Inverter device

• US 9,954,459 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2016
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meidensha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Meidensha Corporation
• Inventors: Endo, Takato
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MATTHEW VAN
• Application Number:
  US15/552,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20180054137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1432 specially adapted for power drive units or power converters
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/14329 specially adapted for the configuration of power bus bars
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/209 Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure H05K7/20909 takes precedence

Abstract

Between smoothing capacitor connected between connection conductors for positive and negative poles and semiconductor power modules constituting inverter, a circuit inductance might be increased due to imbalance of current circuit loops. Phase arms each formed by a series combination of semiconductor power modules are stacked, and the group of semiconductor power modifies connected with positive connection conductor and the group of the semiconductor power modules connected with negative connection conductor are arranged in the same direction. There is formed an interspace between the arrangement of semiconductor power modules for positive pole and the arrangement of semiconductor power modules for negative pole. Connection conductors for positive and negative poles extend in a parallel state with an insulator interposed between connection conductors, through the interspace. The connection conductors are bent in a region near connection terminals of the semiconductor power modules and connected with the semiconductor power modules.

Claims

1. An inverter apparatus comprising:

a plurality of semiconductor power modules arranged to form phase arms each of which includes a set of the semiconductor power modules connected in series between a positive pole and a negative pole of a dc circuit, for one of phases;

a heat sink section attached to the semiconductor power modules;

positive and negative connection conductors arranged to serve, respectively, as the positive pole and the negative pole of the de circuit, each of the phase arms for one of the phases being connected between the positive and negative connection conductors;

a smoothing capacitor connected between the positive and negative connection conductors; and

output conductors each of which is connected with ac output terminals of the semiconductor power modules of one of the phase arms;

wherein the semiconductor power modules of the phase arms are arranged so that the semiconductor power modules connected with the positive connection conductor are stacked, the semiconductor power modules connected with the negative connection conductor are stacked, and there is formed an interspace between a heat sink which is included in the heat sink section and attached to the semiconductor power modules connected with the positive connection conductor for the positive pole and a heat sink which is included in the heat sink section and attached to the semiconductor power modules connected with the negative connection conductor for the negative pole;

the positive and negative connection conductors for the positive and negative poles of the de circuit are extended along each other with an insulator interposed between the positive and negative connection conductors, through the interspace between three heat sinks;

the positive connection conductor includes a first end fixed to a connection terminal of each of the semiconductor power modules for the positive pole, and a second end taken out through the interspace between the heat sinks, and the negative connection conductor includes a first end fixed to a connection terminal of each of the semiconductor power modules for the negative pole, and a second end taken out through the interspace between the heat sinks;

the smoothing capacitor is attached to the connection conductors taken out from the interspace; and

each of the output conductors is connected with the ac output terminal of the semiconductor power modules of a corresponding one of the phase arms, in a region near the connection terminals of the semiconductor power modules, in a state in which portions of the output conductors extend along each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction in which portions of the connection conductors extend.

2. The inverter apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the smoothing capacitors are disposed zigzag on the connection conductors for the positive and negative poles.

3. The inverter apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the connection conductors for the positive and negative poles is a plate-shaped conductor including a portion bent to form an angle substantially equal to 90 degrees in the region near the connection terminals of the semiconductor power modules.