JP2015047050A - Inverter device and vehicle driving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inverter device including a cooling mechanism, which can be mounted in a space-saving manner.SOLUTION: The inverter device comprises: circuit constituting members that include at least switching elements 3 for constituting an inverter circuit and a capacitor 40 for smoothing voltage at the DC side of the inverter circuit; and a cooling member 5, whose cross section is constituted of a polygonal columnar body, that has an inflow port 5f and an exhaust port 5d for coolants and allows the coolants to be distributed inside the columnar body. The circuit constituting members are separately arranged on an outer side face 5s of the cooling member 5; the inflow port 5f and the exhaust port 5d are formed on a first end face 51 of the cooling member 5; a terminal BD at the DC side of the inverter circuit is provided to protrude further toward the first end face 51 than the circuit constituting member; and a terminal BA at the AC side of the inverter circuit is provided to protrude further toward a second end face 52 than the circuit constituting member.

Description

  The present invention relates to an inverter device including a cooling member and a circuit constituent member, and a vehicle drive device including an inverter device, a rotating electrical machine, and a speed change mechanism.

  In recent years, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles equipped with a rotating electric machine as a driving force source have attracted attention from the viewpoints of energy saving and environmental load reduction. Such a vehicle is provided with a DC power source such as a battery that supplies electric power when the rotating electric machine functions as a driving force source and stores electric power generated when the rotating electric machine functions as a generator. . On the other hand, since an AC rotating electric machine is often used as the rotating electric machine, such a vehicle is equipped with an inverter device including an inverter circuit that converts electric power between DC and AC. Inverter devices are also used in power control devices and the like, but particularly when mounted on vehicles, downsizing is required due to restrictions on weight and mounting space. In addition, since the inverter circuit uses components with a large amount of heat generation, such as a power module having a power switching element, a cooling mechanism for cooling the inverter device is also required. For this reason, attempts have been made to reduce the size and weight of the inverter device while housing and integrating the inverter circuit in a case or the like in which cooling fins are formed.

  For example, JP 2001-354040 A (Patent Document 1) exemplifies a configuration in which a drive device and an inverter device are integrated. Hereinafter, the reference numerals in parentheses are reference numerals in the patent literature. In Patent Document 1, an inclined wall (49) of a driving device (motor case (10)) including two rotating electric machines (16 (10G), 25 (10M)) and a differential device (36 (10D)) An inverter device (50) is attached via an inverter case (46) (FIG. 1, paragraphs 29-34, etc.). JP-A-2003-23777 (Patent Document 2) arranges a printed wiring board (21) on which a switching element of an inverter device is mounted at an axial end of a rotating shaft (74) of a rotating electrical machine. The structure which integrates a rotary electric machine with an inverter apparatus is illustrated (FIG. 10, 40th-41th paragraph etc.).

  The technology exemplified in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 is a technology that can promote downsizing by integrating a driving device (rotating electric machine) and an inverter device. However, for example, a three-phase inverter device is used for a rotating electrical machine driven by a three-phase alternating current. When components such as all three-phase switching elements are cooled using one contact surface, it is necessary to increase the area of the contact surface. In consideration of this point, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-162091 (Patent Document 3) describes that the inverter device has a triangular prism structure, and each phase has a component (one phase on each inner surface of the finned heat sink (11) having a triangular prism structure). The cooling structure which contacts a metal substrate (12) is illustrated (FIG. 1, 25th-26th paragraph etc.).

JP 2001-354040 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-23777 JP 2009-162091 A

  As described above, various attempts have been made to reduce the size and weight of the drive device including the inverter device and the rotating electrical machine. However, as in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, the drive device is externally attached. In some cases, it may be necessary to devise the shape of the case of the driving device or to enlarge the case. Moreover, when the assembly direction of each component which comprises a drive device, and an inverter apparatus differs, there exists a possibility of increasing an assembly man-hour. In the configurations of Patent Documents 1 to 3, it is difficult to cope with cooling using a liquid refrigerant in order to obtain a higher cooling effect. Furthermore, in consideration of noise resistance, transmission path inductance, and the like to cope with high-speed (high frequency) operation, it is preferable that the rotating electrical machine and the control device are close to the inverter device, and the inverter for the rotating electrical machine and the control device is used. There is room for improvement in the layout of the device.

  In view of the above background, it is desired to realize an inverter device that can be mounted in a space-saving manner including a cooling mechanism.

In view of the above problems, the characteristic configuration of the inverter device according to the present invention is as follows.
A cooling member that has a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction and is configured by a polygonal columnar body, and has a refrigerant inlet and outlet and allows the refrigerant to flow through the columnar body;
A switching element that constitutes an inverter circuit that converts power between direct current and alternating current, and a circuit component that includes at least a capacitor that smoothes the voltage on the direct current side of the inverter circuit,
The circuit component member is arranged separately on an outer surface parallel to the axial direction of the cooling member and facing outward.
The inflow port and the discharge port are provided on a first end surface which is an end surface on one side of the cooling member in the axial direction,
The direct current side terminal of the inverter circuit is provided so as to protrude to the first end face side from the circuit constituent member,
The AC side terminal of the inverter circuit is provided so as to protrude toward the second end surface, which is the other end surface in the axial direction of the cooling member, rather than the circuit constituent member.

  According to this configuration, by arranging the circuit constituent member on the outer surface of the cooling member capable of circulating the refrigerant therein, a cooling mechanism using a liquid refrigerant having a higher cooling power than air cooling can be realized. . In addition, since the polygonal columnar cooling member has a plurality of outer surfaces, the plurality of circuit components can be divided into a plurality of outer surfaces. Furthermore, since the DC side terminal and the AC side terminal are separately arranged on both end surfaces in the axial direction of the cooling member of the columnar body, the terminal arrangement corresponding to the connection direction with the peripheral device of the inverter circuit can be realized. . As a result, the inverter device can be suitably arranged for peripheral devices such as a power supply and an AC device, and space saving and assembly man-hours can be reduced. Further, since the distance between the peripheral device such as the power source and the AC device and the inverter device is shortened, an increase in inductance and noise generation in the transmission path can be suppressed, and loss can be reduced. Furthermore, since the refrigerant inlet and outlet are provided on the same end face (first end face), the connection with the refrigerant circulation mechanism can be completed at one end face, and the inverter device is suitably arranged. Can be made. Thus, according to this configuration, an inverter device that can be mounted in a space-saving manner including the cooling mechanism can be realized.

  Here, as one aspect, the inverter circuit converts power between a direct current and a plurality of phases of alternating current, and the circuit constituent member includes a circuit corresponding to each phase of the plurality of phases of alternating current. When a plurality of circuit component units are included, and a plurality of the circuit component units are arranged on different outer surfaces of the cooling member so that each of the circuit component member units is arranged on one outer surface. Is preferred. The cooling member of the polygonal columnar body has a plurality of outer surfaces, and each outer surface exists around the axis of the columnar body. By arranging each of the circuit component member units corresponding to each phase of the multiple-phase alternating current on one outer surface, the circuit component member unit corresponding to each phase can be efficiently disposed around the axis of the columnar body. Will be placed. That is, the inverter device can be configured on a small scale including the cooling mechanism.

  Here, as one aspect, the circuit component unit includes the switching element and the capacitor corresponding to each phase of the plurality of phases of AC, and controls the switching control of the switching element. A drive board including a drive circuit for driving a signal and a current sensor for detecting a current flowing through an AC-side terminal corresponding to each phase of the plurality of phases of alternating current; and It is preferable that the capacitor, the switching element, and the drive substrate are arranged in this order from the first end face side to the second end face side. The capacitor smoothes the voltage on the DC side of the inverter circuit, and the switching element converts DC to AC. Further, the drive substrate is provided with a current sensor for detecting a current flowing through the AC side terminal. That is, the arrangement in the order of the DC side terminal, capacitor, switching element, drive board, AC side terminal from the first end face to the second end face is an arrangement corresponding to the circuit operation of the inverter circuit from DC to AC. is there. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the arrangement of the circuit components along the flow of the circuit operation of the inverter circuit.

  Moreover, the inverter apparatus which concerns on this invention is the distance from the axial center of the said cooling member to the outermost end part of the member which protrudes to the outermost side among the members which comprise the said circuit component member unit as one aspect | mode. It is preferable that the plurality of circuit component member units arranged on each of the plurality of outer surfaces are configured to be equivalent to each other. When the distance from the axial center of the cooling member to the outermost end portion of the member constituting the circuit constituent member unit that protrudes to the outermost side is the same for each of the plurality of circuit constituent member units, The outermost end portion is almost located on the circumference around the axis. As a result, it is possible to accommodate the inverter device in a cylindrical accommodation space with high space utilization efficiency.

  Moreover, the inverter apparatus which concerns on this invention as one aspect | mode WHEREIN: The said cross section of the said cooling member is a regular polygon, and each of the said some outer surface is orthogonal to the said axial direction, and followed the said outer surface. It is preferable that the members constituting the circuit component unit are disposed at equal positions in the width direction. For example, among the members constituting the circuit component unit, the member that protrudes to the outermost side is symmetrical in the width direction (with a straight line orthogonal to the width direction as the axis of symmetry). When a member is arrange | positioned, the distance to the outermost edge part of the member protruded to the outermost side can be made the shortest. As a result, it is possible to reduce the diameter of a circle passing through the outermost end existing on the outermost side with the axis of the cooling member as the center. For example, when the inverter device is housed in a cylindrical housing space, the capacity of the housing space can be reduced, and an inverter device that can be mounted in a space-saving manner including a cooling mechanism can be realized. .

  Here, the vehicle drive device according to the present invention is, as one aspect, a vehicle drive device including any one of the above-described inverter devices, a rotating electrical machine, and a speed change mechanism, A drive device case that houses the rotating electrical machine and the speed change mechanism, and the inverter device is configured so that a rotation shaft of a gear member constituting the speed change mechanism and the axial direction of the cooling member are parallel to each other. It is suitable if it is arranged in the drive device case. As described above, since the circuit device is arranged on the outer surface of the cooling member of the columnar body, the outer shape of the inverter device is a shape along the columnar body. In the drive device case, the region parallel to the rotation axis of the gear member has a relatively large space or is relatively easy to expand. Therefore, it is relatively easy to secure a space for accommodating the inverter device. Moreover, since the assembly direction of each component which comprises a drive device, and an inverter apparatus becomes the same, an assembly property can also be made high.

  Here, as one aspect, the inverter device includes the inverter device and the rotating electrical machine as viewed in a direction along the axial direction of the cooling member with the second end face facing the rotating electrical machine. It is preferable that they are arranged so as to overlap. As described above, in the inverter device, the AC side terminal is provided so as to protrude toward the second end face of the cooling member rather than the circuit constituent member. By arranging the second end face toward the rotating electrical machine, the connection between the AC side terminal and the rotating electrical machine becomes efficient and easy.

  Moreover, as one aspect, the drive device case has an opening, and the inverter device is arranged so that the inflow port, the discharge port, and the DC side terminal are located in the opening. Is preferred. In many cases, the inlet and the outlet are connected to a refrigerant circulation mechanism that is different from the vehicle drive device. Further, the DC side terminal is often connected to a DC power source. In other words, the inflow port, the discharge port, and the DC side terminal are often connected to a peripheral device different from the vehicle drive device, and the vehicle drive device passes through the opening provided in the drive device case. Is preferably configured so that it can be easily connected to another peripheral device.

  Further, as one aspect, it is preferable that the drive device case includes an inverter accommodating chamber having a liquid-tight structure therein, and at least the circuit constituent member of the inverter device is disposed in the inverter accommodating chamber. is there. Since the speed change mechanism or the like is generally operated while being exposed to a liquid such as lubricating oil, the lubricating oil or the like is scattered in the drive device case. It is not preferable that such a liquid wets an inverter device, particularly a circuit component. Therefore, it is preferable that the circuit constituent member of the inverter device is disposed in the inverter housing chamber having a liquid-tight structure.

Schematic circuit block diagram showing an example of an inverter device Schematic exploded configuration diagram of the inverter device Schematic plan view of the inverter viewed from the axial direction Schematic side view of the vehicle drive device viewed from the side of the vehicle Schematic top view of the vehicle drive device viewed from above the vehicle Enlarged view of the accommodation space of the inverter device The schematic diagram of the structure which implement | achieves the liquid-tight state of the accommodation space in FIG. Schematic diagram of another structure that realizes liquid tightness in the storage space Schematic diagram of another structure that realizes liquid tightness in the storage space Schematic diagram of another structure that realizes liquid tightness in the storage space Schematic diagram of another structure that realizes liquid tightness in the storage space The schematic diagram which shows the arrangement | positioning form of the circuit component member in FIG. Schematic diagram showing another arrangement of circuit components Schematic diagram showing another arrangement of circuit components Schematic diagram showing another arrangement of circuit components Schematic diagram showing another arrangement of circuit components

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of an inverter device according to the present invention and a vehicle drive device including the inverter device will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the inverter device is housed together with the rotating electrical machine and the speed change mechanism in a drive device case having a liquid-tight inverter housing chamber to constitute a vehicle drive device. Hereinafter, the inverter device and the vehicle drive device will be described in this order.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating an example of an inverter device. Here, an inverter device 100 applied to a rotating electrical machine drive device that controls a rotating electrical machine MG serving as a driving force source for a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, or the like is illustrated. The rotating electrical machine MG is a rotating electrical machine that operates by multiphase alternating current (here, three-phase alternating current), and can function as both an electric motor and a generator.

  In a vehicle such as an automobile that cannot receive power supply from an overhead line such as a railway, a secondary battery (battery) such as a nickel metal hydride battery or a lithium ion battery or an electric battery is used as a power source for driving a rotating electric machine. A DC power supply such as a multilayer capacitor is installed. In the present embodiment, for example, a high-voltage battery 11 (high-voltage DC power supply) having a power supply voltage of 200 to 400 [V] is provided as a high-voltage and large-capacity DC power supply for supplying power to the rotating electrical machine MG. Since the rotating electrical machine MG is an AC rotating electrical machine, an inverter circuit 10 that performs power conversion between direct current and alternating current is provided between the high voltage battery 11 and the rotating electrical machine MG. The DC voltage between the positive power supply line P and the negative power supply line N on the DC side of the inverter circuit 10 is hereinafter referred to as “system voltage Vdc”. The high voltage battery 11 can supply electric power to the rotating electrical machine MG via the inverter circuit 10 and can store the electric power obtained by the electric power generation by the rotating electrical machine MG.

  Between the inverter circuit 10 and the high voltage battery 11, a smoothing capacitor 40 for smoothing a DC voltage (system voltage Vdc) is provided. Smoothing capacitor 40 stabilizes the DC voltage that fluctuates according to fluctuations in power consumption of rotating electrical machine MG. In the present embodiment, a smoothing capacitor 40 having a capacitance “C” is configured by connecting three capacitors having a capacitance “C / 3” in parallel in accordance with the total number of multiphase alternating currents (three-phase alternating current). ing. The inverter circuit 10 and the smoothing capacitor 40 are supplied with DC power from the high voltage battery 11 via a DC side terminal BD configured as a bus bar, for example.

  The inverter circuit 10 converts DC power having the system voltage Vdc into AC power of a plurality of phases (n is a natural number, n-phase, here 3 phases) and supplies the AC power to the rotating electrical machine MG, and AC power generated by the rotating electrical machine MG. The power is converted to DC power and supplied to the DC power supply. The inverter circuit 10 includes a plurality of switching elements. A power semiconductor element such as an IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) or a power MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) is preferably applied to the switching element. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, IGBT3 is used as a switching element.

  For example, the inverter circuit 10 for converting power between direct current and multiphase alternating current (here, three-phase alternating current) has a number of arms corresponding to each of the multiple phases (here, three phases) as is well known. Consists of a bridge circuit. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, there are two between the DC positive side (positive power supply line P on the positive side of the DC power supply) and the DC negative side (negative power supply line N on the negative side of the DC power supply) of the inverter circuit 10. IGBT3 is connected in series and one arm 10L is comprised. Here, the IGBT 3 connected to the positive power supply line P is referred to as an upper stage IGBT 3U (upper stage switching element or high side switch), and the IGBT 3 connected to the negative power supply line N is referred to as a lower stage IGBT 3L (negative electrode side switching element or low side switch). ).

  In the case of three-phase alternating current, this series circuit (one arm 10L) is connected in parallel with three lines (three phases: 10U, 10V, 10W). That is, a bridge circuit in which a set of series circuits (arms 10L) corresponds to the stator coils corresponding to the U phase, V phase, and W phase of the rotating electrical machine MG is configured. The collector terminal of the upper stage IGBT 3U of each phase is connected to the positive power supply line P, and the emitter terminal is connected to the collector terminal of the lower stage IGBT 3L of each phase. In addition, the emitter terminal of the lower stage IGBT 3L of each phase is connected to the negative power supply line N (for example, the ground of the high-voltage circuit). The intermediate point of the series circuit (arm 10L) by the IGBTs 3 of each phase that is a pair, that is, the connection point between the upper IGBT 3U and the lower IGBT 3L is, for example, via the AC terminal BA configured as a bus bar. The stator coils are respectively connected.

  A free wheel diode 39 (regenerative diode) is connected to the IGBT 3 in parallel. The freewheel diode 39 is connected in parallel to each IGBT 3 such that the cathode terminal is connected to the collector terminal of the IGBT 3 and the anode terminal is connected to the emitter terminal of the IGBT 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inverter circuit 10 is controlled by the inverter control unit 8. The inverter control unit 8 is configured as an ECU (electronic control unit) having a logic circuit such as a microcomputer as a core member. In the present embodiment, the ECU uses a vector control method based on the target torque of the rotating electrical machine MG provided to the inverter control unit 8 as a request signal from another control device such as a vehicle ECU (not shown). Feedback control is performed to control the rotating electrical machine MG via the inverter circuit 10. The inverter control unit 8 includes various functional units for current feedback control, and each functional unit is realized by cooperation of hardware such as a microcomputer and software (program). .

  The actual current flowing through the stator coils (each AC terminal BA) of each phase of the rotating electrical machine MG is detected by the current sensor 12, and the inverter control unit 8 acquires the detection result. Moreover, the magnetic pole position at each time of the rotor of the rotating electrical machine MG is detected by the rotation sensor 13, and the inverter control unit 8 acquires the detection result. The rotation sensor 13 is configured by, for example, a resolver. Here, the magnetic pole position represents the rotation angle of the rotor on the electrical angle. The inverter control unit 8 feedback-controls the rotating electrical machine MG using the detection results of the current sensor 12 and the rotation sensor 13.

  A gate terminal which is a control terminal of each IGBT 3 constituting the inverter circuit 10 is connected to the inverter control unit 8 (ECU) via the drive circuit 9 and is individually controlled to be switched. The operating voltage (power supply voltage of the circuit) is greatly different between a high voltage system circuit for driving the rotating electrical machine MG and a low voltage system circuit such as an ECU having a microcomputer as a core. For this reason, the control signal of the IGBT 3 generated by the inverter control unit 8 (ECU) of the low-voltage circuit is supplied to the inverter circuit 10 as the gate drive signal (control signal S) of the high-voltage circuit system via the drive circuit 9. . The drive circuit 9 is configured by using an insulating element such as a photocoupler or a transformer.

  The inverter circuit 10 described above is integrated with a smoothing capacitor 40, a drive circuit 9, a cooling member, and the like, as will be described later, and is configured as an inverter device 100. The exploded configuration diagram of FIG. 2 schematically shows the configuration of the inverter device 100. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the inverter device 100 includes an IGBT 3 (switching element) mounted on the circuit component unit 4 together with the smoothing capacitor 40 and the drive circuit 9, and a cooling member 5. Is done. The cooling member 5 is made of a metal such as aluminum having high thermal conductivity, and is configured by a columnar body having a polygonal cross section perpendicular to the axial direction L. In the present embodiment, the cross section is formed as a triangular prism having a triangular shape (here, a regular triangle). Further, the cooling member 5 has a refrigerant inlet 5f and an outlet 5d so that cooling using a liquid refrigerant is possible, and the refrigerant can flow through the columnar body (see FIG. 6). The inlet 5f and the outlet 5d are provided on a first end surface 51 that is an end surface on one side of the cooling member 5 in the axial direction L.

  The circuit component unit 4 includes at least a circuit component including an IGBT 3 (switching element) and a smoothing capacitor 40 (capacitor). In the present embodiment, a drive circuit 9 that drives a control signal that controls switching of the IGBT 3 (switching element), and a current sensor 12 that detects a current flowing through the AC-side terminal BA corresponding to each phase of a plurality of phases are provided. A drive board 90 including the circuit board is also provided as a circuit component. These circuit components are arranged separately on an outer surface 5s that is parallel to the axial direction L of the cooling member 5 and faces outward.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, each circuit component is arranged separately on the cooling plate 20, and the cooling plate 20 is arranged on the outer surface 5 s. The IGBT 3 is formed on the element base plate 30. It is preferable that a free wheel diode 39 is formed on the element base plate 30 together with the IGBT 3. In the present embodiment, one arm 10 </ b> L is configured on one element base plate 30. The drive board 90 is configured by mounting the drive circuit 9 and the current sensor 12 on a printed wiring board 91, for example.

  As described above, the refrigerant inlet 5f and the outlet 5d are provided on the first end surface 51 which is one end surface of the cooling member 5 in the axial direction L. Further, the DC side terminal BD of the inverter circuit 10 is also provided so as to protrude to the first end face 51 side with respect to the circuit constituent members (smoothing capacitor 40, IGBT 3, drive board 90) in a state where it is disposed on the cooling member 5. It has been. On the other hand, the AC side terminal BA of the inverter circuit 10 is provided so as to protrude from the circuit component member to the second end surface 52 side, which is the other end surface in the axial direction L of the cooling member 5.

  As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 and the like, when incorporating the inverter device 100 into the vehicle drive device 200, direct current is connected so that the connection to the high voltage battery 11 and the rotating electrical machine MG is efficient and easy. A side terminal BD and an AC side terminal BA are arranged. Similarly, the refrigerant inlet 5f and the outlet 5d are arranged so as to be efficiently and easily connected to the refrigerant circulation mechanism. Similarly, the arrangement order of the circuit constituent members is set so that the connection with the high voltage battery 11 and the rotating electrical machine MG is in accordance with the order corresponding to the circuit operation. Specifically, the circuit component member is disposed on the cooling member 5, and the smoothing capacitor 40, the IGBT 3, and the drive board are arranged on the outer surface 5 s from the first end surface 51 side toward the second end surface 52 side. They are arranged in order of 90.

  By the way, as described above, the inverter circuit 10 performs power conversion between a direct current and a plurality of phases of alternating current (three-phase alternating current here). Each phase is configured as one arm 10L. Therefore, the circuit constituent member includes a plurality of circuit constituent member units 4 corresponding to each phase of a plurality of phases of alternating current. In the present embodiment, three circuit component member units 4 are provided corresponding to the three phases. In the present embodiment, the smoothing capacitor 40 is also configured by parallel connection of three (or a natural number multiple of 3) capacitors, and each circuit component member unit 4 corresponds to each phase of a plurality of phases of alternating current. , IGBT3 and smoothing capacitor 40 are included.

  The cooling member 5 is configured as a triangular prism and has three outer surfaces 5s. Accordingly, the plurality of circuit component member units 4 are arranged on the outer surfaces 5 s different from each other so that each circuit component member unit 4 is arranged on one outer surface 5 s. The circuit component members are arranged so that all the circuit component member units 4 satisfy the above-described arrangement conditions from the first end surface 51 side to the second end surface 52 side in the state of being arranged on the cooling member 5. ing. That is, the circuit components are arranged on the cooling member 5, and the smoothing capacitors 40, IGBTs 3, and drive boards 90 are arranged on the outer side surfaces 5 s from the first end surface 51 side to the second end surface 52 side. Are arranged in the order of.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the inverter device 100 as viewed from the direction along the axial direction L (from the first end face 51 side). In FIG. 3, the symbol “Lx” indicates the axis of the cooling member 5. The axis Lx is the center of the cross section of the cooling member 5, and corresponds to the center of gravity of the equilateral triangle in the present embodiment whose cross sectional shape is an equilateral triangle. In the inverter device 100, the distance from the axis Lx of the cooling member 5 to the outermost end portion of the member constituting the circuit constituent member unit 4 that protrudes to the outermost side is in each of the plurality of outer side surfaces 5s. The plurality of circuit component member units 4 arranged are configured to be equivalent to each other.

  In the present embodiment, the “member protruding outwards” is the smoothing capacitor 40, and the “distance to the outermost end” is “D1 or D2”, “D3 or D4”, “D5 or D6”, respectively. It is. In this embodiment, “D1 = D2”, “D3 = D4”, “D5 = D6”, and “D1 to D6” are equal. Accordingly, the “distances to the outermost ends (D1 to D6)” are equal to each other for the plurality of circuit component member units 4 disposed on the plurality of outer surfaces 5s. The six outermost ends are present on the circumference centered on the axis Lx. Thus, by comprising, the inverter apparatus 100 can be efficiently accommodated in the cylindrical inverter accommodating chamber 300. Therefore, as will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 and the like, the efficiency of space utilization when incorporating the inverter device 100 into the vehicle drive device 200 is increased, and the vehicle drive device 200 can be reduced in size. .

  In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the cooling member 5 is a regular polygon (regular triangle). In such a case, each of the plurality of outer surfaces 5s is provided with a member that constitutes the circuit component member unit 4 at a position that is orthogonal to the axial direction L and is equal to the width direction W along the outer surface 5s. Is preferred. For example, among the members constituting the circuit component unit 4, the member that protrudes to the outermost side is in the width direction W (with a straight line perpendicular to the width direction W as a symmetry axis) as in the smoothing capacitor 40 shown in FIG. 3. In the case of line symmetry, the distance to the outermost end portion of the member that protrudes to the outermost side can be made the shortest when the member is arranged at an equal position in the width direction W. That is, in FIG. 3, “D1 = D2”, “D3 = D4”, and “D5 = D6” can be set. As a result, the diameter of the cylindrical inverter housing chamber 300 can be reduced, the efficiency of space utilization when the inverter device 100 is incorporated into the vehicle drive device 200 is increased, and the vehicle drive device 200 is reduced in scale. realizable.

  Hereinafter, the vehicle drive device 200 incorporating the inverter device 100 described above will be described. 4 to 6 show a state in which the inverter device 100 is incorporated in the vehicle drive device 200. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view seen from the side of the vehicle with the vehicle drive device 200 attached to the vehicle. In other words, a schematic side view of the vehicle drive device 200 as viewed from a direction along the axial direction L of the cooling member 5 in a state where the inverter device 100 is attached to the vehicle as a part of the vehicle drive device 200. It is. FIG. 5 is a schematic top view as seen from above the vehicle with the vehicle drive device 200 attached to the vehicle. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the inverter housing chamber 300 of the inverter device 100 as viewed in a direction along the front-rear direction of the vehicle with the vehicle drive device 200 attached to the vehicle (viewed from the lower side of FIG. 5). is there.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the vehicle drive device 200 includes an inverter device 100, a rotating electrical machine MG, and a speed change mechanism TM. In the present embodiment, a counter gear mechanism CG and a differential DF are further provided. The inverter device 100, the rotating electrical machine MG, the speed change mechanism TM, the counter gear mechanism CG, and the differential DF are accommodated in the drive device case 210 and constitute the vehicle drive device 200. The inverter device 100 is disposed in the drive device case 210 in a state where the rotation axis X1 of the gear member constituting the speed change mechanism TM and the axial direction L of the cooling member 5 are parallel to each other. Further, in a state where the inverter device 100 is attached to the vehicle drive device 200, the inverter device 100 is configured such that the inverter device 100 and the rotating electrical machine MG overlap when viewed in the direction along the axial direction L of the cooling member 5. Is arranged. Here, the term “overlap” includes both a state where a part of both overlaps, or a state where all of one overlaps the other.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the inverter device 100 is arranged with the second end face 52 facing the rotating electrical machine MG side. As described above, in the inverter device 100, the AC side terminal BA is provided so as to protrude toward the second end face 52 of the cooling member 5 rather than the circuit constituent member. By disposing the second end surface 52 toward the rotating electrical machine MG, the connection between the AC side terminal BA and the rotating electrical machine MG becomes efficient and easy. In FIG. 6, “R” indicates the rotor of the rotating electrical machine MG, “ST” indicates the stator of the rotating electrical machine MG, and “E” indicates the coil end portion of the stator coil wound around the stator ST. ing. The AC side terminal BA is connected to the stator coil of the coil end portion E via the AC side connector CN2.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the drive device case 210 has an opening 203, and the inverter device 100 is arranged such that the inlet 5 f, the outlet 5 d, and the DC side terminal BD are located in the opening 203. Has been placed. In FIG. 6, the DC side connector CN <b> 1 that conducts to the DC side terminal BD is illustrated in the opening 203. The inlet 5f and the outlet 5d are connected to a refrigerant circulation mechanism such as a pump (not shown). The refrigerant supplied into the cooling member 5 through the inflow port 5f circulates in the cooling member 5 and is discharged from the discharge port 5d. Inside the cooling member 5, a refrigerant circulation path (inflow path) connected to the inflow port 5f is provided along the inner wall opposite to the outer side surface 5s, and is disposed on the inner wall (outer side surface 5s, outer side surface 5s). Heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and the refrigerant. The refrigerant that has absorbed heat is provided along the vicinity of the axial center of the cooling member 5 and is discharged from the discharge port 5d through the refrigerant circulation path (discharge path) connected to the discharge port 5d.

  The driving device case 210 includes a liquid-tight inverter housing chamber 300 therein. At least circuit constituent members of the inverter device 100 are arranged in the inverter accommodating chamber 300. As shown in FIG. 6, the drive device case 210 is on the transmission mechanism TM side, and mainly includes a first case 201 that mainly accommodates the transmission mechanism TM and the counter gear mechanism CG, and a second case 202 that mainly accommodates the rotating electrical machine MG. And is configured. In the present embodiment, the inverter accommodating chamber 300 is formed on the first case 201 side.

  In order to realize the liquid-tight structure of the inverter housing chamber 300, the inverter device 100 and the first case 201 need to be in close contact with each other via seal members (301, 302). As described above, since the inverter accommodating chamber 300 is a cylindrical space, the first end surface 51 and the second end surface 52 of the cooling member 5 are provided with circular plate members (51p, 52p). . The opening 203 (first opening) of the inverter housing chamber 300 opens in a circular shape having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the inverter housing chamber 300. At the opening end in the radial direction, the inner wall of the inverter housing chamber 300 is bent inward in the radial direction, and is extended in such a manner that it is bent in the axial direction L again. As shown in FIG. 6, the side surface of the first circular plate member 51 p provided on the first end surface 51 side and the inner wall of the opening end portion in the radial direction of the opening 203 are brought into contact with each other via the first seal member 301. It touches. That is, the first circular plate member 51p is in contact in the circumferential direction (around the axis). Thereby, a liquid-tight structure on the first end face 51 side is realized.

  In the opening 204 (second opening) on the second end face 52 side of the inverter housing chamber 300, the inner wall of the inverter housing chamber 300 is extended in a form of bending radially outward, and the flange portion 209 is formed in the drive device case 210. Is formed. As shown in FIG. 6, the second circular plate member 52 p provided on the second end face 52 side has a larger diameter than the inverter accommodating chamber 300. The outer edge portion of the second circular plate member 52 p and the flange portion 209 are in contact with the drive device case 210 via the second seal member 302. That is, they are in contact with each other in the surface direction (axial direction L) of the second circular plate member 52p. Thereby, a liquid-tight structure of the second end face 52 is realized.

  That is, in the present embodiment, a “shaft-plane” liquid-tight structure that combines sealing around the axis and sealing in the surface direction is employed. Naturally, the configuration for realizing the liquid-tight structure is not limited to this configuration, and various forms exemplified below can be adopted. FIG. 7 schematically shows a liquid-tight structure similar to FIG. 6 for comparison with other configurations. 8 to 11 illustrate another liquid-tight structure different from FIGS. 6 and 7.

  FIG. 8 illustrates a liquid-tight structure on the “axis-plane” as in FIGS. 6 and 7. 6 and 7, the first end surface 51 side is “axis” and the second end surface 52 side is “surface”, whereas in the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the first end surface 51 side is “surface”. The second end face 52 side is an “axis”. In the liquid tight structure on the “shaft-plane” shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the dimensional tolerance of sealing by the first seal member 301 and the second seal member 302 is larger than that of the other forms illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 11. It is loose, positioning is relatively easy, and assembly is good.

  9 and 10 exemplify a “surface-surface” structure in which a liquid-tight structure is adopted in which both the first end surface 51 side and the second end surface 52 side are “surfaces”. In this liquid-tight structure, both end surfaces are supported by “surfaces”, so that it is difficult to maintain the parallelism of the inverter device 100 with respect to the inverter accommodating chamber 300 as compared with the structures of FIGS. The dimensional tolerance of sealing by the first seal member 301 and the second seal member 302 also becomes severe. Further, positioning with respect to the shaft center becomes difficult as compared with the structures of FIGS. 7 and 8, and the assembling property is slightly lowered. On the other hand, naturally, sealing around the shaft center is unnecessary, so that the effective volume capable of accommodating the circuit components in the inverter accommodating chamber 300 can be increased.

  FIG. 11 exemplifies an “axis-axis” structure in which a liquid-tight structure in which the first end surface 51 side and the second end surface 52 side are both “axis” is adopted. In this liquid-tight structure, both end surfaces are supported by “shafts”, so that it is difficult to maintain the coaxiality of the inverter device 100 with respect to the inverter accommodating chamber 300 as compared with the other structures described above. Further, positioning in the depth direction (axial direction L) of the inverter device 100 with respect to the inverter accommodating chamber 300 becomes difficult as compared with the structures of FIGS. 7 and 8, and this structure is adopted although the assemblability is slightly lowered. It does not prevent.

  By the way, in the above description, as shown in FIG. 2, the circuit constituent members (smoothing capacitor 40, IGBT 3, drive board 90) are arranged on the cooling plate 20, and the cooling plate 20 is outside the cooling member 5. The form arrange | positioned at 5 s of side surfaces was illustrated. In this embodiment, since all the circuit components are arranged on the cooling plate 20 and the cooling plate 20 is arranged on the cooling member 5, high productivity can be realized. However, the arrangement form on the outer surface 5s is not limited to this form, and various forms exemplified below can be adopted. FIG. 12 schematically shows an arrangement similar to FIG. 2 for comparison with other configurations. 13 to 16 illustrate another arrangement different from that in FIG.

  FIGS. 13 and 14 show a form in which a part of the circuit constituent member is disposed on the outer surface 5 s of the cooling member 5 via the cooling plate 20. In FIG. 13, the IGBT 3 and the drive substrate 90 are disposed on the cooling plate 20, the cooling plate 20 is disposed on the outer surface 5 s of the cooling member 5, and the smoothing capacitor 40 is directly disposed on the outer surface 5 s. Yes. In FIG. 14, only the IGBT 3 is disposed on the outer surface 5s of the cooling member 5 via the cooling plate 20, and the smoothing capacitor 40 and the drive board 90 are directly disposed on the outer surface 5s.

  When it is necessary to shorten the length in the axial direction L, only the IGBT 3 and the smoothing capacitor 40 may be arranged on the cooling member 5 as circuit constituent members. 15 and 16 illustrate such a form. FIG. 15 illustrates a form in which all circuit components (IGBT 3 and smoothing capacitor 40) are arranged on the outer surface 5 s of the cooling member 5 via the cooling plate 20 in that case. FIG. 16 illustrates a form in which only the IGBT 3 is disposed on the outer surface 5s of the cooling member 5 via the cooling plate 20, and the smoothing capacitor 40 is directly disposed on the outer surface 5s.

[Other Embodiments]
Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. Note that the configuration of each embodiment described below is not limited to being applied independently, and can be applied in combination with the configuration of other embodiments as long as no contradiction arises.

(1) In the above description, the case where the cross-sectional shape of the cooling member 5 is a triangle is exemplified, but it is needless to say that the cooling member 5 may be another polygon such as a quadrangle or a hexagon.

(2) Moreover, in the said description, although the case where the cross-sectional shape of the cooling member 5 was a regular triangle was illustrated, the cross-sectional shape may not be a regular polygon. For example, the cross-sectional shape may be a hexagonal shape by cutting each vertex of the regular triangle. Further, the area of the outer surface 5s may be varied depending on the number of circuit components mounted on the outer surface 5s of the cooling member 5, for example, an isosceles triangular cross-sectional shape.

(3) In the above description, an example in which one arm 10L is configured in one circuit component unit 4 has been described. However, the upper stage IGBT 3U (upper stage side switching element or high side switch) and the lower stage IGBT 3L (negative electrode side switching element or low side switch) of one arm 10L may be configured as separate circuit constituent member units 4. For example, the inverter device 100 may be configured by disposing the three-phase inverter circuit 10 on each of the six outer surfaces 5s of the cooling member 5 having a hexagonal cross section. Further, one circuit component member unit 4 may be provided with an upper-stage IGBT 3U and a lower-stage IGBT 3L of all phases, respectively.

(4) The cooling member 5 is not limited to the inverter circuit 10, the smoothing capacitor 40, the drive circuit 9, and the current sensor 12, and all or part of the inverter control unit 8 may be mounted. For example, the cooling member 5 is formed of a quadrangular prism, circuit constituent members corresponding to the respective phases of the three-phase inverter circuit 10 are arranged on the three outer surfaces 5s, and inverter control is performed on the remaining one outer surface 5s. It is also a preferred embodiment to arrange circuit constituent members constituting the portion 8.

  The present invention can be used in an inverter device provided with a cooling member and a circuit constituent member, and a vehicle drive device provided with an inverter device, a rotating electrical machine, and a transmission mechanism.

3: IGBT (switching element)
4: Circuit component unit 5: Cooling member 5d: Discharge port 5f: Inlet 5s: Outer surface 9: Drive circuit 10: Inverter circuit 12: Current sensor 40: Smoothing capacitor (capacitor)
51: 1st end surface 52: 2nd end surface 90: Drive board 100: Inverter device 200: Vehicle drive device 203: Opening part 210: Drive device case 300: Inverter accommodation chamber BA: AC side terminal BD: DC side terminal L: Cooling member axial direction Lx: Cooling member axis MG: Rotating electrical machine S: Control signal TM: Transmission mechanism W: Width direction X1 orthogonal to the axial direction and along the outer surface X1: Rotating shaft of gear member constituting the transmission mechanism

Claims (9)

A cooling member that has a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction and is configured by a polygonal columnar body, and has a refrigerant inlet and outlet and allows the refrigerant to flow through the columnar body;
A switching element that constitutes an inverter circuit that converts power between direct current and alternating current, and a circuit component that includes at least a capacitor that smoothes the voltage on the direct current side of the inverter circuit,
The circuit component member is arranged separately on an outer surface parallel to the axial direction of the cooling member and facing outward.
The inflow port and the discharge port are provided on a first end surface which is an end surface on one side of the cooling member in the axial direction,
The direct current side terminal of the inverter circuit is provided so as to protrude to the first end face side from the circuit constituent member,
The inverter device provided with the AC side terminal of the inverter circuit so as to protrude toward the second end face, which is the other end face in the axial direction of the cooling member, rather than the circuit constituent member. The inverter circuit converts power between direct current and multiple-phase alternating current,
The circuit component member includes a plurality of circuit component member units corresponding to each phase of the plurality of phases of alternating current,
2. The inverter device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the circuit component units are arranged on different outer surfaces of the cooling member such that each of the circuit component member units is arranged on one outer surface. The circuit component unit includes the switching element and the capacitor corresponding to each phase of the multiple-phase alternating current, and a drive circuit for driving a control signal for controlling the switching of the switching element, A drive board comprising a current sensor for detecting a current flowing through an AC side terminal corresponding to each phase of the AC of the plurality of phases;
3. The inverter device according to claim 2, wherein the capacitor, the switching element, and the drive substrate are arranged in this order on each of the outer surfaces from the first end surface side to the second end surface side. .   The distance from the axial center of the cooling member to the outermost end portion of the member that protrudes to the outermost side among the members constituting the circuit component unit is a plurality of the plurality of the plurality of the outer surfaces arranged on each of the outer surfaces. The inverter device according to claim 2, wherein the circuit component unit is configured to be equivalent to each other.   The cross-section of the cooling member is a regular polygon, and each of the plurality of outer surfaces includes the circuit component member unit at a position that is orthogonal to the axial direction and is equal in the width direction along the outer surface. The inverter apparatus as described in any one of Claim 2 to 4 with which the member is arrange | positioned. A vehicle drive device comprising the inverter device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a rotating electrical machine, and a speed change mechanism,
A drive case that houses the rotating electrical machine and the speed change mechanism;
The inverter device is a vehicle drive device that is disposed in the drive device case in a state in which a rotation shaft of a gear member constituting the transmission mechanism and the axial direction of the cooling member are parallel to each other.   The inverter device is arranged such that the inverter device and the rotating electrical machine overlap each other when the second end surface is directed toward the rotating electrical machine and viewed in a direction along the axial direction of the cooling member. The vehicle drive device according to claim 6.   The said drive device case has an opening part, The said inverter apparatus is arrange | positioned so that the said inflow port, the said discharge port, and the said DC side terminal may be located in the said opening part. Vehicle drive device.   The said drive device case is equipped with the inverter accommodating chamber of a liquid-tight structure inside, and at least the said circuit component member of the said inverter apparatus is arrange | positioned in the said inverter accommodating chamber. The vehicle drive device described in 1.

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