Power inverter

• US 6,181,590 B1
• Filed: 11/08/1999
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1999
• 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): NGUYEN, MATTHEW VAN
• Application Number:
  US09/436,025
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 363/16, 363/17, 363/40, 363/97, 363/98, 363/131, 363/132, 318/780, 318/781, 318/784, 318/794
• US Class Current: 363/132
• 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 25/162 the devices being mounted on two or more different substrates
• 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: H01L 2924/19107 off-chip wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections

Abstract

A small-sized highly reliable power inverter comprises switching elements for inverting power by switching, a drive circuit unit for driving the switching elements, smoothing capacitors for smoothing the output of a DC power source to be supplied to the switching elements, an insulated substrate for mounting the switching elements, a drive circuit board for mounting the drive circuit, and a smoothing capacitor substrate for mounting the smoothing capacitors between the insulated substrate and the drive circuit board, wherein ceramic capacitors are used as the smoothing capacitors and the smoothing capacitor substrate serves as an electromagnetic shielding plate.

Claims

1. A power inverter comprising:

a plurality of switching elements for inverting power by switching;

a drive circuit unit for driving the switching elements;

a plurality of smoothing capacitors for smoothing the output of a DC power source to be supplied to the switching elements, wherein each of said smoothing capacitors comprises a ceramic capacitor;

an insulated substrate for mounting the switching elements;

a drive circuit board for mounting the drive circuit; and

a smoothing capacitor substrate for mounting the smoothing capacitors between the insulated substrate and the drive circuit board.

4. The power inverter of claim 1, wherein said smoothing capacitor substrate comprises first and second smoothing capacitor substrates between which the smoothing capacitors are mounted the first smoothing capacitor substrate being located between the second smoothing capacitor substrate and the insulated substrate and connected to a positive (P) side of the DC power source, and the second smoothing capacitor substrate being located between the first smoothing capacitor substrate and the drive circuit board and connected to a negative (N) side of the DC power source.

5. The power inverter of claim 1, further comprising dedicated wires connected to a positive (P) side and a negative (N) side of the DC power source to the smoothing capacitor substrate wherein the smoothing capacitors are arranged separately at positions corresponding to AC output phases.

6. The power inverter of claim 1, further comprising a screw for electrically connecting the smoothing capacitor substrate to a positive (P) side and a negative (N) side of the DC power source.

7. The power inverter of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit unit for generating a control signal which is supplied to the drive circuit unit for controlling the driving of the switching elements, wherein the control circuit unit is mounted on the drive circuit board.

2. A power inverter comprising:

a plurality of switching elements for inverting power by switching;

a drive circuit unit for driving the switching elements;

a plurality of smoothing capacitors for smoothing the output of a DC power source to be supplied to the switching elements;

an insulated substrate for mounting the switching elements;

a drive circuit board for mounting the drive circuit; and

a smoothing capacitor substrate for mounting the smoothing capacitors between the insulated substrate and the drive circuit board, wherein the smoothing capacitor substrate serves as an electromagnetic shielding plate for shielding switching noise generated by the switching elements from the drive circuit unit.

8. The power inverter of claim 2, further comprising a control circuit unit for generating a control signal which is supplied to the drive circuit unit for controlling the driving of the switching elements, wherein the control circuit unit is mounted on the drive circuit board.

3. A power inverter comprising:

a plurality of switching elements for inverting power by switching;

a drive circuit unit for driving the switching elements;

a plurality of smoothing capacitors for smoothing the output of a DC power source to be supplied to the switching elements, wherein each of said smoothing capacitors comprises a ceramic capacitor;

an insulated substrate for mounting the switching elements;

a drive circuit board for mounting the drive circuit unit; and

a smoothing capacitor substrate for mounting the smoothing capacitors between the insulated substrate and the drive circuit board, wherein the smoothing capacitor substrate serves as an electromagnetic shielding plate for shielding switching noise generated by the switching elements from the drive circuit unit.

9. The power inverter of claim 3, further comprising a control circuit unit for generating a control signal which is supplied to the drive circuit unit for controlling the driving of the switching elements, wherein the control circuit unit is mounted on the drive circuit board.