ELECTRIC-VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20130002172A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: NAKAZAWA, Yosuke, TODA, Shinichi, YASUOKA, Ikuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,847,521 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/51
• 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 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• 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 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/16 using ac induction motors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/18 the devices being of types provided for in two or more different subgroups of the same main group of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N
• 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: H02P 3/24 by applying dc to the motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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

According to one embodiment, four VVVF main circuit inverters for supplying electric power to drive a permanent-magnet synchronous motor are packaged into one unit. The four VVVF main circuit inverters are configured as a 4-in-1 inverter unit which shares a cooling mechanism for radiating heat generated due to power supply operation for the permanent-magnet synchronous motors to outside. A 2-in-1 semiconductor device package in which two semiconductor elements to convert electric power are packaged into one unit to be able to drive a permanent-magnet synchronous motor is contained in the 4-in-1 inverter unit. Thereby, individual control of inverters and reducing the size of the entire apparatus can be achieved for the electric-vehicle control apparatus.

Claims

1. An electric-vehicle control apparatus comprising:

an inverter unit comprising a plurality of inverters each configured by a U-phase circuit, a V-phase circuit, and a W-phase circuit; and

a cooling mechanism, the plurality of inverters provided on the cooling mechanism and sharing the cooling mechanism, wherein

the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase circuits each are configured as a semiconductor device package including two semiconductor switching elements contained in one package and in series.

2. The electric-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the semiconductor device package of the U-phase is configured by a U-phase upper arm and a U-phase lower arm,

the V-phase semiconductor device package is configured by a U-phase upper arm and a U-phase lower arm, and

the W-phase semiconductor device package is configured by a W-phase upper arm and a W-phase lower arm.

3. The electric-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, the inverter unit comprises four inverters.

4. The electric-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a filter reactor which smoothens line power supplied through an overhead power line, and an overvoltage-limit serial circuit which discharges the line power when the line power is supplied as a voltage which causes a malfunction of the inverter unit, and

wherein the plurality of inverters share the filter reactor and the overvoltage-limit serial circuit.

5. The electric-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of inverters each are controlled individually, and

the inverter unit comprises a first parallel circuit configured by first and second inverters connected in parallel with each other on a direct-current side, and a second parallel circuit configured by third and fourth inverters connected in parallel with each other on a direct current side, the first and second parallel circuits are connected in series with each other on the direct-current side, and an applied voltage to each of the inverters is ½

of the applied voltage to the inverter unit.

6. The electric-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of inverters each are controlled individually, and

the inverter unit comprises a first serial circuit configured by first and second inverters connected in series with each other on a direct-current side, and a second serial circuit configured by third and fourth inverters connected in series with each other on a direct current side, the first and second serial circuits are connected in parallel with each other on the direct-current side, and an applied voltage to each of the inverters is ½

of the applied voltage to the inverter unit.

7. The electric-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the inverter unit comprises N inverters,

the N inverters each are controlled individually, and

among the N inverters, (N/2) inverters are configured as a first parallel circuit connected in parallel on a direct-current side, remaining (N/2) inverters are configured as a second parallel circuit connected in parallel with each other, and the first and second parallel circuits are connected in series with each other on a direct-current side.

8. The electric-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase circuits each comprise a serial circuit in which first to fourth switching elements are connected in series, and first and second diodes connected in series between a connection point between the first and second switching elements and a connection point between the third and fourth switching elements,

the first and third switching elements are contained in one package and form a first semiconductor device package,

the second and fourth switching element are contained in one package and form a second semiconductor device package, and

the first and second diodes are contained in one package and form a third semiconductor device package.

9. The electric-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a distance between a U-phase third semiconductor device package and a W-phase first semiconductor device package is maximized.