JP4466558B2 - Power converter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power conversion device such as an inverter device using a semiconductor module.

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

  The inverter circuit (power conversion circuit) is configured using a semiconductor module incorporating an IGBT element or the like, but has a large capacity as described above, and therefore generates a large amount of heat. Therefore, the power converter is configured by incorporating a cooler that cools the semiconductor module.

In addition, the power conversion apparatus includes a power wiring unit that inputs and outputs current to and from the semiconductor module, and a control circuit unit that controls the semiconductor module.
And in order not to give the influence of the electromagnetic noise resulting from the large current which flows into a power wiring part on a control circuit part, as shown in FIG. 4, the main circuit part 92 is made into the power wiring part 94 and the control circuit part. The power converter device 9 arrange | positioned between 93 is disclosed (patent document 1). In the power converter 9, the control circuit unit 93 is disposed below the main circuit unit 92, and the power wiring unit 94 is disposed above the main circuit unit 92 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 1 in Patent Document 1). 5). The power wiring unit 94 includes a capacitor 942 and a reactor 943 connected to the main circuit unit 92 by a bus bar 941.

  However, if the control circuit unit 93 is disposed below the main circuit unit 92, it may be extremely difficult to perform maintenance of the control circuit unit 93. That is, since the control circuit unit 93 is configured by a control circuit board on which precise electronic components that operate with a weak current are mounted, maintenance such as replacement of electronic components may be required. In such a case, if the control circuit unit 93 is arranged below the main circuit unit 92, there is a problem that the above maintenance cannot be easily performed.

  Moreover, it is desirable that the connector for supplying power from the outside to the control circuit unit 93 is disposed at an upper position in the power conversion device 9 from the viewpoint of workability such as connection with the other connector. However, when the control circuit unit 93 is below the main circuit unit 92, the position of the connector and the control circuit unit 93 is far away, and it is necessary to lengthen the cable connecting the two. Then, the cable must be routed so as to pass through the vicinity of the main circuit unit 92, and the control circuit current supplied to the control circuit unit 93 through the cable is affected by the large current flowing in the main circuit unit 92. There is a risk of receiving. Accordingly, there is a problem that it may be difficult to ensure the normal operation of the control circuit unit 93.

  Furthermore, when the power wiring part 94 is arranged at the upper position of the power conversion device 9, there is a problem that the temperature of the upper part inside the power conversion device 9 rises. That is, since a large current flows through the power wiring portion 94, the amount of heat generated is large. However, the capacitor 942 and the like in the power wiring unit 94 do not have a means for directly cooling, unlike the cooler of the main circuit unit 92. Therefore, the heat generated by the power wiring portion 94 is radiated to the surrounding air such as the capacitor 942 in the case (not shown) of the power converter 9. As a result, the temperature of the air around the power wiring portion 94 increases. Here, if the power wiring portion 94 is arranged at the upper position in the case, high-temperature air stays at the upper position in the case, which may cause a local temperature increase.

  Further, since the heavy power wiring portion 94 is arranged at the upper position of the power converter 9, the center of gravity of the power converter 9 is increased and may become unstable when installed in an engine room or the like. is there.

JP 2005-073374 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and it is intended to provide a power conversion device that can effectively suppress an internal temperature rise, can be easily maintained, and can ensure normal operation. To do.

The present invention includes a main circuit unit including a semiconductor module constituting a part of a power conversion circuit, and a cooler for cooling the semiconductor module;
A control circuit unit that is electrically connected to a signal terminal of the semiconductor module and controls the semiconductor module;
A power bar having a bus bar connected to the main electrode terminal of the semiconductor module and allowing current to flow into and out of the semiconductor module, and a capacitor connected to the main electrode terminal via the bus bar;
The control circuit unit is disposed above the main circuit unit,
The power wiring portion is disposed below the main circuit portion,
And the connector for performing the power supply from the outside to the said control circuit part is arrange | positioned above the said main circuit part, and is rather than the refrigerant | coolant inlet and the refrigerant | coolant discharge port provided in the said cooler. It exists in the power converter device arrange | positioned upwards (Claim 1).

Next, the effects of the present invention will be described.
In the power converter, the control circuit unit is disposed above the main circuit unit. Therefore, maintenance of the control circuit unit can be easily performed. Since the control circuit unit is configured by a control circuit board on which precise electronic components that operate with a weak current are mounted, maintenance such as replacement of electronic components may be required. In such a case, the maintenance can be easily performed by arranging the control circuit section above the main circuit section.

  In addition, it is desirable that the connector for supplying power from the outside to the control circuit unit is disposed at an upper position in the power converter from the viewpoint of workability such as connection with the other connector. Therefore, when the control circuit unit is above the main circuit unit, the position of the connector and the control circuit unit can be brought close to each other, and the cable or the like connecting the two can be shortened. Therefore, noise can be prevented from entering the power supply supplied to the control circuit unit. In particular, since it is possible to wire so that cables do not pass near the main circuit, etc., the control circuit current supplied to the control circuit is affected by the large current flowing in the main circuit. Can be prevented. Thereby, the normal operation of the control circuit unit can be ensured, and as a result, the normal operation of the power converter can be ensured.

  Moreover, since the power wiring part is arranged under the main circuit part, the temperature rise inside the power converter can be effectively suppressed. That is, although a large amount of current flows through the power wiring portion, the amount of heat generated is large. However, a capacitor or the like in the power wiring portion does not have a means for directly cooling unlike the cooler of the main circuit portion. Therefore, the heat generated in the power wiring portion is radiated to the surrounding air such as a capacitor in the power conversion device. As a result, the temperature of the air around the power wiring portion rises, and this high temperature rises and passes through the vicinity of the cooler in the main circuit portion. At this time, hot air is cooled by the cooler. Therefore, the temperature rise inside the power conversion device can be effectively suppressed.

  Moreover, a power converter can be made into a low gravity center by arranging a heavy power wiring part in the lower position of a power converter. Thereby, a power converter device can be stably installed in an engine room or the like.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a power conversion device that can effectively suppress an internal temperature rise, can be easily maintained, and can ensure normal operation.

  In the power converter of the present invention (claim 1), the bus bar in the power wiring section is connected to, for example, a three-phase AC motor. The power wiring unit inputs the current to be controlled to the semiconductor module and outputs it from the semiconductor module. The power wiring portion includes a capacitor connected to the main electrode terminal via the bus bar. Examples of the capacitor include a snubber capacitor, a smoothing capacitor, and a filter capacitor.

Examples of the power converter include a DC-DC converter and an inverter. Moreover, the said power converter device can be used for the production | generation of the drive current which supplies with electricity to the alternating current motor which is motive power sources, such as an electric vehicle and a hybrid vehicle, for example.
Moreover, the said semiconductor module incorporates semiconductor elements, such as an IGBT element, for example, and comprises a part of power converter circuit.

Moreover, it is preferable that the vertical center of the cooler is located above the vertical center of the power converter.
In this case, the temperature rise of the upper part in the power converter can be more effectively suppressed, and normal operation of the control circuit unit can be more effectively ensured.

A power converter according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the power conversion device 1 of this example includes a main circuit unit 2, a control circuit unit 3, and a power wiring unit 4.
The main circuit unit 2 includes a semiconductor module 21 that constitutes a part of the power conversion circuit, and a cooler 22 that cools the semiconductor module 21.
The control circuit unit 3 is electrically connected to the signal terminal 211 of the semiconductor module 21 and controls the semiconductor module 21.
The power wiring portion 4 is connected to the main electrode terminal 212 of the semiconductor module 21, and has a bus bar 41 that inputs and outputs current to the semiconductor module 21, and a capacitor 42 that is connected to the main electrode terminal 212 via the bus bar 41. Have

The control circuit unit 3 is disposed above the main circuit unit 2, and the power wiring unit 4 is disposed below the main circuit unit 2.
Further, the vertical center C of the cooler 22 is located above the vertical center D of the power converter 1. Here, the center C is a position that bisects the space between the upper end 22t and the lower end 22b of the cooler 22 in the height direction, and the center D is the upper end 10t and the lower end 10b of the case 10 of the power converter 1. It is a position which bisects between the two in the height direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the power conversion device 1 of this example is an inverter for an automobile that includes an inverter circuit 100 having a boost converter unit (DC-DC converter) 11 and an inverter unit 12. That is, the power conversion device 1 can be used to generate a drive current for energizing the AC motor 51 that is a power source of an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like.

  The boost converter unit 11 and the inverter unit 12 are provided with a plurality of semiconductor modules 21 each including an IGBT element 213 and a diode 214. The semiconductor module 21 performs a switching operation under the control of the control circuit unit 3 and controls a controlled current that enters and exits the main electrode terminal 212.

The boost converter unit 11 is provided with a reactor 43 for boosting the input voltage.
In addition, a filter capacitor 421 is connected to the external power supply 52 side of the boost converter unit 11. The filter capacitor 421 absorbs a ripple current included in the power supply current input from the DC external power supply 52 to the boost converter unit 11 and stabilizes the power supply current.

A smoothing capacitor 422 is connected between the boost converter unit 11 and the inverter unit 12. The smoothing capacitor 422 smoothes the output current of the boost converter unit 11 that becomes an intermittent current, and causes the inverter unit 12 to input a stable DC current.
The inverter unit 12 is provided with a snubber capacitor 423. The snubber capacitor 423 suppresses a voltage surge generated during the switching operation of the semiconductor module 21 to prevent the semiconductor module 21 from being damaged due to overvoltage.
Further, a three-phase AC motor 51 is connected to the inverter unit 12 via the bus bar 41 of the power wiring unit 4, and the drive current generated by the inverter unit 12 is supplied to the AC motor 51.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor module 21 constituting the main circuit unit 2 includes a module main body 210 containing a semiconductor element, a main electrode terminal 212 protruding from the module main body 210, and the main electrode terminal 212. The signal terminal 211 protrudes in a direction different from the protruding direction by approximately 180 degrees. And the module main-body part 210 has exposed the heat sink on the main surface (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooler 22 has a plurality of cooling pipes 221 arranged so as to sandwich the module main body 210 from both sides. In this example, two semiconductor modules 21 are arranged side by side between adjacent cooling pipes 221. As a whole, the main circuit portion 2 is configured by alternately stacking the cooling pipes 221 and the rows of the semiconductor modules 21. As a result, all the semiconductor modules 21 are in a state in which both main surfaces are sandwiched between the cooling pipes 221.

  Each cooling pipe 221 has a refrigerant flow path 222 therein, and is configured to allow a cooling medium to flow through it. Further, a connection pipe 223 provided with a bellows structure or a diaphragm structure is arranged so as to connect both ends of the plurality of cooling pipes 221, and two header portions 224 are formed. In addition, a refrigerant introduction port 225 and a refrigerant discharge port 226 connected to a cooling pipe 221 disposed at one end of the cooler 22 in the stacking direction are provided at the end portions of the two header portions 224, respectively.

  And the module main-body part 210 can be cooled from both surfaces by distribute | circulating a cooling medium in the cooling pipe 221. FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, each semiconductor module 21 is arranged such that the main electrode terminal 212 and the signal terminal 211 protrude in different directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction) of the cooling pipe 221. Is done. That is, the main electrode terminal 212 protrudes downward and the signal terminal 211 protrudes upward.

The control circuit board 31 of the control circuit unit 3 disposed above the main circuit unit 2 is connected to the signal terminal 211.
The main electrode terminal 212 is connected to the bus bar 41 of the power wiring portion 4 disposed below the main circuit portion 2. A snubber capacitor 423, a filter capacitor 421, and a smoothing capacitor 422 arranged below the bus bar 41 are connected. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the filter capacitor 421 and the smoothing capacitor 422 are provided separately, it is also possible to package them together.

A reactor 43 is disposed in the space between the refrigerant inlet 225 and the refrigerant outlet 226 at the end of the cooler 22 in the stacking direction.
Further, a connector 14 for supplying power from an external power source to the control circuit unit 3 is disposed on the upper side surface of the case 10. That is, the connector 14 is arranged at a height position equivalent to that of the control circuit unit 3.

Next, the function and effect of this example will be described.
In the power converter 1, the control circuit unit 3 is disposed above the main circuit unit 2. Therefore, maintenance of the control circuit unit 3 can be easily performed. Since the control circuit unit 3 is configured by the control circuit board 31 on which precise electronic components that operate with a weak current are mounted, maintenance such as replacement of electronic components may be required. In such a case, since the control circuit unit 3 is disposed above the main circuit unit 2, the above-described maintenance can be easily performed.

  In addition, the connector 14 for supplying power from the outside to the control circuit unit 3 is disposed at an upper position in the power conversion device 1 from the viewpoint of workability such as connection with a counterpart connector. Therefore, since the control circuit unit 3 is located above the main circuit unit 2, the positions of the connector 14 and the control circuit unit 3 can be brought close to each other, and the cable connecting the two can be shortened. Therefore, noise can be prevented from entering the power supply supplied to the control circuit unit 3. In particular, since the cable can be wired so as not to pass through the vicinity of the main circuit unit 2 or the like, the control circuit current supplied to the control circuit unit 3 is affected by the large current flowing in the main circuit unit 2. You can prevent it. Thereby, normal operation | movement of the control circuit part 3 can be ensured, and by extension, normal operation | movement of the power converter device 1 can be ensured.

  Moreover, since the power wiring part 4 is arranged under the main circuit part 2, the temperature rise inside the power converter device 1 can be effectively suppressed. That is, although a large amount of current flows through the power wiring unit 4, the amount of heat generated is large, but the capacitor 42 in the power wiring unit 4 does not have a means for directly cooling, unlike the cooler 22 of the main circuit unit 2. Therefore, the heat generated in the power wiring unit 4 is radiated to the air around the capacitor 42 in the case 10 of the power conversion device 1. As a result, the temperature of the air around the power wiring portion 4 rises, and the temperature at which the temperature becomes high rises, and passes near the cooler 22 in the main circuit portion 2. At this time, hot air is cooled by the cooler 22. Therefore, the temperature rise inside the power conversion device 1 can be effectively suppressed.

  Moreover, since the heavy power wiring part 4 is arranged at the lower position of the power converter 1, the power converter 1 can have a low center of gravity. Thereby, the power converter device 1 can be stably installed in an engine room or the like.

  Moreover, since the center C in the vertical direction of the cooler 22 is located above the center D in the vertical direction of the power converter 1, the temperature rise at the top of the power converter 1 can be more effectively suppressed. Thus, the normal operation of the control circuit unit 3 can be more effectively ensured.

  As described above, according to this example, it is possible to provide a power conversion device that can effectively suppress an internal temperature rise, can be easily maintained, and can ensure normal operation.

The longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing of the power converter device in an Example. AA sectional explanatory drawing of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the power converter circuit in an Example. The perspective explanatory drawing of the power converter device in a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power converter 2 Main circuit part 21 Semiconductor module 211 Signal terminal 212 Main electrode terminal 22 Cooler 3 Control circuit part 4 Power wiring part 41 Bus bar 42 Capacitor

Claims (2)

A main circuit unit including a semiconductor module constituting a part of the power conversion circuit, and a cooler for cooling the semiconductor module;
A control circuit unit that is electrically connected to a signal terminal of the semiconductor module and controls the semiconductor module;
A power bar having a bus bar connected to the main electrode terminal of the semiconductor module and allowing current to flow into and out of the semiconductor module, and a capacitor connected to the main electrode terminal via the bus bar;
The control circuit unit is disposed above the main circuit unit,
The power wiring portion is disposed below the main circuit portion,
And the connector for performing the power supply from the outside to the said control circuit part is arrange | positioned above the said main circuit part, and is rather than the refrigerant | coolant inlet and the refrigerant | coolant discharge port provided in the said cooler. A power conversion device arranged above .   The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the center of the cooler in the vertical direction is located above the center of the power converter in the vertical direction.

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