Power electronics inverter with capacitor cooling

• US 8,780,557 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Duppong, Jeffrey Scott, Loken, David Michael, Drees, Erich Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): PAPE, ZACHARY
• Application Number:
  US13/025,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.53, 361/699, 361/702, 165 804- 805, 165/104.33, 257/714, 174/15.1, 363/141
• US Class Current: 361/699
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/209 Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure H05K7/20909 takes precedence

Abstract

A power electronics inverter includes a housing which forms a cold plate with coolant passages. The housing encloses an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), and a DC Link capacitor. The capacitor comprises a bus-bar which exits from a bottom side of the capacitor, and the bus-bar is positioned adjacent to the cold plate. The cold plate forms a cooling passage which underlies the IGBT and the capacitor bus-bar. Thermally conductive gap pads are located between the capacitor bus-bar and the cold plate.

Claims

1. A power electronics module comprising:

a housing forming a cold plate;

a heat generating electronic first component;

a heat generating electronic second component having a bus-bar connected to the first component, the second component having a housing forming a side which faces the cold plate, the bus-bar exiting from a central portion of said side of the second component and being positioned adjacent to the cold plate, the bus-bar forming a flat plate which extends from said central portion to and past an edge of said side; and

the cold plate forming a cooling passage which underlies the first component and the bus-bar.

2. The power electronics module of claim 1, wherein:

thermally conductive gap pads are located between the bus-bar and the cold plate.

3. The power electronics module of claim 1, wherein:

the first component comprises a power switch unit.

4. The power electronics module of claim 1, wherein:

the second component comprises a capacitor.

5. The power electronics module of claim 1, wherein:

the first component comprises an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).

6. The power electronics module of claim 1, wherein:

the second component comprises a DC Link capacitor.

7. A power electronics inverter having a housing forming a cold plate, a heat generating electronic component, and a DC Link capacitor, the improvement wherein:

the capacitor comprises a bus-bar which exits from a central portion of a side of the capacitor which faces the cold plate, the bus-bar being positioned adjacent to the cold plate, the bus-bar extending from said central portion to and past an edge of said side; and

the cold plate forming a cooling passage which underlies the component and the capacitor bus-bar.

8. The inverter of claim 7, wherein:

thermally conductive gap pads are located between the capacitor bus-bar and the cold plate.

9. The inverter of claim 7, wherein:

the component comprises an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).

10. A power electronics inverter having a housing forming a cold plate, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), and a DC Link capacitor, the improvement wherein:

the capacitor comprises a bus-bar which exits from a central portion of a side of the capacitor which faces the cold plate, the bus-bar being positioned adjacent to the cold plate, the bus-bar extending from said central portion to and past an edge of said side;

the cold plate forming a cooling passage which underlies the IGBT and the capacitor bus-bar; and

thermally conductive gap pads located between the capacitor bus-bar and the cold plate.