Power converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9237669-B2
Application number	US-201214119215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2012
Priority date	May 30, 2011
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A positive-electrode connecting plate ( 66 ) that connects positive-electrode terminals ( 28, 36, 48 ) of a plurality of power converter circuits is provided with slits ( 100, 102 ). The positive-electrode connecting plate has a positive-electrode bus bar portion ( 78 ) on which a first inverter corresponding region ( 94 ) that is connected to the positive-electrode terminal ( 36 ) of a first inverter as one of the power converter circuits via a positive-electrode connecting piece ( 80 a ), a second inverter corresponding region ( 96 ) that is connected to the positive-electrode terminal ( 48 ) of a second inverter as one of the power converter circuits via a positive-electrode connecting piece ( 80 b ) and a boost converter corresponding region ( 98 ) that is connected to the positive-electrode terminal ( 28 ) of a boost converter as one of the power converter circuits via a positive-electrode connecting piece ( 80 c ) are defined. The slits extend from an edge ( 82 ) of the positive-electrode bus bar portion along the boundaries between the regions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power converter, comprising:
a plurality of power converter circuits, each of which includes at least one semiconductor module, wherein the semiconductor modules are stacked,
bus bars in common with the semiconductor modules that connect the stacked semiconductor modules with a capacitor, and
connecting members that are arranged along an edge of each of the bus bars and connect the edge of the bus bar with terminals of the semiconductor modules,
wherein each of the bus bars includes converter circuit corresponding regions that are defined for each of the power converter circuits that include the semiconductor modules that are connected to the bus bar by the connecting members, and
wherein at least one of the bus bars includes a slit that extends from the edge of the bus bar along at least one of the boundaries between the converter circuit corresponding regions,
wherein the plurality of power converter circuits include a first power converter circuit that includes a first inverter that is provided corresponding to a first rotating electric machine, and a second power converter circuit that includes a second inverter that is provided corresponding to a second rotating electric machine, and
wherein the converter circuit corresponding regions of each of the bus bars include a first inverter corresponding region that corresponds to the first inverter and a second inverter corresponding region that corresponds to the second inverter, and the slit is provided between the first inverter corresponding region and the second inverter corresponding region.

2. The power converter according to claim 1 ,
wherein one of the bus bars with the slit is connected to positive-electrode terminals of the semiconductor modules.

3. The power converter according to claim 1 ,
wherein one of the bus bars with the slit is connected to negative-electrode terminals of the semiconductor modules.

4. The power converter according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of power converter circuits further include a third power converter circuit that includes a boost converter that includes a semiconductor module which is located between the semiconductor module of the first inverter and the semiconductor module of the second inverter, and wherein the converter circuit corresponding regions of each of the bus bars include a boost converter corresponding region, and the slits that are provided between the first inverter corresponding region and the boost converter corresponding region and between the second inverter corresponding region and the boost converter corresponding region.

5. The power converter according to claim 4 , wherein the slit that is provided between the first inverter corresponding region and the boost converter corresponding region has a length that is determined based on the current that will flow between the first inverter corresponding region and the boost converter corresponding region and the upper limit of the amount of heat generation from the bus bar, and the slit that is provided between the second inverter corresponding region and the boost converter corresponding region has a length that is determined based on the current that will flow between the second inverter corresponding region and the boost converter corresponding region and the upper limit of the amount of heat generation from the bus bar.

6. The power converter according to claim 1 , wherein each of the bus bar that is connected to the positive-electrode terminals of the semiconductor modules and the bus bar that is connected to the negative-electrode terminals of the semiconductor modules has one of the slits.

7. A power converter, comprising:
a plurality of power converter circuits, each of which includes at least one semiconductor module, wherein the semiconductor modules are stacked,
bus bars that connect terminals of the stacked semiconductor modules and connecting members that are arranged along an edge of each of the bus bars and connect the edge of the bus bar with a corresponding one of the terminals of the plurality of the power converter circuits,
wherein each of the bus bars includes converter circuit corresponding regions that are defined for each of the power converter circuits that include the semiconductor modules that are connected to the bus bar by the connecting members, and
wherein at least one of the bus bars includes a slit that extends from the edge of the bus bar along at least one of the boundaries between the converter circuit corresponding regions,
wherein the plurality of power converter circuits include a first power converter circuit that includes a first inverter that is provided corresponding to a first rotating electric machine, and a second power converter circuit that includes a second inverter that is provided corresponding to a second rotating electric machine, and
wherein the converter circuit corresponding regions of each of the bus bars include a first inverter corresponding region that corresponds to the first inverter and a second inverter corresponding region that corresponds to the second inverter, and the slit is provided between the first inverter corresponding region and the second inverter corresponding region.

8. A power converter, comprising:
a plurality of power converter circuits, each of which includes at least one semiconductor module, wherein the semiconductor modules are stacked,
bus bars that connect terminals of the stacked semiconductor modules and connecting members that are arranged at equal spaces along an edge of each of the bus bars and connect the edge of the bus bar with a corresponding one of the terminals of the plurality of the power converter circuits,
wherein each of the bus bars includes converter circuit corresponding regions that are defined for each of the power converter circuits that include the semiconductor modules that are connected to the bus bar by the connecting members, and
wherein at least one of the bus bars includes a curved portion that is provided along at least one of the boundaries between adjacent converter circuit corresponding regions configured to increase the length of current paths between the adjacent converter circuit corresponding regions,
wherein the plurality of power converter circuits include a first power converter circuit that includes a first inverter that is provided corresponding to a first rotating electric machine, and a second power converter circuit that includes a second inverter that is provided corresponding to a second rotating electric machine, and
wherein the converter circuit corresponding regions of each of the bus bars include a first inverter corresponding region that corresponds to the first inverter and a second inverter corresponding region that corresponds to the second inverter, and the slit is provided between the first inverter corresponding region and the second inverter corresponding region.

9. The power converter according to claim 8 , wherein the curved portion is formed by bulging a portion of a flat surface of the bus bar in the vicinity of an edge thereof.

10. A power converter, comprising:
a plurality of power converter circuits, each of which includes at least one semiconductor module, wherein the semiconductor modules are stacked, and
connecting plates that connect terminals of the stacked semiconductor modules,
wherein each of the connecting plates includes
bus bar portions that extend in the direction in which the semiconductor modules are stacked, and
connecting pieces that extend from the bus bar portion and connect the bus bar portion with the terminals of the semiconductor modules,
wherein the bus bar portion includes converter circuit corresponding regions that are defin

Assignees

• Iwata Kunihiro
• Okamura Makoto
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Iwata Kunihiro
• Okamura Makoto

Classifications

• H02M7/003 Primary

  Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections · CPC title

• B60L2210/40

  DC to AC converters · CPC title

• B60L50/61

  by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60L50/51

  characterised by AC-motors · CPC title

• H05K7/023 Primary

  Stackable modules · CPC title