Power inverter

• US 7,957,169 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hideyo, Hamada, Haruki, Nakajima, Kenichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Laxton; Gary L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Quddus; Nusrat J
• Application Number:
  US11/696,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20070246635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 180/41, 180/54.1, 361/676, 361/690, 361/704, 361/707, 361/710, 361/677, 361/689, 363/131, 363/132, 363/141, 363/307, 363/147
• US Class Current: 363/141
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/003 with means for cooling the electrical propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/26 characterised by the motors or the generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/405 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/06 using dc to ac converters or inverters H02P27/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A power inverter comprises at least a box-shaped housing; and a power module, a smoothing capacitor, a base plate made of a flat plate, and a rotating electric machine control circuit board arranged in order in the housing. The base plate is arranged with the fringes fixed to the inner wall surfaces of the housing, and the smoothing capacitor and rotating electric machine control circuit board are fixed.

Claims

1. A power inverter for an electric motor installed in a vehicle, comprising:

a coolant channel body;

a power module having DC terminals for receiving DC electric power and AC terminals for outputting three-phase AC electric power, and power semiconductors for converting DC electric power to AC electric power;

a capacitor module, said capacitor module further comprising a capacitor case, first and second conductors directly connected to respective DC terminals of the power module, and a plurality of film capacitors;

a housing, said housing containing the coolant channel body, the power module, and the capacitor module; and

a holding plate holding said capacitor module;

wherein

one of the electrodes of each of the film capacitors is connected to the first conductor and the other electrodes of each of the film capacitors is connected to the second conductor respectively,

the power module is adjacent to the coolant channel body,

the holding plate is located to counter with the coolant channel body and sandwich the power module with the coolant channel body, and fixed to the housing; and

the capacitor module is located between the power module and the holding plate.

2. The power inverter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control circuit board for controlling generation of the AC electric power; and

a driver circuit for controlling the power semiconductors of the power module based on an output of the control circuit board;

wherein the driver circuit being located between the capacitor module and the power module.

3. The power inverter according to claim 1, wherein

the capacitor case of the capacitor module is made of resin material;

the power module is fixed with the coolant channel body; and

the capacitor module faces the power module across a space.

4. The power inverter according to claim 3, further comprising a driver circuit board for controlling the power semiconductors of the power module based on an output of the control circuit board, wherein the driver circuit board is arranged in the space between the power module and the capacitor module.

5. The power inverter according to claim 1, wherein

the coolant channel body is arranged at the lower half side of the storage space of the housing;

and

the power module and the capacitor module are arranged at the upper side rather than the coolant channel body.

6. The power inverter according to claim 1, wherein

the capacitor module comprises a pair of DC power source terminals for receiving DC electric power;

and

a power module side terminal for providing at the end of the second portion and for connecting with the DC terminal of the power module.

7. The power inverter according to claim 6, wherein

the DC terminal of the power module provides a plurality of pair of plus side terminal and minus side terminal;

a plurality of the power module side terminals of the capacitor module are provided; and

the power module side terminals are connected with the DC terminals respectively.

8. The power inverter according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second conductors have a first portion and a second portion respectively;

the first portion and the second portion are continuously connected by a connecting part; and

the connecting part has a bent form.

9. The power inverter according to claim 1, wherein

an opening is formed at the coolant channel body;

a plurality of fins for cooling is provided on a cooling surface of the power module;

the fin is projected through the opening of the coolant channel body into coolant; and

the opening is closed by the cooling surface of the power module.

10. The power inverter according to claim 8, wherein the first and second conductors have a lamination structure in which an insulation sheet is sandwiched therebetween.