Modular inverter and large-capacity inverter assemblies including the modular inverter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12489374-B2
Application number	US-202318500371-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2023
Priority date	Mar 16, 2023
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

A modular inverter including a capacitor unit including two or more capacitors arranged at a first side, a first capacitor busbar contacting a lower end of the capacitor unit and including a first capacitor connection portion including a first portion located on a second side of an upper end of the capacitor unit, a second capacitor busbar covering the upper end of the capacitor unit and including a second capacitor connection portion including a second portion extending outwardly to a third side of the upper end of the capacitor unit, a cooling unit disposed above the second capacitor busbar, and one or more power modules disposed above the cooling unit, the one or more power modules including a first power module busbar and a second power module busbar extending to the third side of the upper end of the capacitor unit and connected to the second capacitor connection portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A modular inverter, comprising:
a capacitor unit comprising two or more capacitors arranged at a first side; a first capacitor busbar contacting a lower end of the capacitor unit and comprising a first capacitor connection portion including a first portion located on a second side of an upper end of the capacitor unit; a second capacitor busbar covering the upper end of the capacitor unit and comprising a second capacitor connection portion including a second portion extending outwardly to a third side of the upper end of the capacitor unit; a cooling unit disposed above the second capacitor busbar; and one or more power modules disposed above the cooling unit, wherein each of the one or more power modules comprises: a first power module busbar extending to the second side of the upper end of the capacitor unit and connected to the first capacitor connection portion; and a second power module busbar extending to the third side of the upper end of the capacitor unit and connected to the second capacitor connection portion.

2 . The modular inverter of claim 1 , wherein the first capacitor busbar further comprises:
a first part in contact with the lower end of the capacitor unit; and a second part configured to be upwardly bent from one end of the first part and including an upper end in contact with the second capacitor connection portion.

3 . The modular inverter of claim 1 , further comprising:
a case configured to accommodate the first portion of the first capacitor busbar, the second portion of the second capacitor busbar, and the capacitor unit and including a hole therein through which the first capacitor connection portion and the second capacitor connection portion are exposed to an outside.

4 . The modular inverter of claim 3 , wherein the second capacitor busbar includes a protrusion formed by bending a portion thereof upward and configured to be in contact with the upper end of the capacitor unit.

5 . A large-capacity inverter assembly, comprising:
a first modular inverter and a second modular inverter, wherein each respective first capacitor connection portion and each respective second capacitor connection portion of the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter are disposed to face each other; a first bus plate having a plate-like shape and disposed between the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter and connecting the first capacitor connection portions respectively included in the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter; and a second bus plate disposed above the first bus plate to be spaced apart from the first bus plate and connecting the second capacitor connection portions respectively included in the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter.

6 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 5 , wherein the second bus plate is formed to cover an upper portion of one or more power modules included in one of the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter.

7 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 6 , wherein the second bus plate includes a hole therein formed in a portion in which the one or more power modules and the one of the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter are electrically connected to each other.

8 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first capacitor connection portion and the second capacitor connection portion are bent upwardly,
wherein first ends of a first power module busbar and second ends of a second power module busbar respectively included in one or more power modules of the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter are bent upwardly, wherein the first capacitor connection portion is configured to be connected in surface-contact with the first power module busbar, wherein the second capacitor connection portion is configured to be connected in surface-contact with the second power module busbar, wherein the first bus plate includes a first welded portion configured to be bent to be in surface-contact with the first capacitor connection portion, and wherein the second bus plate includes a second welded portion configured to be bent to be in surface-contact with the second capacitor connection portion.

9 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first capacitor connection portion comprises:
a 1-1 capacitor connection portion configured to be in surface-contact with the first power module busbar; and a 1-2 capacitor connection portion configured to be spaced apart from the 1-1 capacitor connection portion and connected to be in surface-contact with the first welded portion.

10 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 9 , wherein the 1-1 capacitor connection portion and the 1-2 capacitor connection portion are located at a first end of the first bus plate and are spaced apart from each other in a first direction in which the first end of the first bus plate extends and in a second direction in which the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter are respectively arranged.

11 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 8 , wherein the second capacitor connection portion includes:
a 2-1 capacitor connection portion configured to be in surface-contact with the second power module busbar; and a 2-2 capacitor connection portion configured to be spaced apart from the 2-1 capacitor connection portion and connected to be in surface-contact with the second welded portion.

12 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 11 , wherein the 2-1 capacitor connection portion and the 2-2 capacitor connection portion located at a second end of the second bus plate and are spaced apart from each other in a third direction in which the second end of the second bus plate extends and in a fourth direction in which the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter are respectively arranged.

13 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first bus plate is screwed to the two first capacitor busbars, and the second bus plate is screwed to the two second capacitor busbars.

14 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first bus plate is welded to the two first capacitor busbars, and the second bus plate is welded to the two second capacitor busbars.

15 . The large-capacity inverter assembly of claim 5 , wherein each of the first modular inverter and the second modular inverter comprises:
a capacitor unit comprising two or more capacitors arranged at a first side; a first capacitor busbar configured to contact a lower end of the capacitor unit and comprising a first capacitor connection portion including a first portion located on a second side of an upper end of the capacitor unit; a second capacitor busbar configured to cover the upper end of the capacitor unit and comprising a second capacitor connection portion including a second portion extending outwardly to be located on a third side of the upper end of the capacitor unit; a cooling unit disposed above the second capacitor busbar; and one or more power modules disposed above the cooling unit, wherein the one or more power modules each comprise: a first power module busbar extending to the second side of the upper end of the capacitor unit and connected to the first capacitor connection portion; and a second power module busbar extending to the third side of the upper end of the capacitor unit and connected to the second capacitor connection portion.

Assignees

• Hyundai Mobis Co Ltd

Inventors

• Heo Min
• Jung Eun Soo
• Park Yu Cheol

Classifications

• H05K7/209

  Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure (H05K7/20909 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02M1/0067

  Converter structures employing plural converter units, other than for parallel operation of the units on a single load · CPC title

• H05K7/2089

  for power electronics, e.g. for inverters for controlling motor · CPC title

• H05K7/20

  Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating · CPC title

• H02M7/44

  by static converters · CPC title