Power converter

• US 8,422,230 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Aiba, Tsukasa, Saika, Hitoshi, Kondo, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Datskovskiy, Michail V
• Application Number:
  US13/011,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20110188279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.46, 361/679.47, 361/679.53, 361/679.54, 361/689, 361690-697, 361/699, 361721-728, 361/734, 361/760, 361/766, 361/768, 165/80.2, 165/80.3, 165/80.4, 165/80.5, 165/104.33, 165/104.34, 165121-126, 165/185, 174/15.1, 174/16.3, 174/252, 257706-727, 257/E23.186, 257/E23.044, 257/E23.001, 307/11, 307/38, 307/42, 307/43, 307/104, 307/115, 363141-147, 363/65, 363/137, 363/56.02, 363/178, 295/921, 297/40, 297/41, 297/59, 296/021, 298/31, 298/32
• US Class Current: 361/704
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/00 Details of apparatus for conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20 Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating

Abstract

A power converter including a switching element, a switching power module containing a driving circuit for driving the switching element, a smoothing capacitor module for smoothing an input to the switching power module, and a heat sink for cooling the switching power module, wherein the switching power module is mounted on the heat sink, and the smoothing capacitor module is provided on a side surface of the heat sink.

Claims

1. A power converter, comprising:

a switching power module containing a switching element and a driving circuit for driving the switching element;

a smoothing capacitor module for smoothing an input to the switching power module; and

a heat sink for cooling the switching power module, wherein the switching power module is mounted on the heat sink, and the smoothing capacitor module is provided on a side surface of the heat sink,

wherein the smoothing capacitor module comprises an anode and a cathode that are arranged in a vertical direction, the anode is provided with a P bus bar, the cathode is provided with an N bus bar, each of the P bus bar and the N bus bar is provided with a connection terminal unit for connecting to the switching power module, and the connection terminal units are disposed at the middle point between the anode and the cathode.

2. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the smoothing capacitor module has a capacitor unit and a case body in which the capacitor unit is mounted, the case body is provided with an insertion opening through which the capacitor unit is inserted, and a bolt hole that penetrates in parallel to the depth direction of the insertion opening and through which the smoothing capacitor module is fastened to the heat sink.

3. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein the case body is provided with a positioning and holding projecting member that projects in parallel to the depth direction of the insertion opening and is fitted in a positioning hole formed in a side surface of the heat sink to be held.

4. A power converter, comprising:

a switching power module containing a switching element and a driving circuit for driving the switching element;

a smoothing capacitor module for smoothing an input to the switching power module; and

a heat sink for cooling the switching power module, wherein the switching power module is mounted on the heat sink, and the smoothing capacitor module is provided on a side surface of the heat sink,

wherein the smoothing capacitor module comprises a capacitor unit and a case body in which the capacitor unit is mounted, the case body is provided with an insertion opening through which the capacitor unit is inserted, and a bolt hole that penetrates in parallel to the depth direction of the insertion opening and through which the smoothing capacitor module is fastened to the heat sink, and

wherein the case body is provided with a positioning and holding projecting member that projects in parallel to the depth direction of the insertion opening and is fitted in a positioning hole formed in a side surface of the heat sink to be held.