JP2007173372A - Power converter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power converter capable of effectively suppressing internal temperature rising. <P>SOLUTION: The power converter comprises a semiconductor module 2 which incorporates a semiconductor element 21, and a cooling pipe 4 stacked and arranged to pinch the semiconductor module 2 from both main surfaces 25. The cooling pipe 4 comprises a pair of shell plates 41, an intermediate plate 42 arranged between the pair of shell plates 41, and an inner fin 43 arranged between the intermediate plate 42 and the shell plate 41, with a coolant channel 44 formed between the intermediate plate 42 and the shell plate 41. The intermediate plate 42 comprises a protrusion 421 which protrudes outside beyond the shell plate 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power conversion device having a semiconductor module containing a semiconductor element and a cooling pipe that is stacked so as to sandwich the semiconductor module from both main surfaces.

  For example, in a hybrid vehicle having both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as a drive source, and other vehicles having an electric motor as a drive source, a large-capacity inverter that performs bidirectional conversion between DC power and AC power is required. And Therefore, various power converters including this inverter have been developed.

The inverter circuit (power conversion circuit) is configured using a semiconductor module incorporating an IGBT element or the like, but has a large capacity as described above, and therefore generates a large amount of heat. Therefore, the power converter is configured by incorporating a cooler that cools the semiconductor module (see Patent Document 1).
That is, the cooler is formed by stacking cooling tubes so as to sandwich the semiconductor module from both main surfaces.

  However, in the power conversion device, as described above, the semiconductor module is cooled by the cooler, but no other direct cooling means is provided for other heat-generating components such as a capacitor. Therefore, the heat from the heat generating component is radiated to the surrounding air. Therefore, the temperature of air rises in the case of the power conversion device, and there is a risk of hindering the normal operation of each component. In particular, since hot air accumulates in the upper part of the case of the power conversion device, there is a risk of affecting components and the like disposed on the upper part.

Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to improve the heat resistance of these components.
On the other hand, heat generating parts other than semiconductor modules, such as capacitors, may be brought into contact with a cooler to dissipate heat and dissipate heat. is there.

JP 2005-073374 A

  This invention is made | formed in view of this conventional problem, and intends to provide the power converter device which can suppress an internal temperature rise effectively.

The present invention is a power conversion device having a semiconductor module containing a semiconductor element, and a cooling pipe arranged so as to sandwich the semiconductor module from both main surfaces,
The cooling pipe includes a pair of outer shell plates, an intermediate plate disposed between the pair of outer shell plates, and an inner fin disposed between the intermediate plate and the outer shell plate, A refrigerant flow path is formed between the intermediate plate and the outer shell plate,
The intermediate plate has a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the outer shell plate. (Claim 1)

Next, the effects of the present invention will be described.
In the power conversion device, the semiconductor module is cooled by exchanging heat with a cooling medium flowing through the refrigerant flow path in the cooling pipes arranged on both main surfaces of the semiconductor module. This is because heat transfer is performed between the semiconductor module and the cooling medium through the cooling pipe.

The cooling pipe has a pair of outer shell plates, an intermediate plate, and inner fins, and the intermediate plate has a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the outer shell plate. Therefore, the temperature rise of the air around the said protrusion part in a power converter device can also be suppressed effectively.
That is, a projecting portion is formed by projecting the intermediate plate constituting the cooling pipe to the outside of the outer shell plate, and the projecting portion and the surrounding air are brought into contact with each other. Heat exchange with the air around the protrusion can be performed. In particular, since the intermediate plate is disposed in the central portion of the cooling pipe and has a sufficient contact area with the cooling medium, heat exchange between the cooling medium and air can be efficiently performed via the intermediate plate. Thereby, the temperature rise in the inside of a power converter device can be suppressed effectively.

  As described above, the heat of the semiconductor module is dissipated by heat transfer to the cooling pipe that sandwiches the semiconductor module, but the heat from other heat-generating components such as a capacitor built in the power converter is dissipated to the surrounding air. Is done. As a result, as described above, the air heated to a high temperature can be cooled by exchanging heat with the protruding portion of the intermediate plate, thereby suppressing an increase in temperature inside the power converter.

  Moreover, since the said protrusion part can be formed by making an intermediate | middle plate protrude outward from an outer shell plate and producing a cooling pipe, it is necessary to arrange | position especially a new component and apparatus in a power converter device. There is no. Therefore, an easily manufactured, low-cost, and compact power conversion device can be obtained.

  As mentioned above, according to this invention, the power converter device which can suppress an internal temperature rise effectively can be provided.

In the present invention (Claim 1), examples of the power converter include a DC-DC converter and an inverter. Moreover, the said power converter device can be used for the production | generation of the drive current which supplies with electricity to the alternating current motor which is motive power sources, such as an electric vehicle and a hybrid vehicle, for example.
Moreover, the said semiconductor module incorporates semiconductor elements, such as an IGBT element, for example, and comprises a part of power converter circuit.
In addition, an insulating material can be interposed between the cooling pipe and the semiconductor module.

Moreover, it is preferable that the said protrusion part provides the fin structure for earning a surface area (Claim 2).
In this case, the contact area with the surrounding air in the protrusion can be increased. Therefore, heat exchange between the protrusion and air can be performed efficiently, and the temperature rise inside the power conversion device can be more effectively suppressed.

Example 1
A power converter according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the power conversion device 1 of this example includes a semiconductor module 2 containing a semiconductor element 21, and a cooling pipe 4 that is stacked so as to sandwich the semiconductor module 2 from both main surfaces 25. And have.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooling pipe 4 includes a pair of outer shell plates 41, an intermediate plate 42 disposed between the pair of outer shell plates 41, the intermediate plate 42, and the outer shell plate 41. And wave-shaped inner fins 43 disposed between the two. A coolant channel 44 is formed between the intermediate plate 42 and the outer shell plate 41.
The intermediate plate 42 has a protruding portion 421 that protrudes outward from the outer shell plate 41.

  The intermediate plate 42 is a flat plate, and wave-shaped inner fins 43 are joined to both surfaces thereof. Furthermore, the outer shell plate 41 is joined to both surfaces of the intermediate plate 42 at the ends so as to cover the inner fins 43. The outer shell plate 41 is also joined to the inner fins 43. Thereby, the flat cooling pipe 4 is formed. Moreover, the outer shell plate 41, the intermediate plate 42, and the inner fin 43 are made of aluminum, and these are joined to each other by welding, brazing, or the like.

The intermediate plate 42 extends further outward than the joint portion 45 with the outer shell plate 41, and this portion serves as the protruding portion 421. As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the protruding portion 421 is formed in both the length direction and the width direction of the cooling pipe 4.
A refrigerant flow path 44 is formed between the outer shell plate 41 and the intermediate plate 42. In the refrigerant flow path 44, for example, water mixed with ethylene glycol antifreeze, natural refrigerant such as water or ammonia, fluorocarbon refrigerant such as fluorinate, chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant such as HCFC123 and HFC134a, methanol, alcohol, etc. A cooling medium such as an alcohol refrigerant or a ketone refrigerant such as acetone can be circulated.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a connecting pipe 402 is disposed on the main surface 45 at the end of the cooling pipe 4, and the connecting pipe 402 is connected to the adjacent cooling pipe 4. Thus, the refrigerant flow path 44 is communicated. 3 and 5, the illustration of the insulating material 3 is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, an insulating material 3 made of a ceramic plate having excellent thermal conductivity is interposed between the cooling pipe 4 and the semiconductor module 2.
In addition, the semiconductor module 2 has a double-sided cooling structure, and the insulating material 3 and the cooling pipe 4 are stacked on both main surfaces 25 of the semiconductor module 2. That is, the semiconductor module 2 is arranged with the heat sinks 23 exposed on both main surfaces 25, and the insulating material 3 is disposed in contact with each main surface 25 via grease (not shown). In addition, the cooling pipe 4 is disposed in contact with grease (not shown).

  Furthermore, it is laminated | stacked through the insulating material 3 and the semiconductor module 2 by the same structure also on the other side of the cooling pipe 4 arrange | positioned as mentioned above. As a whole, as shown in FIG. 3, the cooling pipes 4 and the semiconductor modules 2 are alternately stacked via insulating materials 3 (not shown). Note that two semiconductor modules 2 are sandwiched between the pair of cooling pipes 4 in a side-by-side arrangement.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor module 2 includes a module main body 20 that incorporates a semiconductor element 21 such as an IGBT, and an external connection terminal 22 that protrudes from the module main body 20. The external connection terminal 22 includes a main electrode terminal 221 and a signal terminal 222 that protrudes in a direction different from the protruding direction of the main electrode terminal 221 by approximately 180 degrees.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 3, both ends of the plurality of cooling pipes 4 are connected by connecting pipes 401, thereby forming two header portions 402. In addition, a refrigerant inlet 403 and a refrigerant outlet 404 connected to the cooling pipe 4 are respectively provided at one end of the two header portions 402. Thus, the cooler 40 formed by arranging a plurality of cooling pipes 4 in parallel is configured.

  The module main body 20 can be cooled from both sides by sandwiching the semiconductor module 2 between the adjacent cooling pipes 4 as described above and circulating the cooling medium in the cooling pipes 4. As described above, the cooling tube 4 and the semiconductor module 2 are alternately stacked to constitute the semiconductor stacked unit 11.

Examples of the power converter 1 include a DC-DC converter and an inverter. Moreover, the power converter device 1 can be used, for example, for generating a drive current for energizing an AC motor that is a power source of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.
As shown in FIG. 6, the power conversion device 1 includes, in the case 10, the semiconductor stacked unit 11 and a control circuit unit 12 that is electrically connected to the signal terminal 222 of the semiconductor module 2 and controls the semiconductor module 2, The capacitor part 13 electrically connected to the main electrode terminal 221 of the semiconductor module 2 is arranged.

  The capacitor unit 13 is disposed below the semiconductor multilayer unit 11, and the control circuit unit 12 is disposed above the semiconductor multilayer unit 11. The capacitor unit 13 is provided with, for example, a smoothing capacitor that makes the intermittent current a smooth direct current, a filter capacitor that removes a ripple component of the input current, and the like.

Next, the function and effect of this example will be described.
In the power conversion device 1, the semiconductor module 2 is cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling medium flowing through the refrigerant flow path 44 in the cooling pipe 4 disposed on both main surfaces 25 of the semiconductor module 2. Is done. This is because heat transfer is performed between the semiconductor module 2 and the cooling medium through the cooling pipe 4.

  The cooling pipe 4 has a pair of outer shell plates 41, an intermediate plate 42, and inner fins 43, and the intermediate plate 42 has a protruding portion 421 that protrudes outward from the outer shell plate 41. Therefore, the temperature rise of the air around the said protrusion part 421 in the power converter device 1 can also be suppressed.

  That is, the intermediate plate 42 that forms the cooling pipe 4 is formed to protrude outward from the outer shell plate 41, and the protrusion 421 is brought into contact with the surrounding air to bring the intermediate plate 42 into contact with the surrounding plate 42. Thus, heat exchange between the cooling medium and the air around the protrusion 421 can be performed. In particular, since the intermediate plate 42 is disposed in the central portion of the cooling pipe 4 and has a sufficient contact area with the cooling medium, heat exchange between the cooling medium and air can be efficiently performed via the intermediate plate 42. Can do. Thereby, the temperature rise in the inside of the power converter device 1 can be suppressed effectively.

  As described above, the heat of the semiconductor module 2 is dissipated by heat transfer to the cooling pipe 4 that sandwiches the semiconductor module 2, but the heat from other heat-generating components such as a capacitor built in the power converter 1 is The heat is dissipated in the air. As a result, as described above, the air heated to a high temperature can be cooled by exchanging heat with the protrusions 421 of the intermediate plate 42 to suppress an increase in temperature inside the power conversion device 1.

In particular, in this example, as shown in FIG. 6, since the condenser portion 13 that is a heat generating portion is arranged below the cooling pipe 4, the ambient air heated to high temperature by the heat radiation of the condenser portion 13 is indicated by an arrow a. As shown in FIG. At this time, the air passes through the spaces 14 and 15 between the cooling pipes 4, but most of them pass through the space 14 between the protrusions 421 of the adjacent cooling pipes 4. That is, only the intermediate plate 42 protrudes from the protruding portion 421, and the space 14 between the protruding portions 421 is wider than the space 15 between the other portions of the cooling pipe 4. Pass smoothly.

Thereby, while passing through the space 14, the high-temperature air dissipates heat to the projecting portion 421 of the cooling pipe 4 and is cooled.
And the arrival of hot air to the control circuit unit 12 arranged above the cooling pipe 4 can be prevented. Thereby, especially by suppressing the temperature rise of the air around the control circuit unit 12, the temperature rise of the control circuit unit 12 can be suppressed, and the normal operation of the control circuit unit 12 can be ensured.

  Moreover, since the said protrusion part 421 can be formed by making the intermediate | middle plate 42 protrude outward rather than the outer shell plate 41, and producing the cooling pipe 4, especially in the power converter device 1, new components and There is no need to place equipment. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the power converter 1 that is easy to manufacture, low cost, and compact.

  As described above, according to this example, it is possible to provide a power conversion device that can effectively suppress an internal temperature rise.

(Example 2)
As shown in FIG. 7, this example is an example of the power conversion device 1 in which the projecting portion 421 of the cooling pipe 4 is provided with a fin structure for increasing the surface area.
As the fin structure, in this example, a wave shape as shown in FIG. 7 is adopted. As the fin structure, for example, various forms such as an uneven shape or a rib can be adopted.
Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

In the case of this example, the contact area with the surrounding air in the said protrusion part 421 can be enlarged. Therefore, heat exchange between the protruding portion 421 and the air can be efficiently performed, and a temperature increase inside the power conversion device 1 can be further effectively suppressed.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

(Example 3)
This example is an example of the power conversion device 1 in which the protruding portion 421 of the intermediate plate 42 is provided only in the length direction of the cooling pipe 4 as shown in FIG.
The intermediate plate 42 in this example does not protrude from the outer shell plate 41 in the width direction.
Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

Also in the case of this example, the temperature rise inside the power converter 1 can be sufficiently suppressed. That is, when the arrangement of the power converter 1 in the case 10 is an arrangement in which the length direction of the cooling pipe 4 is horizontal as shown in FIG. Passes many lengthwise ends. Therefore, by forming the protruding portion 421 at this portion, the effect of cooling the air in the case 10 can be sufficiently exerted.
Moreover, since the width | variety of the cooling pipe 4 can be made small, size reduction of the power converter device 1 can be made still easier.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

(Comparative example)
This example is an example of a power converter that does not project the intermediate plate 42 in the cooling pipe 40 as shown in FIGS.
That is, the power converter of this example is not provided with the protrusion 421 shown in the first to third embodiments. And the edge part of the intermediate | middle plate 42 is distribute | arranged inside the junction part 450 of a pair of outer shell plates 41. FIG.
Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

  In the case of this example, since the projecting portion 421 (see FIGS. 1 to 8) shown in Examples 1 to 3 is not provided, the contact area between the air and the cooling pipe 40 in the power converter is small, It may be difficult to sufficiently perform heat exchange between the air and the cooling pipe 40. That is, in the configuration of this example, heat exchange between the air and the cooling pipe 40 may be performed when air passes through a portion corresponding to the space 15 shown in FIG. The portion corresponding to the space 15 is a narrow portion, and is a portion where air is not easily circulated. Therefore, it may be difficult to sufficiently cool the high-temperature air and effectively suppress the temperature rise inside the power converter.

  On the other hand, according to the power converter device 1 of the present invention shown in the first to third embodiments described above, the protrusion 421 (see FIGS. 1 to 8) is provided, so that the inside of the power converter device 1 is provided. An increase in temperature can be effectively suppressed.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor module and a pair of cooling pipes sandwiching the semiconductor module in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the cooling pipe in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a semiconductor stacked unit in Example 1. FIG. 3 is a front view of the vicinity of the end of the cooling pipe in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the end of the cooling pipe in the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the power converter device in Example 1. FIG. Sectional drawing of a semiconductor module in Example 2, and a pair of cooling pipe which clamps this. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the vicinity of the end of the cooling pipe in the third embodiment. Sectional drawing of a semiconductor module and a pair of cooling pipe which clamps this in a comparative example. The top view near the edge part of a cooling pipe in a comparative example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power converter 2 Semiconductor module 21 Semiconductor element 25 Main surface 4 Cooling pipe 41 Outer shell plate 42 Intermediate plate 43 Inner fin 44 Refrigerant flow path

Claims (2)

A power conversion device having a semiconductor module containing a semiconductor element, and a cooling pipe that is stacked so as to sandwich the semiconductor module from both main surfaces,
The cooling pipe includes a pair of outer shell plates, an intermediate plate disposed between the pair of outer shell plates, and an inner fin disposed between the intermediate plate and the outer shell plate, A refrigerant flow path is formed between the intermediate plate and the outer shell plate,
The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate plate has a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the outer shell plate.   The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is provided with a fin structure for increasing a surface area.

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