Electronic power device and electronic power assembly comprising such a device

• US 6,249,448 B1
• Filed: 04/01/1999
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alstom Transport SA (Alstom SA)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Transport SA (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Cettour-Rose, Jacques, Regnier, Bernard, Luscher, Patrick, Fellmann, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Han, Jessica
• Application Number:
  US09/283,149
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 363/144, 363/141, 363/34, 363/40, 361/821, 361/825, 361/830, 361/831
• US Class Current: 363/144
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 2/08 Cooling arrangements; Heating arrangements; Ventilating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/38 Multiple capacitors, i.e. structural combinations of fixed capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections

Abstract

An electronic power device including at least one sub-system supporting power modules, a capacitor battery connectable to an electrical power supply and being connected to the power modules. The capacitor battery includes one or more capacitors which when a plurality are provided are disposed in parallel between first and second connection plates. Each sub-system has a first face supporting at least one first power module and a second face for supporting at least one second power module and wherein the first plate is connected to each first power module and the second plate is connected to each second power module.

Claims

1. An electronic power device which includes at least one sub-system supporting power modules, a capacitor battery, said capacitor battery comprising at least one capacitor disposed perpendicularly to and connected between first and second connection plates, said at least one sub-system having a first face supporting at least one first power module and a second face, opposite said first face, supporting at least one second power module, said first plate being connected to said at least one first power module and said second plate being connected to said at least one second power module, and each of said first and second plates having means for connecting said capacitor battery to an electrical power supply whereby said at least one first and second power modules are connected to a power supply through said first and second plates.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said first plate is substantially co-planar with said first face of said at least one sub-system, and said second plate is substantially co-planar with said second face of said at least one sub-system.

3. The device of claim 1 including a plurality of sub-systems, said first faces of each of said plurality of sub-systems being substantially co-planar and second faces of each of said plurality of sub-systems, opposite said first faces, being substantially co-planar, and an overall volume of said capacitor battery being defined between said first and second faces.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said capacitor battery is disposed at a central portion of said device and said sub-systems are disposed along a peripheral portion of said capacitor battery.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said first and second plates of said capacitor battery are mounted on an electrically insulating region of a cooling element.

6. The device of claim 1 which defines an inverter, said capacitor battery including a plurality of capacitors extending parallel with respect to one another between said first and second plates, said first plate of said capacitor battery electrically connecting first ends of said plurality of capacitors together and said second plate of said capacitor battery electrically connecting said second ends of said plurality of capacitors, said inverter having a plurality of sub-systems each having cooling elements which define said first and second faces for each of said sub-systems and said first and second plates include first and second power supply terminals, respectively, for connecting a plurality of first and second power modules which are disposed on said first and second faces of said cooling elements with the electrical power supply.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said first and second plates are substantially rectangular, said plurality of sub-systems including three phases each having a phase bar, and said phase bars extending along three sides of said first and second plates.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein said first and second plates are substantially rectangular, and said plurality of sub-systems including two arms each arm carrying two phase bars.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said first and second plates are provided with tongues, each tongue being connected to a corresponding power module.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said means for connecting to an electrical supply includes each of said first and second plates having a tab adapted to electrically connect to a corresponding terminal of the electrical supply.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein said capacitor battery includes a plurality of capacitors each having a central through opening and each of said first and second plates being provided with orifices in alignment with said openings.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein each of said first and second plates includes flaps projecting towards one another and which at least partially overlap, and an insulating foil being disposed between said flaps.

13. An electronic power assembly comprising a plurality of electronic power devices, each of said electronic power devices including at least one sub-system supporting power modules, and a capacitor battery, said capacitor battery including at least one capacitor disposed perpendicularly to and connected between first and second connection plates, wherein said at least one sub-system has a first face supporting at least one first power module and a second face, opposite said first face, supporting at least one second power module, said first plate being connected to said at least one first power module and said second plate being connected to said at least one second power module, and each of said first and second plates having means for connecting said capacitor battery to an electrical power supply whereby said at least one first and second power modules are connected to a power supply through said first and second plates.

14. The electronic assembly of claim 13 which defines an inverter having a plurality of phases, each of said phases comprising a plurality of said power devices placed in parallel whereby power supply to each phase is proportional to a number of said power devices.

15. The electronic assembly of claim 13 which defines an inverter, and each power device including a single sub-system which constitutes a phase of said inverter.

16. The electronic assembly of claim 15 wherein said power devices are stacked relative to one another.

17. The electronic assembly of claim 15 wherein first and second pairs of power devices are disposed in respective first and second planes, and said first and second pairs being stacked relative to one another.

18. The electronic assembly of claim 17 wherein said capacitor battery of each of said power devices of each pair of power devices are adjacent one another.

19. The electronic assembly of claim 17 wherein said phases of each power device of each pair of devices are adjacent one another.

20. The electronic assembly of claim 19 wherein said phases which are adjacent one another define a common cooling element.