Mold module utilized as power unit of electric power steering apparatus and electric power steering apparatus

• US 9,123,693 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Tanaka, Daisuke, Asao, Yoshihito, Omae, Katsuhiko, Watanabe, Tetsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hurley, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/983,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20140151146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 180/443, 180/444, 438/124, 438/118, 438/122, 438/127
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/04 electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0406 including housing for electronic control unit
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/371 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron [B], silicon [Si], germanium [Ge], arsenic [As], antimony [Sb], tellurium [Te] and polonium [Po], and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40095 Kinked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40139 with an intermediate bond, e.g. continuous strap daisy chain
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40247 Connecting the strap to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83801 Soldering or alloying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/84 using a strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3107 the device being completely enclosed
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/36 Selection of materials, or shaping, to facilitate cooling or heating, e.g. heatsinks H01L23/28, H01L23/40, H01L23/42, H01L23/44, H01L23/46 take precedence; heating H01L23/345
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3737 Organic materials with or without a thermoconductive filler
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/42 Fillings or auxiliary members in containers or encapsulations selected or arranged to facilitate heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/34 Strap connectors, e.g. copper straps for grounding power devices; Manufacturing methods related thereto
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/37 of an individual strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/40 of an individual strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/83 using a layer connector
• 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 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/07802 : not being an ohmic electrical conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1301 : Thyristor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15747 : Copper [Cu] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1815 : Shape
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/33 : Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics H02K11/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/522 : for generally annular cores with salient poles
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/08 : Insulating casings
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/225 : Terminal boxes or connection arrangements specially adapted for submersible motors H02K5/132
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1166 : comprising worm and worm-wheel structural association with bearings specially adapted for worm gear drives H02K7/081
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/223 : Heat bridges
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/227 : Heat sinks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10924 : Leads formed from a punched metal foil affixing a prefabricated self-supporting metal foil pattern H05K3/202
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10931 : Exposed leads, i.e. encapsulation of component partly removed for exposing a part of lead, e.g. for soldering purposes

Abstract

There is provided a mold module and an electric power steering apparatus in which the temperature distribution in electronic components such as semiconductor chips utilized in an electronic relay and an inverter circuit unit is equalized and hence the heat radiation performance can be improved. In a mold module according to the present invention, a plurality of terminals for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective terminals are molded with a molding resin; at least part of the plurality of terminals are exposed at the rear side of the molding resin; an electric power steering apparatus according to the present invention utilizes the mold module.

Claims

1. A mold module utilized as a power unit of an electric power steering apparatus, formed by molding with a molding resin a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames, wherein at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the molding resin, and

wherein the respective thicknesses of the plurality of lead frames are set in accordance with the thermal loss in the electronic component mounted on the lead frame such that the thickness of one lead frame of the plurality of lead frames is different than the thickness of at least one other lead frame of the plurality of lead frames.

2. The mold module utilized as a power unit of an electric power steering apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the respective surface areas of the plurality of lead frames are set in accordance with the thermal loss in the electronic component mounted on the lead frame.

3. The mold module utilized as a power unit of an electric power steering apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of lead frames are formed of wiring leads for connecting the plurality of electronic components.

4. An electric power steering apparatus comprising:

a speed reducing mechanism coupled with a steering shaft of a vehicle,

a motor whose rotor shaft is coupled with the speed reducing mechanism, and

a motor controller that controls electric power supplied to an armature winding of the motor so as to make the motor produce predetermined torque,

wherein the motor controller is provided with a mold module in which a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames are molded with a molding resin and in which at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the mold resin, and

wherein the rear side of the mold module is adhered to the case of the motor through the intermediary of a heat transfer resin, and

wherein the mold module is provided with a protrusion that protrudes from the rear side, and the heat transfer resin is filled into a gap formed by the protrusion between the motor case and the rear side of the mold module.

5. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the motor case to which the mold module is adhered is a speed-reducing-mechanism-side case fixed to the speed reducing mechanism.

6. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the motor case to which the mold module is adhered is a case situated opposed to the speed reducing mechanism.

13. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the mold module includes power semiconductor chips of an electric-power conversion circuit that converts DC electric power from a DC power source into AC electric power and supplies the AC electric power to the armature winding.

14. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the mold module includes a relay semiconductor chip that can disconnect the motor from a power source.

15. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the motor is a controller-integrated motor in which the motor controller is mounted, and the motor controller is disposed along a direction in which the center axis of the rotor shaft of the motor extends.

16. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the motor is a controller-integrated motor in which the motor controller is mounted, and the motor controller is disposed at a position that is in parallel with the center axis of the rotor shaft of the motor.

7. An electric power steering apparatus comprising:

a speed reducing mechanism coupled with a steering shaft of a vehicle,

a motor whose rotor shaft is coupled with the speed reducing mechanism, and

a motor controller that controls electric power supplied to an armature winding of the motor so as to make the motor produce predetermined torque,

wherein the motor controller is provided with a mold module in which a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames are molded with a molding resin and in which at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the mold resin, and the rear side of the mold module is adhered to the motor case through the intermediary of a heat transfer resin including a filler, and

wherein the gap between the motor case and the rear side of the mold module is secured by the filler.

8. An electric power steering apparatus comprising:

a speed reducing mechanism coupled with a steering shaft of a vehicle,

a motor whose rotor shaft is coupled with the speed reducing mechanism, and

wherein the motor controller is provided with a mold module in which a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames are molded with a molding resin and in which at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the mold resin, a heat sink, and a controller case that incorporates the mold module and the heat sink,

wherein the rear side of the mold module is adhered to the heat sink through the intermediary of a heat transfer resin,

wherein the heat sink has a heat sink opening portion formed at a position corresponding to a speed-reducing-mechanism-side case opening portion formed in the speed-reducing-mechanism case, and

wherein a bus bar connected with the armature winding of the motor extends from the inside of the speed-reducing-mechanism-side case of the motor to the inside of the controller case by way of the speed-reducing-mechanism-side case opening portion and the heat sink opening portion and then is connected with the mold module in the controller case.

9. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller case is fixed to the speed-reducing-mechanism-side case of the motor.

10. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the mold module is provided with a protrusion that protrudes from the rear side, and the heat transfer resin is filled into a gap formed by the protrusion between the heat sink and the rear side of the mold module.

11. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 8, further including filler included in the heat transfer resin, wherein the gap between the heat sink and the rear side of the mold module is secured by the filler.

12. An electric power steering apparatus comprising:

a speed reducing mechanism coupled with a steering shaft of a vehicle,

a motor whose rotor shaft is coupled with the speed reducing mechanism, and

wherein the motor controller is provided with a mold module in which a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames are molded with a molding resin and in which at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the mold resin, a heat sink, and a controller case that incorporates the mold module and the heat sink,

wherein the rear side of the mold module is adhered to the heat sink through the intermediary of a ceramic insulation sheet, and

wherein the controller case is fixed to the speed-reducing-mechanism-side case of the motor.

17. A mold module utilized as a power unit of an electric power steering apparatus, formed by molding with a molding resin a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective front sides of the lead frames,

wherein at least part of the rear side, of each of the plurality of lead frames, that corresponds to one of the plurality of mounted electronic components is exposed at the rear side of the molding resin and the peripheral portion of the exposed part of each of the plurality of lead frames is covered with the molding resin,

wherein a power terminal unit electrically connects a first electronic component of the plurality of electronic components with a first lead frame of the plurality of lead frames, and

wherein a lead frame power line lead extended from the first lead frame, at least part of the rear side of which is exposed, is bent towards the front side of the first lead frame.