Vehicular power conversion device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10064316-B2
Application number	US-201314899706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2013
Priority date	Jun 20, 2013
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A vehicular power conversion device is provided with a semiconductor that converts power. The power conversion device is provided with: coolers that are arranged in an array in a vehicle advancement direction and cool the semiconductor; and a cooler cover having the coolers located therein and provided with ventilation openings serving as an intake port and a discharge port for travel-generated airflow. A cavity serving as a passageway for the travel-generated airflow is provided in at least one of above, below, and to the side of the plurality of coolers inside the cooler cover. The ventilation openings are disposed in the vehicle advancement direction from the cavity. The airflow-receiving plate is located in the cavity and, when the travel-generated airflow flows from the ventilation opening into the cavity, changes the direction of the incoming travel-generated airflow to a direction toward the coolers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular power conversion device including a semiconductor for converting power, comprising:
a plurality of coolers arranged in an array in an advancement direction of a vehicle, and configured to cool the semiconductor;
a cooler cover wherein the plurality of coolers is located, and provided with ventilation openings serving as an intake port and a discharge port for travel-generated airflow; wherein
the following are provided inside the cooler cover:
at least one of (i) an upper cavity located above the plurality of coolers as a passageway for travel-generated airflow or (ii) a lower cavity located below the plurality of coolers as a passageway for travel-generated airflow, and a side cavity located at a side of the plurality of coolers as a passageway for travel-generated airflow; and
the ventilation openings are located in the advancement direction of the vehicle in: (i) at least one of the upper cavity or the lower cavity, and (ii) the side cavity;
an airflow-receiving plate located in the side cavity and tilted relative to the advancement direction of the vehicle, and when the travel-generated airflow flows into the side cavity, the travel-generated airflow then flows into the upper cavity or lower cavity; and
an airflow-receiving plate located in the upper cavity or the lower cavity directs the travel-generated airflow flowing therein into an inside of the plurality of coolers from thereabove or therebelow.

2. The vehicular power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of coolers has a heat pipe, and flat plate-shaped heat-radiation fins that are fastened to the heat pipe in a state that the flat surfaces thereof are arranged parallel to each other and facing toward the side.

3. The vehicular power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein
ventilation openings, in addition to the ventilation openings in the advancement direction of the vehicle from the at least one of the upper cavity or the lower cavity and from the side cavity, are also located in the advancement direction of the vehicle from the plurality of coolers;
the plurality of coolers is formed so that travel-generated airflow can enter inside even from the advancement direction of the vehicle; and
the airflow-receiving plate that is located in the upper cavity, the lower cavity or the side cavity is located in the upper, lower or side part of the cooler in the last stage of the plurality of coolers.

4. The vehicular power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein
the upper cavity, the lower cavity and the side cavity are provided inside the cooler cover;
the airflow-receiving plates are located respectively in the upper cavity, the lower cavity and the side cavity;
the ventilation openings are located in the advancement direction of the vehicle from the side cavity and in the opposite direction from the advancement direction from the side cavity respectively;
the airflow-receiving plate that is located in the side cavity, when travel-generated airflow flows into the side cavity from one of the ventilation opening in the vehicle advancement direction or the ventilation opening in the opposite direction, causes the travel-generated airflow to flow into one of the upper cavity or lower cavity, and when travel-generated airflow flows into the side cavity from the other ventilation opening, causes the travel-generated airflow to flow into the other cavity; and
the airflow-receiving plates that are located in the upper cavity and in the lower cavity cause travel-generated airflow that flows from the side cavity to flow from above and below the plurality of coolers respectively toward the inside of the plurality of coolers.

5. The vehicular power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein
a partitioning plate that is configured to partition the plurality of coolers from the side cavity is located inside the cooler cover;
the partitioning plate is located in a state that the flat surfaces thereof face toward the side; and
the airflow-receiving plate that is located in the side cavity is located in a state that one of edge sides thereof comes in contact with a flat surface of the partitioning plate.

6. The vehicular power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of coolers comprises rod-shaped heat-radiation fins located close together and facing toward the side.

7. The vehicular power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein, for the airflow-receiving plate that is located in the at least one of the upper cavity or the lower cavity, an edge portion of the airflow-receiving plate in a side direction is located further in the side direction than an edge portion of the plurality of coolers.

8. The vehicular power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein a side-direction edge portion of the at least one of the upper cavity or the lower cavity is located to align with a side-direction edge portion of the side cavity.

9. The vehicular power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein a side-direction edge portion of the airflow-receiving plate that is located in the at least one of the upper cavity or the lower cavity is located to align with a side-direction edge portion of the airflow-receiving plate that is located in the side cavity.

10. A vehicular power conversion device including a semiconductor for converting power, comprising:
a plurality of coolers arranged in an array in an advancement direction of a vehicle, and configured to cool the semiconductor;
a cooler cover wherein the plurality of coolers is located, and provided with ventilation openings serving as an intake port and a discharge port for travel-generated airflow;
wherein
the following are provided inside the cooler cover: at least one of (i) an upper cavity located above the plurality of coolers as a passageway for travel-generated airflow or (ii) a lower cavity located below the plurality of coolers as a passageway for travel-generated airflow, and a side cavity located at a side of the plurality of coolers as a passageway for travel-generated airflow, wherein
if the upper cavity is provided, the upper cavity extends to above the side cavity, and the upper cavity and the side cavity communicate with each other above the side cavity;
if the lower cavity is provided, the lower cavity extends to below the side cavity, and the lower cavity and the side cavity communicate with each other below the side cavity;
the ventilation openings are located at least in the advancement direction of the vehicle in: (i) at least one of the upper cavity or the lower cavity, and (ii) the side cavity; and
an airflow-receiving plate located in and extending along the side cavity and the at least one of the upper cavity or the lower cavity, and directs the travel-generated airflow flow that enters the at least one of the upper cavity or the lower cavity toward the plurality of coolers.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Ono Yoshitaka
• TAKETOMI Yu
• Murahashi Akihiro

Classifications

• H10W40/228

  the projecting parts being wire-shaped or pin-shaped · CPC title

• H10W40/226

  characterised by projecting parts, e.g. fins to increase surface area (leadframes for cooling H10W70/461) · CPC title

• H10W40/73

  for cooling by change of state · CPC title

• H10W40/43

  by flowing gases, e.g. forced air cooling · CPC title

• H05K7/20854

  Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure (H05K7/20863 takes precedence) · CPC title