JP6393745B2 - Power converter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power converter used for converting DC power into AC power or converting AC power into DC power, and more particularly to a power converter used in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle.

  The power conversion device is mounted on, for example, an automobile, receives direct-current power from a secondary battery that is also mounted on the automobile, and generates alternating-current power to be supplied to an electric motor that generates rotational torque for traveling. In addition, in order to generate braking force during regenerative braking operation of the car, the motor generates AC power based on the running energy, and the generated AC power is converted into DC power by the power converter, stored in the secondary battery, and again It is used as electric power for driving a vehicle. However, the amount of power handled is increasing year by year, and miniaturization is required to improve the ease of installation in vehicles, more efficiently managing heat caused by loss during power conversion, and the external environment (engine) Etc.) is required to be reduced.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a power semiconductor module and a capacitor module, which are heat generating components, are housed in a water channel housing, and both components are cooled by a refrigerant in the water channel.

  However, when cooling components (for example, a power semiconductor module and a capacitor module) constituting the power conversion device, it is necessary to configure the flow path forming body in consideration of the influence of heat from the outside.

JP 2009-219270 A

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the influence of heat from outside while maintaining or improving the cooling performance of the power converter.

In order to solve the above problems, a power conversion device according to the present invention cools a power semiconductor module for converting DC power to AC power, and the capacitor module for smoothing the DC power, the power semiconductor module A resin-made flow path forming body that forms a first flow path through which a refrigerant passes, and a storage section that stores the capacitor module, and a second flow path through which the refrigerant that cools the capacitor module passes are stored in the storage section. A metal casing formed in the vicinity of the power semiconductor module, the power semiconductor module has a power semiconductor element, and a metal module case forming a storage space for storing the power semiconductor element, the housing has a base portion forming a fixing structure mate with a portion of said channel member, a portion of the passage forming member is fitted to said fixed structure Wherein it is secured to the base portion, the first flow path inlet and said second passage outlet and are arranged opposite each other the first flow path the second flow path is communicated.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the influence of the heat from the outside can be reduced, maintaining or improving the heat dissipation performance of a power converter device.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the power converter device 1 concerning this embodiment. It is sectional drawing at the time of cut | disconnecting in the plane A of FIG. 1, when the power converter device 1 shown by FIG. 1 is assembled. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a flow path forming body 300 as viewed from the lower surface side. It is an external appearance perspective view of the power semiconductor module 100a. It is a disassembled perspective view of the power semiconductor module 100a. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the flow-path formation body 350 which embedded metal member 310A and 310B, and metal member 310A and 310B concerning other embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the power converter device at the time of cut | disconnecting by the plane B of FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a power converter 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane A in FIG. 1 when the power conversion device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is assembled. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the flow path forming body 300 as viewed from the lower surface side.

  The power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f have inverter circuits that convert DC power into AC power. In the present embodiment, one power semiconductor module 100a constitutes an upper and lower arm circuit for outputting one phase among inverter circuits that output a three-phase alternating current. For example, the power semiconductor module 100a is a U-phase upper and lower arm circuit, the power semiconductor module 100b is a V-phase upper and lower arm circuit, and the power semiconductor module 100c is a W-phase upper and lower arm circuit. The power semiconductor modules 100a to 100c constitute a first inverter circuit.

  Similarly, the power semiconductor module 100d is a U-phase upper and lower arm circuit, the power semiconductor module 100e is a V-phase upper and lower arm circuit, and the power semiconductor module 100f is a W-phase upper and lower arm circuit. The power semiconductor modules 100d to 100f constitute a second inverter circuit. That is, in this embodiment, one power converter 1 is provided with two inverter circuits. These two inverter circuits may drive different motors or may drive one motor.

  The capacitor module 200 smoothes the DC power supplied to the first inverter circuit and the second inverter circuit. The capacitor module 200 includes, for example, a capacitor cell 201 such as a film capacitor, a capacitor terminal 202 that electrically connects the capacitor cell 201 and the mold bus bar 500, a capacitor case 204 that stores the capacitor cell 201, And a sealing material 203 filled therein.

  The mold bus bar 500 electrically connects the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f and the capacitor module 200. A bus bar (not shown) of the conductive member is molded with the molding material 503. The plurality of first terminals 501 are connected to the bus bar and to the capacitor terminal 202, respectively. The plurality of second terminals 502 are connected to the bus bars and to the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f, respectively.

  The flow path forming body 300 forms a storage space for storing each of the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f. As shown in FIG. 3, the first flow path 301 is formed by connecting the respective storage spaces. The cooling refrigerant flows through the first flow path 301, and the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f are in direct contact with the cooling refrigerant. In addition, in this embodiment, although the flow-path formation body 300 was defined as a member which forms a flow path, it also includes functioning as a case which accommodates the power semiconductor modules 100a thru | or 100f.

  An opening connected to the first flow path 301 is formed on the lower surface of the flow path forming body 300. The lid 304 is fixed to the flow path forming body 300 so as to close the opening. In the lid 304, a first flow path inlet 302 is formed at a position facing the first flow path 301, and the first flow path inlet 302 and the first flow path 301 are connected. The lid 304 is formed with a first channel outlet 303 at a position facing the first channel 301, and the first channel outlet 303 and the first channel 301 are connected to each other.

  Further, in order to improve the sealing performance in the vicinity of the first flow path inlet 302, the through holes 302 a and 302 b are formed in the lid 304 so as to sandwich the first flow path inlet 302. Similarly, in order to improve the sealing performance in the vicinity of the first flow path outlet 303, through holes 303 a and 303 b are formed in the lid 304 so as to sandwich the first flow path outlet 303.

  Further, a convex portion 305 is formed on the lid 304 corresponding to each of the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f. The convex portion 305 is fitted into a through hole 406 of the casing 400 described later. Thereby, the flow path forming body 300 is supported by the casing 400, the vibration resistance of the flow path forming body 300 is improved, and the seal reliability of the first flow path inlet 302 and the first flow path outlet 303 is improved. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, the flow path forming body 300 and the lid 304 are formed of a resin material.

  The housing 400 includes a storage portion 408 that forms a storage space 401 in which the capacitor module 200 is stored. Moreover, the housing | casing 400 forms the 2nd flow path 402 in the lower part of the accommodating part 401, as FIG. 2 shows. The second flow path 402 may be formed so as to pass through the side portion of the capacitor module 200.

  The casing 400 includes a second flow path inlet 403 connected to the second flow path 402, a second flow path outlet 404 connected to the second flow path 402 and formed facing the first flow path inlet 302, Form.

  The casing 400 forming the second flow path 402 and the storage portion 408 is made of a metal having high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum.

  Further, the housing 400 has a base portion 407 protruding from the lower side of the storage portion 408. The base portion 407 holds the flow path forming body 300 and is formed integrally with the storage portion 408. When the flow path forming body 300 is fixed to the base portion 407, the first flow path 301 and the second flow path 402 communicate with each other via the first flow path inlet 302 and the second flow path outlet 404.

  FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the power semiconductor module 100a. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the power semiconductor module 100a. Since the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f have the same configuration and function, the power semiconductor module 100a will be described as a representative.

  The power semiconductor module 100a includes a circuit body 2 containing a power semiconductor element such as an IGBT or a diode, a first heat radiating member 4 facing one heat radiating surface of the circuit body 2, and the other heat radiating surface of the circuit body 2. A second heat dissipating member 5, an insulating member 8 disposed between the circuit body 2 and the first heat dissipating member 4 or the second heat dissipating member 5, and a module case 3 housing the circuit body 2 and the insulating member 8. Prepare.

  The circuit body 2 further includes a conductor member 2D connected to the power semiconductor element via a solder material and the like, and a resin sealing material that seals the power semiconductor element and the conductor member 2D in a state where a part of the conductor member 2D is exposed. 7, a power terminal 2A for transmitting a direct current or an alternating current, a control terminal 2B for transmitting a control signal for a power semiconductor element constituting an upper arm circuit, and a control signal for a power semiconductor element constituting a lower arm circuit Control terminal 2C.

  The module case 3 includes a first opening 3 </ b> A for inserting the circuit body 2, a second opening 3 </ b> B closed by the first heat radiating member 4, and a third opening 3 </ b> C closed by the second heat radiating member 5. And form.

  Both the first heat radiating member 4 and the second heat radiating member 5 form pin fins. The first heat radiating member 4 and the second heat radiating member 5 and the module case 3 are made of a metal having high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and the refrigerant flowing through the first flow path 301 is in direct contact with the outer surfaces thereof. The power semiconductor module 100a is cooled.

  The cooling target of the power semiconductor module 100a is the circuit body 12 containing the power semiconductor element. The circuit body 12 is covered with a module case 3 made of metal having high thermal conductivity. Further, since the outer surface of the module case 3 is cooled in direct contact with the cooling refrigerant, high heat conductivity is ensured in the heat transfer path from the power semiconductor element to the cooling refrigerant. On the other hand, the flow path forming body 300 for forming the first flow path 301 has a low need to secure a heat transfer path to components or the like different from the flow path forming body 300. Therefore, in this embodiment, the flow path forming body 300 is made of a resin material.

  And the flow-path formation body 300 can interrupt | block the heat from the outside using the characteristic of a resin material. Power semiconductor modules for hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles have a large instantaneous power, and how fast heat can be exchanged in that case is important. Also from this point of view, by forming the flow path forming body 300 with the resin material, the heat generated by the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f can be transmitted to the cooling refrigerant through the heat transfer path with high thermal conductivity, and from the outside. As a result, it is possible to efficiently dissipate heat.

  On the other hand, since the capacitor module 200 includes the capacitor cell 201 and has a large heat capacity, and cooling the space in which the capacitor module 200 is stored can effectively dissipate heat, the capacitor module 200 includes a metal storage portion 408 in the vicinity thereof. A housing 400 is provided.

  Further, the present embodiment has the following other effects.

  The first flow path 301 formed of the resin flow path forming body 300 needs to manage the flow rate of the refrigerant in order to improve the cooling efficiency in the vicinity of the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f. Further, since the capacitor module 200 has a large volume and a large weight, the strength of the fixing member for the capacitor module 200 is required in consideration of vibration resistance.

  In the case of an aluminum die-cast flow path forming body, since the flow rate of the refrigerant is controlled, post-processing for forming the flow path is required after casting, which is disadvantageous in terms of cost. On the other hand, it is not necessary to strictly manage the dimensions in the vicinity where the capacitor module 200 is stored, and processing such as the aforementioned flow rate management of the refrigerant is unnecessary. Therefore, if the place where the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f are housed is made of a resin material that can be accurately molded, and the place where the processing does not occur or the place where the processing is small is made of aluminum die cast in consideration of the strength, the material cost The total cost of parts can be optimized, resulting in an inexpensive power converter.

  In addition, by making the flow path forming body 300 and the lid 304 made of resin, when the flow path forming body 300 and the lid 304 are bonded, it is possible to easily perform joining using secondary molding, melt bonding, or the like. Joining and sealing such as screw fastening are not required. And it can also contribute to the weight reduction of a power converter device.

  As another manufacturing method of the housing 400, a tubular hollow part constituting the second flow path 402 is held, and another housing portion 408 is manufactured by aluminum casting so as to cover the hollow part. Thereafter, a part of the portion manufactured for aluminum casting is processed to form the second flow path inlet 403 and the second flow path outlet 404.

Further, the capacitor case 204 of the capacitor module 200 may be made of a resin material. Also in this case, the heat capacity of the capacitor module 200 increases and the heat conductivity of the heat generation path from the capacitor cell 201 increases. Considering this point, the second flow path 402 disposed in the vicinity of the capacitor module 200 can be efficiently cooled if it is made of a metal material or the like having a good thermal conductivity. It is supported by a support portion 410 extending from the metal casing 400. The support portion 410 is made of, for example, a metal that is the same material as the housing 400. Further, the support portion 410 may be formed integrally with the housing 400. Although the mold bus bar 500 through which a large current flows generates heat in the same manner as the power semiconductor module, the mold bus bar 500 is dissipated through the support portion 410 having high thermal conductivity. 500 can be cooled.

  In the present embodiment, the through hole 406 formed in the base portion 407 is a hole that penetrates the convex portion 305, but may be a concave portion that fits into the convex portion 305. Moreover, the base part 407 side may be convex and the flow path forming body 300 side may be concave. That is, the base portion 407 and the flow path forming body 300 may be fitted to each other.

  FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing a flow path forming body 350 and metal members 310A and 310B in which metal members 310A and 310B are embedded, according to another embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the power conversion device when cut along the plane B of FIG. 6.

  The difference from the flow path forming body 300 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 is that a resin flow path forming body 350 is provided with metal members 310A and 310B that are in contact with the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f.

  The metal member 310 </ b> A is provided with a flange 311 fitted in a recess formed on one side of the flange portion of the module case 3 for each power semiconductor module 100 a to 100 f. Similarly, the metal member 310B is provided with a flange 312 that fits into a recess formed on the other side of the flange portion of the module case 3 for each of the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ground wirings 313 </ b> A and 313 </ b> B are embedded in the flow path forming body 300. The ground wiring 313A is electrically connected to the metal member 310A and the metal fixing member 314A. The fixing member 314A is electrically connected to the metal casing 400.

  Similarly, the ground wiring 313B is electrically connected to the metal member 310B and the metal fixing member 314B. The fixing member 314B is electrically connected to the metal casing 400.

  Accordingly, even when the resin flow path forming body 300 is used, if the power semiconductor modules 100a to 100f are fixed to the flow path forming body 300 and the flow path forming body 300 is fixed to the metal case 400, stable grounding can be achieved. It can be performed.

  Note that only one of the metal member 310A and the metal member 310B may be used, or only one of the ground wiring 313A and the ground wiring 313B may be used.

  The embodiments described above can be combined as necessary.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Power converter device, 2 ... Circuit body, 2A ... Power terminal, 2B ... Control terminal, 2C ... Control terminal, 2D ... Conductor member, 3 ... Module case, 3A ... 1st opening part, 3B ... 2nd opening part, 3C ... 3rd opening part, 4 ... 1st heat radiating member, 5 ... 2nd heat radiating member, 7 ... Resin sealing material, 8 ... Insulating member, 100a-100f ... Power semiconductor module, 200 ... Capacitor module, 201 ... Capacitor cell 202 ... Capacitor terminal, 203 ... Sealing material, 204 ... Capacitor case, 300 ... Flow path forming body, 301 ... First flow path, 302 ... First flow path inlet, 302a ... Through hole, 302b ... Through hole, 303 ... 1st flow-path exit, 303a ... Through-hole, 303b ... Through-hole, 304 ... Lid, 305 ... Convex part, 310A ... Metal member, 310B ... Metal member, 311 ... 鋲, 312 ... 鋲, 313A ... Ground wiring, 13B ... Ground wiring, 314A ... Fixing member, 314B ... Fixing member, 350 ... Channel forming body, 400 ... Case, 401 ... Storage space, 402 ... Second channel, 403 ... Second channel inlet, 404 ... No. Two flow path outlets, 406 ... through hole, 407 ... base portion, 408 ... storage portion, 410 ... support portion, 500 ... mold bus bar, 501 ... first terminal, 502 ... second terminal, 503 ... mold material

Claims (4)

A power semiconductor module that converts DC power into AC power;
A capacitor module for smoothing the DC power;
A resin flow path forming member that forms a first flow path through which coolant for cooling the power semiconductor module,
A housing that houses the capacitor module, and a metal housing that forms a second flow path through which the refrigerant that cools the capacitor module passes in the vicinity of the housing,
The power semiconductor module includes a power semiconductor element, and a metal module case that forms a storage space for storing the power semiconductor element,
The housing includes a base portion that forms a fixing structure that fits with a part of the flow path forming body,
A part of the flow path forming body is fitted into the fixing structure and fixed to the base portion, so that the inlet of the first flow path and the outlet of the second flow path are arranged to face each other. A power conversion device in which the first flow path and the second flow path are communicated . The power conversion device according to claim 1,
The capacitor module is a power conversion device having a capacitor cell and a resin capacitor case that houses the capacitor cell. The power conversion device according to claim 1 or 2,
A bus bar for electrically connecting the power semiconductor module and the capacitor module;
The said housing | casing is a power converter device which has a metal support part for supporting the said bus bar. The power conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The flow path forming body has a wiring member electrically connected to the module case,
The said wiring member is a power converter device which is embedded in the said flow-path formation body and is electrically connected with the said base part.

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