JP6479417B2 - Electric vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to an electric vehicle control apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electric vehicle control device including an inverter unit in which a plurality of inverters (power conversion devices) for supplying electric power to an electric motor mounted on an electric vehicle is housed in a single casing is known. In many cases, the electric vehicle control device includes a cooling unit for cooling the inverter unit and a control unit for controlling the inverter in addition to the inverter unit. Since this type of electric vehicle control device is accommodated in the lower part of the passenger compartment of the electric vehicle, the size of the device may be a problem.

JP2011-229372A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle control device capable of reducing the size of the device.

  The electric vehicle control device according to the embodiment includes an inverter unit, a capacitor, a cooling unit, and a control unit. The inverter unit includes an inverter that drives a power switching element to supply electric power to an electric motor that generates a driving force for driving the electric vehicle. The capacitor is connected in parallel to the inverter. The cooling unit is provided on one side of the inverter unit and cools the power switching element. The control unit is provided on the other side of the inverter unit.

  The control unit has a gate substrate, a discharge circuit substrate, and a control circuit substrate. The gate substrate is mounted with a gate circuit that applies a voltage to the gate terminal of the power switching element. The discharge circuit board is mounted with at least a part of a discharge circuit that discharges the electric power stored in the capacitor. The control circuit board is equipped with a control circuit that controls the gate circuit based on the input signal. The control unit is arranged adjacent to the control circuit board and the discharge circuit board so as to form the same surface, and the gate board is arranged to face the control circuit board and the discharge circuit board.

The schematic diagram which looked at the electric vehicle T by which the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of embodiment is mounted from the side. The schematic diagram which looked at the electric vehicle T by which the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of embodiment is mounted from the front. The front view which shows an example of the external appearance of the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of embodiment. The top view which shows an example of the external appearance of the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of embodiment. The bottom view which shows an example of the external appearance of the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of embodiment. The top view which shows the gate board | substrate accommodated in the 1st board | substrate unit 40 in the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of embodiment. The circuit diagram which shows the electric constitution of the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of embodiment. The simplified block diagram which looked at the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of embodiment from the upper surface. The perspective view which looked at the control unit in the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of embodiment from the bird's eye view.

Hereinafter, an electric vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Description will be made using an XYZ coordinate system as necessary.
Drawing 1 is a mimetic diagram which looked at electric car T in which electric car control device 1 of an embodiment is carried from the side. Drawing 2 is a mimetic diagram which looked at electric car T in which electric car control device 1 of an embodiment is carried from the front. FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating an example of an appearance of the electric vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating an example of an appearance of the electric vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a bottom view illustrating an example of the appearance of the electric vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment. 1 to 5 is the traveling direction of the electric vehicle T.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle control device 1 is disposed in the lower part of the passenger cabin 2. Moreover, the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 is arrange | positioned so that the other electric vehicle control apparatus 1 may be opposed in a X direction, as shown in FIG. The electric vehicle control device 1 is supplied with the overhead wire power supplied from the current collector 3. The electric vehicle control device 1 converts overhead power into three-phase alternating current and supplies it to the electric motor 4. As a result, the electric vehicle control device 1 causes the electric motor 4 to generate torque and causes the electric vehicle to travel in the Y direction. In the embodiment, the electric motor 4 is, for example, a permanent magnet synchronous motor.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the electric vehicle control device 1 includes a cooling unit 10, an inverter unit 20, a power supply terminal group 30, a first board unit 40, and a second board unit 50.

  The cooling unit 10 is provided on one side (+ X direction side) of the inverter unit 20 and cools the power switching element in the inverter unit 20. In the cooling unit 10, a heat exhaust mechanism that exhausts heat from the inverter unit 20 is accommodated in a cooling cover 12 in which ventilation holes are formed in a lattice shape. The exhaust heat mechanism includes a heat receiving plate through which heat of a plurality of power switching elements in the inverter unit 20 is conducted, an exhaust heat pipe connected to the heat receiving plate and extending from the inverter unit 20 in an approximately X direction, and exhaust heat And exhaust heat fins formed on the pipe. A cooling medium circulated with the inverter unit 20 is passed through the exhaust heat pipe. Air is supplied to the heat generating mechanism in the Y direction from the vent hole of the cooling cover 12 as the electric vehicle T travels. The cooling medium is heat exchanged with the supplied air. As a result, the inverter unit 20 is deprived of heat and cooled.

The inverter unit 20 is provided on the −X direction side when viewed from the cooling unit 10. The inverter unit 20 includes an inverter that drives a power switching element to supply power to the motor 4.
The inverter unit 20 accommodates an inverter. In addition, the inverter unit 20 in this embodiment demonstrates the 2in1 type | mold inverter unit which accommodated two inverters in the single housing | casing.

  The inverter unit 20 includes a bus bar portion 24 and a power terminal portion 22. The power terminal unit 22 is a plurality of terminals connected to the plurality of power switching elements and the bus bar unit 24 in the inverter. The bus bar portion 24 is a plurality of plate-like conductors formed so as to connect the terminals in the power supply terminal group 30 and the terminals in the power terminal portion 22. The bus bar unit 24 supplies the drive current supplied from the power switching element via the power terminal unit 22 to the output terminal of the power supply terminal group 30.

The power supply terminal group 30 includes a power input terminal 32, a three-phase AC power output terminal 34, and a discharge terminal 36.
The power input terminal 32 is a positive terminal (P) connected to the positive line in each inverter and a negative terminal (N) connected to the negative line in each inverter. A DC voltage corresponding to the overhead wire power is applied between the positive terminal (P) and the negative terminal (N).

  The three-phase AC power output terminal 34 is a power output terminal (U1, V1, W1, U2, V2, W2) corresponding to each of the U phase, V phase, and W phase of the two inverters. The three-phase AC power output terminal 34 outputs power corresponding to the U phase, V phase, and W phase of the two inverters via the bus bar portion 24. The three-phase AC power output terminal 34 is connected to the two motors 4 via the power line. The three-phase AC power output terminal 34 is supplied with the U-phase current, the V-phase current, and the W-phase current for each of the two inverters from the bus bar unit 24, and the supplied U-phase current, V-phase current, and W-phase. Current is supplied to the two motors 4.

  The discharge terminal 36 is a terminal for discharging electric power stored in the filter capacitor 107 described later. The discharge terminal 36 is connected to the filter capacitor 107 via the bus bar portion 24. The discharge terminal 36 is connected to the ground terminal via a resistor. The discharge terminal 36 guides the electric power discharged from the filter capacitor 107 to the ground terminal via a resistor.

  The first substrate unit 40 and the second substrate unit 50 are provided on one side (−X direction side) of the inverter unit 20. The first substrate unit 40 and the second substrate unit 50 are arranged so as to be stacked in the X direction. The first substrate unit 40 accommodates a gate substrate 40A shown in FIG. The second board unit 50 accommodates a discharge circuit board 60 and a control circuit board 50A which will be described later.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a gate substrate accommodated in the first substrate unit 40 in the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of the embodiment.
The gate substrate has two gate circuit portions 40-1 and 40-2 corresponding to two inverters. Each of the gate circuit units 40-1 and 40-2 has a switch circuit that applies a gate voltage to the gate terminals of the power switching elements of the upper arm and the lower arm for each of the U phase, V phase, and W phase of the inverter. Each of the gate circuit units 40-1 and 40-2 includes a transformer circuit that converts a gate voltage applied to the power switching element into a predetermined voltage.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the electric vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment.
The electric vehicle control device 1 is connected to a current collector 100, a high-speed circuit breaker 101, a charging resistance short-circuit contactor 102, a charging resistor 103, an open contactor 104, and a reactor 105. In the electric vehicle control device 1, the positive terminal (32 (P)) of the power input terminal 32 in the power supply terminal group 30 described above is connected to the reactor 105. Moreover, the negative electrode terminal (32 (N)) in the power input terminal 32 is connected to the wheel 112 functioning as a ground terminal. In the electric vehicle control device 1, a voltage corresponding to the overhead wire power is applied between the positive terminal (32 (P)) and the negative terminal (32 (N)).

The electric vehicle control apparatus 1 includes a discharge circuit 106, a filter capacitor 107, and a DC voltage sensor 108. The discharge circuit 106, the filter capacitor 107, and the DC voltage sensor 108 are connected in parallel between the positive terminal (P) and the negative terminal (N) of the power input terminal 32.
The discharge circuit 106 includes a filter reactor 106a and a discharge switch unit 106b connected in series between a positive terminal (32 (P)) and a negative terminal (32 (N)).
The filter capacitor 107 is attached to a housing case for the power switching element in the inverter unit 20. The filter capacitor 107 stores overhead power supplied to the inverters 110A and 110B. The electric power stored in the filter capacitor 107 is discharged through the filter reactor 106a in response to the switch part 106b for discharging being switched from the non-conductive state to the conductive state. Discharge power is discharged from the discharge terminal 36 described above.

  An inverter group 109 accommodated in the inverter unit 20 is connected between the positive terminal (32 (P)) and the negative terminal (32 (N)) of the power input terminal 32. The inverter group 109 includes an inverter 110A and an inverter 110B. The inverter group 109 includes a discharge switch portion 106b formed on the heat receiving plate 10A together with the inverter 110A and the inverter 110B. Inverters 110A and 110B have an upper arm power and a lower arm power connected in series between the positive terminal (32 (P)) and the negative terminal (32 (N)) for each of the U phase, the V phase, and the W phase. Switching element. The power switching element is, for example, an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor). The power switching element is switched from the non-conductive state to the conductive state in response to the gate voltage being applied to the gate terminal by the operation of the gate circuit.

  A three-phase AC power output terminal 34 is connected to the inverters 110A and 110B. The switching elements for power in the inverters 110A and 110B correspond to the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase, respectively, as three-phase AC power output terminals 34-1 (U1, V1, W1), 34-2 (U2, V2,. W2) is connected. The three-phase AC power output from the inverters 110A and 110B is supplied to the motors 111A and 111B via the three-phase AC power output terminals 34-1 and 34-2.

  Next, the layout of each part in the electric vehicle control apparatus 1 of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a simplified configuration diagram of the electric vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the control unit in the electric vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment as seen from above. In FIG. 8, the casing of the inverter unit 20 and the power supply terminal group 30, the portion corresponding to the casing in the first substrate unit 40 and the second substrate unit 50 are indicated by dotted lines, and the configuration accommodated in the casing is indicated by a solid line. Show.

  The first substrate unit 40 has a gate substrate 40A. The second board unit 50 includes a control circuit board 50A and a discharge circuit board 60.

  The gate substrate 40A is mounted with a gate circuit that applies a voltage to the gate terminal of the power switching element. The gate substrate 40A is provided with a control signal input connector 40a at the end on the -Y direction side. The control signal input to the input connector 40a is supplied to the gate circuit.

The control circuit board 50A is mounted with a control circuit that controls the gate circuit based on the input signal. The control circuit board 50A is provided with an input signal input circuit 50a and a control signal output connector 50b. The input circuit 50a is formed at one end (+ Y direction side) in the Y direction on the control circuit board 50A. The output connector 50b is formed at the other end (−Y direction side) in the Y direction of the control circuit board 50A.
The input signal is, for example, a motor drive command generated based on a notch command. The control circuit generates a control signal based on the input signal input to the input circuit 50a, and outputs the control signal from the connector 50b.

On the discharge circuit board 60, a discharge circuit 106 that discharges the electric power stored in the filter capacitor 107 is mounted. The discharge circuit board 60 is provided with a control signal input connector 60a and a control signal output connector 60b. The discharge circuit board 60 is formed with a signal transmission circuit 60c that electrically connects the input connector 60a and the output connector 60b.
The input connector 60a is formed on one end (+ Y direction side) of the discharge circuit board 60 in the Y direction. The input connector 60a is electrically connected to the control circuit board 50A and the discharge circuit board 60 by fitting with the output connector 50b. The output connector 60b is formed at the other end (−Y direction side) of the discharge circuit board 60 in the Y direction. The signal transmission circuit 60c is supplied with the control signal output from the control circuit from the input connector 60a, and supplies the supplied control signal to the output connector 60b.

  The output connector 60b is formed so as to protrude in the X direction from the substrate surface of the discharge circuit substrate 60. The output connector 60b is fitted with the input connector 40a and electrically connects the discharge circuit substrate 60 and the gate substrate 40A. The output connector 60b outputs the control signal transmitted from the signal transmission circuit 60c to the input connector 40a.

  Such control units are arranged adjacent to each other so that the control circuit board 50A and the discharge circuit board 60 form the same surface. In the control unit, a gate substrate 40A is arranged to face the control circuit substrate 50A and the discharge circuit substrate 60.

  By configuring in this way, the Y-direction lengths of the first substrate unit 40 and the second substrate unit 50 can be arranged to be equal to or shorter than the Y-direction lengths of the inverter unit 20 and the cooling unit 10. The control unit is configured such that the layer including the control circuit board 50A and the discharge circuit board 60 and the layer including the gate substrate 40A have a two-layer structure. Thus, the control unit has a shorter length in the X direction than the three-layer structure of the control circuit board 50A, the discharge circuit board 60, and the gate board 40A.

  Note that the connector for stacking the control circuit board 50A, the discharge circuit board 60, and the gate board 40A is provided near the end in the -Y direction, but may be provided near the end in the + Y direction. However, since the input circuit 50a is disposed on the + Y direction side of the control circuit board 50A, it is necessary to provide a control signal output connector in addition to the place where the input circuit 50a is formed.

  In the electric vehicle control device 1, the power switching element 20 b and the discharge switch unit 106 b connected to the discharge circuit board 60 are formed on the heat receiving plate 10 </ b> A in the cooling unit 10. The power switching element 20b is arranged to face the control circuit board 50A in the X direction. Further, the discharge switch section 106b is disposed so as to face the discharge circuit board 60 in the X direction.

  According to at least one embodiment described above, the control circuit board 50A and the discharge circuit board 60 are disposed adjacent to each other so as to form the same surface, and the control circuit board 50A and the discharge circuit board 60 are opposed to the gate. Since the substrate 40A is disposed, the control circuit substrate 50A, the discharge circuit substrate 60, and the gate substrate 40A can have a two-layer structure, and as a result, the apparatus can be miniaturized.

In the embodiment, the control circuit substrate 50A can be shorter in the Y direction than the gate substrate 40A. Utilizing this, according to the embodiment, the control circuit board 50A is disposed adjacent to the discharge circuit board 60 in the Y direction, whereby the Y direction length of the gate substrate 40A and the Y direction length of the control circuit board 50A are arranged. And the total length of the discharge circuit board 60 in the Y direction can be made substantially the same.
Further, according to this embodiment, the control unit does not become larger than the inverter unit 20 and the cooling unit 10, and the first substrate unit 40 and the second substrate unit 50 can be formed in a box shape or a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The electric vehicle control device 1 can be easily attached.

  Furthermore, according to the embodiment, since the signal transmission circuit 60c that relays the signal output from the control circuit board 50A to the discharge circuit board 60 and outputs the signal to the gate board 40A is formed, the signal output from the control circuit board 50A is formed. The control signal can be supplied to the gate substrate 40A via the signal transmission circuit 60c.

  Further, according to the embodiment, the control circuit board 50A and the discharge circuit board 60 are provided with the connectors (50b, 60a) formed on the surfaces adjacent to each other, and the adjacent connectors (50b, 60a) are fitted to each other. The control circuit board 50A and the discharge circuit board 60 are electrically connected to each other, and the discharge circuit board 60 and the gate board 40A are provided with connectors (60b, 40a) formed on the surfaces facing each other. The connectors (60b, 40a) thus formed are fitted together to electrically connect the discharge circuit substrate 60 and the gate substrate 40A. As a result, according to the embodiment, there is no need to connect the control circuit board 50A, the discharge circuit board 60, and the gate board 40A with electric wires, and space can be saved. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the complexity of wiring work can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the control circuit board 50A has the input circuit 50a for inputting a signal supplied from the outside on the side opposite to the surface on which the output connector 50b is formed. And a control signal can be output from the other end. As a result, the control signal can be made to flow in one direction substantially in the −Y direction while being processed in the control circuit board 50A, so that signal transmission / reception in the board is made efficient. be able to.

  Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the power switching element 20b and the discharge switch unit 106b connected to the discharge circuit board 60 are formed on the heat receiving plate 10A in the cooling unit 10, and the power switching element 20b is connected to the control circuit board. Since the discharge switch portion 106b is opposed to the discharge circuit board 60, the wiring connecting the control circuit board 50A and the power switching element 20b is shortened, and the discharge circuit board 60 and the discharge switch portion 106b are opposed to each other. The wiring for connecting to can be shortened. Moreover, according to this embodiment, the complexity of wiring work can be reduced.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electric vehicle control apparatus 4, 111A, 111B ... Electric motor, 10 ... Cooling unit, 10A ... Heat-receiving plate, 20 ... Inverter unit, 20b ... Electric power switching element, 40 ... First board unit, 40a ... Input connector, 40A ... Gate board, 50 ... Second board unit, 50a ... Input circuit, 50A ... Control circuit board, 50b ... Output connector, 60 ... Discharge circuit board, 60a ... Input connector, 60b ... Output connector, 60c ... Signal transmission circuit, 106 ... Discharge circuit, 107 ... Filter capacitor, 110A, 110B ... Inverter

Claims (5)

An inverter unit having an inverter that drives an electric power switching element to supply electric power to an electric motor that generates a traveling driving force of the electric vehicle;
A capacitor connected in parallel to the inverter;
A cooling unit provided on one side of the inverter unit for cooling the power switching element;
A control unit provided on the other side of the inverter unit,
The control unit is
A gate substrate mounted with a gate circuit for applying a voltage to the gate terminal of the power switching element;
A discharge circuit board on which at least a part of a discharge circuit for discharging the electric power stored in the capacitor is mounted;
A control circuit board equipped with a control circuit for controlling the gate circuit based on an input signal,
The control circuit board and the discharge circuit board are disposed adjacent to form the same surface, and the gate substrate is disposed to face the control circuit board and the discharge circuit board.
Electric vehicle control device. The discharge circuit board is formed with a signal transmission circuit that relays a signal output from the control circuit board and outputs the signal to the gate board.
The electric vehicle control device according to claim 1. The control circuit board and the discharge circuit board each have connectors formed on surfaces adjacent to each other, and the adjacent connectors are fitted together to electrically connect the control circuit board and the discharge circuit board. Connect
The discharge circuit substrate and the gate substrate each have a connector formed on surfaces facing each other, and the opposed connectors are fitted together to electrically connect the discharge circuit substrate and the gate substrate;
The electric vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2. The control circuit board has an input circuit for inputting a signal supplied from the outside on the side opposite to the surface on which the connector is formed.
The electric vehicle control device according to claim 3. The power switching element and the discharge switch connected to the discharge circuit board are formed on a heat receiving plate in the cooling unit,
The power switching element faces the control circuit board,
The discharge switch portion is disposed to face the discharge circuit board.
The electric vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images