Power electronics system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11823971-B2
Application number	US-201917291521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2019
Priority date	Nov 6, 2018
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an electronic system including a plurality of adjacent, elementary power electronics modules and connected to one another by an electrical module connection. Each elementary module including at least one power component integrated on a printed circuit inserted between two electrically conductive heat sinks. The electrical module connection is made by heat sinks at the side and/or central connection surfaces thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic system comprising at least one electronic cell (C 0 ), said at least one electronic cell (C 0 ) comprising:
a first elementary power electronic module ( 1 ), called first elementary module ( 1 ),
a second elementary power electronic module ( 2 ), called second elementary module ( 2 ),
said first and second elementary modules ( 1 , 2 ) being adjacent and connected to each other by an electrical module connection,
each of these first and second elementary modules ( 1 , 2 ) comprising:
at least one power component ( 100 , 200 ),
a first electrically conductive heat sink ( 11 , 21 ), called anode heatsink, connected to a first electrode called anode of the power component ( 100 , 200 ), and
a second electrically conductive heat sink ( 12 , 22 ), called cathode heatsink, connected to a second electrode called cathode of the power component ( 100 , 200 ),

wherein:
each cathode heatsink ( 12 , 22 ) has a first connection surface ( 120 ) called central cathode surface and at least one second connection surface ( 121 , 122 , 222 ) called cathode side surface, and
each anode heatsink ( 11 , 21 ) has a first connection surface ( 110 , 210 ) called central anode surface and at least one second connection surface ( 111 , 112 , 212 ) called anode side surface, and in that:
the electrical module connection between the first and second adjacent elementary modules ( 1 , 2 ) comprises at least one conductive side electrical connection ( 1121 c , 1222 c ) between:
at least one of the anode and cathode side surfaces ( 111 , 121 ) of the first elementary module ( 1 ), and
at least one of the anode and cathode side surfaces ( 212 , 222 ) of the second elementary module ( 2 ).

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the electrical module connection between the first and second adjacent elementary modules ( 1 , 2 ) further comprises one of a capacitive side electrical connection ( 1222 cp ) and an insulating side electrical connection ( 1221 i ) between:
at least another one of the anode and cathode side surfaces ( 111 , 121 ) of the first elementary module ( 1 ), and
at least another one of the anode and cathode side surfaces ( 212 , 222 ) of the second elementary module ( 2 ).

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein at least one anode side surface ( 111 ) of the first elementary module ( 1 ) is connected to at least one cathode side surface ( 222 ) of the second elementary module ( 2 ) by a conductive side electrical connection ( 1122 c ) and at least one cathode side surface ( 121 ) of the first elementary module ( 1 ) is connected to at least one anode side surface ( 212 ) of the second elementary module ( 2 ) by an electrical connection chosen from a capacitive side electrical connection ( 1221 cp ) or an insulating side electrical connection ( 1221 i ).

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the at least one power component ( 100 ) of the first elementary module ( 1 ) is one of a first power transistor or a first power diode, and the at least one power component ( 200 ) of the second elementary module ( 2 ) is one of a second power transistor or a second power diode, so that the electronic cell forms a switching cell (C 10 ).

5. The system according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of adjacent electronic cells connected to each other, one electronic cell (C 1 , C 1 ′) of the plurality of electronic cells being connected to at least one adjacent electronic cell (C 2 , C 2 ′) by an electrical connection of cells, said electrical connection of cells comprising at least one of a conductive central electrical connection ( 1231 c , 1242 c ), a capacitive central electrical connection or a central insulating electrical connection ( 2142 i ) between:
at least one of the central anode and cathode surfaces of the cell (C 1 , C 1 ′), and
at least one of the central anode and cathode surfaces of the at least one cell (C 2 , C 2 ′) adjacent to said cell (C 1 , C 1 ′).

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein at least one central cathode surface ( 120 ) of the cell (C 1 ) is connected to at least one central anode surface ( 310 ) of the adjacent cell (C 2 ) by a conductive central electrical connection ( 1231 c ) and at least one central anode surface ( 210 ) of the cell (C 1 ) is connected to at least one central cathode surface ( 420 ) of the adjacent cell (C 2 ) by a central insulating electrical connection ( 2142 i ).

7. The system according to claim 4 further comprising a plurality of adjacent electronic cells connected to each other, one electronic cell (C 1 , C 1 ′) of the plurality of electronic cells being connected to at least one adjacent electronic cell (C 2 , C 2 ′) by an electrical connection of cells, said electrical connection of cells comprising at least one of a conductive central electrical connection ( 1231 c , 1242 c ), a capacitive central electrical connection or a central insulating electrical connection ( 2142 i ) between:
at least one of the central anode and cathode surfaces of the cell (C 1 , C 1 ′), and
at least one of the central anode and cathode surfaces of the at least one cell (C 2 , C 2 ′) adjacent to said cell (C 1 , C 1 ′), wherein at least one central cathode surface ( 120 ) of the cell (C 1 ) is connected to at least one central anode surface ( 310 ) of the adjacent cell (C 2 ) by a conductive central electrical connection ( 1231 c ) and at least one central anode surface ( 210 ) of the cell (C 1 ) is connected to at least one central cathode surface ( 420 ) of the adjacent cell (C 2 ) by a central insulating electrical connection ( 2142 i ), and wherein each electronic cell (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 ) of the plurality of electronic cells is a switching cell (C 10 ), so that the system forms a sub-assembly of a multilevel power converter.

8. The system according to claim 5 wherein the electrical connection of cells further comprises at least one side conductive electrical connection ( 1252 c , 2161 c ) between:
at least one of the anode and cathode side surfaces of the cell (C 1 ′), and
at least one of the anode and cathode side surfaces of at least one other cell (C 3 ′) adjacent to said cell (C 1 ′).

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the electrical module connection between the first and second adjacent elementary modules ( 1 , 2 ) further comprises one of a capacitive side electrical connection ( 1222 cp ) and an insulating side electrical connection ( 1221 i ) between:
at least another one of the anode and cathode side surfaces ( 111 , 121 ) of the first elementary module ( 1 ), and
at least another one of the anode and cathode side surfaces ( 212 , 222 ) of the second elementary module ( 2 ), and wherein at least one anode side surface ( 111 ) of the first elementary module ( 1 ) is connected to at least one cathode side surface ( 222 ) of the second elementary module ( 2 ) by a conductive side electrical connection ( 1122 c ) and at least one cathode side surface ( 121 ) of the first elementary module ( 1 ) is connected to at least one anode side surface ( 212 ) of the second elementary module ( 2 ) by an electrical connection chosen from a capacitive side electrical connection ( 1221 cp ) or an insulating side electrical connection ( 1221 i ), and wherein the at least one power component ( 100 ) of the first elementary module ( 1 ) is one of a first power transistor or a first power diode, and the at least one power component ( 200 ) of the second elementary module ( 2 ) is one of a second power transistor or a second power diode, so that the electronic cell forms a switching cell (C 10 ), said system further comprising a first electronic cell (C 1 ′), a second electro

Assignees

• Inst Polytechnique Grenoble

Inventors

• Avenas Yvan

Classifications

• H10W70/614

  the multiple chips being integrally enclosed · CPC title

• H10W90/10

  Configurations of laterally-adjacent chips · CPC title

• H10W42/00

  Arrangements for protection of devices (arrangements for thermal protection H10W40/00) · CPC title

• H10W40/60

  Securing means for detachable heating or cooling arrangements, e.g. clamps · CPC title

• H10W40/10 Primary

  Arrangements for heating · CPC title