Three-level power converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10153708-B2
Application number	US-201615230968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2016
Priority date	Aug 26, 2014
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A three-level power converter includes a first module housing a vertical arm forming a three-level power conversion circuit; a second module disposed adjacent to the first module and housing an intermediate arm forming the three-level power conversion circuit; high-potential and low-potential connecting terminal boards each extending vertically, and having a lower end connected to connecting terminals on an upper surface of the first module, and an upper end provided with an external connecting end; and a flat intermediate-potential connecting terminal board extending vertically, and having a lower end connected to connecting terminals on an upper surface of the second module, and an upper end provided with an external connecting end. The high-potential, low-potential, and intermediate-potential connecting terminal boards are stacked close to and parallel to one another. Each of the external connecting ends is connected to a corresponding terminal of a DC capacitor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-level power converter, comprising:
a first module housing a vertical arm forming a three-level power conversion circuit and having connecting terminals extending in a first direction from an upper surface thereof;
a second module disposed adjacent to the first module along a second direction being perpendicular to the first direction and housing an intermediate arm forming the three-level power conversion circuit, the second module having connecting terminals extending in the first direction from an upper surface thereof;
a flat high-potential connecting terminal board having
a lower end connected to one of the connecting terminals on the upper surface of the first module,
an upper end provided with a first external connecting end above the second module, and
a main body extending along the first direction to connect the lower end and the upper end of the high-potential connecting terminal board, and facing a third direction being perpendicular to the first and second directions;

a flat low-potential connecting terminal board having
a lower end connected to another of the connecting terminals on the upper surface of the first module,
an upper end provided with a second external connecting end above the second module, and
a main body extending along the first direction to connect the lower end and the upper end of the low-potential connecting terminal board, and arranged parallel to the main body of the high-potential connecting terminal board; and

a flat intermediate-potential connecting terminal board having
a lower end connected to one of the connecting terminals on the upper surface of the second module,
an upper end provided with a third external connecting end above the first module, and
a main body extending along the first direction to connect the lower end and the upper end of the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board, and arranged parallel to and between the main body of the high potential connecting terminal board and the main body of the low-potential connecting terminal board; and

a DC capacitor having terminals connected to the first external connecting end, the second external connecting end, and the third external connecting end, respectively,
wherein the high-potential connecting terminal board, the low-potential connecting terminal board, and the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board have lateral widths covering the first and second modules, and
each of the main bodies of the high-potential connecting terminal board, the low-potential connecting terminal board, and the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board is disposed between the connecting terminals of the first and second modules without overlapping the connecting terminals of the first and second modules in the first direction.

2. The three-level power converter according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting terminals on the upper surfaces of the first module and the second module are pin-shaped terminals, and the connecting terminals on the upper surface of the first module are arranged same as that on the upper surface of the second module.

3. The three-level power converter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the connecting terminals of the first module includes
a high-potential connecting terminal connected to the lower end of the high-potential connecting terminal board, and
a low-potential connecting terminal arranged adjacent to the high-potential connecting terminal in the third direction and connected to the lower end of the low-potential connecting terminal board, and

the connecting terminals of the second module includes
an intermediate-potential connecting terminal connected to the lower end of the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board.

4. The three-level power converter according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a first insulating plate arranged between the main body of the low-potential connecting terminal board and the main body of the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board, and
a second insulating plate arranged between the main body of the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board and the main body of the high-potential connecting terminal board.

5. The three-level power converter according to claim 1 , wherein the high-potential connecting terminal board further includes a first terminal connector connected to the one of the connecting terminals on the upper surface of the first module and positioned diagonally to the first external connecting end,
the low-potential connecting terminal board further includes a second terminal connector connected to the another of the connecting terminals on the upper surface of the first module and positioned diagonally to the second external connecting end, and
the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board further includes a third terminal connector connected to the one of the connecting terminals on the upper surface of the second module and positioned diagonally to the third external connecting end.

6. The three-level power converter according to claim 5 , wherein the first terminal connector is disposed at one side of the main body of the high-potential connecting terminal board, and the first external connecting end is disposed at another side of the main body of the high-potential connecting terminal board opposite to the one side of the high-potential connecting terminal board in the second direction,
the second terminal connector is disposed at one side of the main body of the low-potential connecting terminal board, and the second external connecting end is disposed at another side of the main body of the low-potential connecting terminal board opposite to the one side of the low-potential connecting terminal board in the second direction, and
the third terminal connector is disposed at one side of the main body of the intermediate- potential connecting terminal board, and the third external connecting end is disposed at another side of the main body of the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board opposite to the one side of the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board in the second direction.

7. The three-level power converter according to claim 6 , wherein the second terminal connector and the second external connecting end extend opposite to each other in the third direction.

8. The three-level power converter according to claim 7 , wherein the DC capacitor is disposed in the first direction of the first and second modules.

9. The three-level power converter according to claim 1 , wherein the first module and the second module include a plurality of first and second modules forming a pair,
the plurality of module pairs is arranged in case of parallel arrangement such that the first modules and the second modules are disposed adjacent to each other alternately,
the high-potential connecting terminal board, the low-potential connecting terminal board, and the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board are formed across entirety of the plurality of module pairs, and
the plurality of module pairs is connected in parallel by the high-potential connecting terminal board, the low-potential connecting terminal board, and the intermediate-potential connecting terminal board.

10. The three-level power converter according to claim 1 , wherein the first module further includes a semiconductor switching element formed from a wide band-gap semiconductor.

Assignees

• Fuji Electric Co Ltd

Inventors

• Maruyama Koji
• Tanaka Takaaki

Classifications

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H02M7/483 Primary

  Converters with outputs that each can have more than two voltages levels · CPC title

• H01L25/18

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05K5/0065

  wherein modules are associated together, e.g. electromechanical assemblies, modular structures · CPC title

• H01L25/115

  Electricity · mapped topic