall section, the coolant introduction tube introducing coolant into the cooler, and the coolant discharge tube discharging the coolant from the cooler, and

the thickness of one of the front wall section and the rear wall section, which supports at least one of the coolant introduction tube and the coolant discharge tube, is larger than the thicknesses of the side wall sections.