Device for detecting a motor drive current

• US 7,012,446 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2004
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Agata, Hiromichi, Takenaka, Masayuki, Taguchi, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vinh P.
• Application Number:
  US10/862,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20040251928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 324/772
• US Class Current: 324/117.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/0094 Structural association with other electrical or electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/05 Rectifiers associated with casings, enclosures or brackets

Abstract

A device for detecting a motor drive current is arranged without substantially requiring additional space. The device for detecting a motor drive current, detects the currents of the phases flowing through the feeder lines that connect the motors to an inverter using a first bus bar for each of the phases arranged in parallel relative to each other and second bus bars extending from the ends of the first bus bars in a direction to intersect the axes of the first bus bar to which attached, by using magnetic field detector elements of each of the phases arranged near the feeder lines, wherein processing means for detecting the currents relying on the magnetic field detector elements of each of the phases are provided on a common circuit board. The magnetic field detector elements are disposed near the first bus bars of each of the phases, and the circuit board is arranged in a space sandwiched between the outermost first bus bars. Thus, the circuit board is arranged without substantially requiring additional space, and the current detecting device is realized in a compact form.

Claims

1. A device for detecting a motor drive current having multiple phases, which detects a current of each phase flowing though a power supply line,

the power supply line connecting a motor and an inverter by a plurality of first bus bars, a first bus bar for each phase, the plurality of first bus bars arranged substantially in parallel, and a plurality of second bus bars, a second bus bar for each phase extending from an end of the first bus bar of the same phase in a direction to intersect an axis of the first bus bar, the device comprising:

a plurality of magnetic field detectors, a magnetic field detector element for each phase that detects the phase current;

a circuit board; and

processing means for the detection of the current of each phase of the multiple phases by the magnetic field detector element of the phase on the circuit board, wherein the magnetic field detector element for each phase is disposed near the first bus bar of the same phase, and the circuit board is disposed in a space between outermost first bus bars of the plurality of first bus bars.

2. The device for detecting a motor drive current according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board is so arranged that the plate surface thereof is directed in a direction to intersect the axes of the plurality of first bus bars.

3. The device for detecting a motor drive current according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of first bus bars include three parallel bus bars for flowing a three-phase current, and the first bus bar located at the center among the plurality of first bus bars penetrates through the circuit board.

4. The device for detecting a motor drive current according to claim 3, wherein the circuit board includes a plurality of amplifiers, an amplifier for each of the phases for amplifying the signals detected by the magnetic field detector elements of each of the phases, and the plurality of amplifiers are arranged to be deviated toward one side on the surface of the circuit board defined by a plane passing through the axes of the plurality of first bus bars.

5. The device for detecting a motor drive current according to claim 2, wherein the circuit board includes a plurality of amplifiers, an amplifier for each of the phases for amplifying the signals detected by the magnetic field detector elements of each of the phases, and the plurality of the amplifiers are arranged deviated toward one side on the surface of the circuit board defined by a plane passing through the axes of plurality of the first bus bars.

6. A device for detecting a motor drive current having multiple phases, which detects a current of each phase flowing though a power supply line,

the power supply line connecting a motor and an inverter by a plurality of first bus bars, a first bus bar for each phase, the plurality of first bus bars arranged substantially in parallel, and a plurality of second bus bars, a second bus bar for each phase extending from an end of the first bus bar of the same phase in a direction to intersect an axis of the first bus bar, the device comprising:

plurality of magnetic field detectors, a magnetic field detector element for each phase that detects the phase current;

a circuit board; and

processing means for the detection of the current of each phase of the multiple phases by the magnetic field detector element of the phase on the circuit board, wherein the circuit board is also provided with a plurality of amplifiers, an amplifier for each of the phases for amplifying the signal detected by the magnetic field detector element for each phase, and each second bus bar of the plurality of second bus bars extends from the axis of a corresponding first bus bar in a direction to intersect the axis of the corresponding first bus bar in a direction away from the amplifiers to be connected to a terminal of one of the phases of an inverter.

7. A device for detecting a motor drive current, comprising:

a plurality of first bus bars extending in parallel;

a circuit board extending between outermost first bus bars and perpendicular thereto;

a current sensor for each first bus bar of the plurality of bus bars;

an amplifier associated with each current sensor mounted to the circuit board; and

a plurality of second bus bars, a second bus bar mounted to each one of the first bus bars to extend perpendicularly thereto, wherein the amplifiers are mounted on one side of a surface of the circuit board defined by a plane passing through the axes of the plurality of first bus bars, and the second bus bars extend in the direction of the other side of the surface of the circuit board and away from the amplifiers.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the second bus bars and the circuit board are substantially parallel to one another.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein each current sensor includes a magnetic field detector element mounted on the circuit board.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein the first bus bars include three parallel bus bars for flowing a three-phase current, and the bus bar located at the center among them penetrates through the circuit board.

11. A device, for detecting a motor drive current having multiple phases, which detects a current of each phase, comprising:

a plurality of first bus bars, a first bus bar for each phase, the plurality of first bus bars arranged substantially in parallel;

a plurality of second bus bars, a second bus bar for each phase extending from an end of the first bus bar of the same phase in a direction to intersect an axis of the first bus bar;

a plurality of magnetic field detectors, a magnetic field detector element for each phase that detects the phase current;

a circuit board; and

processing means for the detection of the current of each phase of the multiple phases, by the magnetic field detector element of the phase, on the circuit board, wherein the magnetic field detector element for each phase is disposed near the first bus bar of the same phase, and the circuit board is disposed in a space between outermost first bus bars of the plurality of first bus bars.

12. The device for detecting a motor drive current according to claim 11, wherein each first bus bar of the plurality of first bus bars is connected to a winding of a corresponding phase of the motor in a motor casing, and is in the form of a terminal member penetrating through the motor casing and extending into an inverter casing that contains the inverter.

13. A device for detecting a motor drive current having multiple phases, which detects a current of each phase, the device comprising:

a plurality of first bus bars, a first bus bar for each phase, the plurality of first bus bars arranged substantially in parallel;

a plurality of second bus bars, a second bus bar for each phase extending from an end of the first bus bar of the same phase in a direction to intersect an axis of the first bus bar;

a plurality of magnetic field detectors, a magnetic field detector element for each phase that detects the phase current;

a circuit board; and

processing means for the detection of the current of each phase of the multiple phases, by the magnetic field detector element of the phase, on the circuit board, wherein the circuit board is also provided with a plurality of amplifiers, an amplifier for each of the phases for amplifying the signal detected by the magnetic field detector element for each phase, and each second bus bar of the plurality of second bus bars extends from the axis of a corresponding first bus bar in a direction to intersect the axis of the corresponding first bus bar in a direction away from the amplifiers to be connected to a terminal of one of the phases of an inverter.

14. The device for detecting a motor drive current according to claim 13, wherein each first bus bar of the plurality of first bus bars is connected to a winding of a corresponding phase of the motor in a motor casing and is in the form of a terminal member penetrating through the motor casing and extending into an inverter casing that contains the inverter.