Damping covers for power inverter modules and integrated power electronics modules utilizing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11116097-B2
Application number	US-201916528848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2019
Priority date	Aug 1, 2019
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A damping cover for an integrated power electronics module (IPEM), the damping cover generally defined by a top side and a bottom side, wherein the bottom side is configured to mate adjacent with or contiguous to a power inverter module (PIM) of the IPEM. The damping cover can include an aluminum foam core including a top surface generally corresponding to the top side of the damping cover and a bottom surface generally corresponding to the bottom side of the damping cover and a polymeric over-molding or non-porous aluminum outer layer covering the top surface and/or a polymeric over-molding or non-porous aluminum outer layer covering the bottom surface. The bottom side of the damping cover can mate adjacent with or contiguous to the PIM. The polymeric material over-molding can completely impregnate the aluminum foam core. The aluminum foam core can have a density of about 0.15 g/cm3 to about 1.0 g/cm3.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A damping cover for an integrated power electronics module (IPEM),
the IPEM including an IPEM casing and a power inverter module (PIM) attached to the IPEM casing,
the IPEM casing defining an internal chamber within which is housed the PIM,
the damping cover comprising:
a damping cover body including opposing top and bottom sides,
the damping cover body configured to sealingly mount to the IPEM casing such that the bottom side is adjacent the PIM and the PIM is enclosed between the damping cover body and the IPEM casing,
the damping cover body including:
an aluminum foam core including a top surface corresponding to the top side of the damping cover body and a bottom surface corresponding to the bottom side of the damping cover body;
a polymeric material over-molding covering the top surface of the aluminum foam core; and

an aluminum plate layer covering a top surface of the polymeric material over-molding and forming an outermost surface of the top side of the damping cover body.

2. The damping cover of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material over-molding covers the bottom surface of the aluminum foam core and forms an outermost surface of the bottom side of the damping cover body.

3. The damping cover of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum foam core comprises a density of 0.15 grams per cubic centimeter to 1.0 grams per cubic centimeter.

4. The damping cover of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum foam core comprises an average pore size of 0.5 millimeters to 15 millimeters.

5. The damping cover of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum foam core comprises pure aluminum or one or more aluminum alloys.

6. The damping cover of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material over-molding comprises one or more elastomers, one or more thermoplastics, and/or one or more thermosets.

7. The damping cover of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum foam core is formed into a non-planar geometry by stamping or die casting.

8. The damping cover of claim 1 , wherein the damping cover body includes a top, multiple interconnected sidewalls integral with and projecting from the top, and a mounting flange integral with and projecting outwards from bottom ends of the sidewalls, the mounting flange configured to receive a plurality of fasteners to thereby mount the damping cover onto the IPEM casing.

9. An integrated power electronics module (IPEM), comprising:
an IPEM casing defining therein an internal chamber;
a power inverter module (PIM) attached to the IPEM casing and located within the internal chamber;
a component attached to the IPEM casing; and
a damping cover attached to the IPEM casing adjacent the PIM such that the PIM is enclosed between the damping cover body and the IPEM casing,
the damping cover including:

an aluminum foam core including a top surface corresponding to a top side of the damping cover and a bottom surface corresponding to a bottom side of the damping cover,
a polymeric material covering the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the aluminum foam core, and
a non-porous aluminum outer layer covering top surface and/or a bottom surface of the polymeric material and forming outermost exterior surfaces of the top and/or bottom sides of the damping cover.

10. The IPEM of claim 9 , wherein the non-porous aluminum outer layer is integral to the aluminum foam core to collectively define a monolith therewith.

11. The IPEM of claim 10 , wherein the non-porous aluminum outer layer is formed in-situ during fabrication of the aluminum foam core.

12. The IPEM of claim 9 , wherein the non-porous aluminum outer layer comprises aluminum sheets joined to the aluminum foam core.

13. The IPEM of claim 12 , wherein the aluminum sheets are joined to the aluminum foam core by brazing, press-fitting, stamping, welding, or mechanical fasteners.

14. The IPEM of claim 9 , wherein the damping cover dampens noise created by the power inverter module, and/or absorbs vibration created by the component.

15. The IPEM of claim 9 , wherein the component comprises a motor/generator, a clutch, a pump, a cooler, a DC-link capacitance and gate drive unit, and/or an intelligent power module.

16. An integrated power electronics module (IPEM), comprising:
an IPEM casing with first and second internal portions separated by a partition;
a component located inside the first portion;
a power inverter module (PIM) located inside the second portion; and
a damping cover adjacent the PIM and sealingly mounted to the IPEM casing to enclose therebetween the PIM, the damping cover including:

an aluminum foam core including a top surface corresponding to a top side of the damping cover and a bottom surface corresponding to a bottom side of the damping cover,
a polymeric material over-molding covering the top and bottom surfaces of the aluminum foam core, and
an aluminum plate layer covering top and bottom surfaces of the polymeric material over-molding and forming an outermost exterior surface of the top side of the damping cover and an outermost exterior surface of the bottom side of the damping cover.

17. The IPEM of claim 16 , wherein the polymeric material over-molding completely impregnates the aluminum foam core.

18. The IPEM of claim 16 , wherein the component comprises a motor/generator, a clutch, a pump, a cooler, a DC-link capacitance and gate drive unit, and/or an intelligent power module.

19. The IPEM of claim 16 , wherein the power inverter module is configured to receive direct current energy, convert the direct current energy to alternating current energy, and output the alternating current energy, and wherein the component is a motor/generator unit electrically connected to the PIM to receive therefrom the alternating current energy.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Wang Qigui
• He Song
• Pack Seongchan
• Willis Angela P

Classifications

• B32B15/20

  comprising aluminium or copper {(B32B15/016 and B32B15/017 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H05K7/20872

  Liquid coolant without phase change · CPC title

• B32B27/065

  of foam · CPC title

• G10K11/168 Primary

  Plural layers of different materials, e.g. sandwiches · CPC title

• B32B2266/045

  Metal · CPC title