Electric rotating machine for vehicle

• US 7,224,078 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Asao, Yoshihito, Kato, Masaki, Akita, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Schuberg; Darren
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuevas; Pedro J.
• Application Number:
  US11/296,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20060125240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 290/31, 290/38.R, 318/139, 322/28
• US Class Current: 290/31
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/04 the motors being associated with current generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/05 Rectifiers associated with casings, enclosures or brackets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/30 Structural association with control circuits or drive circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/12 Impregnating, heating or drying of windings, stators, rotors or machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/06 with fans or impellers driven by the machine shaft
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/227 Heat sinks

Abstract

In a vehicle electric rotating machine having a power section formed of a pair of inverter modules of switching elements and diodes connected in parallel thereto, and a control circuit section that controls mentioned power section, there are separately located the control circuit section on the upstream side, and the power section on the downstream side; as well as a through hole is formed in mentioned control circuit section so that mentioned cooling air flows linearly through mentioned power section.

Claims

1. A vehicle electric rotating machine that is driven by an electric power of a battery to start an engine at the time of start-up of said engine, as well as that is driven by the engine to generate an AC power after said engine has been started, said vehicle electric rotating machine comprising:

a power section in which there are provided plural sets of a pair of switching elements connected in series between positive and negative terminals of said battery, and diodes connected in parallel to said switching elements respectively, and in which a connection point of the switching elements connected in series is connected to a stator winding of said vehicle electric rotating machine; and

a control circuit section that controls said power section so that an electric power of said battery is supplied to said vehicle electric rotating machine to drive a rotor by ON/OFF control of said switching elements at the time of start-up of said engine, and an AC power, which is generated at said vehicle electric rotating machine, is rectified to a DC power with said switching element and diode group to charge said battery in a normal engine speed region of said engine at the time of power generation;

wherein with respect to flow of cooling air made by a centrifugal fan that is fixed to said rotor, there are separately located the control circuit section on the upstream side, and the power section on the downstream side; and

the mentioned control circuit section is provided with a through hole so that the mentioned cooling air flows linearly through the mentioned power section.

2. The vehicle electric rotating machine according to claim 1, wherein said power section is located separately from said control circuit section, and said switching elements and diodes are mounted on a heat sink also serving as an electrode member.

3. The vehicle electric rotating machine according to claim 2, wherein said heat sink is divided with respect to each phase of a stator winding.

4. The vehicle electric rotating machine according to claim 1, wherein said control circuit section is contained in a case to be sealed with an insulating resin.

5. The vehicle electric rotating machine according to claim 4, wherein said case serves as a relay member providing an electrical and mechanical connection of said power section and said control circuit board.

6. The vehicle electric rotating machine according to claim 4, wherein said case is further provided with a power generation part including a field current adjusting part that controls current to be supplied to a field winding of a rotor of,said vehicle electric rotating machine.

7. The vehicle electric rotating machine according to claim 4, wherein a sensor core for detecting current is molded as an integral part in said case.

8. The vehicle electric rotating machine according to claim 4, wherein a conductor terminal that provides a connection between intermediate connection points of the switching elements of said power section, and a lead wire from the stator is molded as an integral part in said case;

and a junction thereof is sealed with the insulating resin along with said control circuit board.

9. The vehicle electric rotating machine according to claim 4, wherein a connector for the connection to a battery power supply or an ECU is mounted onto said case.