JP6191371B2 - Power converter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power conversion device having two power converters.

  A power that includes a first power converter such as a DC-DC converter, a second power converter such as an inverter, and electronic components such as a capacitor, and the two power converters and the electronic components are accommodated in one case. A conversion device is known (see Patent Document 1 below).

  In this power conversion device, the case is provided with a partition portion interposed between the two power conversion devices. A refrigerant flow path through which the refrigerant flows is formed inside the partition portion. Using this partition part, while cooling a 1st power converter, the atmospheric temperature of the whole case is lowered.

  The partition portion is formed so as to connect between two parallel wall portions constituting the case. That is, in the power conversion device, the space in the case is divided by the partition into a space for arranging the first power converter and a space for arranging the second power converter. The electronic component (capacitor) is provided in a space where the second power converter (inverter) is arranged. The electronic component is electrically connected to the second power converter.

JP 2012-217316 A

  However, the power conversion device has a problem that an empty space is easily formed in the case. That is, in the power conversion device, the inside of the case is divided into two spaces by the partitioning portion: a space on the side where the first power converter is provided and a space on the side where the second power converter is provided. Therefore, these two spaces must be used separately. Therefore, for example, even if an empty space is created next to the first power converter, it is difficult to use the empty space as a space for arranging the electronic components. Therefore, the power conversion device has a problem in that a wasteful empty space is easily generated in the case, and the size of the power conversion device is easily increased as a whole.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power conversion device in which a useless space is hardly generated in a case and the size can be easily reduced.

One aspect of the present invention includes two power converters, a first power converter and a second power converter,
An electronic component provided separately from the power converter;
A case for housing the two power converters and the electronic component;
The case has a partition portion interposed between the two power converters, a refrigerant flow path through which the refrigerant flows is formed inside the partition portion, and the first power converter is cooled by the partition portion. And
In the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction in which the two power converters overlap, a first gap is formed between the partition and the wall of the case, and the first power converter and the above A second gap is formed between the wall and the first gap and the second gap are connected in the overlapping direction;
At least a portion of the electronic component is disposed in the second gap,
Between the first power converter and the electronic component, a heat shield connected to the partition is interposed ,
The partition has an inlet for introducing the refrigerant into the refrigerant flow path, and an outlet for deriving the refrigerant from the refrigerant flow path, and the heat shield plate is arranged in the orthogonal direction. The power converter is connected to the partition at a position closer to the inlet than the outlet .

  In the power conversion device, the first gap is formed between the partition portion and the wall portion of the case. Therefore, the space on the side where the first power converter is provided in the case and the space on the side where the second power converter is provided are connected by the first gap, and the two spaces in the case are separated. I'm sorry. Therefore, it becomes easy to utilize the said 2nd clearance gap formed adjacent to the 1st power converter as a space which arrange | positions a part of electronic component. Therefore, the empty space in the case is reduced, and the case, that is, the entire power conversion device can be reduced in size.

  Further, if a part of the electronic component is simply disposed in the second gap, the temperature of the electronic component is increased by the heat generated from the first power converter, and the life may be shortened. Therefore, it becomes necessary to keep the electronic component away from the first power converter, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the case. In order to solve this problem, in the power converter, a heat shield is provided between the first power converter and the electronic component. Thereby, the heat generated from the first power converter can be blocked by the heat shield plate, and the temperature rise of the electronic component can be suppressed. For this reason, the electronic component can be brought close to the first power converter, and it is difficult to create a useless space in the case. Therefore, it becomes possible to further reduce the size of the entire power conversion device.

  As described above, according to this example, it is possible to provide a power conversion device that is unlikely to have a useless space in the case and that can be easily miniaturized.

It is sectional drawing of the power converter device in Example 1, Comprising: II sectional drawing of FIG. II-II sectional drawing of FIG. III-III sectional drawing of FIG. IV-IV sectional drawing of FIG. VV sectional drawing of FIG. The circuit diagram of the power converter device in Example 1. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a DC-DC converter in Embodiment 1. FIG. The perspective view of the power converter device in Example 1. FIG. Sectional drawing of the power converter device in Example 2. FIG. Sectional drawing of the power converter device in Example 3. FIG.

  The power conversion device can be a vehicle-mounted power conversion device to be mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

Example 1
The Example which concerns on the said power converter device is described using FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the power conversion device 1 of this example includes two power converters 2, that is, a first power converter 2 a and a second power converter 2 b, an electronic component 4, and a case 3. Is provided. The electronic component 4 is provided separately from the power converter 2. The case 3 accommodates two power converters 2 and electronic components 4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the case 3 has a partition portion 5 interposed between the two power converters 2. A coolant channel 51 through which the coolant 50 flows is formed inside the partition portion 5. The partition unit 5 cools the first power converter 2a. A first gap G1 is formed between the partition portion 5 and the wall portion 31 of the case 3 in an orthogonal direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the overlapping direction (Z direction) in which the two power converters 2 overlap. In addition, a second gap G <b> 2 is formed between the first power converter 2 a and the wall portion 31. The first gap G1 and the second gap G2 are connected in the Z direction.

  A part of the electronic component 4 is disposed in the second gap G2. Between the 1st power converter 2a and the electronic component 4, the heat shield 6 connected with the partition part 5 is interposed.

  The power conversion device 1 of this example is a vehicle-mounted power conversion device to be mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The first power converter 2a is a DC-DC converter for stepping down the DC voltage of the DC power supply 12 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) and charging the low-voltage battery 14 (see FIG. 7). The second power converter 2b is an inverter for driving the three-phase AC motor 13 (see FIG. 6) by converting DC power supplied from the DC power supply 12 into AC power. Moreover, the electronic component 4 of this example is a capacitor for smoothing a DC voltage.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the partition portion 5 of this example is formed integrally with the case 3. As described above, the refrigerant flow path 51 is formed in the case 3. A partition wall 56 is provided inside the partition portion 5. The partition wall 56 divides the coolant channel 51 into a first portion 51a and a second portion 51b. The first portion 51a is a portion through which the refrigerant 50 introduced from the outside first passes. The 2nd part 51b is a site | part through which the refrigerant | coolant 50 which passed the 1st part 51a flows. An inlet 581 for introducing the refrigerant 50 is formed in the first portion 51a. The second portion 51b is formed with a lead-out port 591 for leading out the refrigerant 50. A first introduction pipe 58 is attached to the introduction port 851. A first outlet pipe 59 is attached to the outlet port 591.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the first power converter 2 a of this example includes a MOS module 22 including a plurality of MOSFETs 220, a transformer 21, a diode module 23 including two diodes 230, and a choke coil. 24, a filter capacitor 25, and a connector 26. As shown in FIG. 1, these components are mounted on a base plate 20. The base plate 20 is in contact with the partition portion 5. Each component constituting the first power converter 2a is cooled via the base plate 20. A space S for heat insulation is formed between the first power converter 2 a and the heat shield plate 6.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the MOSFET 220 in the MOS module 22 forms an H bridge circuit. By turning on / off the MOSFET 220, the DC voltage of the DC power supply 12 (see FIG. 6) is converted into an AC voltage. The AC voltage is stepped down using a transformer 21. The output voltage of the transformer 21 is rectified by the diode 220. The rectified direct current is passed through the choke coil 24 to remove the ripple current, and the filter capacitor 25 removes the noise voltage. The low-voltage battery 14 is charged using the DC power obtained in this way.

  Among the components constituting the first power converter 2a, the transformer 21 generates the largest amount of heat. In this example, the transformer 21 is arranged in a part of the partition part 5 (see FIG. 4) where the first portion 51a of the refrigerant flow path 51 is formed. Thereby, the transformer 21 is cooled using the refrigerant 50 flowing through the first portion 51a, that is, the refrigerant 50 that has just been introduced from the outside and has a low temperature. As a result, the cooling efficiency of the transformer 21 that generates a large amount of heat is increased.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the second power converter 2 b of this example includes a plurality of semiconductor modules 15 and a cooling pipe 14 that cools the semiconductor modules 15. The semiconductor modules 15 and the cooling pipes 14 are alternately stacked to constitute a stacked body 100. The semiconductor module 15 includes a main body 155 in which a semiconductor element 150 (see FIG. 6) is built, a control terminal 151 protruding from the main body 155, and a plurality of power terminals 16. As shown in FIG. 1, the power terminal 16 includes DC terminals 16a and 16b to which a DC voltage is applied, and an AC output terminal 16c. The DC terminals 16a and 16b are connected to the electrode terminal 45 of the capacitor (electronic component 4) by a DC bus bar (not shown). The AC output terminal 16c is connected to the three-phase AC motor 13 (see FIG. 6) via an AC bus bar (not shown).

  The control terminal 151 of the semiconductor module 15 is connected to the control circuit board 17. Using this control circuit board 17, the semiconductor module 15 is turned on and off. Thereby, the DC voltage applied to the DC terminals 16a and 16b is converted into an AC voltage, and this AC voltage is output from the AC output terminal 16c.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the two cooling pipes 14 adjacent to each other in the stacking direction (X direction) of the stacked body 100 are connected by connecting pipes 145 at both ends in the Y direction. Further, among the plurality of cooling pipes 14, a cooling pipe 14 a positioned at one end in the X direction has a second introduction pipe 38 for introducing the refrigerant 50 and a second outlet pipe 39 for leading the refrigerant 50. Is connected. When the refrigerant 50 is introduced from the second introduction pipe 38, the refrigerant 50 flows through all the cooling pipes 14 through the connecting pipe 145 and is led out from the second outlet pipe 39. Thereby, each semiconductor module 15 is cooled.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the first outlet pipe 59 attached to the partition portion 5 is connected to the second introduction pipe 38 by the hose 19. That is, in this example, the refrigerant 50 is introduced from the outside into the first introduction pipe 58, and the refrigerant 50 that has flowed through the refrigerant flow path 51 in the partition portion 5 and led out from the first lead-out pipe 59 is introduced into the second through the hose 19. It is configured to be introduced into the tube 38. As a result, it is not necessary to separately introduce the refrigerant 50 into the partition portion 5 and the second power converter 2b. The refrigerant 50 led out from the second lead-out pipe 39 is cooled by a cooling device (not shown) and introduced again into the first introduction pipe 58.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the case 3 is formed with a fixing plate 34 for fixing the laminated body 100. A pressure member 340 (plate spring) is disposed between the fixed plate 34 and the laminated body 100. The laminated body 100 is pressed against the side wall 390 of the case 3 using the pressing force of the pressure member 340. Thereby, the laminated body 100 is fixed in the case 3 while ensuring a contact pressure between the semiconductor module 15 and the cooling pipe 14.

  On the side opposite to the side on which the pressure member 340 is provided with respect to the fixed plate 34, a pressure increasing reactor 11 is disposed. As shown in FIG. 6, the reactor 11 is connected to the semiconductor module 15 a constituting the booster circuit 280 among the plurality of semiconductor modules 15 included in the second power converter 2 b. The semiconductor module 15a of the booster circuit 280 is turned on / off to boost the voltage of the DC power supply 12 using the reactor 11. Further, the boosted voltage is smoothed by the capacitor C. Then, the smoothed DC voltage is converted into an AC voltage using an inverter circuit 280 included in the second power converter 2b. Thus, the three-phase AC motor 13 is configured to be driven.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the capacitor C (electronic component 4) includes a capacitor element 42, a capacitor case 41 that houses the capacitor element 42, and a sealing member that seals the capacitor element 42 in the capacitor case 41. 43. The capacitor element 42 is a film capacitor element formed by winding an insulating film having a metal thin film formed on the surface thereof. Both end surfaces in the Z direction of the capacitor element 42 are electrode surfaces 421 and 422. A bus bar 44 is connected to the electrode surfaces 421 and 422. The front end of the bus bar 44 is an electrode terminal 45. The electrode terminal 45 protrudes from the surface of the sealing member 43 in the Y direction.

  The capacitor case 41 includes an opening 410. The opening 410 faces the side where the two power converters 2a and 2b and the partition portion 5 are arranged in the Y direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a third gap G <b> 3 is formed between the second power converter 2 b and the wall portion 31. As shown in FIG. 1, the first gap G1, the second gap G2, and the third gap G3 are connected in the Z direction. The electronic component 4 (capacitor C) is arranged in the case 3 so that a part is interposed in each of the first gap G1, the second gap G2, and the third gap G3.

  As described above, the heat shield plate 6 is interposed between the first power converter 2 a and the electronic component 4. The heat shield plate 6 is formed integrally with the case 3 and is connected to the partition portion 5. Moreover, the transformer 21 (maximum heat generating component 210) that is the component that generates the largest amount of heat among the components that constitute the first power converter 2 a is disposed at a position adjacent to the heat shield plate 6.

  Case 3 in this example is made of metal. The heat shield 6 and the partition 5 are formed integrally with the case 3 and are also made of metal. Thus, the heat shield plate 6 is made of a material having a high thermal conductivity and is connected to the partition portion 5. Thereby, the heat shield plate 6 can be effectively cooled by the partition portion 5.

  The effect of this example will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, in this example, a first gap G <b> 1 is formed between the partition portion 5 and the wall portion 31 of the case 3. Therefore, the space on the side where the first power converter 2a is provided in the case 3 and the space on the side where the second power converter 2b is provided are connected by the first gap G1, and the two spaces in the case 3 are connected. It doesn't have to be separate. Therefore, the second gap G2 formed next to the first power converter 2a can be easily used as a space for arranging a part of the electronic component 4. Therefore, useless space in the case 3 is reduced, and the case 3, that is, the entire power conversion device 1 can be reduced in size.

  Moreover, if only a part of the electronic component 4 is simply disposed in the second gap G2, the temperature of the electronic component 4 is increased by the heat generated from the first power converter 2a, and the life may be shortened. . Therefore, it is necessary to move the electronic component 4 away from the first power converter 2a, and it is easy to create a useless space in the case 3. In order to solve this problem, in this example, a heat shield plate 6 is provided between the first power converter 2 a and the electronic component 4. Thereby, the heat generated from the first power converter 2a can be blocked by the heat shield plate 6, and the temperature rise of the electronic component 4 can be suppressed. Therefore, the electronic component 4 can be brought close to the first power converter 2a, and it is difficult to make a useless space in the case 3. Therefore, it becomes possible to further reduce the size of the power converter 1 as a whole.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 1, the electronic component 4 is arranged in the case 3 so that a part is interposed in each of the first gap G1, the second gap G2, and the third gap G3. If it does in this way, the external shape of the electronic component 4 can be enlarged. Therefore, for example, when the capacitor C is used as the electronic component 4, the capacitance can be increased.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the heat shield plate 6 of this example is connected to the partition portion 5 at a position closer to the introduction port 581 than the outlet port 591 in the Y direction.
Therefore, the refrigerant 50 having a relatively low temperature immediately after being introduced from the outside flows in the vicinity of the heat shield plate 6. Thereby, the cooling efficiency of the heat shield plate 6 can be further increased.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, among the components constituting the first power converter 2 a, the maximum heat generating component 210 having the largest heat generation amount during operation is provided at a position adjacent to the heat shield plate 6. .
Therefore, the maximum heat generating component 210 can be cooled using both the partition portion 5 and the heat shield plate 6, and the cooling efficiency of the maximum heat generating component 210 can be increased.

  In this example, as shown in Drawing 7, the 1st power converter 2a is a DC-DC converter. The DC-DC converter has many components that generate heat, such as the transformer 21 and the choke coil 24, and it is particularly desired to increase the cooling efficiency. Therefore, as in the present example, the effect when the first power converter 2a can be cooled using the partition portion 5 and the heat shield plate 6 is great.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the electronic component 4 of this example is a capacitor C for smoothing a DC voltage.
The capacitor C is a component whose life is particularly likely to decrease as the temperature rises. Therefore, as in the present example, the effect is large when the heat shield plate 6 is arranged between the capacitor C and the first power converter 2a so that the temperature rise of the capacitor C can be suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in this example, the capacitor C is arranged in the case 3 so that the opening 410 of the capacitor case 41 faces the first power converter 2a side.
In this way, the side wall of the capacitor case 41 is not interposed between the capacitor element 42 and the heat shield plate 6, so that the cooling efficiency of the capacitor element 42 by the heat shield plate 6 can be increased.

  As described above, according to this example, it is possible to provide a power conversion device that is unlikely to have a useless space in the case and that can be easily miniaturized.

  In this example, the capacitor C is used as the electronic component 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the boosting reactor 11 (see FIG. 2) can be used as the electronic component 4. And the capacitor | condenser C can be arrange | positioned in the position which arrange | positioned the reactor 11 in FIG. 2, FIG.

(Example 2)
In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals used in the drawings among the reference numerals used in the drawings represent the same components as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

  In this example, the shape of the electronic component 4 is changed. In this example, as shown in FIG. 9, the length of the electronic component 4 in the Z direction is shortened. And the electronic component 4 is accommodated in the case 3 so that a part may interpose each in the 1st clearance gap G1 and the 2nd clearance gap G2. Moreover, compared with Example 1, the Y direction length of the 2nd power converter 2b is made long.

  In addition, the configuration and operational effects similar to those of the first embodiment are provided.

(Example 3)
In this example, the shape of the electronic component 4 is changed. As shown in FIG. 10, in this example, the entire electronic component 4 (capacitor C) is arranged in the second gap G2. Further, a connector 190 for connecting the external device and the power converters 2a and 2b is disposed in the first gap G1. The electronic component 4 is electrically connected to the second power converter 2b by a bus bar (not shown). This bus bar passes between the connector 190 and the partition portion 5.

  In addition, the configuration and operational effects similar to those of the first embodiment are provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power converter 2a 1st power converter 2b 2nd power converter 3 Case 4 Electronic component 5 Partition part 50 Refrigerant 51 Refrigerant flow path 6 Heat shield plate G1 1st clearance G2 2nd clearance

Claims (6)

Two power converters (2), a first power converter (2a) and a second power converter (2b);
An electronic component (4) provided separately from the power converter (2);
A case (3) for housing the two power converters (2) and the electronic component (4);
The case (3) has a partition (5) interposed between the two power converters (2), and a refrigerant flow path (in which the refrigerant (50) flows into the partition (5) ( 51) is formed, and the first power converter (2a) is cooled by the partition (5),
A first gap (between the partition portion (5) and the wall portion (31) of the case (3) in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the overlapping direction in which the two power converters (2a, 2b) overlap. G1) is formed, and a second gap (G2) is formed between the first power converter (2a) and the wall portion (31), and the first gap (G1) and the above-mentioned The second gap (G2) is connected in the overlapping direction,
At least a part of the electronic component (4) is disposed in the second gap (G2),
Between the first power converter (2a) and the electronic component (4), a heat shield plate (6) connected to the partition (5) is interposed ,
The partition portion (5) leads the inlet (581) for introducing the refrigerant (50) into the refrigerant flow path (51) and leads the refrigerant (50) from the refrigerant flow path (51). The heat shield plate (6) has the partition portion (5) at a position closer to the inlet (581) than the outlet (591) in the orthogonal direction. The power converter device (1) characterized by being connected to .   In the orthogonal direction, a third gap (G3) is formed between the second power converter (2b) and the wall (31), and the first gap (G1) and the second gap ( G2) and the third gap (G3) are connected in the overlapping direction, and the electronic component (4) has the first gap (G1), the second gap (G2), and the third gap (G3). 2), the power conversion device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the power conversion device (1) is arranged in the case (3) so that a part thereof exists. Among the components constituting the first power converter (2a), the maximum heat generating component (210) that generates the largest amount of heat during operation is provided at a position adjacent to the heat shield plate (6). The power converter device (1) according to claim 1 or 2 . The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the first power converter (2a) is a DC-DC converter that transforms a DC voltage. The said electronic component (4) is a capacitor | condenser (C) for smoothing a DC voltage, The power converter device of any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The capacitor (C) includes a capacitor case (41), a capacitor element (42) accommodated in the capacitor case (41), and a sealing member (43) for sealing the capacitor element (42). The power converter (1) according to claim 5 , wherein the opening (410) of the capacitor case (41) faces the first power converter (2a).

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