JP6551250B2 - Power converter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power converter including a control circuit board electrically connected to a semiconductor module.

  Vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are equipped with a power conversion device that performs power conversion between DC power and AC power. For example, in the following Patent Document 1, a semiconductor module incorporating a semiconductor element, a control circuit board that controls the semiconductor module, and a connection path that electrically connects the control circuit board and an external device are provided. And an external connector is disclosed. The semiconductor module and the plurality of electronic components associated therewith are housed in a case. By inserting the plug of the external device into the cylinder of the external connector, it becomes possible to transmit a signal between the control circuit board and the external device. Patent Document 1 below discloses a connector with a board in which the external connector and the control circuit board are integrated. Such a board-attached connector can shorten the connection path between the external connector and the control circuit board, and is effective in reducing the size of the power converter.

JP2012-139041A

  When assembling the above-described power conversion device, first, the connector with substrate is assembled to the cover using the substantially U-shaped notch portion provided on the cover. In this case, the sealing material is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the external connector, and the sealing member is fitted into the notch of the cover, and the control circuit board is fixed to the cover. Thus, the connector attached cover in which the connector with substrate is assembled to the cover is formed. Thereafter, the cover with connector and the case are fastened and fixed by fastening bolts at the respective flange portions. At this time, the cover-side sealing surface constituted by both the opposing surface of the external connector and the flange surface of the cover is bonded to the flange surface of the case via the sealing material in a state where the sealing material is applied.

  By the way, in said power converter device, the maintenance operation | work which removes a cover (cover with a connector) from a case, and inspects and replaces the semiconductor module and electronic component which are accommodated in the case is performed. At this time, the external connector is only adhered to the cover by the sealing material, and the external connector is pulled from the case when the cover is removed from the case. This causes the electrical connection between the external connector and the control circuit board to be stressed. And once this connection part receives stress, the problem that a connector with a board | substrate cannot be used continuously after a maintenance work may arise.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and suppresses the electrical connection between the external connector and the control circuit board from being stressed when the cover is removed from the case for housing the semiconductor module. It is an object of the present invention to provide a power converter capable of

One aspect of the present invention is
A semiconductor module (10) incorporating a semiconductor element (11);
A control circuit board (20) electrically connected to the semiconductor module;
A container (2) having a case (3) for housing the semiconductor module and a cover (5) covering the case;
It is configured to protrude from the container to the outside in a state interposed between the cover and the case for connection with an external device (50), and is integrated with the control circuit board and the control An external connector (30) electrically connected to the circuit board;
Equipped with
The external connector is fixed to a fixed body (5, 3) which is one of the cover and the case by a fastening member (25) ,
A clamping member (40) fastened and fixed to the fixed body by the fastening member in a state where the external connector is sandwiched between the fixed body and the fixed body, and the external connector is connected to the fixed body via the clamping member. Fixed to a fixed body,
The fixed body includes a cutout portion (7) having an opening (7a) into which the external connector is fitted, and the sandwiching member cuts the external connector fitted into the opening of the cutout portion. An extended surface (43) that is flush with the flange surface (6a, 4a) of the fixed body in a state of being sandwiched between the fixed portion and the extended surface together with the flange surface of the fixed body. A power converter ((a ) configured to form a sealing surface (S) joined to a flange surface (4a, 6a) of the other member (3, 5) of the cover and the case relative to the fixed body among the case 1 , 201 ).

  According to the power conversion device, when removing the cover from the case, the external connector is removed in a state of being fixed to the fixed body, which is the cover or the case, using the fastening force of the fastening member. That is, the external connector is removed from the case together with the cover and the control circuit board when fixed to the cover, or is integrated with the case and control circuit board when fixed to the case. And removed from the cover. At this time, since the external connector and the control circuit board move integrally, the electrical connection between the external connector and the control circuit board is not easily subjected to stress.

As described above, according to the above aspect, when the cover is removed from the case accommodating the semiconductor module, it is possible to suppress the electrical connection portion between the external connector and the control circuit board from being stressed.
The reference numerals in parentheses described in the claims and the means for solving the problems indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited. It is not a thing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the power converter device of Embodiment 1. FIG. The perspective view of the cover with a connector in the power converter device in FIG. The side view of the cover with a connector in FIG. The disassembled perspective view of the cover with a connector in FIG. The perspective view which looked the cover with a connector in FIG. 2 from the flange surface side. The side view of the cover with a connector in the power converter device of the reference example 1. FIG. The side view of the case with a connector in the power converter device of Embodiment 3. FIG. The side view of the case with a connector in the power converter device of the reference example 2. FIG.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments according to a power converter will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element in several embodiment. In the drawings of this specification, unless otherwise specified, the first direction that is the longitudinal direction of the semiconductor module is indicated by an arrow X, the second direction that is the width direction of the semiconductor module is indicated by an arrow Y, and the first direction and A third direction orthogonal to both of the second directions is indicated by an arrow Z.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of electronic components including a semiconductor module 10 and a control circuit board 20. The plurality of electronic components are housed in an internal space partitioned by the housing 2. The power conversion device 1 is mounted on, for example, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like, and is used as an inverter that converts DC power supply power into AC power necessary for driving a drive motor.

  The container 2 includes a case 3, a cover 5 that covers one opening 3 a of the case 3, and a cover 9 that covers the other opening 3 b of the case 3. The case 3 includes a partition wall 3 c that partitions the internal space in the third direction Z. The covers 5 and 9 are removed from the case 3 at the time of maintenance work for inspecting or replacing a plurality of electronic components accommodated in the container 2. Both the case 3 and the covers 5 and 9 constituting the container 2 are made of an aluminum-based material mainly composed of aluminum.

  The semiconductor module 10 includes a semiconductor element 11 such as an IGBT that converts DC power into AC power. The semiconductor module 10 includes a plurality of control terminals 12 and power terminals (not shown). The semiconductor module 10 incorporates a cooler (not shown) for cooling the semiconductor element 11.

  The control circuit board 20 is a high voltage control circuit board (also referred to as an “electronic circuit board”) having a drive circuit for switching and driving the semiconductor module 10. For this purpose, the control circuit board 20 is electrically connected to the plurality of control terminals 12 of the semiconductor module 10. The plurality of control terminals 12 extend from the semiconductor module 10 to the control circuit board 20 through an opening 3 d provided in the partition wall 3 c of the case 3.

  The external connector (hereinafter also simply referred to as “connector”) 30 has a function of electrically connecting the control circuit board 20 and a vehicle-side vehicle control unit (ECU) 50 that is an external device. The connector 30 is configured to protrude from the housing 2 to the outside of the housing 2 in a state of being interposed between the cover 5 and the case 3 for connection with the vehicle control unit 50. The connector 30 is electrically connected to the control circuit board 20 via the terminal 22 and is configured such that the plug 51 is detachable.

  One end 22 a of the terminal 22 is held by the connector 30, and the other end 22 b is connected to the control circuit board 20 by solder. The plug 51 is electrically connected to the vehicle control unit 50 via the conductive member 52. When the plug 51 is attached to the connector 30, the terminal 22 and the conductive member 52 are electrically connected to form a transmission path capable of transmitting signals between the control circuit board 20 and the vehicle control unit 50.

  The connector 30 is integrated with the control circuit board 20. Accordingly, the connector 30 forms a board connector 30a in which the control circuit board 20 is integrated. The board-attached connector 30a is effective for shortening the connection path between the connector 30 and the control circuit board 20 and reducing the size of the power converter 1. The control circuit board 20 of the connector with substrate 30 a is fastened and fixed to a boss 5 a erected from the inner surface of the cover 5 by a fastening bolt 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the board connector 30 a including the connector 30 is fixed to the cover 5. Thereby, the cover 5 forms the cover with connector 8 in which the connector with substrate 30a is integrated. Then, after the flange surface 6 a of the flange portion 6 is joined to the flange surface 4 a of the flange portion 4 of the case 3, the connector cover 8 is fastened and fixed to the case 3 by a fastening bolt (not shown) It is configured. At this time, a seal material is applied to the flange surface 6 a of the flange portion 6, and the flange surface 6 a of the flange portion 6 and the flange surface 4 a of the flange portion 4 are adhered and sealed by the seal material. As this sealing material, it is preferable to use a silicon-based sealing material that has room temperature curability and becomes a rubber elastic body after curing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a cutout portion 7 is provided at a position where a part of the flange portion 6 of the cover 5 is divided in order to fix the board-attached connector 30 a. The notch 7 has a concave opening 7a in which the connector 30 is fitted. Further, a stay 40 as a pinching member is prepared. The stay 40 is fastened and fixed to the cover 5 as a fixed body by a fastening bolt 25 as a fastening member in a state in which the connector 30 fitted in the opening 7 a of the notch 7 with the cover 5 is sandwiched. It is configured. That is, the connector 30 of the board-attached connector 30 a is configured to be fixed to the cover 5 by the fastening bolt 25 via the stay 40. Thereby, the cover 8 with a connector in which the connector 30a with the board and the cover 5 are integrated is formed.

  The connector 30 includes a fixed piece 31, an engagement piece 32 and a holder portion 33. The fixed piece 31, the engaging piece 32, and the holder portion 33 are integrated, and all are made of an insulating resin material.

  The fixing piece 31 is formed in a flat plate shape in order to fix the connector 30 to the control circuit board 20 with solder. For this reason, the connector 30 is fixed and integrated with the control circuit board 20 at the fixed piece 31. The engagement piece 32 is a flat plate-like portion that can be engaged with the engagement groove 7 c provided on the inner wall surface 7 b of the notch 7. The engagement piece 32 is configured such that the plate thickness in the first direction X is the same as or slightly smaller than the groove width of the engagement groove 7c. For this reason, when the connector 30 is inserted into the opening 7 a of the notch portion 7, the outer peripheral portion of the engagement piece 32 is engaged while sliding in the engagement groove 7 c of the notch portion 7. At this time, it is preferable that the sealing material is applied between the engagement piece 32 and the engagement groove 7c. The holder portion 33 has a tubular shape that can accommodate the plug 51 described above. After the terminal 22 has penetrated the fixed piece 31 and the engaging piece 32, its one end 22 a is disposed in the cylinder of the holder portion 33.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the stay 40 includes an extended surface 41 and an extended surface 43 that extend in parallel to each other, and an extended surface 42 that is provided in a step shape with respect to the extended surface 41. And. The extending surface 41 is configured to support the fixing piece 31 of the connector 30 when the stay 40 is fixed. The extending surface 42 is configured to support the outer peripheral portion of the engaging piece 32 of the connector 30 when the stay 40 is fixed. The extending surface 43 is configured to be flush with the flange surface 6 a of the cover 5 in a state where the connector 30 is sandwiched between the stay 40 and the cutout portion 7 of the cover 5. Therefore, the extension surface 43 is a flat seal surface S (hatched area in FIG. 5) joined to the flange surface 4a of the case 3 (the other member to the cover 5) together with the flange surface 6a of the cover 5 Form.

  The stay 40 includes extending pieces 44 that extend in the first direction X along the extending surfaces 41 from both ends in the second direction Y, respectively. The extension piece 44 has an insertion hole 44a into which the male screw shaft 25a of the fastening bolt 25 is inserted. The insertion hole 44 a is formed to penetrate in the third direction Z of the extension piece 44. The fastening bolt 25 is configured such that the male screw shaft 25a inserted into the insertion hole 44a of the extension piece 44 is screwed into the boss portion 5b on the cover 5 side. Thereby, the stay 40 is fastened and fixed to the cover 5 at the extending piece 44 as a fastened portion. The extending piece 44 of the stay 40 is provided at a position away from the extending surface 43. That is, in this embodiment, the fastening point by the fastening bolt 25 is not provided on the extended surface 43.

  Next, the operation and effect of the power conversion device 1 of the first embodiment will be described.

  According to the power converter 1 described above, when the cover 5 is removed from the case 3 at the time of the maintenance operation, the connector 30 is removed from the cover 5 in a fixed state using the fastening force of the fastening bolt 25. That is, the connector 30 is removed from the case 3 together with the cover 5 and the control circuit board 20. At this time, while the seal material applied to the seal surface S consisting of the extending surface 43 of the stay 40 and the flange surface 6a is peeled off, the connector 30 firmly fixed to the cover 5 by the fastening bolt 25 is a control circuit board 20 and move together. In this case, the load in the direction of pulling the connector 30 away from the control circuit board 20 is unlikely to act on the connector 30. Therefore, the electrical connection between the connector 30 and the control circuit board 20 (typically, the other end 22 b of the terminal 22 connected to the control circuit board 20 by solder) is not easily stressed. As a result, the board connector 30a in which the control circuit board 20 and the connector 30 are integrated can be used continuously after the maintenance work.

  In particular, the power conversion device 1 adopts a structure in which the connector 30 is sandwiched between the cover 5 and the stay 40. Therefore, when removing the cover 5 from the case 3, the stay 40 is connected to the connector 30 from the case 3 side. It exerts the function of reducing the tension load. For this reason, it can suppress more reliably that the electrical connection part between the connector 30 and the control circuit board 20 receives stress.

  Further, according to the power conversion device 1 described above, the extending surface 43 of the stay 40 is flush with the flange surface 6 a of the cover 5 to form a flat sealing surface S, and therefore, the sealing material is applied to the sealing surface S. While being easy to do, it is possible to improve the sealability and bondability by the seal material.

  Furthermore, according to the power conversion device 1 described above, by providing the extending piece 44 of the stay 40 at a position away from the extending surface 43, a desired seal width in the first direction X of the sealing surface S (in FIG. 5). Seal width D) can be secured.

( Reference Example 1 )
As shown in FIG. 6, the power conversion device 101 of the reference example 1 differs from the power conversion device 1 of the first embodiment in that the power conversion device 101 is not provided with a member such as the stay 40.
Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In the power conversion device 101, the connector 30 of the connector with substrate 30a is configured to be directly fastened and fixed to the cover 5 which is a fixed body by the fastening bolt 25. Thereby, the connector-attached cover 108 in which the connector 30a with the board and the cover 5 are integrated is formed. At this time, the engaging piece 32 of the connector 30 is provided with an extending surface 32 a that is flush with the flange surface 6 a of the cover 5. Accordingly, the extending surface 32 a is configured to form a flat seal surface S joined to the flange surface 4 a of the case 3 together with the flange surface 6 a of the cover 5.

According to the power converter 101 described above, when the cover 5 is removed from the case 3 during the maintenance operation, the sealing material applied to the sealing surface S composed of the extending surface 32a of the connector 30 and the flange surface 6a is peeled off. On the other hand, the connector 30 firmly fixed to the cover 5 by the fastening bolt 25 moves integrally with the control circuit board 20. In this case, a load in a direction in which the connector 30 is pulled away from the control circuit board 20 hardly acts on the connector 30. Therefore, the electrical connection between the connector 30 and the control circuit board 20 is not susceptible to stress.
Further, since the extending surface 32a of the connector 30 is flush with the flange surface 6a of the cover 5 to form a flat sealing surface S, the sealing material can be easily applied to the sealing surface S, and the sealing performance by the sealing material is achieved. In addition, bondability can be improved.
Furthermore, by omitting members such as the stay 40, the number of parts can be reduced.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

(Embodiment 3)
As shown in FIG. 7, the power conversion device 201 of the third embodiment differs from the power conversion device 1 of the first embodiment in that the board attached connector 30 a including the connector 30 is fixed to the case 3. .
Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In this power conversion device 201, a notch portion 7 is provided at a position where a part of the flange portion 4 of the case 3 is divided in order to fix the connector with substrate 30a. The stay 40 is configured so as to be fastened and fixed to the case 3 in the extending piece 44 by the fastening bolt 25 in a state of sandwiching the connector 30 inserted into the opening 7a of the notch 7 with the case 3 ing. That is, the connector 30 of the connector with substrate 30 a is configured to be fixed by the fastening bolt 25 to the case 3 which is a fixed body via the stay 40. Thereby, the connector-attached case 203 in which the connector 30a with the board and the case 3 are integrated is formed.

  The extending surface 43 of the stay 40 is flush with the flange surface 4 a of the case 3 in a state where the connector 30 is sandwiched between the stay 40 and the cutout portion 7 of the case 3. Therefore, the extension surface 43 is configured to form a flat seal surface S joined to the flange surface 6 a of the cover 5 (the other member to the case 3) together with the flange surface 4 a of the case 3.

According to the power conversion device 201 described above, when the cover 5 is removed from the case 3 during the maintenance operation, the sealing material applied to the sealing surface S composed of the extending surface 43 of the stay 40 and the flange surface 4a is peeled off. On the other hand, in the connector 30 firmly fixed to the case 3 by the fastening bolt 25, the control circuit board 20 moves integrally. In this case, a load in a direction in which the connector 30 is pulled away from the control circuit board 20 hardly acts on the connector 30. Therefore, the electrical connection between the connector 30 and the control circuit board 20 is not susceptible to stress.
Further, since the extending surface 43 of the stay 40 is flush with the flange surface 4a of the case 3 to form a flat sealing surface S, the sealing material can be easily applied to the sealing surface S, and the sealing performance by the sealing material is achieved. In addition, bondability can be improved.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

( Reference Example 2 )
As shown in FIG. 8, the power conversion device 301 of the reference example 2 differs from the power conversion device 201 of the third embodiment in that the power conversion device 301 is not provided with a member such as the stay 40.
The other configuration is the same as that of the third embodiment.

  In the power conversion device 301, the connector 30 of the substrate connector 30a is configured to be directly fastened and fixed to the case 3 as a fixed object by the fastening bolt 25. As a result, the connector-equipped case 303 in which the board-equipped connector 30a and the case 3 are integrated is formed. At this time, the engaging piece 32 of the connector 30 is provided with an extending surface 32 a that is flush with the flange surface 4 a of the case 3. Therefore, the extending surface 32 a is configured to form a flat seal surface S that is joined to the flange surface 6 a of the cover 5 together with the flange surface 4 a of the case 3.

According to the power conversion device 301 described above, when the cover 5 is removed from the case 3 during the maintenance operation, the sealing material applied to the sealing surface S composed of the extending surface 32a of the connector 30 and the flange surface 4a is peeled off. On the other hand, the connector 30 rigidly fixed to the case 3 by the fastening bolt 25 moves integrally with the control circuit board 20. In this case, a load in a direction in which the connector 30 is pulled away from the control circuit board 20 hardly acts on the connector 30.
Therefore, the electrical connection between the connector 30 and the control circuit board 20 is not susceptible to stress.
Further, since the extending surface 32a of the connector 30 is flush with the flange surface 4a of the case 3 to form a flat sealing surface S, the sealing material can be easily applied to the sealing surface S, and the sealing performance by the sealing material is achieved. In addition, bondability can be improved.
Furthermore, by omitting members such as the stay 40, the number of parts can be reduced.
Other effects and effects similar to those of the third embodiment are achieved.

  The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, but various applications and modifications are conceivable without departing from the object of the invention. For example, the following embodiments applying the above-described embodiment can be implemented.

  In the first and second embodiments, the flat seal surface S is formed by the extending surface 43 of the stay 40 or the extending surface 32a of the connector 30 and the flange surface 6a of the cover 5, and in the third and fourth embodiments described above. Although the case where the flat sealing surface S is formed by the extending surface 43 of the stay 40 or the extending surface 32a of the connector 30 and the flange surface 4a of the case 3 has been illustrated, the sealing surface S is stepped as required. May be configured.

  The above embodiment exemplifies the case where the fastening fixing point by the fastening bolt 25 is not provided on the sealing surface S (the extending surface 43 of the stay 40 or the extending surface 32a of the connector 30). When the width can be secured, a configuration in which a fastening point by the fastening bolt 25 is provided on the seal surface S can also be adopted.

1, 101, 201, 301 Power Converter 2 Housing 3 Case 4a Flanged Surface 5 Cover 6a Flanged Surface 7 Notched Part 7a Opening 10 Semiconductor Module 11 Semiconductor Element 20 Control Circuit Board 25 Fastening Bolt (Fastening Member)
25a Male screw shaft 30 External connector 40 Stay (clasping member)
43 extension surface 44 extension piece (to-be-fastened part)
44a Insertion hole 50 Vehicle control unit (external device)
S Seal surface

Claims (2)

A semiconductor module (10) incorporating a semiconductor element (11);
A control circuit board (20) electrically connected to the semiconductor module;
A container (2) having a case (3) for housing the semiconductor module and a cover (5) covering the case;
It is configured to protrude from the container to the outside in a state interposed between the cover and the case for connection with an external device (50), and is integrated with the control circuit board and the control An external connector (30) electrically connected to the circuit board;
Equipped with
The external connector is fixed to a fixed body (5, 3) which is one of the cover and the case by a fastening member (25) ,
A clamping member (40) fastened and fixed to the fixed body by the fastening member in a state where the external connector is sandwiched between the fixed body and the fixed body, and the external connector is connected to the fixed body via the clamping member. Fixed to a fixed body,
The fixed body includes a cutout portion (7) having an opening (7a) into which the external connector is fitted, and the sandwiching member cuts the external connector fitted into the opening of the cutout portion. An extended surface (43) that is flush with the flange surface (6a, 4a) of the fixed body in a state of being sandwiched between the fixed portion and the extended surface together with the flange surface of the fixed body. A power converter ((a ) configured to form a sealing surface (S) joined to a flange surface (4a, 6a) of the other member (3, 5) of the cover and the case relative to the fixed body among the case 1 , 201 ). The said pinching member is provided with the to-be-fastened part (44) which has the insertion hole (44a) in which the external thread axis | shaft (25a) of the said fastening member is inserted, The said to-be-fastened part is provided in the position remove | deviated from the said extension surface. The power converter according to claim 1 .

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