JP6809563B2 - Power converter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a power converter including a power converter.

Vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are equipped with an inverter that converts DC power into AC power and a power converter such as a converter that converts DC power into DC power having different voltages. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a power conversion device in which an inverter and a converter are housed in a housing as a case.

Power converters such as inverters and converters are equipped with heat-generating components such as transformers and reactors that generate a large amount of heat. Therefore, in this power converter, a refrigerant flow path is formed by a partition portion that partitions two power converters in the case and a base plate that is in contact with the partition portion, and a heat generating component that constitutes one of the power converters is attached to the base plate. It is configured to be joined. According to this configuration, the heat generated by the heat generating component can be cooled by transferring the heat generated by the heat generating component to the refrigerant through the base plate and the partition portion.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-073401

By the way, in the power converter of Patent Document 1, in order to cool both of the two power converters, all the heat generating parts of each power converter are joined to a partition or a base plate in contact with the partition. The configuration can be adopted. When such a configuration is adopted, in order to improve the cooling performance of the power converter, the occurrence of a phenomenon in which the heat generated by the heat generating parts of each power converter interferes with each other across the refrigerant is suppressed as much as possible. Is preferable.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power converter capable of improving the cooling performance of both of two power converters partitioned by a partition portion.

One aspect of the present invention is
A semiconductor module (11) containing a semiconductor element and
A control circuit board (17) to which a control terminal (12) through which a control current for controlling the switching operation of the semiconductor element flows is connected, and
A first cooling unit (14) having a first refrigerant flow path inside which is in contact with the semiconductor module on both sides and through which a refrigerant for cooling the semiconductor module flows.
The first electric component (24), which is a heat generating component different from the above semiconductor module,
With the second cooling unit (39) provided inside with a second refrigerant flow path (50) through which the refrigerant that cools the first electric component flows by contacting the first electric component without contacting the semiconductor module. ,
Have and
The first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path are continuously formed.
The control circuit board is arranged on the side opposite to the second cooling unit when viewed from the first cooling unit and the semiconductor module, and is opposite to the first electrical component when viewed from the second cooling unit. It is located in,
The second cooling unit includes a wall portion (32, 132) integrally formed with a case (30, 130) for accommodating the semiconductor module inside, and a lid portion (21) to which the first electrical component is fixed. , 121), and by fixing the lid portion to the case, the second refrigerant flow path is formed between the wall portion and the lid portion.
A second electric component (18), which is a heat generating component electrically connected to the semiconductor module, is provided, and the second electrical component is arranged on the opposite side of the first electrical component when viewed from the second cooling unit. When the second electric component is projected in the arrangement direction of the second electric component and the second cooling portion, the second electric component and the fixed portion of the first electric component on the lid portion are mutually aligned. It is located in the power converter (1 , 101 ), which is in a non-overlapping position .
Another aspect of the present invention is
A semiconductor module (11) containing a semiconductor element and
A control circuit board (17) to which a control terminal (12) through which a control current for controlling the switching operation of the semiconductor element flows is connected, and
A first cooling unit (14) having a first refrigerant flow path inside which is in contact with the semiconductor module on both sides and through which a refrigerant for cooling the semiconductor module flows.
The first electric component (24), which is a heat generating component different from the above semiconductor module,
With the second cooling unit (39) provided inside with a second refrigerant flow path (50) through which the refrigerant that cools the first electric component flows by contacting the first electric component without contacting the semiconductor module. ,
Have and
The first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path are continuously formed.
The control circuit board is arranged on the side opposite to the second cooling unit when viewed from the first cooling unit and the semiconductor module, and is opposite to the first electrical component when viewed from the second cooling unit. Placed in
The second cooling unit includes a wall portion (32, 132) integrally formed with a case (30, 130) for accommodating the semiconductor module inside, and a lid portion (21) to which the first electrical component is fixed. , 121), and by fixing the lid portion to the case, the second refrigerant flow path is formed between the wall portion and the lid portion.
The fixing member (23) for fixing the lid portion to the case is arranged outside the projection region in which the first electric component is projected in the alignment direction of the first electric component and the second cooling portion. It is in the conversion device (1,101).

In the power converter, since the first heat generating component of the first power converter is in contact with the partition portion, the heat generated by the first heat generating component is transferred to the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path. Similarly, since the second heat generating component of the second power converter is in contact with the partition portion, the heat generated by the second heat generating component is transferred to the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path. At this time, since the first heat generating component and the second heat generating component are located at positions that do not overlap each other in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the refrigerant flow direction in the refrigerant flow path, the heat generated by each heat component interferes with each other across the refrigerant. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of such a phenomenon. That is, it is possible to suppress the simultaneous inflow of heat into a constant capacity refrigerant from both sides in the direction orthogonal to the refrigerant flow direction. As a result, the heat transfer from each heat generating component to the refrigerant is less likely to be restricted, and the cooling performance is improved.

As described above, according to the above aspect, both of the two power converters are cooled by joining the heat generating parts of the two power converters to the partition portion by shifting the positions so as not to overlap each other in the orthogonal direction. Performance can be improved.
The reference numerals in parentheses described in the scope of claims and the means for solving the problem indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later, and limit the technical scope of the present invention. It's not a thing.

The figure which shows the outline of the power conversion apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first heat radiation fin and a rectifying fin provided on the partition wall in FIG. A plan view of the base plate in FIG. 2 as viewed from the refrigerant flow path side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second heat radiation fin provided on the base plate in FIG. The inverter circuit diagram of the power conversion apparatus of this embodiment. It is a partially enlarged view around the partition part of FIG. The figure which shows the outline of the power conversion apparatus of another embodiment. The figure which shows the other embodiment of the partition wall of a case. The plan view of the base plate corresponding to the partition wall in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments relating to the power conversion device will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings of the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the first direction which is the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the case accommodating the power converter is indicated by an arrow X, and the second direction which is the lateral direction of the case is indicated by an arrow X. An arrow Y indicates a third direction orthogonal to both the first direction and the second direction, and an arrow Z indicates.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the power converter 1 of the present embodiment includes a first power converter 10, a second power converter 20, and a case 30.

The first power converter 10 is an inverter that converts DC power into AC power. Hereinafter, it is also referred to as "inverter 10". The second power converter 20 is a converter that converts DC power into DC power having different voltages. Hereinafter, it is also referred to as “converter 20”. Both the inverter 10 and the converter 20 are devices that perform power conversion. The power conversion device 1 is a power conversion device suitable for mounting on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle by combining the inverter 10 and the converter 20.

The case 30 is a box-shaped member that houses the inverter 10, the converter 20, and a plurality of other electronic components. The case 30 includes four side wall portions 31 and a partition wall 32 that partitions an internal space surrounded by these four side wall portions 31. The case 30 is an automobile part that is lightweight and requires a high degree of dimensional accuracy, and is typically manufactured by an aluminum die casting method using an aluminum material.

The partition wall 32 is configured as a part of the case 30. The partition wall 32 is a flat plate-like portion extending along a plane (a plane defined by both the first direction X and the second direction Y) orthogonal to all four side wall portions 31. As a result, the case 30 has a substantially H-shaped cross section.

The inverter 10 is a laminate in which a plurality of semiconductor modules 11 having a built-in semiconductor element and a plurality of cooling pipes (cooling portions) 14 for flowing a refrigerant for cooling the semiconductor module 11 are alternately laminated in the first direction X. It has. The semiconductor module 11 is sandwiched from both sides by the cooling pipe 14. The semiconductor module 11 has a built-in switching element such as an IGBT and a diode such as FWD.

Each inflow portion of the plurality of cooling pipes 14 is connected to a refrigerant supply header 15 for supplying a refrigerant from the outside, and each outflow portion of the plurality of cooling pipes 14 is connected to a refrigerant discharge header 16 for discharging the refrigerant to the outside. It is connected. Therefore, the refrigerant that has flowed into the inflow portion of the cooling pipe 14 from the refrigerant supply header 15 passes through the semiconductor modules 11 located on both sides of the cooling pipe 14 in the first direction X when flowing through the refrigerant flow path in the cooling pipe 14. After cooling, the refrigerant is discharged from the outflow portion of the cooling pipe 14 to the refrigerant discharge header 16.

As the refrigerant to be flowed through the cooling pipe 14, for example, natural refrigerant such as water and ammonia, water mixed with ethylene glycol antifreeze, fluorocarbon refrigerant such as Florinate, chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant such as HCFC123 and HFC134a, methanol, and the like. An alcohol-based refrigerant such as alcohol, a ketone-based refrigerant such as acetone, or the like can be used.

The semiconductor module 11 includes a control terminal 12 and an electrode terminal 13. The control terminal 12 is connected to the control circuit board 17, and the electrode terminal 13 is connected to a metal bus bar (not shown). A control current for controlling the switching element of the semiconductor module 11 is input to the semiconductor module 11 through the control terminal 12. The controlled power of the semiconductor module 11 is input / output to / from the semiconductor module 11 through the electrode terminals 13.

The inverter 10 further includes a reactor 18 and a capacitor 19 which are elements constituting the inverter circuit 10a described later. The reactor 18 constitutes a part of a booster circuit for boosting the input voltage to the semiconductor module 11, and is a converter that converts electrical energy into magnetic energy. The capacitor 19 is configured as a smoothing capacitor that smoothes the input voltage or the boosted voltage.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reactor 18 is housed in the first space 41 in a state of being arranged adjacent to one side of the first direction X of the plurality of semiconductor modules 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the capacitor 19 is housed in the first space 41 in a state of being arranged side by side with respect to the plurality of semiconductor modules 11 and the reactor 18.

As shown in FIG. 2, the partition portion 39 is composed of the flat plate-shaped partition wall 32 of the case 30 and the flat plate-shaped base plate 21 forming the mounting surface of the converter 20. According to the partition portion 39, the internal space of the case 30 is divided into a first space 41 that accommodates at least the inverter 10 and a second space 42 that accommodates at least the converter 20. Each of the first space 41 and the second space 42 is closed by a cover 38. Therefore, each of the partition portions 39 is configured to partition the inverter 10 and the converter 20 housed in the case 30.

The partition portion 39 forms a refrigerant flow path 50 through which the refrigerant flows by closing the recess of the partition wall 32 with the base plate 21. That is, in the partition portion 39, the partition wall 32 and the base plate 21 are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to each other on both sides of the third direction Z with the refrigerant flow path 50 interposed therebetween. When the partition wall 32 is used as the first partition wall, the base plate 21 becomes the second partition wall. The partition portion 39 extends along the extending surface of the partition wall 32 and the base plate 21. According to the configuration in which the recess of the partition wall 32 is closed with the base plate 21, the partition portion 39 having the refrigerant flow path 50 can be constructed relatively easily.

The base plate 21 is made of the same aluminum material as the case 30. The base plate 21 is fixed to the case 30 by fastening bolts 23 in a state of being in contact with the partition wall 32 via a sealing material (not shown) such as a liquid gasket or rubber. As a result, the airtightness of the refrigerant flow path 50 is ensured. The refrigerant flow path 50 is configured so that the flow path height Za in the third direction Z is substantially constant.

The partition wall 32 has a heat receiving surface 32a and a heat radiating surface 32b. The heat receiving surface 32a is a surface facing the first space 41 that houses the inverter 10. A reactor 18 (hereinafter, also referred to as “first heat generating component 18”), which is a heat generating component constituting the inverter 10 and has a larger heat generation amount than other components, is bonded to the heat receiving surface 32a. That is, the first heat generating component 18 is in contact with the heat receiving surface 32a of the partition wall 32. The heat receiving surface 32a is configured as a joint surface with respect to the first heat generating component 18. The heat radiating surface 32b is a surface of both sides of the partition wall 32 opposite to the heat receiving surface 32a, and is configured as the bottom surface of the recess of the partition wall 32. The heat radiating surface 32b partitions the refrigerant flow path 50, and is in constant contact with the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant flow direction D in the refrigerant flow path 50.

The base plate 21 has a heat receiving surface 21a and a heat radiating surface 21b. A second heat generating component 24 constituting the converter 20 is joined to the heat receiving surface 21a. That is, the second heat generating component 24 is in contact with the heat receiving surface 21a of the base plate 21. The heat receiving surface 21a is configured as a joint surface with respect to the second heat generating component 24. The second heat generating component 24 includes a transformer 25, a choke coil 26, and a filter capacitor 27, which generate a large amount of heat as compared with other components. The transformer 25 has a function of stepping down the DC power. With respect to the DC power stepped down by the transformer 25, the ripple current is removed in the choke coil 26, and the noise voltage is removed in the filter capacitor 27. The heat radiating surface 21b is a surface of both sides of the base plate 21 opposite to the heat receiving surface 21a. The heat radiating surface 21b partitions the refrigerant flow path 50, and is in constant contact with the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant flow direction D in the refrigerant flow path 50.

The first heat generating component 18 and the second heat generating component 24 have a partition portion 39 at a position where they do not overlap each other in a third direction Z (hereinafter, also referred to as “orthogonal direction Z”) orthogonal to the refrigerant flow direction D in the refrigerant flow path 50. They are joined to each other. In other words, the first heat generating component 18 and the second heat generating component 24 are joined to the partition portion 39 at positions deviated from each other in the refrigerant flow direction D. Alternatively, the first heat generating component 18 and the second heat generating component 24 are joined to the partition portion 39 at positions where they do not overlap each other when viewed from one side to the other side in the third direction Z. In this case, the orthogonal direction Z is the normal direction (orthogonal direction) with respect to the joint surface of the partition portion 39 (the heat receiving surface 32a of the partition wall 32 and the heat receiving surface 21a of the base plate 21), or a virtual plane along the refrigerant flow path 50. It is also defined as the normal direction (orthogonal direction) with respect to P.

As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerant supply pipe 36 is connected to the refrigerant discharge header 16 via the connection pipe 16a. In this embodiment, the refrigerant used for cooling the semiconductor module 11 is used as it is in the refrigerant flow path 50. If necessary, the refrigerant flow path 50 can be separated from the refrigerant flow path of the semiconductor module 11.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the partition wall 32 is erected from an intermediate position in the second direction Y of the heat radiating surface 32b toward the base plate 21 in order to form the refrigerant flow path 50. An upright portion 33 extending in a long shape in one direction X is provided. As a result, in the refrigerant flow path 50, the refrigerant flowing in from the refrigerant supply pipe 36 flows through the region of one half of the vertical portion 33, then turns in a U shape and flows through the region of the other half of the refrigerant. It is configured to be discharged to the outside from the discharge pipe 37. In this configuration, there is one U-turn location. The standing tip 33a of the standing portion 33 is in contact with the heat radiating surface 21b of the base plate 21 without a gap. The erection portion 33 has the same erection height as the flow path height Za of the refrigerant flow path 50.

The refrigerant flow path 50 is configured as a flow path including a first section 51, a second section 52, a third section 53, and a fourth section 54, which are arranged in order from the upstream. The first section 51 is a section in which the refrigerant flows linearly on one side of the first direction X. The second section 52 is a section in which the refrigerant makes a U-turn from one side of the first direction X to the other side and flows. Both the third section 53 and the fourth section 54 are sections in which the refrigerant flows linearly in the direction opposite to that of the first section 51. Therefore, the refrigerant flow path 50 is a turn flow path configured so that the direction of the flow path changes. As a result, the flow path can be extended as compared with the refrigerant flow path formed linearly without changing the direction of the flow path, and the flow rate of the refrigerant can be set higher.

The partition wall 32 is provided with a plurality of (three in this embodiment) first heat radiation fins 34 in a region corresponding to the second section 52 of the refrigerant flow path 50. The first heat radiating fin 34 is directed toward the refrigerant flow path 50 from a position of the heat radiating surface 32b facing the refrigerant flow path 50 that passes through the first heat generating component 18 in the orthogonal direction Z, that is, a position directly below the first heat generating component 18. It is extended. Further, the extending tip portion 34a of the first heat radiating fin 34 is in contact with the heat radiating surface 21b of the base plate 21 without a gap. In this case, the first heat radiation fin 34 has an upright height similar to the flow path height Za of the refrigerant flow path 50.

The first heat radiating fin 34 has a uniform plate thickness and has a curved plate shape extending along the refrigerant flow direction D, and has a contact area between the partition wall 32 and the refrigerant (the first heat generating component 18 of the heat radiating surface 32b). It has a function to increase the heat dissipation area from directly below. Further, in the second section 52, since the flow path corresponding to the plate thickness of the three first heat radiation fins 34 is narrowed down, the first heat radiation fins 34 have a function of increasing the flow velocity of the refrigerant. According to these functions, the amount of heat radiated from the partition wall 32 can be increased. Further, since the first heat radiation fin 34 extends along the refrigerant flow direction D, it has a function of suppressing the flow path resistance received by the refrigerant to be low. According to this function, the refrigerant can flow smoothly while adjusting its flow. The number of the first heat radiation fins 34 may be one or a plurality.

The partition wall 32 includes a plurality of (two in this embodiment) rectifying fins 35 in the region corresponding to the third section 53 of the refrigerant flow path 50. The rectifying fin 35 extends from the heat radiating surface 32b toward the base plate 21, and the extending tip portion 35a is in contact with the heat radiating surface 21b of the base plate 21.

The rectifying fin 35 has a function of preventing the formation of an air pool in the refrigerant flow path 50 by adjusting the flow of the refrigerant and increasing the contact area with the refrigerant like the first heat radiation fin 34. The number of the rectifying fins 35 may be one or a plurality. Alternatively, the rectifying fin 35 may be omitted when the demand for adjusting the refrigerant flow is low.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the partition wall 32 has a plurality of (two in the present embodiment) second heat radiating fins 22 in the region corresponding to the first section 51 and the fourth section 54 of the refrigerant flow path 50. It has. The second heat radiating fin 22 is directed toward the refrigerant flow path 50 from a position of the heat radiating surface 21b facing the refrigerant flow path 50 that passes through the second heat generating component 24 in the orthogonal direction Z, that is, a position directly below the second heat generating component 24. It is extended. Further, the extension tip portion 22a of the second heat radiating fin 22 is in contact with the heat radiating surface 32b of the partition wall 32 without a gap. In this case, the second heat radiation fin 22 has the same vertical height as the flow path height Za of the refrigerant flow path 50, similarly to the first heat radiation fin 34. Therefore, the dimension of the power conversion device 1 in the orthogonal direction Z can be kept small.

The second heat radiating fin 22 has a uniform plate thickness and has a flat plate shape extending along the refrigerant flow direction D, and has a contact area between the base plate 21 and the refrigerant (from directly below the second heat generating component 24 of the heat radiating surface 21b). Has a function to increase the heat dissipation area). Further, in both the first section 51 and the fourth section 54, the flow path corresponding to the plate thickness of the two second heat radiation fins 22 is narrowed down, so that the second heat radiation fins 22 increase the flow velocity of the refrigerant. Has a function. According to these functions, the amount of heat radiated from the base plate 21 can be increased. Further, since the second heat radiation fin 22 extends along the refrigerant flow direction D, it has a function of suppressing the flow path resistance received by the refrigerant to be low. According to this function, the refrigerant can flow smoothly while adjusting its flow. The number of the second heat radiation fins 22 may be one or a plurality.

As shown in FIG. 7, the above-mentioned inverter 10 constitutes an inverter circuit 10a which is a power conversion circuit that converts DC power supplied from DC power supply B1 into AC power. In the inverter circuit 10a, the switching operation (on / off operation) of the plurality of semiconductor modules 11 is controlled by the control circuit board 17.

In the present embodiment, the reactor 18 and the two semiconductor modules 11a constitute a booster portion 10b of the inverter circuit 10a, which is a power conversion circuit. The reactor 18 is a passive element using an inductor. The boosting unit 10b has a function of boosting the voltage of the DC power supply B1 by a switching operation (on / off operation) of the semiconductor module 11a.

On the other hand, the capacitor 19 and the six semiconductor modules 11b constitute a conversion unit 10c of the inverter circuit 10a, which is a power conversion circuit. The conversion unit 10c has a function of converting DC power after being boosted by the boosting unit 10b into AC power by a switching operation (on / off operation) of the semiconductor module 11b. The AC power obtained by the conversion unit 10c drives the three-phase AC motor M for traveling the vehicle.

The converter 20 is connected to the DC power supply B1 and is used to step down the voltage of the DC power supply B1 to charge the auxiliary battery B2 having a lower voltage than the DC power supply B1. The auxiliary battery B2 is used as a power source for various devices mounted on the vehicle.

Here, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the operating state of the power conversion device 1, the partition portion 39 (partition wall 32 and base plate 21) is cooled by the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 50. Therefore, the equipment and air in contact with the partition 39 can be cooled. Further, it is possible to prevent interference of electromagnetic noise between the inverter 10 and the converter 20.

Hereinafter, the cooling of the equipment in contact with the partition portion 39 will be specifically described. The heat generated by the first heat generating component 18 of the inverter 10 is received by the heat receiving surface 32a of the partition wall 32 having high thermal conductivity and dissipated from the heat radiating surface 32b. Then, the first heat generating component 18 is continuously cooled by the heat transfer from the heat radiating surface 32b to the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 50. At this time, the temperature in the high temperature region 32c directly below the first heat generating component 18 in the heat radiating surface 32b becomes relatively high.

Similarly to this, in the converter 20, the heat generated by the second heat generating component 24 is received by the heat receiving surface 21a of the base plate 21 having high thermal conductivity and dissipated from the heat radiating surface 21b. Then, the second heat generating component 24 is continuously cooled by the heat transfer from the heat radiating surface 21b to the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 50. At this time, the temperature in the high temperature region 21c directly below the second heat generating component 24 in the heat radiating surface 21b becomes relatively high. Therefore, particularly high temperature heat tends to flow into the refrigerant in the high temperature region 32c of the partition wall 32 and the high temperature region 21c of the base plate 21.

In such a state, if the first heat generating component 18 and the second heat generating component 24 are arranged so as to overlap each other in the orthogonal direction Z, they are arranged so as to overlap each other in the orthogonal direction Z, from both sides of the orthogonal direction Z with respect to a constant capacity refrigerant, that is, in a high temperature region. Heat is concentrated and flows in from both the 32c and the high temperature region 21c at the same time. However, since the amount of heat inflow that can flow into a constant capacity refrigerant at one time is limited, it is difficult to smoothly flow the heat of each of the high temperature region 32c and the high temperature region 21c into the refrigerant at the same time. That is, the heat exchange between the heat generated by one heat generating component and the refrigerant is easily affected by the heat generated by the other heat generating component.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first heat generating component 18 and the second heat generating component 24 are prevented from overlapping each other in the orthogonal direction Z. In other words, the high temperature region 32c directly below the first heat generating component 18 and the high temperature region 21c directly below the second heat generating component 24 are configured to be separated from each other in the refrigerant flow direction D. In this case, the virtual line L in the orthogonal direction Z passing through the first heat generating component 18 passes through a position deviated from the second heat generating component 24.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent heat from being concentrated and flowing in from both the high temperature region 32c and the high temperature region 21c at the same time with respect to a constant capacity refrigerant. That is, it is possible to prevent heat from flowing into a constant volume of refrigerant from both sides in the orthogonal direction Z at the same time. For example, when the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant flow path 50 in the refrigerant flow direction D1 in FIG. 8, thermal interference between the high temperature region 21c on the upstream side and the high temperature region 32c on the downstream side is unlikely to occur. As a result, the cooling performance of both the inverter 10 including the first heat generating component 18 and the converter 20 including the second heat generating component 24 is improved.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the heat generating parts 18 and 24 of the two power converters 10 and 20 are joined to the partition portion 39 by shifting their positions so as not to overlap each other in the orthogonal direction Z. The cooling performance of the two power converters 10 and 20 can be improved.

Further, the first heat radiating fins 34 and the second heat radiating fins 22 enhance the heat dissipation performance and the flow velocity of the refrigerant, and the refrigerant flow path 50 is used as a turn flow path to increase the flow velocity of the refrigerant. The cooling performance of 20 can be further improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned typical embodiments, and various applications and modifications can be considered as long as the object of the present invention is not deviated. For example, the following embodiments to which the above embodiments are applied can also be implemented.

In the above embodiment, as in the power conversion device 1 shown in FIG. 2, the case where the partition portion 39 is formed by the partition wall 32 of the case 30 and the base plate 21 which is a member different from the case 30 is illustrated. However, the partition 39 may be composed of one or more elements. For example, as in the power conversion device 101 shown in FIG. 9, the partition portion 39 may be configured by the partition wall 32 itself of the case 30. The power conversion device 101 is different from the power conversion device 1 in that the base plate 21 is omitted. The partition wall 32 as the partition portion 39 has a heat receiving surface 32d and a heat radiating surface 32e in addition to the heat receiving surface 32a and the heat radiating surface 32b. A second heat generating component 24 is joined to the heat receiving surface 32d. The heat radiating surface 32e partitions the refrigerant flow path 50, and is in constant contact with the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 50. As a result, the number of parts of the power conversion device 101 can be reduced.
The power conversion device 101 has the same configuration and operation and effect as the power conversion device 1 except for the above.

In the above embodiment, the case where the first heat radiation fin 34 is provided on the partition wall 32 and the second heat radiation fin 22 is provided on the base plate 21 in order to improve the cooling performance has been illustrated, but these first heat radiation fins 34 and the second heat radiation fins 34 At least one of the heat radiation fins 22 may be omitted. 10 and 11 are referred to for another embodiment in which both the first heat radiation fin 34 and the second heat radiation fin 22 are omitted. In these drawings, the same elements as those shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same elements will be omitted.

The partition 39 is composed of the partition wall 132 of the case 130 shown in FIG. 10 and the base plate 121 shown in FIG. In the partition wall 132, the position of the standing portion 33 in the second direction Y is changed as compared with the case of FIG. 3, so that the flow path cross-sectional area of the upstream side region 50a of the refrigerant flow path 50 becomes the downstream side region 50b. It is configured to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the flow path of. As a result, the flow velocity of the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 50 is higher in the upstream region 50a than in the downstream region 50b. Then, the first heat generating component 18 is joined at a position of the heat receiving surface 32a of the partition wall 32 passing through the upstream region 50a in the orthogonal direction Z. On the other hand, the second heat generating component 24 is joined at a position of the heat receiving surface 32a of the base plate 121 passing through the upstream region 50a in the orthogonal direction Z. In other words, the partition portion 39 is configured such that the flow velocity of the refrigerant in the region of the refrigerant flow path 50 overlapping the first heat generating component 18 and the second heat generating component 24 in the orthogonal direction Z is relatively high. ing. According to this configuration, the flow velocity of the refrigerant can be increased without using the heat radiation fins.

In the above embodiment, the case where both the first heat radiation fin 34 and the second heat radiation fin 22 have the same vertical height as the flow path height Za of the refrigerant flow path 50 has been illustrated, but the first heat radiation fin 34 It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the standing height of at least one of the second heat radiation fins 22 is lower than the flow path height Za of the refrigerant flow path 50.

In the above embodiment, the case where there is one U-turn point in the refrigerant flow path 50 has been illustrated, but there may be two or more U-turn points if necessary. Further, the shape of the turn flow path in the refrigerant flow path 50 may be L-shaped, for example, other than U-shaped. Further, the refrigerant flow path 50 may be configured to extend linearly with almost no change in the direction of the flow path.

In the above embodiment, the reactor 18 of the inverter 10 is exemplified as the first heat generating component 18, and the transformer 25, the choke coil 26, and the filter capacitor 27 of the converter 20 are exemplified as the second heat generating component 24. Each of the second heat generating component 24 and the second heat generating component 24 can be variously changed as needed. For example, as the first heat generating component 18, a capacitor 19 or a filter capacitor that removes a noise current included in the current supplied from the DC power supply B1 can be adopted.

In the above embodiment, the case where the base plates 21, 121 and the cases 30 and 130 are both made of an aluminum material has been illustrated, but instead of the aluminum material, a material other than another metal material or a metal material having high thermal conductivity is used. You can also do it.

1,101 Power converter 10 First power converter (inverter)
18 Reactor (1st heat generating part)
20 Second power converter (converter)
21,121 Base plate (second partition wall)
22 2nd heat dissipation fin 22a Extension tip 24 2nd heat generating part 30,130 Case 32,132 Partition wall (1st partition wall)
32b Heat dissipation surface 34 1st heat dissipation fin 34a Extension tip 39 Partition 50 Refrigerant flow path D Refrigerant flow direction Z Orthogonal direction (3rd direction)

Claims (2)

A semiconductor module (11) containing a semiconductor element and
A control circuit board (17) to which a control terminal (12) through which a control current for controlling the switching operation of the semiconductor element flows is connected, and
A first cooling unit (14) having a first refrigerant flow path inside which is in contact with the semiconductor module on both sides and through which a refrigerant for cooling the semiconductor module flows.
The first electric component (24), which is a heat generating component different from the above semiconductor module,
With the second cooling unit (39) provided inside with a second refrigerant flow path (50) through which the refrigerant that cools the first electric component flows by contacting the first electric component without contacting the semiconductor module. ,
Have and
The first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path are continuously formed.
The control circuit board is arranged on the side opposite to the second cooling unit when viewed from the first cooling unit and the semiconductor module, and is opposite to the first electrical component when viewed from the second cooling unit. It is located in,
The second cooling unit includes a wall portion (32, 132) integrally formed with a case (30, 130) for accommodating the semiconductor module inside, and a lid portion (21) to which the first electrical component is fixed. , 121), and by fixing the lid portion to the case, the second refrigerant flow path is formed between the wall portion and the lid portion.
A second electric component (18), which is a heat generating component electrically connected to the semiconductor module, is provided, and the second electrical component is arranged on the opposite side of the first electrical component when viewed from the second cooling unit. When the second electric component is projected in the arrangement direction of the second electric component and the second cooling portion, the second electric component and the fixed portion of the first electric component on the lid portion are mutually aligned. do not overlap in position, the power converter (1, 101). A semiconductor module (11) containing a semiconductor element and
A control circuit board (17) to which a control terminal (12) through which a control current for controlling the switching operation of the semiconductor element flows is connected, and
A first cooling unit (14) having a first refrigerant flow path inside which is in contact with the semiconductor module on both sides and through which a refrigerant for cooling the semiconductor module flows.
The first electric component (24), which is a heat generating component different from the above semiconductor module,
With the second cooling unit (39) provided inside with a second refrigerant flow path (50) through which the refrigerant that cools the first electric component flows by contacting the first electric component without contacting the semiconductor module. ,
Have and
The first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path are continuously formed.
The control circuit board is arranged on the side opposite to the second cooling unit when viewed from the first cooling unit and the semiconductor module, and is opposite to the first electrical component when viewed from the second cooling unit. Placed in
The second cooling unit includes a wall portion (32, 132) integrally formed with a case (30, 130) for accommodating the semiconductor module inside, and a lid portion (21) to which the first electrical component is fixed. , 121), and by fixing the lid portion to the case, the second refrigerant flow path is formed between the wall portion and the lid portion .
The fixing member (23) for fixing the lid portion to the case is arranged outside the projection region in which the first electric component is projected in the alignment direction of the first electric component and the second cooling portion. Force converter (1,101) .

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