Electric power conversion assembly with ceramic smoothing capacitor

• US 6,115,270 A
• Filed: 11/03/1999
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Maekawa, Hirotoshi, Yamane, Toshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Riley, Shawn
• Application Number:
  US09/432,806
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• Field of Search: 363/41, 363/40, 363/141, 363/144, 363/131, 363/132
• US Class Current: 363/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49109 outside the semiconductor or solid-state body
• 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 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/14 Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0231 Capacitors or dielectric substances

Abstract

An electric power conversion assembly includes switching elements for converting electric power by switching, a drive circuit portion for driving the switching elements, a smoothing capacitor for suppressing fluctuations in the voltage from a direct-current power supply supplying the switching elements, and a control circuit portion for controlling the switching elements by outputting a control signal to the drive circuit portion, the smoothing capacitor including ceramic capacitors.

Claims

1. An electric power conversion assembly comprising:

switching elements (2) for converting electric power by switching;

a drive circuit portion (5) for driving said switching elements;

a smoothing capacitor (51) for suppressing fluctuations in the voltage from a power supply supplying said switching elements said, smoothing capacitor comprising ceramic capacitors;

a control circuit portion (9) for controlling said switching elements by outputting a control signal to said drive circuit portion; and

a drive control circuit board (53) for mounting both said control circuit portion and said drive circuit portion, wherein said control circuit portion and said drive circuit portion are mounted on a first and a second surface of said drive control circuit board.

3. The electric power conversion assembly according to claim 1 wherein a smoothing capacitor board mounted with said smoothing capacitor is disposed between an insulating substrate mounted with said switching elements and a drive control circuit board including said drive circuit portion and said control circuit portion,

the entire surface of one side of said smoothing capacitor board being grounded so as to protect said drive circuit portion and said control circuit portion from switching noise from said switching elements.

4. The electric power conversion assembly according to claim 1 wherein said smoothing capacitor comprises ceramic capacitors connected in parallel.

5. The electric power conversion assembly according to claim 1 wherein said smoothing capacitor comprises ceramic capacitors stacked in layers.

6. The electric power conversion assembly according to claim 1 wherein said smoothing capacitor is mounted to external lead terminals of direct-current input wiring electrically connected to said switching elements.

7. The electric power conversion assembly according to claim 1 wherein said smoothing capacitor is mounted in the vicinity of said switching elements.

2. An electric power conversion assembly comprising:

switching elements for converting electric power by switching;

a drive circuit portion for driving said switching elements;

a smoothing capacitor for suppressing fluctuations in the voltage from a power supply supplying said switching elements;

a control circuit portion for controlling said switching elements by outputting a control signal to said drive circuit portion; and

a smoothing capacitor board (52) mounted with said smoothing capacitor being disposed between an insulating substrate (17) mounted with said switching elements and a drive control circuit board, said drive control circuit board providing a first and a second surface for mounting said drive circuit portion and said control circuit portion, and the entire surface of one side of said smoothing capacitor board being grounded so as to protect said drive control circuit board, said drive circuit portion and said control circuit portion from switching noise generated by said switching elements during operation.

8. The electric power conversion assembly according to claim 2 wherein a gel filler is charged between said insulating substrate being thermally connected to an externally-exposed cooling member and said drive control circuit board such that heat generated by said smoothing capacitor is transmitted through said gel filler to be radiated by said cooling member.

9. An electric power conversion assembly comprising:

switching elements for converting electric power by switching;

a drive circuit portion for driving said switching elements;

a smoothing capacitor for suppressing fluctuations in the voltage from a power supply supplying said switching element, said smoothing capacitor comprising ceramic capacitors;

a control circuit portion for controlling said switching elements by outputting a control signal to said drive circuit portion;

a temperature sensor (54) for detecting the temperature of said smoothing capacitor such that a signal from said temperature sensor is sent to said control circuit portion for controlling the temperature of said smoothing capacitor.

10. An electric power conversion assembly comprising:

switching elements for converting electric power by switching;

a drive circuit portion for driving said switching elements;

a smoothing capacitor for suppressing fluctuations in the voltage frame power supply supplying said switching elements, said smoothing capacitor comprising ceramic capacitors; and

a control circuit portion for controlling said switching elements by outputting a control signal to said drive circuit portion, and said control circuit portion for controlling a voltage applied to said smoothing capacitor by comparing a voltage signal from said smoothing capacitor and a voltage signal from a power supply (6).

11. The electric power conversion assembly according to claim 10 wherein said voltage signal from said smoothing capacitor is representative of the voltage applied across both terminals of said smoothing capacitor and said voltage signal from said power supply is representative of a voltage value across both terminals of said power supply.

12. An electric power conversion assembly comprising:

switching elements for converting electric power by switching;

a drive circuit portion for driving said switching elements;

a smoothing capacitor for suppressing fluctuations in the voltage from a power supply supplying said switching elements; and

a control circuit portion for controlling said switching elements by outputting a control signal to said drive circuit portion; and

a smoothing capacitor board mounted with said smoothing capacitor being disposed between an insulating substrate mounted with said switching elements and a drive control circuit board including said drive circuit portion and said control circuit portion; and

the entire surface of one side of said smoothing capacitor board being grounded so as to protect said drive circuit portion and said control circuit portion from switching noise from said switching elements;

a gel filler being charged between said insulating substrate being thermally connected to an externally exposed cooling member and said drive control circuit board such that heat generated by said smoothing capacitor is transmitted through said gel filler to be radiated by said cooling member.