Motor controller

• US 7,957,143 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
• Inventors: Isomoto, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): DATSKOVSKIY, MICHAIL V
• Application Number:
  US12/440,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20090268406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 36167946-67949, 361/679.52, 361/679.54, 361/688, 361/689, 361690-697, 361700-712, 361/715, 361/719, 361/720, 361/728, 361/736, 361/820, 165/80.2, 165/80.3, 165/80.4, 165/104.33, 165/104.34, 165/104.21, 257706-727, 174/16.3, 174/252, 174/52.01, 454/184, 363/141, 363/143, 363/144
• US Class Current: 361/697
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20918 the components being isolated from air flow, e.g. hollow heat sinks, wind tunnels or funnels

Abstract

A motor controller, which is inexpensive and has small size, is provided by reducing the size of a heat sink used in the motor controller and the number of all parts of the motor controller, wherein said motor controller includes a heat sink, a power semiconductor modules that is in close contact with the heat sink, a substrate (4) that is electrically connected to the power semiconductor module, and a fan (6) that generates the flow of external air and supplies cooling air to the heat sink, wherein said heat sink is formed by combining two kinds of heat sinks, which include a first heat sink (7) and a second heat sink (8), so as to conduct heat therebetween, and, wherein said power semiconductor module is in close contact with the second heat sink (8).

Claims

1. A motor controller comprising:

a heat sink,

a power semiconductor module that is in close contact with the heat sink,

a substrate that is electrically connected to the power semiconductor module, and

a fan that generates the flow of external air and supplies cooling air to the heat sink, wherein

the heat sink is formed by combining two kinds of heat sinks, which include a first heat sink and a second heat sink, so as to conduct heat therebetween, and

the power semiconductor module is in close contact with the second heat sink

wherein

the first heat sink is a die-cast heat sink, and

the second heat sink is made of a material having excellent thermal conductivity by an extruding or caulking method.

2. The motor controller according to claim 1, wherein

at least one heat sink of the first and second heat sinks includes fins.

3. The motor controller according to claim 2, wherein

the first and second heat sinks include fins, and

the fins of the first heat sink are disposed upwind as compared to the fins of the second heat sink.

4. The motor controller according to claim 3, wherein

the pitch of the fins of the second heat sink is smaller than that of the fins of the first heat sink.

5. The motor controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second heat sinks are in close contact with each other so as to conduct heat therebetween.

6. The motor controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second heat sinks are connected to each other by a heat pipe so as to conduct heat therebetween.