JP2013085393A - Power conversion apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power conversion apparatus which suppresses the temperature rise of a capacitor even in the arrangement where a reactor faces the capacitor.SOLUTION: A power conversion apparatus 1 includes: semiconductor modules 130 respectively forming parts of a power conversion circuit; a capacitor 5 and a reactor 7; and a cooler 6 which cools the semiconductor modules 130 from both main surfaces. The cooler 6 includes multiple coolant passages 60 disposed on both the main surfaces of the semiconductor module 130, and the multiple coolant passages 60 and the semiconductor modules 130 are laminated on each other to form a laminated body 13. The capacitor 5 is disposed at one end of the laminated body 13 in the lamination direction X, and the reactor 7 is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the lamination direction X relative to the capacitor 5. A heat shield plate 3 is disposed between the capacitor 5 and the reactor 7 so as to shield heat transmission therebetween.

Description

  The present invention relates to a power conversion device including both a capacitor and a reactor.

  In order to drive a motor, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and the like are equipped with a power conversion device that converts DC power from a battery into AC power. Since the power conversion device is mounted in a limited space such as in an engine room, for example, a small device is desired.

  As an example of the above power conversion device, for example, power conversion devices disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 have been proposed. In the power conversion device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a capacitor is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction of the stacked body, with respect to the stacked body in which the semiconductor modules and the refrigerant flow paths are alternately stacked. Moreover, as for the power converter device disclosed by patent document 2, the reactor is arrange | positioned at the end of the lamination direction in the said laminated body. These power conversion devices attempt to save space by arranging electronic components such as capacitors and reactors at specific positions with respect to the laminate.

JP 2011-114966 A JP 2008-220042 A

  However, in a power converter provided with both a capacitor and a reactor, there are cases where the capacitor and the reactor must be arranged in a state of facing each other. In this case, there is a problem that the temperature of the capacitor easily rises because heat generated from the reactor is transmitted to the capacitor disposed facing the reactor by convection or radiation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power conversion device that can suppress an increase in temperature of a capacitor even in an arrangement in which a reactor and a capacitor face each other.

One aspect of the present invention is a power conversion device including a semiconductor module, a capacitor, and a reactor that constitute a part of a power conversion circuit, and a cooler that cools the semiconductor module from both main surfaces.
The cooler includes a plurality of refrigerant flow paths disposed on both main surfaces of the semiconductor module,
The plurality of refrigerant flow paths and the semiconductor module are stacked on each other to form a stacked body,
The capacitor is disposed at one end in the stacking direction of the stacked body,
The reactor is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction with respect to the capacitor,
Between the said capacitor | condenser and the said reactor, it exists in the power converter device which has arrange | positioned the heat-shielding board which interrupts | blocks the heat transfer between both (Claim 1).

  The said power converter device has arrange | positioned the heat insulation board which interrupts | blocks the heat transfer between both between the said capacitor | condenser and the said reactor. Thus, when the reactor generates heat, the heat can be prevented from being transmitted to the capacitor by convection or radiation in the power conversion device. As a result, the temperature rise of the capacitor can be suppressed.

  As mentioned above, according to the said aspect, the power converter device which can suppress the temperature rise of a capacitor | condenser can be provided also in the arrangement | positioning which the reactor and the capacitor | condenser face.

The top view of the power converter device seen from the heat shield board side in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the circuit of the power converter device in Example 1. FIG. Sectional drawing of the capacitor | condenser accommodating part which provided the opening part for capacitor | condenser insertion in the lamination direction in Example 2. FIG.

  In the power converter, it is preferable that the heat shield plate is not in contact with at least one of the reactor and the capacitor and has a gap therebetween. Thereby, it can prevent that the heat of the said reactor is transmitted to the said capacitor | condenser by heat conduction.

  Further, the heat shield plate does not necessarily completely block the transfer of heat from the reactor to the capacitor, and may be any plate that can suppress the temperature rise of the capacitor. That is, it is only necessary that the temperature increase of the capacitor can be reduced in the case where the heat shield plate is provided compared to the case where the heat shield plate is not provided. This is because, for example, the heat shield plate can block at least a part of air convection between the reactor and the condenser, or can block a part of radiant heat from the reactor toward the condenser. If there is.

The heat shield plate may be formed integrally with a contact plate that contacts the refrigerant flow path.
In this case, the heat received by the heat shield plate from the reactor can be radiated to the refrigerant flow path via the contact plate. Thereby, since it becomes possible to suppress the temperature rise of the said heat insulating board, the movement of the heat between this heat insulating board and the said capacitor | condenser can be reduced. As a result, the temperature rise of the capacitor can be further suppressed.

Further, a heat transfer member may be filled between the capacitor and the contact plate.
In this case, the heat of the capacitor can be efficiently radiated to the refrigerant flow path via the heat transfer member and the contact plate. As a result, the temperature rise of the capacitor can be further suppressed.

Further, the heat shield plate may be provided with a terminal insertion opening for inserting the electrode terminal of the capacitor in the thickness direction.
In this case, the electrode terminal of the capacitor can be pulled out from the terminal insertion opening. As a result, the wiring distance to the electrode terminal of the capacitor can be shortened, or the configuration of the power converter can be simplified.

The capacitor is housed in a capacitor housing portion including the heat shield plate, and the capacitor housing portion has a capacitor insertion opening for inserting the capacitor in a direction facing the reactor. You may open in the opposite direction or the direction orthogonal to (Claim 5).
In this case, after connecting the wiring between the semiconductor modules, the capacitor can be inserted from the capacitor insertion opening, and assembly, connection of terminals, etc. can be performed. The degree of freedom can be improved. Further, when resistance welding or arc welding is used for connection between the semiconductor modules, it is possible to prevent the current during welding from being charged in the capacitor. And it can suppress that the surge current from the said capacitor | condenser flows into the said semiconductor module, and can prevent that the said semiconductor module is destroyed by the said surge current.

Example 1
Examples of the power conversion device will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, the power conversion device 1 of this example includes a semiconductor module 130, a capacitor 5, and a reactor 7 that constitute a part of the power conversion circuit, and a cooler 6 that cools the semiconductor module 130 from both main surfaces. I have. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooler 6 includes a plurality of refrigerant channels 60 disposed on both main surfaces of the semiconductor module 130, and the plurality of refrigerant channels 60, the semiconductor module 130, and the like. Are laminated together to form a laminated body 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the capacitor 5 is disposed at one end in the stacking direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as the stacking direction X) in the stacked body 13, and the reactor 7 They are arranged in a direction orthogonal to X. And between the capacitor | condenser 5 and the reactor 7, the heat insulation board 3 which interrupts | blocks the heat transfer between both is arrange | positioned.

  The stacked body 13 and the capacitor 5 include a pair of side walls 100 whose normal is the stacking direction X and a pair of side walls whose normal is the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction X (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as the lateral direction Y). The frame 10 composed of the frame 101 is held by being surrounded on all sides. The capacitor 5 is housed in a capacitor housing portion 2 provided between the side wall 100 of the frame 10 perpendicular to the stacking direction X and the stacked body 13. The reactor 7 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to both the stacking direction X and the lateral direction Y with respect to the capacitor 5 (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as a height direction Z), that is, on the open surface side of the frame 10. . Specifically, the reactor 7 is disposed below the capacitor 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the stacked body 13 is formed by alternately stacking a semiconductor module 130 and a plurality of refrigerant flow paths 60 that constitute a part of the power conversion circuit. The refrigerant flow path 60 constitutes the cooler 6 that cools the semiconductor module 130 together with the refrigerant introduction pipe 63, the refrigerant discharge pipe 64, and the connection pipe 62.

  The refrigerant flow path 60 is configured by a cooling pipe 61 that is long in a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction X (lateral direction Y). As shown in FIG. 1, the cooler 6 includes a plurality of cooling pipes 61 arranged in the stacking direction X, and adjacent cooling pipes 61 adjacent to each other in the stacking direction X in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction Y). They are connected by a connecting pipe 62. And the cooler 6 is comprised so that the semiconductor module 130 can be clamped from both main surfaces between the adjacent cooling pipes 61. FIG. Thereby, the semiconductor modules 130 are arranged in the stacking direction X.

  In this example, two semiconductor modules 130 connected in series with each other are sandwiched between adjacent cooling pipes 61. Further, the cooler 6 has eight cooling pipes 61 arranged in parallel in the stacking direction X, and two semiconductor modules 130 are laterally arranged in a seven-stage space formed between the adjacent cooling pipes 61. They are arranged side by side in the direction Y.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the cooling pipe 61 arranged at one end on the side where the capacitor 5 is arranged in the stacking direction X is provided with a refrigerant introduction pipe 63 and a refrigerant discharge pipe 64 at both ends in the lateral direction Y, as shown in FIG. It is installed. The refrigerant introduction pipe 63 and the refrigerant discharge pipe 64 are extended from the laminated body 13 toward the capacitor 5 in the lamination direction X with one end in the lamination direction X of the laminated body 13 as a base end, and from the side wall 100 in the lamination direction X of the frame 10. It protrudes.

  As a result, the cooling medium introduced from the refrigerant introduction pipe 63 passes through the connection pipe 62 as appropriate, is distributed to each cooling pipe 61 and can flow in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction Y). The cooling medium can exchange heat with the semiconductor module 130 while flowing through each cooling pipe 61. The cooling medium whose temperature has been increased by heat exchange passes through the connecting pipe 62 on the downstream side as appropriate, is guided to the refrigerant discharge pipe 64, and is discharged from the cooler 6.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor module 130 sandwiched between the coolers 6 includes a mold part 132 formed by resin-molding a switching element 131 such as an IGBT element, and a main electrode protruding from the mold part 132 in opposite directions. It consists of a terminal 133 and a control terminal. Note that the protruding direction of the main electrode terminal 133 is a direction below the height direction Z, that is, a direction in which the reactor 7 is arranged with respect to the capacitor 5. For convenience, the description of the control terminals in FIG. 2 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor module 130 is arranged such that the main electrode terminal 133 and the control terminal in the stacked body 13 protrude in the height direction Z, that is, toward the open surface of the frame 10. The main electrode terminals 133 are appropriately electrically connected by a wiring member such as the bus bar 11 to constitute a power conversion circuit shown in FIG. In addition, about the wiring members other than the bus bar 11, description to FIG. 1 was abbreviate | omitted for convenience.

  Further, between the refrigerant introduction pipe 63 and the refrigerant discharge pipe 64 of the cooler 6, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the capacitor housing portion 2 is provided in the frame 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the capacitor housing portion 2 is a box-shaped recess having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view when viewed from the height direction Z. As shown in FIG. 2, a capacitor insertion opening in the height direction Z is provided. An opening 22 for use is formed. The capacitor insertion opening 22 opens to the opposite side of the reactor 7, that is, upward. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame 10 includes a heat shield plate 3 on the lower surface side of the capacitor insertion opening 22. In this example, the heat shield 3 is formed in a part of the frame 10 and is made of a metal such as aluminum or iron.

  The heat shield plate 3 constitutes a bottom plate portion of the capacitor housing portion 2 and is disposed below the capacitor 5 in the height direction Z. Accordingly, the heat shield plate 3 is disposed between the capacitor 5 and the reactor 7 disposed at a position away from the capacitor 5 in the height direction Z.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a part of the heat shield plate 3 is provided with a terminal insertion opening 30 that is a substantially rectangular hole penetrating in the height direction Z. As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal insertion opening 30 is formed to have a play size with respect to the size of the electrode terminal 51 of the capacitor 5 protruding in the height direction Z. Accordingly, the pair of electrode terminals 51 of the capacitor 5 can be inserted from the height direction Z.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 10 includes an abutting plate 4 between the capacitor 5 and the multilayer body 13, which is parallel to the side wall 100 whose normal is the stacking direction X. The contact plate 4 is connected to a pair of side walls 101 perpendicular to the lateral direction Y at both end portions 40 in the lateral direction Y, and is formed so as to pass between the pair of side walls 101. A part of the contact plate 4 also serves as the side plate 21 of the capacitor housing portion 2 on the laminated body 13 side in the stacking direction X, and is formed integrally with the heat shield plate 3 constituted by the bottom plate of the capacitor housing portion 2. Has been. Then, the cooling pipe 61 disposed at one end of the stacked body 13 in the stacking direction X is in contact with the contact plate 4.

  Further, a space between the contact plate 4 and the capacitor 5 in the stacking direction X is filled with a heat transfer member 42 made of silicone resin as shown in FIG. In this example, the liquid silicone resin is potted into the capacitor housing part 2 after the capacitor 5 is inserted into the capacitor housing part 2. Thereby, the heat transfer member 42 is filled around the condenser 5. The heat transfer member 42 is not limited to the silicone resin, and a known heat conductive material such as an epoxy resin or a urethane resin can be applied.

  The capacitor insertion opening 22 is a substantially rectangular opening that opens in the direction facing the heat shield plate 3 in the capacitor housing 2, that is, above the capacitor housing 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the capacitor insertion opening 22 is formed to have a play size with respect to the size of the capacitor 5. Thus, the capacitor 5 can be inserted from the height direction Z.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the capacitor 5 accommodated in the capacitor accommodating portion 2 has a pair of electrode terminals 51 protruding in the height direction Z from the main body portion 50 of the capacitor 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the capacitor 5 inserted from the capacitor insertion opening 22 in the height direction Z is disposed in the capacitor housing 2 and is connected to the electrode terminal through the terminal insertion opening 30. 51 is penetrated below the capacitor housing 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the pair of electrode terminals 51 projecting downward from the capacitor housing portion 2 are fastened by a pair of bus bars 11 (11a, 11b) and bolts 12 extending in the stacking direction X, and are electrically connected. It is connected to the.

  The placement of the capacitor 5 in the capacitor housing portion 2 and the fastening of the electrode terminal 51 and the bus bar 11 are performed before the bus bar 11 and the main electrode terminal 133 of the semiconductor module 130 are connected. The pair of bus bars 11 is connected to the main electrode terminal 133 of the semiconductor module 130 using a method such as arc welding or resistance welding.

  Next, the function and effect of this example will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, in the power conversion device 1, a heat shield plate 3 that blocks heat transfer between the capacitor 5 and the reactor 7 is disposed. Therefore, when the reactor 7 generates heat, the heat can be prevented from being transmitted to the capacitor 5 by convection or radiation in the power conversion device 1. As a result, the temperature rise of the capacitor 5 can be suppressed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the heat shield plate 3 is formed integrally with the abutment plate 4 that abuts the refrigerant flow path 60. Therefore, the heat received by the heat shield plate 3 from the reactor 7 can be radiated to the refrigerant flow path 60 via the contact plate 4. Thereby, since it becomes possible to suppress the temperature rise of the heat insulation board 3, the movement of the heat between the heat insulation board 3 and the capacitor | condenser 5 can be reduced. Further, a heat transfer member 42 is filled between the capacitor 5 and the contact plate 4 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the heat of the capacitor 5 can be efficiently radiated to the refrigerant flow path 60 via the heat transfer member 42 and the contact plate 4. As a result, the temperature rise of the capacitor 5 can be further suppressed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the heat shield plate 3 is provided with a terminal insertion opening 30 for inserting the electrode terminal 51 of the capacitor 5 in the thickness direction. Therefore, the electrode terminal 51 of the capacitor 5 can be pulled out from the terminal insertion opening 30. As a result, the wiring distance to the electrode terminal 51 of the capacitor 5 can be shortened, or the configuration of the power conversion device 1 can be simplified.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the capacitor 5 is accommodated in a capacitor accommodating portion 2 including a heat shield plate 3, and the capacitor accommodating portion 2 has a capacitor insertion opening 22 for inserting the capacitor 5. The opening is made in the direction opposite to the direction facing the reactor 7. Therefore, after the main electrode terminals 133 of the semiconductor module 130 are connected by the bus bar 11, the capacitor 5 can be inserted from the capacitor insertion opening 22, and can be assembled, connected to the electrode terminal 51, etc. The degree of freedom of one assembly procedure can be improved. In addition, when resistance welding or arc welding is used for connection between the semiconductor modules 130, it is possible to prevent the capacitor 5 from being charged with current during welding. As a result, the surge current from the capacitor 5 can be prevented from flowing into the semiconductor module 130, and the semiconductor module 130 can be prevented from being destroyed by the surge current.

  As described above, according to this example, it is possible to provide a power conversion device that can suppress an increase in temperature of a capacitor even in an arrangement in which a reactor and a capacitor face each other.

(Example 2)
In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the capacitor insertion opening 22 in the capacitor housing 2 is opened in a direction orthogonal to the direction facing the reactor 7. The capacitor housing portion 2 in this example includes a capacitor insertion opening 22 in which a side surface far from the stacked body 13 is opened among the pair of side surfaces in the stacking direction X. A terminal insertion opening 30 formed in a part of the heat shield plate 3 is formed continuously with the capacitor insertion opening 22. Further, an upper plate portion 23 is provided above the capacitor 5 in the height direction Z.

  Further, between the capacitor 5 and the contact plate 4 in the stacking direction X, the heat transfer member 42 processed in advance into a sheet shape is in close contact with the capacitor 5 and the contact plate 4. Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

  Next, the function and effect of this example will be described. In the capacitor housing portion 2 in this example, the capacitor insertion opening 22 is opened in a direction orthogonal to the direction facing the reactor 7. Therefore, the capacitor 5 can be inserted from the stacking direction X through the capacitor insertion opening 22 to be assembled and connected to the electrode terminal 51. As a result, it is possible to assemble the capacitor 5 without changing the vertical direction of the frame 10 after connecting the semiconductor modules 130, and the assembling work can be performed efficiently. In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the example in which the reactor 7 is disposed below the capacitor 5 is shown. In these cases, ascending airflow is generated by the heat of the reactor 7, and heat is easily transmitted to the condenser 5. By arranging the heat shield plate 3 above the reactor 7 and below the condenser 5, It is possible to effectively suppress heat from being transferred to the capacitor 5. That is, the functions of the heat shield plate 3 are particularly effectively exhibited in the arrangements as in the first and second embodiments. However, the positional relationship between the reactor 7 and the capacitor 5 is not limited to this, and the function of the heat shield plate 3 can be exerted even when the top and bottom are reversed or in a horizontal positional relationship.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power converter 13 Laminate body 130 Semiconductor module 2 Capacitor accommodating part 3 Heat shield plate 30 Terminal insertion opening 4 Contact plate 42 Heat transfer member 5 Capacitor 6 Cooler 60 Refrigerant flow path 7 Reactor

Claims (5)

A power conversion device comprising a semiconductor module, a capacitor, and a reactor that constitute a part of a power conversion circuit, and a cooler that cools the semiconductor module from both main surfaces,
The cooler includes a plurality of refrigerant flow paths disposed on both main surfaces of the semiconductor module,
The plurality of refrigerant flow paths and the semiconductor module are stacked on each other to form a stacked body,
The capacitor is disposed at one end in the stacking direction of the stacked body,
The reactor is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction with respect to the capacitor,
Between the said capacitor | condenser and the said reactor, the heat insulating board which interrupts | blocks the heat transfer between both is arrange | positioned, The power converter device characterized by the above-mentioned.   The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the heat shield plate is formed integrally with a contact plate that contacts the refrigerant flow path.   The power converter according to claim 2, wherein a heat transfer member is filled between the capacitor and the contact plate.   The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat shield plate is provided with a terminal insertion opening for inserting the electrode terminal of the capacitor in a thickness direction. Power converter.   5. The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the capacitor is housed in a capacitor housing portion including the heat shield plate, and the capacitor housing portion inserts the capacitor. An opening for inserting a capacitor is opened in a direction opposite to the direction facing the reactor or in a direction orthogonal thereto.

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