Power conversion device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11166397-B2
Application number	US-201816966594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2018
Priority date	Feb 2, 2018
Publication date	Nov 2, 2021
Grant date	Nov 2, 2021

Abstract

A power conversion device includes: a casing including a housing portion; a circuit board housed in the housing portion, the circuit board including an inverter circuit or an inverter control circuit configured to control the inverter circuit; a cooling fan configured to generate air flowing through the housing portion to cool the circuit board; a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature inside or outside the casing; and a cooling fan control circuit configured to drive the cooling fan. The cooling fan control circuit is configured to, if the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined temperature, turn on the cooling fan, and if the sensed temperature is equal to or below the predetermined temperature, control the cooling fan to turn off the cooling fan or make a speed of the flowing air lower than a speed when the cooling fan is in the on state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power conversion device comprising:
a casing including a housing portion, the housing portion being separated into a first housing chamber and a second housing chamber by a partition wall extending in a vertical direction, one surface of the partition wall being exposed to the first housing chamber side, another surface of the partition wall being exposed to the second housing chamber;
a circuit board housed in the first housing chamber, the circuit board including an inverter circuit or an inverter control circuit configured to control the inverter circuit, the circuit board being attached to the one surface of the partition wall;
a water-cooling heat dissipation member housed in the second housing chamber and attached to a site in the other surface of the partition wall, the site being on an opposite side of the partition wall from the circuit board, the water-cooling heat dissipation member allowing a coolant to flow inside;
a heat generation component housed in the second housing chamber and attached to the other surface of the partition wall, the heat generation component forming a circuit jointly with the inverter circuit;
a cooling fan configured to generate flowing air flowing in the second housing chamber;
a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature inside the casing or outside the casing; and
a cooling fan control circuit configured to drive the cooling fan, wherein:
the cooling fan control circuit is configured to, if the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined temperature set in advance, turn on the cooling fan;
if the sensed temperature is equal to or below the predetermined temperature, the cooling fan control circuit controls the cooling fan so as to turn off the cooling fan or make a speed of the flowing air lower than a speed when the cooling fan is in the on state; and
the heat generation component is disposed immediately below the water-cooling heat dissipation member in the vertical direction on the other surface of the partition wall.

2. The power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the casing includes a ceiling portion including a ceiling-side vent hole and a floor portion including a floor-side vent hole;
the housing portion is provided between the ceiling portion and the floor portion and communicates with the ceiling portion and the floor portion;
if the sensed temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, the cooling fan control circuit drives the cooling fan so that the flowing air flows from the ceiling-side vent hole toward the floor-side vent hole; and
the cooling fan control circuit is configured to, if the sensed temperature is equal to or below the predetermined temperature, turn off the cooling fan.

3. The power conversion device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the heat generation component includes a reactor and a capacitor; and
the reactor and the capacitor are arranged in a line along the vertical direction, immediately below the water-cooling heat dissipation member in the vertical direction.

4. The power conversion device according to claim 3 , wherein:
the water-cooling heat dissipation member includes an antifreeze; and
the predetermined temperature is a temperature set to be higher than a freezing temperature of the antifreeze but lower than 0° C.

5. The power conversion device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the water-cooling heat dissipation member includes an antifreeze; and
the predetermined temperature is a temperature set to be higher than a freezing temperature of the antifreeze but lower than 0° C.

6. The power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the heat generation component includes a reactor and a capacitor; and
the reactor and the capacitor are arranged in a line along the vertical direction, immediately below the water-cooling heat dissipation member in the vertical direction.

7. The power conversion device according to claim 6 , wherein:
the water-cooling heat dissipation member includes an antifreeze; and
the predetermined temperature is a temperature set to be higher than a freezing temperature of the antifreeze but lower than 0° C.

8. The power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the water-cooling heat dissipation member includes an antifreeze; and
the predetermined temperature is a temperature set to be higher than a freezing temperature of the antifreeze but lower than 0° C.

Assignees

• Toshiba Mitsubishi Electric Industrial Systems Corp
• Toshiba Mitsubishi—Electric Ind Systems Corporation

Inventors

• Takahashi Nobuhiro
• Katayama Tatsuji

Classifications

• H05K7/20918 Primary

  the components being isolated from air flow, e.g. hollow heat sinks, wind tunnels or funnels · CPC title

• H05K7/20945 Primary

  Thermal management, e.g. inverter temperature control · CPC title

• H05K7/20927

  Liquid coolant without phase change · CPC title

• H05K7/20909

  Forced ventilation, e.g. on heat dissipaters coupled to components · CPC title

• H05K7/1427

  Housings · CPC title