POWER CONVERTER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING POWER CONVERTER

• US 20170040241A1
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: YOSHIDA, Tadafumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,941,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/4882 Assembly of heatsink parts
• 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 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/117 Stacked arrangements of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/50 Multistep manufacturing processes of assemblies consisting of devices, each device being of a type provided for in group H01L27/00 or H01L29/00 H01L21/50 takes 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: H02M 7/537 using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters

Abstract

A power converter includes a plurality of power cards, a plurality of coolers and a pressure member. Each of the power cards houses a semiconductor element. The plurality of coolers is laminated with the power cards. The cooler includes a body, a gasket and a metal plate. The body is made of resin, and has an opening that is provided in a side surface of the cooler that faces the adjacent power card. A surface on one side of the metal plate is configured to close the opening through the gasket, and the other surface faces the power card. The pressure member is configured to apply a pressure in a laminating direction on a lamination unit. The opening is sealed by the metal plate by pressure applied by the pressure member on the lamination unit.

Claims

1. A power converter comprising:

a plurality of power cards, each of the power cards housing a semiconductor element;

a plurality of coolers laminated with the power cards, each of the coolers facing the power card, the cooler including;

a body which is made of resin, the body having an opening that is provided in a side surface of the cooler that faces the adjacent power card;

a gasket; and

a metal plate, in which a surface on one side configured to close the opening through the gasket, and the other surface faces the power card; and

a pressure member configured to apply a pressure in a laminating direction on a lamination unit, the plurality of power cards and the plurality of coolers being laminated in the lamination unit, and the opening being sealed by the metal plate by pressure applied by the pressure member on the lamination unit.

2. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein

the power card includes an insulating member on a surface facing the cooler.

3. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein

the metal plate is provided with a plurality of fins on the surface on one side.

4. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein

the metal plate is fixed to the power card before the power card and the body are assembled.

5. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein

the power cards and the coolers are alternately laminated.

6. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein

the cooler is provided with two cylindrical portions extending from the body in the laminating direction,

the two cylindrical portions are positioned so as to sandwich the power card in a direction perpendicular to the laminating direction, and

a distal end of the cylindrical portion is connected to another neighboring cooler, and inner spaces of the two neighboring coolers communicate with each other.

7. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein

the body has a groove that houses the gasket around the opening, and

a height of an edge of the groove on an opening side is larger than a height of an edge of the groove at an outer side.

8. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein

the gasket includes a plurality of protrusions surrounding the opening multiple times.

9. A method for manufacturing a power converter, in which the power converter has a lamination unit where a plurality of power cards and a plurality of coolers are laminated, the cooler including a body and a metal plate, the body having an opening on a side surface facing the adjacent power card, and the body being made of resin,

the manufacturing method comprising:

fixing the metal plate to each of the power cards;

forming the lamination unit after the fixing by laminating the power card and the body such that the metal plate covers the opening; and

housing the lamination unit in a case while applying pressure on the lamination unit in a laminating direction.