JP2010259203A - Method of manufacturing power conversion apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a power conversion apparatus for reducing the case size, as much as possible, and stabilizing the clamp positions of semiconductor modules with respect to cooling pipes. <P>SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing the power conversion apparatus 1 includes: a process for disposing a temporary assembling body 30, where a plurality of cooling pipes 3 are connected mutually and temporarily at a connection pipe section 32, in the case 2; a process for disposing the semiconductor module 4 between the cooling pipes 3 in the temporary assembling body 30; a press process for allowing a cooling pipe 3A at one side to face one wall surface 21 in the case 2, pressurizing a cooling pipe 3B at the other side by a pressing tool 7, fitting the connection pipe sections 32 mutually, and forming an assembly body 40, where the semiconductor module 4 is clamped among the plurality of cooling pipes 3; and a process for disposing a pressurizing spring for retaining a clamp state at the assembly body 40 in a space 23 formed between the cooling pipe 3B at the other side and the other wall surface 22 in the case 2 in pressurization by the pressing tool 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power conversion device in which semiconductor modules are sandwiched between cooling tubes and arranged in a case.

In a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, and the like, a power conversion device in which a power conversion circuit such as an inverter circuit or a converter circuit is formed is used to drive a traveling motor or the like. As this power converter, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a semiconductor module in which a switching element is covered with a mold resin is sandwiched by cooling pipes, and the semiconductor modules and cooling pipes are alternately stacked, The one arranged inside is known.
Then, the semiconductor module is cooled by a refrigerant that faces the cooling pipe and circulates in the cooling pipe.

JP 2007-166820 A

When manufacturing a conventional power conversion device, an assembly is formed by placing a semiconductor module between a plurality of cooling pipes outside the case and compressing and pressing from both ends of the cooling pipes. is doing. The assembly is held by the holding jig until it is placed in the case after the compression and pressurization, and is placed in the case while being held by the holding jig.
However, when the assembly is placed in the case, the holding jig may interfere with the case, and it is necessary to make the case slightly larger. Therefore, in order to reduce the size of the case as much as possible, some conventional power conversion devices are not sufficient.
In addition, since the assembly is formed outside the case, the semiconductor module may be displaced with respect to the cooling pipe, and the position of the semiconductor module may not be stable when placed in the case. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, avoids interference of a jig or the like with the case, can reduce the size of the case as much as possible, and can hold the semiconductor module with respect to the cooling pipe. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a power converter capable of stabilizing the position.

The present invention uses a plurality of cooling pipes in which a refrigerant channel is communicated with a cooling pipe part and connecting pipe parts provided at both ends thereof, and connects the plurality of cooling pipes to each other in the connecting pipe part. In a method of manufacturing a power conversion device housed in a case with a semiconductor module sandwiched between them,
A temporary assembly arrangement step of arranging a temporary assembly formed by connecting the plurality of cooling pipes in a temporary state in the connection pipe portion in the case; and
A semiconductor module placement step of placing the semiconductor module between the cooling pipes in the temporary assembly;
One cooling pipe located at one end of the plurality of cooling pipes faces one wall surface in the case, and the other cooling pipe located at the other end of the plurality of cooling pipes is pressurized. Pressurizing with a jig, and fitting the connecting pipe portions together to form an assembly that sandwiches the semiconductor module between the plurality of cooling pipes; and
A pressure in which a pressing spring that holds the clamped state of the assembly is placed in a space formed between the other side cooling pipe and the other wall surface of the case when pressed by the pressing jig. A method for manufacturing a power conversion device comprising: a spring arrangement step (claim 1).

In the manufacturing method of the power converter of the present invention, in the temporary assembly arrangement step, a temporary assembly formed by connecting a plurality of cooling pipes in a temporary state at the connection pipe portion is arranged in the case. Thus, the plurality of cooling pipes can be arranged in the case as a temporary assembly excluding the semiconductor module, and this arrangement can be performed very easily while avoiding interference with the case. Therefore, the size of the case can be reduced as much as possible.
Next, in the semiconductor module arranging step, the semiconductor module is arranged between the cooling pipes in the temporary assembly. Thereby, in this invention, the clamping position of the semiconductor module with respect to a cooling pipe can be guided with a case, and it can prevent that a semiconductor module shifts | deviates with respect to a cooling pipe.

  Next, in the pressurizing step, the one side cooling pipe located at one end of the plurality of cooling pipes faces one wall surface of the case, and the other side cooling located at the other end of the plurality of cooling pipes. The tube is pressurized with a pressure jig. As a result, the connecting pipe portions are fitted together to form an assembly in which the semiconductor module is sandwiched between the plurality of cooling pipes. Therefore, the assembly can be formed in a state where the position of the semiconductor module with respect to the cooling pipe is maintained by the case.

Further, by applying pressure in the case, it is not necessary to move the assembly after pressurization, and the assembly can be placed in the case while being pressurized. Thereby, the adhesiveness of a cooling pipe and a semiconductor module can be improved.
After that, in the pressing spring arranging step, the pressing spring is arranged in a space formed between the other side cooling pipe and the other wall surface of the case when the pressing jig is pressurized. Thereby, the holding state of the semiconductor module by the cooling pipe in the assembly is held by the pressing force of the pressing spring.

  Therefore, according to the method for manufacturing the power conversion device of the present invention, it is possible to avoid a jig or the like from interfering with the case, and to reduce the size of the case as much as possible. In addition, the holding position of the semiconductor module with respect to the cooling pipe can be stabilized.

Explanatory drawing which shows the state which performed the temporary assembly arrangement | positioning process in the manufacturing method of a power converter device in an Example. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which performed the semiconductor module arrangement | positioning process in the manufacturing method of a power converter device in an Example. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which performed the pressurization process in the manufacturing method of a power converter device in an Example. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which performed the press spring arrangement | positioning process in the manufacturing method of a power converter device in an Example. Explanatory drawing which expands and shows the periphery of the connection pipe part in a cooler in an Example.

A preferred embodiment of the above-described method for manufacturing the power conversion device of the present invention will be described.
In the present invention, after the pressing spring arranging step, with the pressing spring arranged, a re-pressurizing step of applying pressure by the pressing jig, and pins on both ends of the pressing spring. It is preferable to perform a pin arranging step of arranging and applying a pressing force by the pressing spring to the plurality of cooling pipes by the pins.
In this case, the semiconductor module can be more stably held by the plurality of cooling pipes.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a method for manufacturing a power converter according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the manufacturing method of the power conversion device 1 of the present example is a cooling pipe 3 in which a refrigerant channel 33 is communicated with a cooling pipe portion 31 and connecting pipe portions 32 provided at both ends 52 thereof. And a plurality of cooling pipes 3 are connected to each other at the connecting pipe portion 32, and the semiconductor module 4 is sandwiched between the cooling pipes 3 and stored in the case 2 made of an aluminum material or the like.
The manufacturing method of the power converter 1 of this example performs the following temporary assembly arrangement process, semiconductor module arrangement process, pressurizing process, and pressing spring arrangement process.

  In the temporary assembly arrangement step, as shown in FIG. 1, a temporary assembly 30 in which a plurality of cooling pipes 3 are connected in a temporary state at the connection pipe portion 32 is arranged in the case 2. In the semiconductor module arranging step, as shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor module 4 is arranged between the cooling pipes 3 in the temporary assembly 30. In the pressurizing step, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one side cooling pipe 3 </ b> A located at one end of the plurality of cooling pipes 3 faces one wall surface 21 in the case 2, and the plurality of cooling pipes 3, the other side cooling pipe 3 </ b> B located at the other end is compressed and pressurized by the pressurizing jig 7, the connecting pipe parts 32 are fitted to each other, and the semiconductor module 4 is interposed between the plurality of cooling pipes 3. The sandwiched assembly 40 is formed. In the pressing spring arrangement step, as shown in FIG. 4, when pressurized by the pressing jig 7, the space is formed in the space 23 formed between the other side cooling pipe 3 </ b> B and the other wall surface 22 in the case 2. The pressing spring 5 that holds the clamped state of the appendage 40 is disposed.

Below, it demonstrates in detail with reference to FIGS. 1-5 about the manufacturing method of the power converter device 1 of this example.
The power conversion device 1 of this example includes an inverter circuit, a voltage conversion circuit, a booster circuit, and the like by switching elements in the semiconductor module 4. The semiconductor module 4 is formed with a P terminal (plus side terminal), an N terminal (minus side terminal), an O terminal (output terminal), and the like. Is connected to a power source (capacitor) or a three-phase AC rotating electric machine.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cooling pipe 3 includes a cooling pipe section 31 formed by arranging wave-shaped cooling fins or the like in a pipe having a rectangular cross section, and both ends 52 of the cooling pipe section 31. And a pair of connecting pipe portions 32 by piping provided perpendicular to the plate surface direction.
The connecting pipe part 32 is formed by forming an inner pipe part 321 on one side in the stacking direction (connecting direction) of the cooling pipes 3 and an outer pipe part 322 on the other side in the stacking direction of the cooling pipes 3. The two are connected to each other by inserting the inner tube portion 321 of one cooling tube 3 into the outer tube portion 322 of the other cooling tube 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting pipe part 32 of the cooling pipe 3 is inserted into the outer pipe part 322 halfway to connect the inner pipe part 321 halfway, and as shown in FIG. 3, the outer pipe part 322 is connected. On the other hand, the inner tube portion 321 is inserted to the final position to perform the connection in the final assembled state.

As shown in FIG. 4, the semiconductor module 4 is formed by covering a switching element with a mold resin. Two semiconductor modules 4 are arranged between the cooling pipes 3 along the direction in which the cooling pipe parts 31 are formed (the direction in which the pair of connecting pipe parts 32 are arranged). Are arranged side by side in two rows. The semiconductor module 4 is sandwiched between the cooling pipe portions 31 of the cooling pipe 3 via an insulating plate and grease.
The entire cooling pipe 3 is configured such that the refrigerant C is introduced from the one side connecting pipe part 32, passes through the cooling pipe part 31, and is discharged from the other side connecting pipe part 32. . Then, when the refrigerant C passes through the cooling pipe portion 31, the semiconductor module 4 can be cooled by removing heat from the semiconductor module 4.
The pressing spring 5 is configured to bend a plate-shaped spring material, engage both ends 52 with pins 61, and bring the bending portion 51 into contact with the other cooling tube 3B via a backup member 62. .

Next, the order of manufacturing the power conversion device 1 of this example and the obtained effects will be described.
First, as a temporary assembly arrangement step, as shown in FIG. 1, a temporary assembly 30 in which a plurality of cooling pipes 3 are connected in a provisional state at a connection pipe portion 32 is arranged in the case 2. At this time, the temporary assembly 30 is temporarily placed outside the case 2 so that the inner tube portion 321 of the connecting tube portion 32 in each cooling tube 3 is connected to the outer tube portion 322 of the connecting tube portion 32 in the adjacent cooling tube 3. Insert and form. Thereby, the plurality of cooling pipes 3 can be arranged in the case 2 as the temporary assembly 30 excluding the semiconductor module 4, and this arrangement can be performed very easily while avoiding interference with the case 2. Therefore, the size of case 2 can be made as small as possible.

  Next, as a semiconductor module arranging step, as shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor module 4 is arranged between the cooling pipe portions 31 of the cooling pipe 3 in the temporary assembly 30. At this time, an insulating plate and grease can be disposed between the cooling pipe portion 31 and the semiconductor module 4. Thereby, the clamping position of the semiconductor module 4 with respect to the cooling pipe 3 can be guided by the case 2, and the semiconductor module 4 can be prevented from being displaced with respect to the cooling pipe 3.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one side cooling pipe 3 </ b> A located at one end of the plurality of cooling pipes 3 faces one wall surface 21 in the case 2, and a plurality of cooling pipes are provided. The other side cooling pipe 3 </ b> B located at the other side end of the pipe 3 is compressed and pressurized by the pressurizing jig 7. Thereby, the inner pipe part 321 of the connecting pipe part 32 in each cooling pipe 3 is fitted to the outer pipe part 322 of the connecting pipe part 32 in the adjacent cooling pipe 3 to the final assembly position, and the plurality of cooling pipes 3 are inserted. An assembly 40 is formed in which the semiconductor module 4 is sandwiched between them. Therefore, the assembly 40 can be formed in a state where the position of the semiconductor module 4 with respect to the cooling pipe 3 is maintained by the case 2.
Moreover, in the case 2, it is not necessary to move the assembly 40 after the compression and pressurization by performing the compression and pressurization, and it is arranged in the case 2 in a state where the compression and pressurization is performed. Can do. Thereby, the adhesiveness of the cooling pipe part 31 of the cooling pipe 3 and the semiconductor module 4 can be improved.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, as a pressing spring arrangement process, when pressurized by the pressing jig 7, in the space 23 formed between the other side cooling pipe 3 </ b> B and the other wall surface 22 in the case 2, A pressing spring 5 is arranged. Further, in this example, although not shown, as the re-pressurizing step, the other side cooling pipe 3B is further pressurized by the pressing jig 7 through the pressing spring 5 with the pressing spring 5 disposed.
Thereafter, as a pin arranging step, the pins 61 are arranged with respect to the both end portions 52 of the pressing spring 5 and backed up by the pins 61, and the pressing force by the pressing spring 5 is applied to the plurality of cooling pipes 3. Thereby, the clamping state of the semiconductor module 4 by the cooling pipe 3 in the assembly 40 can be maintained by the pressing force of the pressing spring 5.

  Therefore, according to the method for manufacturing the power conversion device 1 of this example, it is possible to avoid a jig or the like from interfering with the case 2 and to reduce the size of the case 2 as much as possible. Further, the holding position of the semiconductor module 4 with respect to the cooling pipe 3 can be stabilized.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power converter 2 Case 21 One wall surface 22 Other wall surface 3 Cooling pipe 30 Temporary assembly 31 Cooling pipe part 32 Connection pipe part 4 Semiconductor module 40 Assembly 5 Pressing spring 61 Pin 7 Pressure jig

Claims (2)

A plurality of cooling pipes in which a refrigerant channel is communicated with a cooling pipe part and connecting pipe parts provided at both ends thereof are connected to each other at the connecting pipe part, and the cooling pipes are connected between the cooling pipes. In a method of manufacturing a power conversion device housed in a case with a semiconductor module sandwiched between them,
A temporary assembly arrangement step of arranging a temporary assembly formed by connecting the plurality of cooling pipes in a temporary state in the connection pipe portion in the case; and
A semiconductor module placement step of placing the semiconductor module between the cooling pipes in the temporary assembly;
One cooling pipe located at one end of the plurality of cooling pipes faces one wall surface in the case, and the other cooling pipe located at the other end of the plurality of cooling pipes is pressurized. Pressurizing with a jig, and fitting the connecting pipe portions together to form an assembly that sandwiches the semiconductor module between the plurality of cooling pipes; and
A pressure in which a pressing spring that holds the clamped state of the assembly is placed in a space formed between the other side cooling pipe and the other wall surface of the case when pressed by the pressing jig. A method for manufacturing a power converter, comprising: a spring arrangement step. In Claim 1, after the said press spring arrangement | positioning process, in the state which has arrange | positioned the said press spring, the re-pressurization process which pressurizes with the said pressurization jig | tool further,
A method of manufacturing a power conversion device, comprising: a pin placement step in which pins are arranged at both ends of the pressing spring, and a pressing force by the pressing spring is applied to the plurality of cooling pipes by the pins.

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