Power capacitor

• US 8,416,556 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2006
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TDK Electronics AG (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG), Epcos AG (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: Grimm, Wilhelm, Vetter, Harald, Schirmer, Edmund, Kilian, Hermann, Dietrich, George, Bumel, Hermann, Hbscher, Wilhelm, Hiemer, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMAS, BRADLEY H
• Application Number:
  US11/913,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20090059467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,541 Days
• Field of Search: 361/624
• US Class Current: 361/306.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/224 Housing; Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/236 leading through the housing, i.e. lead-through
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/38 Multiple capacitors, i.e. structural combinations of fixed capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/008 Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/10 Sealing, e.g. of lead-in wires

Abstract

A power electronics module includes a capacitor having a trough-shaped housing and at least one capacitor winding. An electronic unit includes a base on which the capacitor is mounted. A cooling plate in thermal contact with a cooling surface of the capacitor is formed by a bus bar. The cooling plate is on the base of the electronic unit.

Claims

1. A capacitor comprising:

a housing;

one or more capacitor windings; and

contact fingers that are flexible in mutually orthogonal directions, the contact fingers being electrically connected to the one or more capacitor windings and being configured to flex so as to maintain electrical connection to the one or more capacitor windings during movement of the one or more capacitor windings, the contact fingers being parts of sheet-metal strips that form bus bars.

2. The capacitor of claim 1, which is configured to receive electrical current between 50 amperes and 300 amperes.

3. The capacitor of claim 2, wherein the one or more capacitor windings comprise at least two capacitor windings, and wherein the at least two capacitor windings are electrically connected via bus bars.

4. The capacitor of claim 3, wherein at least one capacitor winding of the one or more capacitor windings is configured to receive current via contact layers on opposite sides of the at least one capacitor winding.

5. The capacitor of claim 1, wherein the one or more capacitor windings comprise at least two capacitor windings, and wherein the at least two capacitor windings are electrically connected via the bus bars.

6. The capacitor of claim 5, wherein the bus bars form a twin lead.

7. The capacitor of claim 6, wherein the twin lead comprises an insulating layer having a thickness between 10 μ

m and 100 μ

m.

8. The capacitor of claim 5, further comprising:

an electrical conductor between two of the bus bars configured to form a Y-capacitor.

9. The capacitor of claim 8, wherein the electrical conductor is insulated from the bus bars via a two or more layer film insulation.

10. The capacitor of claim 5, wherein at least one of the bus bars corresponds to an essentially exposed cooling surface in an edge region of the capacitor.

11. The capacitor of claim 1, wherein at least one capacitor winding of the one or more capacitor windings is configured to receive current via contact layers on opposite sides of the at least one capacitor winding.

12. The capacitor of claim 1, wherein the contact fingers comprise portions of the sheet metal strips that have been stamped.

13. The capacitor of claim 1, wherein contact between at least one of the contact fingers and a contact surface of at least one capacitor winding of the one or more capacitor windings is effected in an end region of the at least one contact finger.

14. The capacitor of claim 1, wherein the bus bars are for feeding current to the one or more capacitor windings.

15. The capacitor of claim 1, wherein the contact fingers are bent in several places.

16. A power electronics module comprising:

a capacitor according to claim 1;

an electronic unit having a base on which the capacitor is mounted; and

a cooling plate in direct contact with, and in thermal contact with, a cooling surface of the capacitor, the cooling plate being on the base of the electronic unit.

17. The module of claim 16, further comprising:

an electrical insulating film on a side of the cooling surface facing the electronic unit.

18. The module of claim 16, wherein the electronic unit comprises IGBTs.

19. The power electronics module of claim 16, wherein the cooling plate comprises a plane surface area that is in contact with the cooling surface formed by the bus bar.

20. The capacitor of claim 1, wherein an electrical conductor is between two of the bus bars, and wherein the electrical conductor is insulated from the two bus bars via film insulation.

21. A capacitor comprising:

a housing;

one or more capacitor windings; and

contact fingers that are in a common plane, that are along a track that curves at least two times, that are flexible in mutually orthogonal directions, and that are electrically connected to the one or more capacitor windings, the contact fingers being parts of sheet-metal strips that form bus bars.

22. A capacitor comprising:

a housing;

one or more capacitor windings; and

contact fingers that are in a common plane, each of the contact fingers being adjacent to another of the contact fingers on an external frame, the contact fingers being flexible in mutually orthogonal directions and being electrically connected to the one or more capacitor windings, the contact fingers being parts of sheet-metal strips that form bus bars.

23. The capacitor of claim 22, wherein ones of the contact fingers project alternately from opposite sides of the external frame.