Power train partition for 10 horsepower motor controller

• US 5,914,577 A
• Filed: 04/18/1997
• Issued: 06/22/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Furnival, Courtney
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US08/845,078
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 318/138, 318/254, 318/439, 318/538, 318/801, 310/67 R, 310/68 R, 310/71, 310/68 C, 310/68 D, 361/600, 361/728, 361/736, 361/748, 361/760, 361/761, 361/763, 361/765, 361/807
• US Class Current: 318/538
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/05 Insulated conductive substrates, e.g. insulated metal substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards

Abstract

A power train assembly for delivering electrical power to a driven device such as a motor is constructed of an IMS board and a PCB. A considerably smaller and standardized IMS board is obtained by limiting the components on the IMS board to include only inverter transistors, input rectifiers and a thermistor. The only other component is a connector for effecting a simple vertical connection to the overhead printed circuit board which contains the device control and drive components. The power train assembly realizes surface board savings on the order of between 40% to 50% in the IMS. The height of the IMS is also reduced, which makes it possible to replace the usual potting compound with a thin surface coating.

Claims

1. A power train assembly for delivering electrical power to a driven device, the assembly comprising:

an IMS (insulated metal substrate) board for carrying and electrically interconnecting power components and a PCB (printed circuit board) for holding control and drive components;

the IMS board having mounted thereon exclusively power transistors for forming a power inverter circuit, input rectifier diodes, a thermistor and a connector for providing connectivity to the PCB, thereby realizing a standardized IMS board of comparatively smaller substrate area;

the PCB comprising said control and drive components which components include drive elements, a current sense, a connector to the IMS board, and terminals for effecting electrical connections to the driven device; and

the PCB being mountable directly above the IMS board, and the respective connectors of the IMS board and the PCB mating with one another vertically.

2. The power train assembly of claim 1, in which the components on the IMS board are exclusively surface mounted components.

3. The power train assembly of claim 2, further comprising a heat sink for drawing heat away from the power train assembly and for dissipating the heat into the environment.

4. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the PCB components include two series link capacitors.

5. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the PCB components include a snubber capacitor.

6. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the PCB includes a plurality of current transformers.

7. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the PCB includes a plurality of MOV'"'"'s.

8. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the PCB includes a soft-start resistor.

9. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the PCB includes a soft-start relay.

10. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the terminals for effecting connection to the driven device comprises a connector strip for AC lines and motor lines.

11. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the PCB includes a brake module.

12. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the IMS board is standardized for a 10 horsepower operation.

13. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the IMS board is free of potting compound and instead comprises a thin surface coating on the components thereon.

14. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the IMS board has a surface area of about 19 square inches, thereby realizing more than a 50% reduction in board surface size.

15. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the IMS board has a surface area of about 15 square inches, thereby realizing more than a 40% reduction in board surface size.

16. The power train assembly of claim 3, in which the IMS board has height dimension on the order of about 0.50 inches.