JP2022006628A - Power conversion apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a power conversion apparatus comprising a pressurization device capable of attaining reduction in manufacture man-hours and suppressing deformation of a surface of a support member.SOLUTION: A power conversion apparatus 1 comprises a pressurization device 3 which presses a lamination unit in a lamination direction. The pressurization device 3 includes a support member 4 which supports the lamination unit, and an elastic member 5 which comes into contact with the support member 4 and presses the support member 4 toward the side of the lamination unit by an elastic force. The support member 4 includes a main plate part 41 opposed to the lamination unit, and a sidewall part 42 protruding from the lamination unit in an end of the main plate part 41 in a lateral direction. The support member 4 includes a protrusion 43 which protrudes from the main plate part 41 and is inserted into a through hole 53 of the elastic member 5, and a recess 411 opposed to the elastic member 5 via a gap. The support member 4 includes an opening 412 which is enclosed by an inner peripheral wall of the recess 411.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The disclosure herein relates to a power converter.

Patent Document 1 discloses a pressurizing device that pressurizes and supports a semiconductor laminating unit in the laminating direction. The pressurizing device includes a contact plate that abuts on the end of the semiconductor stacking unit in the stacking direction, and an elastic member that presses the contact plate toward the semiconductor stacking unit. The elastic member is engaged with the abutment plate by crimping the cylindrical protrusion provided on the abutment plate.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-11935

According to the pressurizing device of Patent Document 1, crimping is required to bond the abutting plate and the elastic member, and there is room for improving the manufacturing man-hours.

The pressurizing device is required that the surface of the support member on the semiconductor laminated unit side is not deformed in order for the support member such as the contact plate to properly support the semiconductor laminated unit. When the surface of the support member is deformed, the semiconductor laminated unit cannot be pressed properly, and the thermal resistance between the cooling passage tube and the semiconductor module increases.

One of the purposes disclosed in this specification is to provide a power conversion device provided with a pressurizing device capable of reducing manufacturing man-hours and suppressing deformation of the surface of a support member.

The plurality of aspects disclosed herein employ different technical means to achieve their respective objectives. Further, the scope of claims and the reference numerals in parentheses described in this section are examples showing the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiment described later as one embodiment, and limit the technical scope. is not it.

One of the disclosed power conversion devices is a power conversion unit (2) that performs power conversion and supplies current to the load.
A laminated unit (10) including a cooling passage pipe portion (63) for cooling the power conversion unit and a power conversion unit, and formed by alternately laminating the cooling passage pipe portion and the power conversion unit.
A pressurizing device (3) including a support member (4) that supports the stacking unit in the stacking direction and an elastic member (5) that presses the support member toward the stacking unit side by an elastic force is provided.
The support member is
The main plate portion (41) facing the laminating unit in the laminating direction, the side wall portion (42) protruding in the separating direction away from the laminating unit at the end portion in the lateral direction of the main plate portion, and the side wall portion (42) extending from the main plate portion and separated. A protrusion (43) that protrudes in the direction and is inserted into a through hole (53) that penetrates the elastic member.
In the main plate portion pressed by the elastic member, a recess (411) formed at a position away from the side wall portion and facing the elastic member through a gap, and a recess (411).
It has an opening (412) that penetrates the recess.

According to this power conversion device, since the protruding portion extending from the main plate portion of the support member is inserted into the through hole of the elastic member, the elastic member can be held by the support member. As a result, in order to hold the elastic member on the support member, it is not necessary to perform a caulking process or the like, and the manufacturing man-hours can be suppressed.

According to this support member, when forming a concave portion, it can be formed by pressing with a stamping die including an opening penetrating the main plate portion. As a result, since the stamping die presses the meat portion excluding the opening, the pressing force can be reduced as compared with the case of pressing the concave portion without the opening. Since the pressing force can be suppressed, it is possible to suppress the surface of the main plate portion on the laminated unit side from rising. Therefore, this power conversion device can reduce the manufacturing man-hours and provide a pressurizing device capable of suppressing deformation of the surface of the support member.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the power conversion apparatus of this specification. It is a perspective view which shows the pressurizing apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which looked at the pressurizing apparatus in the pressurizing direction. It is a front view which looked at the support member in a pressurizing direction. It is a perspective view of a support member. It is a partial cross-sectional view which shows the engagement relationship between a support member and an elastic member. It is a partial cross-sectional view which shows the engagement relation of 2nd Embodiment. It is a partial view which shows the protrusion and the through hole which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a partial figure which shows the other example in 3rd Embodiment. It is a partial view which shows the protrusion and the through hole which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a partial figure which shows the other example in 4th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each form, the same reference numerals may be given to the parts corresponding to the matters described in the preceding forms, and duplicate explanations may be omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described in each form, other forms described above can be applied to the other parts of the configuration. Not only the combinations of the parts that clearly indicate that they can be combined in each embodiment, but also the parts of the embodiments that are not explicitly combined if there is no problem in the combination. It is also possible.

<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment that discloses an example of a power conversion device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The power conversion device can be applied to an in-vehicle power conversion device mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle. Vehicles include passenger cars, buses, construction work vehicles, agricultural machinery vehicles and the like. A power conversion device that can achieve the object specified in the specification can be applied to, for example, an inverter device, a converter device, or the like. This converter device includes a power supply device for AC input / DC output, a power supply device for DC input / DC output, and a power supply device for AC input / AC output. In this embodiment, the device applied to the inverter device as an example of the power conversion device will be described below.

The vehicle drive system is mounted on the vehicle and provides the driving force for driving the drive wheels of the vehicle. The drive system includes a DC power supply, a motor generator, a power conversion device 1, and the like. The DC power source is, for example, a plurality of secondary batteries. As the secondary battery, a lithium ion secondary battery, a nickel hydrogen secondary battery, an organic radical battery, or the like can be adopted.

The motor generator includes a three-phase AC rotary electric machine, that is, a three-phase AC motor. The motor generator functions as an electric motor that is a traveling drive source of the vehicle. The motor generator functions as a generator during regeneration. The power conversion device 1 performs power conversion between the DC power supply and the motor generator.

The power conversion device 1 converts a DC voltage into a three-phase AC voltage and outputs it to a motor generator according to switching control by a control circuit. As a result, the vehicle runs by driving the motor generator using the AC power converted from the DC power by the power conversion unit. The power conversion device 1 converts the AC power generated by the power generation of the motor generator into DC power and outputs it to the power line on the high potential side in the circuit. The power conversion device 1 performs bidirectional power conversion between the DC power supply and the motor generator.

The power conversion device 1 includes an inverter circuit. The inverter circuit includes a plurality of semiconductor modules 2 to form a power conversion unit. The plurality of semiconductor modules 2 are connected in parallel to the smoothing capacitor. The power conversion unit converts DC power from a DC power source into AC power by turning on and off the semiconductor element included in the semiconductor module 2.

The motor generator is connected to the axle of the electric vehicle. The rotational energy of the motor generator is transmitted to the drive wheels of the electric vehicle via the axle. The rotational energy of the drive wheels is transmitted to the motor generator via the axle. The motor generator is powered by AC power supplied from the power converter 1. As a result, propulsive force is applied to the drive wheels. The motor generator is regenerated by the rotational energy transmitted from the drive wheels. The AC power generated by this regeneration is converted into DC power by the power conversion device 1 as described above. This DC power is supplied to the DC power supply. This DC power is also supplied to various electric loads mounted on the vehicle.

In the inverter circuit, a smoothing capacitor is connected to the input side and a motor generator, which is an example of a load, is connected to the output side of the power conversion unit. The smoothing capacitor mainly smoothes the DC voltage supplied from the DC power supply. The smoothing capacitor is connected between the power line on the high potential side and the power line on the low potential side. The power line on the high potential side is connected to the positive electrode of the DC power supply. The power line on the low potential side is connected to the negative electrode of the DC power supply. The positive electrode of the smoothing capacitor is connected to the power line on the high potential side between the DC power supply and the power conversion unit. The negative electrode of the smoothing capacitor is connected to the power line on the low potential side between the DC power supply and the power conversion unit.

A P bus bar is provided on the power line on the high potential side. An N bus bar is provided on the power line on the low potential side. The P bus bar and the N bus bar are provided on the power line on the input side with respect to the power conversion unit of the power conversion device 1.

The power conversion device 1 includes a three-phase leg connected in parallel between a P bus bar connected to the positive electrode side of the DC power supply and an N bus bar connected to the negative electrode side of the DC power supply. The leg of each phase includes a plurality of semiconductor devices connected in series between the P bus bar and the N bus bar. The inverter circuit includes three upper and lower arm circuits including two arms connected in series. The three upper and lower arm circuits are, for example, U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase from the smoothing capacitor side. The arm on the high potential side of each upper and lower arm circuit can be said to be an upper arm. The arm on the low potential side can also be said to be the lower arm.

Each arm has an IGBT as a switching element and a diode. The IGBT is an insulated gate bipolar transistor which is a kind of transistor. The IGBT and the diode are provided on the semiconductor substrate. A semiconductor chip provided with an IGBT and a diode corresponds to a semiconductor element. In the upper arm, the collector is connected to the power line on the high potential side. In the lower arm, the emitter is connected to the power line on the low potential side. The emitter on the upper arm side and the collector on the lower arm side are connected to each other. The anode of the diode is connected to the emitter of the corresponding IGBT and the cathode is connected to the collector of the corresponding IGBT.

The control circuit generates a drive command for operating the IGBT and outputs the drive command to the drive circuit. The control circuit generates a drive command based on, for example, a torque request input from a higher-level ECU and signals detected by various sensors. Various sensors include a current sensor, a rotation angle sensor, and a voltage sensor. The control circuit outputs, for example, a PWM signal as a drive command. The control circuit comprises a microcomputer.

The drive circuit is a driver that supplies a drive voltage to the gate of the IGBT of the corresponding arm based on the drive command of the control circuit. The drive circuit drives the corresponding IGBT, that is, on drive and off drive by applying a drive voltage. The power conversion device 1 includes, for example, one drive circuit for one arm.

The power conversion device 1 includes a bus bar including an input side bus bar and an output side bus bar. The power conversion device 1 includes a bus bar for power input / output. This bus bar includes a conductive member connected to the terminal portion on the input side and a conductive member connected to the terminal portion on the output side in the power conversion device 1. This bus bar is a conductive member connected to the input side or the output side with respect to the semiconductor module 2 and the smoothing capacitor. Since such a bus bar forms one of the electric power paths and generates heat, it dissipates heat to surrounding parts. The input side bus bar is a conductive member to which electric power is supplied from a DC power source. The input side bus bars are, for example, P bus bars and N bus bars.

The output-side bus bar is, for example, a bus bar provided in a power path through which the output current of the arm flows to the motor generator. The current sensor detects the output current flowing through the output side bus bar. The output-side bus bar is provided in the power path connecting the connection portion between the upper arm and the lower arm in the U phase and the winding of the motor generator. The output-side bus bar is provided in the power path connecting the connection portion between the upper arm and the lower arm in the V phase and the winding of the motor generator. The output-side bus bar is provided in the power path connecting the connection portion between the upper arm and the lower arm in the W phase and the winding of the motor generator. The output side bus bar is also called a U-phase bus bar, a V-phase bus bar, or a W-phase bus bar. The U-phase bus bar, the V-phase bus bar, and the W-phase bus bar are provided on the power line on the output side with respect to the power conversion unit.

The power conversion device 1 includes a case 11 for accommodating a plurality of electric components. The case 11 forms one container. The case 11 houses, for example, a capacitor unit, a power module unit, and a control board on which a control circuit is mounted.

The capacitor unit contains at least a smoothing capacitor. The capacitor unit contains a resin-sealed smoothing capacitor with the terminals connected to other electrical components exposed. The smoothing capacitor has a built-in resin-sealed capacitor element. The resin to be sealed is made of a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin. The sealing resin is filled in the gap between the capacitor element and the terminal and the accommodating portion of the smoothing capacitor. Some of the terminals of the smoothing capacitor protrude from the sealing resin. The capacitor unit is fixed to the bottom wall of the first case member by a fixing tool such as a bolt, a screw, a rivet, a welding connection, a brazing connection, or the like.

The case 11 is a housing formed by combining a plurality of case members. The case 11 includes, for example, at least a first case member and a second case member. For example, the second case member is a member attached to the first case member so as to cover the internal space of the lower case, which is the first case member. FIG. 1 shows the internal state of the case 11 excluding the member located at the uppermost part of the case 11 in order to explain the configuration of the power conversion device 1. The case 11 is made of a metal material. The case 11 includes, for example, a molded body made of die-cast aluminum. The X direction and the Y direction in the drawing are the horizontal direction and the vertical direction of the power conversion device 1. The Z direction in the drawing is the height direction of the power conversion device 1.

The first case member integrally includes, for example, a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls erected from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall, and a joint portion. The second case member integrally includes, for example, a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls erected from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall, and a joint portion. In the first case member and the second case member, the joint portions of the first case member and the second case member are joined to each other by a screw or the like to form a box body.

The semiconductor module 2 includes a main body portion containing a semiconductor element, and a power terminal and a signal terminal 21a protruding from the main body portion. The semiconductor module 2 is also called a power module. The power terminal and the signal terminal 21a project in opposite directions in the semiconductor module 2. The power terminal includes an input terminal to which a DC voltage is applied and an output terminal connected to an output side bus bar on the motor generator side. The power terminal projects downward from the bottom wall of the second case member through an opening provided in the bottom wall of the second case member. The input terminal is connected to the terminal of the smoothing capacitor and is electrically connected to the output unit of the DC power supply via the input side bus bar. The signal terminal 21a is connected to a control circuit mounted on the control board. The control circuit constitutes a circuit in which electronic components such as arithmetic elements that control the operation of semiconductor elements are mounted.

The power conversion device 1 includes a cooler 6 that cools the semiconductor module 2 by the endothermic action of the cooling fluid. The cooler 6 is fixed to the case 11. The cooler 6 is fixed to the bottom wall of the second case member by, for example, a fixing tool such as a bolt, a screw, a rivet, a welding connection, a brazing connection, or the like.

The cooler 6 includes an inflow pipe 61, an upstream side connecting pipe 62, a plurality of cooling passage pipe portions 63 alternately stacked and installed on the semiconductor module 2, a downstream side connecting pipe 64, an outflow pipe 65, and the like. The power module unit is a laminated unit 10 including a cooling passage pipe portion 63 and a semiconductor module 2, and the semiconductor module 2 and the cooling passage pipe portion 63 are alternately laminated and integrally formed. The plurality of semiconductor modules 2 and the plurality of coolers 6 are arranged side by side in the stacking direction. Each part of the cooler 6 forming a passage is made of a material having good thermal conductivity, and is made of aluminum as an example.

The inflow pipe 61 is a fluid introduction portion in the cooler 6. The downstream portion of the inflow pipe 61 communicates with the cooling passage pipe portion 63 and the upstream side connecting pipe 62. The upstream portion of the inflow pipe 61 communicates with the external introduction pipe 71. The external introduction pipe 71 is an external pipe that forms a passage that communicates with the inflow pipe 61, and extends to the outside of the case 11. The external introduction pipe 71 is connected to the power conversion device 1 in order to form a passage for introducing the cooling fluid into the cooler 6.

The cooling passage pipe portion 63 is a square cylinder that is flat in the stacking direction. The stacking direction corresponds to the X direction in the drawing. The inside of the square cylinder is a rectangular parallelepiped cooling passage. The cooling passage is an internal passage of the cooling passage pipe portion 63. The cooling fluid absorbs heat generated by the semiconductor module 2 when flowing through the cooling passage. The cooling passage pipe portion 63 is in contact with the semiconductor module 2 on both end faces orthogonal to the stacking direction. The semiconductor module 2 is cooled on both end faces by cooling passage pipe portions 63 adjacent to each other in the stacking direction.

The cooling passage pipe portion 63 is formed with an upstream side through hole portion and a downstream side through hole portion that penetrate in the stacking direction on both end sides in the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal direction of the cooling passage pipe portion 63 corresponds to the Y direction in the drawing. The inner peripheral edge of the upstream side through hole portion located on the upstream side is joined to the upstream side connecting pipe 62. The inner peripheral edge of the downstream side through hole portion located on the downstream side is joined to the downstream side connecting pipe 64.

The upstream side connecting pipe 62 connects the upstream side through holes in the cooling passage pipe portions 63 adjacent to each other in the stacking direction. The upstream side connecting pipe 62 provides a communication passage that connects the internal passage of the cooling passage pipe portion 63 adjacent to each other in the stacking direction and the internal passage of the cooling passage pipe portion 63 on the upstream side of the cooler 6. The downstream side connecting pipe 64 connects the downstream side through-hole portions in the cooling passage pipe portions 63 adjacent to each other in the stacking direction. The downstream connecting pipe 64 provides a connecting passage that connects the internal passage of the cooling passage pipe portion 63 adjacent to each other in the stacking direction and the internal passage of the cooling passage pipe portion 63 on the downstream side of the cooler 6.

The outflow pipe 65 is a fluid discharge portion in the cooler 6. The upstream portion of the outflow pipe 65 is joined to the inner peripheral edge of the downstream through hole portion of the cooling passage pipe portion 63 located closest to the outflow pipe 65 and connected to the cooling passage pipe portion 63. The downstream portion of the outflow pipe 65 is connected to the external discharge pipe 72. The external discharge pipe 72 is an external pipe that forms a passage that communicates with the outflow pipe 65, and extends to the outside of the case 11. The external discharge pipe 72 is connected to the power conversion device 1 in order to form a passage for discharging the cooling fluid from the cooler 6.

The external discharge pipe 72 is inscribed and connected to the outflow pipe 65. Alternatively, the external discharge pipe 72 may be configured to be externally connected to the outflow pipe 65. The external discharge pipe 72 and the outflow pipe 65 are connected by fitting each other. A seal portion is provided between the outer surface of the external discharge pipe 72 and the inner surface of the through hole formed in the second case member. The seal portion is in close contact with the external discharge pipe 72 and the second case member to prevent water from entering the case 11 from the outside. The seal portion is composed of an adhesive member such as an O-ring or a packing seal. The seal portion seals between the inside of the inflow pipe 61 and the outside of the case 11.

The cooling passage pipe portion 63 is in contact with the adjacent semiconductor module 2. The cooling fluid flowing through each cooling passage pipe portion 63 absorbs heat from the adjacent semiconductor module 2 and cools the cooling fluid. The internal passage of each cooling passage pipe portion 63 communicates with the internal passage of the inflow pipe 61 on the upstream side and communicates with the internal passage of the outflow pipe 65 on the downstream side. The cooling fluid flowing inside the cooler 6 is preferably an antifreeze liquid having a large heat capacity such as LLC. Further, a gas such as air may be adopted as the cooling fluid.

The external introduction pipe 71 and the external discharge pipe 72 communicate with a heat dissipation device installed outside the power conversion device 1. The heat radiating device is a device such as a heat exchanger in which heat is radiated from the cooling fluid to the outside. The radiator is, for example, a radiator. The cooling fluid is introduced into the inflow pipe 61 and the cooling passage pipe portion 63 from the heat radiating device via the external introduction pipe 71. After flowing down in the inflow pipe 61, the cooling fluid is divided into a plurality of cooling passage pipe portions 63 to absorb heat and merge into the outflow pipe 65. The cooling fluid flows out of the cooler 6 and returns to the heat radiating device via the inside of the external discharge pipe 72.

A binding force in the stacking direction acts on the stacking unit 10 by the pressurizing device 3. This binding force is provided by the pressure at which the pressurizing device 3 pushes the stacking unit 10 in the P1 direction. Hereinafter, the pressurizing device 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7. The pressurizing device 3 includes a support member 4 and an elastic member 5. The support member 4 and the elastic member 5 are provided so that the longitudinal directions are the same. This longitudinal direction is the same as the Y direction in each figure. The support member 4 supports the laminated unit 10 by pushing it in the P1 direction by the main plate portion 41 in contact with the laminated unit 10. The elastic member 5 comes into contact with the case 11 and the support member 4, and presses the support member 4 in the P1 direction by a reaction force accompanying the elastic force. The support member 4 and the elastic member 5 are formed by, for example, pressing.

The support member 4 is a plate-shaped member and is made of a metal such as carbon tool steel. The support member 4 includes a main plate portion 41 that comes into surface contact with the end surface of the stacking unit 10 in the stacking direction, and a pair of side wall portions 42 extending from both ends in the width direction of the main plate portion 41. The main plate portion 41 has a rectangular shape having a length in the longitudinal direction similar to that of the cooling passage pipe portion 63. The pair of side wall portions 42 and the main plate portion 41 are integrally molded.

The side wall portion 42 projects in the distance direction away from the laminating unit 10 at the end portion of the main plate portion 41 in the lateral direction. The pair of side wall portions 42 are side plates bent so as to be orthogonal to the main plate portion 41 from both ends in the lateral direction of the main plate portion 41, and contribute to the improvement of the rigidity of the main plate portion 41. The side wall portion 42 is formed so that the length in the Y direction or the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length in the longitudinal direction of the main plate portion 41. In the pressurizing device 3, the pair of side wall portions 42 are provided so as to cover both ends of the elastic member 5 in the lateral direction. The lateral direction is the same as the Z direction in each figure.

The elastic member 5 is made of a metal such as carbon tool steel. The elastic member 5 is a leaf spring made of a single sheet metal, integrally having a pressing portion 51 and a pair of supported portions 52. The pressing portion 51 is a portion of the elastic member 5 located at the central portion in the longitudinal direction and curved in an arc shape, and has a cross-sectional shape that is convex toward the main plate portion 41. The pair of supported portions 52 are portions located on both sides of the pressing portion 51 and curved in the same direction as the pressing portion 51. The supported portion 52 is a portion that is in contact with and supported by the support portion 111 provided on the inner wall of the case 11 at the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the elastic member 5. The bearing portion 111 is, for example, a convex portion formed on the inner wall of the case 11.

The pressing portion 51 is a portion that comes into contact with the main plate portion 41 of the support member 4 and presses the main plate portion 41 in the P1 direction. Therefore, the elastic member 5 is in contact with the support member 4 at the central portion in the longitudinal direction and is in contact with the case 11 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. Since the elastic member 5 has an elastic force to be restored against an external force, it provides a reaction force that pushes back the support member 4 at the central portion in the longitudinal direction and pushes back the case 11 at both ends in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the main plate portion 41 is provided with a concave portion 411 including a concave surface 411a recessed from the surrounding surface on the surface facing the elastic member 5. A part of the peripheral surface is a portion in contact with the pressing portion 51 of the elastic member 5. The concave surface 411a is located substantially at the center of the main plate portion 41. As shown in FIG. 4, the concave surface 411a is formed at a position away from the pair of side wall portions 42. A peripheral surface is provided between the concave surface 411a and the side wall portion 42 of the main plate portion 41. Further, peripheral surfaces are also formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction with respect to the concave surface 411a, and are arranged so as to surround the outer peripheral edge of the concave surface 411a.

The recess 411 can be formed, for example, by plastically deforming a portion of the flat plate-shaped member constituting the main plate portion 41 to be a concave surface 411a by press working. The concave surface 411a has, for example, a rectangular shape or a square shape. The recess 411 forms an inner peripheral wall having a height corresponding to the depth dimension of the recess 411 from the outer peripheral edge of the concave surface 411a. The recess 411 is formed to include an inner peripheral wall forming the contour of the recess 411 and a concave surface 411a. As shown in FIG. 6, the central portion of the pressing portion 51 of the elastic member 5 faces the concave surface 411a with a gap. The circumference of the through hole 53 in the pressing portion 51 is separated from the support member 4 by this gap. The pressing portion 51 is provided so as to be in contact with at least both sides of the concave surface 411a in the lateral direction of the main plate portion 41 among the surfaces around the concave surface 411a. The pressing portion 51 is provided with a through hole 53 that penetrates the center of the pressing portion 51 in the plate thickness direction. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in a state where the elastic member 5 is assembled to the support member 4, the through hole 53 is formed in a size and position capable of inserting the protruding portion 43 of the support member 4. There is.

As shown in FIG. 4, the support member 4 includes a protruding portion 43 protruding in the elastic member 5 side, that is, in the P2 direction with respect to the main plate portion 41 in the central portion of the main plate portion 41. The protruding portion 43 is a portion that extends from the main plate portion 41 and protrudes in the separating direction away from the laminated unit 10. The protruding portion 43 is a portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the main plate portion 41. The main plate portion 41 is provided with an opening 412 that penetrates the recess 411 of the main plate portion 41 in the plate thickness direction.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the inner peripheral edge forming the opening 412 in the recess 411 is separated from the inner peripheral wall of the recess 411. The inner peripheral edge forming the opening 412 and the inner peripheral wall of the recess 411 are connected to each other via the concave surface 411a. In other words, the concave surface 411a is provided so as to surround the opening 412 over the entire outer circumference. As shown in FIG. 4, the openings 412 are provided on both sides of the protrusions 43 in the longitudinal direction of the main plate 41. The opening 412 is provided on at least one side of the protruding portion 43 in the lateral direction of the main plate portion 41. The openings 412 may be provided on both sides of the protrusions 43 in the lateral direction of the main plate 41.

The inner peripheral edge of the opening 412 in the recess 411 is formed at a position biased toward one side in the longitudinal direction or the lateral direction of the main plate portion 41 from the center of the recess 411. The opening 412 is provided at a position close to one side of the opposite sides forming the rectangular concave surface 411a. Further, the opening 412 is provided so as to be biased toward one side of the opposite sides forming the contour of the concave portion 411 in the lateral direction of the main plate portion 41 with respect to the protruding portion 43. According to an example shown in FIG. 4, the opening portion 412 penetrates the main plate portion 41 at a position biased toward the one side wall portion 42 with respect to the center of the recess 411 among the pair of side wall portions 42.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, the support member 4 includes a base portion 43a forming a part of the inner peripheral edge of the opening 412, and a bent portion 43b connecting the base portion 43a and the projecting portion 43. .. The base portion 43a extends downward from the upper edge portion of the inner peripheral edge of the opening 412. The bent portion 43b is a bent portion or a curved portion in which the extending direction of the base portion 43a is changed by about 90 degrees in the extending direction of the protruding portion 43. The base portion 43a, the bent portion 43b, and the protruding portion 43 are integrally formed to form an L-shaped vertical cross section. The base portion 43a, the bent portion 43b, and the protruding portion 43 are formed so as to have the same cross-sectional area and the same outer shape. The portion from the base portion 43a to the protruding portion 43 has a shape like an elephant's nose, extends downward, changes its direction in the stacking direction, and further extends in a direction penetrating the elastic member 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, the protruding portion 43 protrudes from the pressing portion 51 in the P2 direction through the through hole 53. Therefore, the protruding portion 43 functions as a fall stopper for the elastic member 5, and the elastic member 5 is caught so as not to fall downward. The protrusion 43 and the through hole 53 form an engaging mechanism that holds the elastic member 5 in a predetermined position with respect to the support member 4. The protruding portion 43 and the through hole 53 correspond to the engaging convex portion and the engaging hole portion that are engaged with each other. The engaging mechanism includes a form in which the protruding portion 43 is fitted to the through hole 53 and a form in which the protruding portion 43 is held in a state of play.

Further, the elastic member 5 is sandwiched between the case 11 and the support member 4, so that the main plate portion 41 is pressed in the P1 direction by the reaction force due to the elastic force. By this action and the engaging mechanism, the support member 4 and the elastic member 5 can pressurize the laminated unit 10 without the need for a mechanism such as a crimping portion or a component for joining. Therefore, the pressurizing device 3 can suppress the manufacturing cost required for suppressing the thermal resistance of the laminating unit 10.

The support member 4 can be manufactured by molding a plate material by a press machine. The manufacturing method for molding each part is configured as follows, for example. First, the plate material is punched into a predetermined shape. The predetermined shape is the shape of a flat plate in which the pair of side wall portions 42 and the main plate portion 41 in the unfolded state are combined. Next, a portion corresponding to the opening 412 is punched out from a flat plate having a predetermined shape so that the shape in which the base portion 43a and the protruding portion 43 are linear remains. The step of punching the portion corresponding to the opening 412 may be performed at the same time as the punching step of forming a flat plate having a predetermined shape.

Next, a step of bending the pair of side wall portions 42 so as to face each other is performed. As a result, it is possible to form a member having a U-shaped cross section in which the opening 412 is formed in the main plate portion 41. Next, a step of press-molding the concave portion 411 on the main plate portion 41 of the member having a U-shaped cross section is performed. In the forming process of the concave portion 411, the stamping die is pressed in the P1 direction on the surface of the main plate portion 41 on the elastic member 5 side to form the concave portion 411 as shown in FIG. The push surface of the stamp is rectangular or square larger than the opening 412. Since the stamping die pushes the main plate 41 with the opening 412 completely covered, the peripheral surface of the opening 412 is formed flush with the recess 411.

When press molding using a stamp is performed on a support member having no opening unlike the support member 4, the support member must be pressed so as to attract a large amount of meat. Therefore, a large pressing force is required, and the surface of the support member on the laminated unit side is likely to be raised. There is a problem that the contact area of the laminated unit becomes small due to the swelling of the surface on the laminated unit side, and the thermal resistance between the cooler and the semiconductor module increases.

On the other hand, in the support member 4 of the present embodiment, the opening 412 is formed inside the recess 411. Therefore, the volume of the portion of the main plate portion 41 pressed by the stamping die during press molding is smaller than that in the case where the opening is not present. According to the main plate portion 41, since the amount of meat collected by the stamping die is small, it is possible to form the recess 411 with a small pressing force. Since the pressing force is suppressed, it is possible to suppress the swelling of the surface of the support member 4 on the laminated unit side. Since the contact area between the support member 4 and the laminated unit 10 can be secured, deterioration of the thermal resistance between the cooler 6 and the semiconductor module 2 can be prevented.

Next, the support member after the concave portion 411 is formed is further bent so as to raise the end portion of the concave portion 411 corresponding to the protruding portion. At this time, the protruding portion 243 is formed so that the base portion 43a and the protruding portion 43 are orthogonal to each other starting from the bent portion 43b. This bending process can be performed using a press machine.

Further, the protruding portion 43 may be in a form that is not a portion extending from a part of the inner peripheral edge forming the opening 412. For example, the protruding portion 43 may have a configuration in which the bent portion 43b does not exist and protrudes from the concave surface 411a in the P2 direction. In the case of this configuration, the root portion protruding from the concave surface 411a toward the projecting portion 43 and the opening portion 412 are separated from each other, and a concave surface 411a is formed between them. Further, the opening 412 may be formed by a plurality of holes penetrating the recess 411 in the plate thickness direction. In other words, a plurality of openings 412 and protrusions 43 may be interspersed on the concave surface 411a.

The operation and effect brought about by the power conversion device 1 of the first embodiment will be described. The power conversion device 1 includes a power conversion unit, and a stacking unit 10 formed by alternately stacking a cooling passage pipe unit 63 and a power conversion unit. The power conversion device 1 includes a pressurizing device 3. The pressurizing device 3 includes a support member 4 that supports the stacking unit 10 in the stacking direction, and an elastic member 5 that contacts the support member 4 and presses the support member 4 toward the stacking unit side.

The support member 4 has a main plate portion 41 facing the laminating unit 10 in the laminating direction, and a side wall portion 42 protruding in the separating direction at the end portion of the main plate portion 41 in the lateral direction. The support member 4 has a protruding portion 43 extending from the main plate portion, projecting in a separating direction, and being inserted into a through hole 53 penetrating the elastic member 5. The support member 4 is formed in the main plate portion 41 at a position away from the side wall portion 42, and has a recess 411 facing the elastic member 5 through a gap and an opening 412 penetrating the recess 411.

According to the power conversion device 1, the protruding portion 43 extending from the main plate portion 41 is inserted into the through hole 53 of the elastic member 5. Therefore, the elastic member 5 can be held by the support member 4 with a simple structure. As a result, in order to hold the elastic member 5 on the support member 4, it is not necessary to perform a caulking process or the like, and it is possible to provide the power conversion device 1 with reduced manufacturing man-hours. Further, according to this configuration, a separate component for holding the elastic member 5 on the support member 4 is not required.

Since the recess 411 is formed in the main plate portion 41 at a position away from the side wall portion 42, the recess 411 is provided in a portion having a relatively low rigidity. This makes it possible to prevent the pressing force of the elastic member 5 from directly acting on the portion having low rigidity.

According to the support member 4, when the concave portion 411 is formed, it can be press-formed by a stamping die including the opening 412 penetrating the main plate portion 41. The stamping die presses the meat portion of the main plate portion 41 except for the opening 412. Under this pressing condition, the pressing force can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the opening 412 is not provided at the portion pressed by the pressing die. By suppressing the pressing force, it is possible to suppress the surface of the main plate portion 41 on the laminated unit side from rising. As a result, it is possible to provide a power conversion device 1 that can avoid a one-sided contact state of the support member 4 with respect to the laminated unit 10 and suppress an increase in thermal resistance in the cooler 6.

The opening 412 is provided in the main plate 41 at a position biased toward one side of the opposite sides forming the contour of the recess 411. According to this configuration, the distance between the inner peripheral wall forming the contour of the recess 411 and the opening 412 becomes closer to one side. Therefore, it is easy to pull the meat during press forming to form the concave portion 411, and the concave portion 411 can be formed with a smaller pressing force. According to this power conversion device, it is possible to further suppress the swelling of the surface of the main plate portion 41 on the laminated unit side.

The openings 412 are provided so as to be located on both sides of the protrusions 43 in the longitudinal direction of the main plate 41. According to this configuration, openings 412 are formed on both sides of the protrusion 43 in the longitudinal direction in which the rigidity is lower than that in the lateral direction in which the side wall portion 42 is formed. As a result, the distance between the inner peripheral wall of the recess 411 and the opening 412 becomes shorter in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the meat can be easily gathered during press forming to form the concave portion 411, and the concave portion 411 can be formed with a small pressing force in the longitudinal direction having lower rigidity than the lateral direction.

The protrusion 43 is a portion integrally connected to the inner peripheral edge forming the opening 412. According to this configuration, it is easy to manufacture the support member 4 so that the protruding portion 43 is in an appropriate position. As a result, it is easy to match the positions of the through hole 53 of the elastic member 5 and the protruding portion 43, and it is possible to provide the pressurizing device 3 having excellent manufacturability.

The support member 4 is integrally formed with a base portion 43a forming a part of the inner peripheral edge forming the opening portion 412 and a bent portion 43b connecting the base portion 43a and the protruding portion 43. According to this configuration, the elaborate support member 4 having the protruding portion 43 can be manufactured by press working, and the pressurizing device 3 capable of reducing the manufacturing man-hours can be provided.

<Second Embodiment>
The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the support member 4. The configurations, actions, and effects that are not particularly described in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the engagement relationship between the support member 4 and the elastic member 5. As shown in FIG. 7, the concave surface 411a is provided with a thin-walled portion 43c between the base portion 43a and the protruding portion 43. The thin-walled portion 43c is a portion having a smaller cross-sectional area than the base portion 43a and the protruding portion 43. The thin portion 43c is a portion having a thinner thickness than the base portion 43a and the protruding portion 43.

According to such a configuration, in the process of forming the bent portion 43b at the time of manufacturing, the protruding portion 43 is easily bent so as to form a right angle to the base portion 43a. The thin-walled portion 43c may be formed by a recess recessed on the laminating unit 10 side of the concave surface 411a. This recess is provided, for example, at a position facing the pressing portion 51.

The bent portion 43b is provided with a thin-walled portion 43c. According to this configuration, when the bent portion 43b is formed in the bending process, it is easy to perform the bending process so that the base portion 43a and the protruding portion 43 are orthogonal to each other. Therefore, when the elastic member 5 is assembled to the support member 4, the protruding portion 43 that can be easily inserted into the through hole 53 can be formed. Therefore, the manufacturability of the pressurizing device 3 can be improved.

<Third Embodiment>
A third embodiment that can achieve the object disclosed in the specification will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration regarding the protrusion and the through hole. The configurations, actions, and effects that are not particularly described in the third embodiment are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and the differences from the above-described embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 8 shows a first example of the protrusion and the through hole according to the third embodiment. FIG. 9 shows a second example of the protrusion and the through hole according to the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the protruding portion 143 has an elongated rectangular shape in the longitudinal direction of the support member 4. The longitudinal length of the protrusion 143 is about the same as the longitudinal length of the concave surface 411a. The protrusion 143 is located on one side in the lateral direction with respect to the inner peripheral wall of the rectangular portion in which the recess 411 and the opening 1412 are combined with respect to the center line 1CL1 extending in the longitudinal direction of the support member 4. The opening portion 1412 is formed in the main plate portion 41 so as to be located on one side in the lateral direction with respect to the center line 1CL1. In the example shown in FIG. 8, one side is the lower side. The protrusion 143 can be formed by forming the recess 411 by press working on the main plate 41 on which the opening 1412 is formed, and further bending the recess 411 so as to raise the end portion.

The protrusion 143 shown in FIG. 9 is located on the other side in the lateral direction from the center line 1CL1. The opening 2412 is formed in the main plate 41 so as to be located on the other side of the center line 1CL1 in the lateral direction. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the other side is the upper side.

<Fourth Embodiment>
A fourth embodiment that can achieve the object disclosed in the specification will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration regarding the protrusion and the through hole. The configurations, actions, and effects that are not particularly described in the fourth embodiment are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and the differences from the above-described embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 10 shows a first example of a protrusion and a through hole according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a second example of the protrusion and the through hole according to the fourth embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the protruding portion 243 has an elongated rectangular shape in the lateral direction of the support member 4. The length of the protrusion 243 in the longitudinal direction is about the same as the length of the concave surface 411a in the lateral direction. The protrusion 243 is located on one side in the longitudinal direction with respect to the inner peripheral wall of the rectangular portion in which the recess 411 and the opening 3412 are combined with respect to the center line 2CL1 extending in the lateral direction of the support member 4. The opening 3412 is formed in the main plate 41 so as to be located on one side in the longitudinal direction with respect to the center line 2CL1. In the example shown in FIG. 10, one side is the right side. A concave portion 411 is formed by press working on the main plate portion 41 in which the opening portion 3412 is formed, and further bent so as to raise the end portion of the concave portion 411 to form a protruding portion 243.

The protrusion 243 shown in FIG. 11 is located on the other side of the center line 2CL1 in the lateral direction. The opening 4412 is formed in the main plate 41 so as to be located on the other side of the center line 2CL1 in the lateral direction. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the other side is the left side.

<Other embodiments>
The disclosure of this specification is not limited to the exemplified embodiments. Disclosures include exemplary embodiments and modifications by those skilled in the art based on them. For example, the disclosure is not limited to the combination of parts and elements shown in the embodiment, and can be variously modified and carried out. Disclosure can be carried out in various combinations. The disclosure can have additional parts that can be added to the embodiment. The disclosure includes the parts and elements of the embodiment omitted. Disclosures include replacements or combinations of parts, elements between one embodiment and another. The technical scope disclosed is not limited to the description of the embodiments. The technical scope disclosed is indicated by the description of the scope of claims and should be understood to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the description of the scope of claims.

A power conversion device capable of achieving the object disclosed in the specification shall include a protrusion not limited to the configuration described in the drawings. The protrusion provided in the power conversion device includes a form that functions as an engaging protrusion engaged with the engaging hole portion.

The power conversion device that can achieve the object disclosed in the specification may be configured without a smoothing capacitor. Further, the power conversion device may be configured to include a capacitor for suppressing noise.

The power conversion device capable of achieving the object disclosed in the specification may be configured to include a booster circuit as the power conversion circuit.

The cooler included in the power conversion device disclosed in the specification may be configured to cool the semiconductor module 2 on one side surface. The cooler may be configured not only to be in contact with the semiconductor module 2 but also to be thermally contacted with the semiconductor module 2 via another member.

The case included in the power conversion device disclosed in the specification may be, for example, formed of a resin material or the like, and may not be formed of a metal material. If the case is not made of metal, it is preferred that the case have a metal shielding layer that is capable of shielding magnetism.

2 ... Semiconductor module (power conversion part), 3 ... Pressurizing device, 4 ... Support member 5 ... Elastic member, 10 ... Laminating unit, 41 ... Main plate part, 42 ... Side wall part 43 ... Protruding part, 53 ... Through hole, 63 ... Cooling passage pipe, 411 ... Recessed 412 ... Opening

Claims (6)

The power conversion unit (2) that performs power conversion and supplies current to the load,
A laminated unit (10) including a cooling passage pipe portion (63) for cooling the power conversion unit and the power conversion unit, and the cooling passage pipe portion and the power conversion unit are alternately laminated. ,
A pressurizing device (3) including a support member (4) that supports the laminated unit in the stacking direction and an elastic member (5) that presses the support member toward the laminated unit side by an elastic force.
Equipped with
The support member is
The main plate portion (41) facing the laminating unit in the laminating direction, and
A side wall portion (42) protruding in the separation direction away from the laminating unit at the end portion in the lateral direction of the main plate portion, and a side wall portion (42).
A protruding portion (43) extending from the main plate portion, projecting in the separating direction, and being inserted into a through hole (53) penetrating the elastic member.
In the main plate portion pressed by the elastic member, a recess (411) formed at a position away from the side wall portion and facing the elastic member through a gap,
A power conversion device having an opening (412) penetrating the recess. The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided at a position biased toward one side of the opposite sides forming the contour of the concave portion in the main plate portion. The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the openings are provided so as to be located on both sides of the protrusions in the longitudinal direction of the main plate portion orthogonal to the lateral direction. The power conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protruding portion is a portion integrally connected to an inner peripheral edge forming the opening. The support member is integrally formed with a base portion (43a) forming a part of the inner peripheral edge forming the opening portion and a bent portion (43b) connecting the base portion and the protruding portion. The power conversion device according to claim 4. The power conversion device according to claim 5, wherein the bent portion is provided with a thin-walled portion (43c).

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