JP6136651B2 - Power converter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power conversion device.

  An electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and the like use a power conversion device that converts a DC power source into a three-phase AC power source. As this power converter, there exists a thing shown by patent document 1, for example. The power conversion device of Patent Document 1 has a plurality of semiconductor modules with built-in switching elements, three bus bars connected to the output terminals of each semiconductor module, and a current sensor including a magnetic flux collecting core that passes through the bus bars. doing.

  The three bus bars arranged in the current sensor have a plate shape and are arranged side by side in the width direction. In addition, two of the three bus bars are configured to pass through the magnetic flux collecting core.

JP 2011-182629 A

However, the power conversion device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.
In the power converter of Patent Document 1, three bus bars are arranged side by side in the width direction. Therefore, the arrangement space in the bus bar arrangement direction tends to be large.

Further, in the current sensor in which the bus bar is inserted and disposed, the inner circumferential shape of the magnetic flux collecting core is made to correspond to the bus bar, so that the size in the width direction tends to be large.
As described above, the space for arranging the bus bar and the current sensor is increased, so that the power converter is easily increased in size.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a power conversion device that can be easily downsized.

One aspect of the present invention is a semiconductor unit including a semiconductor module incorporating a switching element;
A plurality of output bus bars respectively connected to a plurality of output terminals of the semiconductor module;
A current sensor disposed around each of at least two of the plurality of output bus bars ;
A case containing the semiconductor unit;
A signal output unit for outputting a signal of each of the current sensors,
Each current sensor includes a magnetic flux collecting core that passes through each output bus bar in each current sensor.
The output bus bar that is disposed above the respective current sensor, with each forming a plate shape, are arranged side by side in the thickness direction of the output bus bar,
The case has a through-hole through which the signal output section can be inserted,
The signal output unit is inserted through the through hole of the case,
At least a part of the signal output unit is in the power conversion device, which is arranged outside the case.

  In the power conversion device, the plurality of output bus bars have a plate shape and are arranged side by side in the thickness direction. Since the output bus bar has a plate shape as described above, the dimension in the thickness direction is smaller than the dimension in the width direction and the dimension in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, by arranging the output bus bars side by side in the thickness direction, the arrangement space in the arrangement direction of the output bus bars can be reduced.

In addition, the output bus bar is also arranged in the thickness direction even at a portion inserted through the current sensor. Therefore, the dimension in the arrangement direction of the current sensor can be reduced corresponding to the shape of the output bus bar. Thereby, also in the current sensor, the dimension in the arrangement direction can be reduced.
Thus, the size of the power conversion device can be reduced by reducing the arrangement space of the plurality of output bus bars in the arrangement direction and the outer shape of the current sensor.

  As described above, according to the power conversion device, the size can be easily reduced.

The top view which shows the power converter device in Example 1. FIG. II-II arrow sectional drawing in FIG. III-III arrow sectional drawing in FIG. IV-IV arrow sectional drawing in FIG. VV arrow sectional drawing in FIG.

  In the power conversion device, the semiconductor unit preferably includes a cooling device that cools the semiconductor module. In this case, the cooling device can be disposed in the vicinity of the current sensor, and the current sensor can be cooled by the cooling device.

  In addition, the cooling device includes a plurality of cooling pipes having a refrigerant flow path therein, and the semiconductor unit has a stacked structure in which the plurality of semiconductor modules and the plurality of cooling pipes are alternately stacked. Preferably, the thickness direction of the plurality of output bus bars and the stacking direction of the semiconductor units are the same direction. In this case, it is possible to reduce the number of bends in the plurality of output bus bars that are necessary for pulling out the plurality of output bus bars in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. Thereby, while shortening the full length of the said output bus bar, this output bus bar can be manufactured easily. Therefore, the productivity of the power conversion device can be improved.

  Further, at least two of the plurality of output bus bars are provided with the current sensors, respectively, and the current sensors are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the insertion direction of the output bus bar in the magnetic flux collecting core. It is preferable. In this case, magnetic interference between the current sensors can be reduced. Thereby, the space | interval in the said alignment direction of the said current sensor can be reduced, and the arrangement | positioning space of the said alignment direction required for the said current sensor can be made small.

  In addition, when viewed from the insertion direction, the current sensors are preferably arranged so that at least some of them overlap each other. In this case, the arrangement space of the current sensor can be further reduced in the arrangement direction.

Example 1
The Example concerning the said power converter device is described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the power conversion device 1 includes a semiconductor unit 10 including a semiconductor module 2 with a built-in switching element, a plurality of output bus bars 4 respectively connected to a plurality of output terminals 231 included in the semiconductor module 2, and And a current sensor 50 having a magnetic flux collecting core 52 that passes through the output bus bar 4 inside.
The plurality of output bus bars 4 have a plate shape and are arranged side by side in the thickness direction of the output bus bar 4.

This will be described in more detail below.
In this example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the direction in which the semiconductor module 2 and the cooling pipe 31 of the cooling device 3 are stacked is the stacking direction X, the longitudinal direction of the cooling pipe 31 is the horizontal direction Y, and the stacking The direction orthogonal to both the direction X and the lateral direction Y will be described below as the height direction Z.
Further, in the stacking direction X, the front end side protruding from the case 8 in the refrigerant introduction pipe 321 and the refrigerant discharge pipe 322 is defined as the front, and the opposite side is defined as the rear. In the height direction Z, the front end side of the output terminal 231 is set to the lower side, and the opposite side is set to the upper side.

The power conversion apparatus 1 of this example is an apparatus for generating a drive current (U phase, V phase, W phase) for energizing a three-phase AC motor (not shown) from a DC power source in, for example, a hybrid vehicle. is there.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the power conversion apparatus 1 includes a semiconductor unit 10 including a plurality of semiconductor modules 2, a plurality of output bus bars 4 connected to output terminals 231 in the plurality of semiconductor modules 2, and an output bus bar. 4 and a terminal block 5 for connecting an external wiring 9 of an external device (not shown), and a case 8 containing them.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the case 8 has a box shape formed of an aluminum alloy, and extends along the height direction Z from a bottom 81 having a substantially rectangular shape and an outer peripheral edge of the bottom 81. A wall portion 82 and a lid 83 that covers the upper portion of the wall portion 82 are provided.
A wall portion insertion hole 821 through which the external wiring 9 is inserted is formed through the wall portion 82 arranged to face the terminal block 5.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, a through hole 811 into which the signal output unit 53 can be inserted is formed in the bottom portion 81. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the semiconductor unit housed in the case 8. 10 includes a plurality of semiconductor modules 2 each including a switching element, and a cooling device 3 that cools the semiconductor modules 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the cooling device 3 includes a cooling pipe 31 arranged on both surfaces of the semiconductor module 2, a refrigerant introduction pipe 321 and a refrigerant discharge pipe 322 for circulating the refrigerant to the cooling pipe 31. ing. In this example, the cooling pipe 31 is made of a metal such as aluminum and has a refrigerant flow path 311 through which the refrigerant flows. The plurality of cooling pipes 31 are arranged so as to sandwich the semiconductor module 2 from both sides, and the adjacent cooling pipes 31 are connected to each other by connecting pipes 33 in the vicinity of both ends in the lateral direction Y. The cooling pipes 31 and the semiconductor modules 2 are alternately stacked to form the stacked portion 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the refrigerant introduction pipe 321 and the refrigerant discharge pipe 322 are provided so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the cooling pipe 31 arranged at the front end portion of the stacked portion 11. The refrigerant introduced from the refrigerant introduction pipe 321 passes through the connection pipe 33 as appropriate, is distributed to each cooling pipe 31, and flows in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction Y). Then, the refrigerant exchanges heat with the semiconductor module 2 while flowing through each cooling pipe 31. The refrigerant whose temperature has increased due to heat exchange passes through the downstream connection pipe 33 and is led to the refrigerant discharge pipe 322 and discharged. Examples of the refrigerant include natural refrigerants such as water and ammonia, water mixed with ethylene glycol antifreeze, fluorocarbon refrigerants such as fluorinate, chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants such as HCFC123 and HFC134a, and alcohol refrigerants such as methanol and alcohol. A refrigerant such as a ketone-based refrigerant such as acetone can be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the semiconductor module 2 includes a main body 21 having a switching element, a plurality of control terminals 22 extending upward from the main body 21, and downward from the main body 21. And a plurality of main electrode terminals 23 extending.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the semiconductor module 2 constituting the semiconductor unit 10 includes a switching element such as an IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) or a MOSFET (MOS field effect transistor). The main body 21 in the semiconductor module 2 of this example has a flat plate shape, and is formed by resin-molding two switching elements.
The control terminal 22 formed so as to extend upward from the main body portion 21 is connected to the control circuit board 73, and receives a control signal for controlling the switching element.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main electrode terminal 23 formed so as to extend downward from the main body portion 21 includes a positive electrode terminal 232, a negative electrode terminal 233, and an output terminal 231. The output terminal 231 of each semiconductor module 2 is set to output any one of the U phase, the V phase, and the W phase in a bridge circuit formed by a plurality of switching elements. Moreover, the front-end | tip part of the positive electrode terminal 232 and the negative electrode terminal 233 is connected to the auxiliary terminal block which is not shown in figure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the output bus bar 4 is connected to the output terminal 231.
The output bus bar 4 includes a terminal connection portion 41 connected to the output terminal 231, and an extension portion 42 extending from the side surface of the terminal connection portion 41 on the terminal block 5 side toward the terminal block 5. . The output bus bar 4 is formed of a plate-like copper plate, and is formed in a flat plate shape between the terminal connection portion 41 and the extending portion 42 without bending. The plurality of output bus bars 4 are arranged side by side in the plate thickness direction, and the arrangement direction is a stacking direction X in the semiconductor unit 10.
The terminal connection portion 41 has a substantially rectangular shape, and is arranged such that the longitudinal direction is the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the extending portion 42 is further extended from the horizontal connecting portion 421 connected to the terminal connecting portion 41, the inclined connecting portion 422 extended from the horizontal connecting portion 421, and the inclined connecting portion 422. And an insertion arrangement portion 423.
The horizontal connection portion 421 is formed horizontally along the lateral direction Y toward the terminal block 5 side.
The inclined connecting portion 422 is formed to be inclined upward as it goes to the terminal block 5 side.
The insertion arrangement portion 423 is formed along the lateral direction Y from the tip of the horizontal connection portion 421 toward the terminal block 5 side, and is inserted and arranged in the magnetic flux collecting core 52 of the current sensor 50 built in the terminal block 5. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an output end 43 is formed at the tip of the bus bar 4 on the terminal block 5 side. The output end 43 is formed so as to be bent forward or rearward from the distal end of the insertion arrangement portion 423 inserted through the terminal block 5 and extend upward. A through hole 431 through which the fixing bolt 61 is inserted is formed in the output end portion 43. By screwing the fixing bolt 61 inserted into the external wiring 9 of the external device and the through hole 431 of the output end 43 into the fixing nut 62, the external wiring 9 and the output bus bar 4 can be connected and fixed. .

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the terminal block 5 is formed by molding resin, and a plurality of current sensors 50 and signals for outputting signals generated by the current sensors 50 to an external device. And an output unit 53.
The current sensor 50 includes a magnetic flux collecting core 52 formed so as to surround each of the insertion arrangement portions 423 of the plurality of output bus bars 4, and a current detection unit 51 for detecting a current flowing through the output bus bar 4. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the magnetic flux collecting core 52 has a substantially cylindrical shape having an oval cross section formed of a magnetic material. The magnetic flux collecting core 52 has a gap 522 formed along the axial direction, and the current detection unit 51 is disposed inside the gap 522.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the current sensors 50 are respectively disposed on the plurality of output bus bars 4, and are shifted from each other in the insertion direction (lateral direction Y) of the output bus bars 4 in the magnetic flux collecting core 52. Arranged in position. Further, when viewed from the insertion direction, the adjacent current sensors 50 are arranged so as to overlap each other. In this example, one current sensor 50 is disposed at each of the output terminals 231 having the U phase, the V phase, and the W phase. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the current sensor 50 is appropriately selected as necessary. The number and arrangement of can be changed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the signal output unit 53 includes a signal output terminal 531 that is electrically connected to the current detection unit 51. The signal output unit 53 is formed integrally with the terminal block, and is viewed from any of the insertion direction of the current collecting core 52 of the current sensor 50 and the stacking direction X and the height direction Z perpendicular to the insertion direction. In addition, the signal output unit 53 is disposed outside the outer shape of the stacked unit 11 in the semiconductor unit 10.

Next, the effect of this example is demonstrated.
In the power conversion device 1 of this example, the plurality of output bus bars 4 have a plate shape and are arranged side by side in the thickness direction thereof. Since the output bus bar 4 has a plate shape as described above, the thickness dimension is smaller than the dimension in the width direction and the dimension in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, by arranging the output bus bars 4 side by side in the thickness direction, the arrangement space in the arrangement direction of the output bus bars 4 can be reduced.

Further, the output bus bar 4 is also arranged side by side in the thickness direction even at a portion inserted through the current sensor 50. Therefore, the dimension in the arrangement direction of the current sensor 50 can be reduced corresponding to the shape of the output bus bar 4. Thereby, also in the current sensor 50, the dimension in the arrangement direction can be reduced.
Thus, the size of the power converter 1 can be reduced by reducing the arrangement space in the arrangement direction of the plurality of output bus bars 4 and the outer shape of the current sensor 50.

  Further, the semiconductor unit 10 includes a cooling device 3 that cools the semiconductor module 2. Therefore, the cooling device 3 can be disposed in the vicinity of the current sensor 50, and the current sensor 50 can be cooled by the cooling device 3.

  In addition, the cooling device 3 includes a plurality of cooling pipes 31 each having a refrigerant flow path 311, and the semiconductor unit 10 is a stack in which a plurality of semiconductor modules 2 and a plurality of cooling pipes 31 are alternately stacked. The thickness direction of the plurality of output bus bars 4 and the stacking direction X of the semiconductor units 10 are the same direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of bends in the plurality of output bus bars 4 necessary for pulling out the plurality of output bus bars 4 in the direction orthogonal to the thickness direction. Thereby, while shortening the full length of the output bus bar 4, the output bus bar 4 can be manufactured easily. Therefore, the productivity of the power conversion device 1 can be improved.

  The plurality of output bus bars 4 are each provided with a current sensor 50, and the current sensors 50 are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the insertion direction of the magnetic flux collecting core 52. Therefore, magnetic interference between the current sensors 50 can be reduced. Thereby, the space | interval in the arrangement direction of the current sensor 50 can be reduced, and the arrangement space of the arrangement direction required for the current sensor 50 can be made small.

  Further, when viewed from the insertion direction (lateral direction Y) of the magnetic flux collecting core 52 in the current sensor 50, it is preferable that the current sensors 50 are arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps each other. In this case, the arrangement space of the current sensors 50 can be further reduced in the arrangement direction.

  Further, the plurality of current sensors 50 are built in the terminal block 5 that connects the output bus bar 4 and the external wiring 9 of the external device, and the terminal block 5 is a signal output unit for outputting a signal of the current sensor 50. 53. Therefore, the signal of the current sensor 50 can be easily output from the signal output unit 53. Moreover, the number of parts and assembly man-hours of the power converter 1 can be reduced, and the productivity of the power converter 1 can be improved.

  In addition, the signal output unit 53 is arranged outside the outer shape of the semiconductor unit 10 when viewed from either the insertion direction of the magnetic flux collecting core 52 or the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the insertion direction. ing. For this reason, the semiconductor unit 10 and the signal output unit 53 can be arranged at positions separated from each other. Thereby, the influence which the electrical noise which the signal output part 53 emits on the power converter device 1 can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the power conversion device 1 of this example, the size can be easily reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power converter 10 Semiconductor unit 2 Semiconductor module 231 Output terminal 4 Output bus bar 50 Current sensor 52 Magnetic flux collecting core

Claims (7)

A semiconductor unit (10) comprising a semiconductor module (2) incorporating a switching element;
A plurality of output bus bars (4) respectively connected to a plurality of output terminals (231) of the semiconductor module (2);
A current sensor (50) disposed around each of at least two output bus bars (4) of the plurality of output bus bars (4) ;
A case (8) containing the semiconductor unit (10);
A signal output unit (53) for outputting a signal of each of the current sensors (50),
Each current sensor (50) includes a magnetic flux collecting core (52) that passes through each output bus bar (4) in each current sensor (50).
The output bus bar that is disposed above the current sensors (50) in (4), with each forming a plate shape, are arranged side by side in the thickness direction of the output bus bar (4),
The case (8) has a through hole (811) through which the signal output part (53) can be inserted,
The signal output part (53) is inserted through the through hole (811) of the case (8),
At least a part of the signal output unit (53) is disposed outside the case (8). The power converter (1) is characterized in that:   The power conversion device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor unit (10) includes a cooling device (3) for cooling the semiconductor module (2).   The cooling device (3) includes a plurality of cooling pipes (31) including a refrigerant flow path (311) therein, and the semiconductor unit (10) includes a plurality of the semiconductor modules (2) and the above It has a stacked structure in which a plurality of cooling pipes (31) are alternately stacked, and the thickness direction of the plurality of output bus bars (4) and the stacking direction of the semiconductor unit (10) are the same direction. The power conversion device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that: At least two upper SL current sensor (50), according to claim 1, characterized in that in the insertion direction of the output bus bar (4) in the magnetic flux collecting core (52) are arranged at positions shifted from each other The power converter device according to (1). The power conversion device (1) according to claim 4, wherein when viewed from the insertion direction, at least two of the current sensors (50) are arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps each other. At least two of the current sensors (50) are built in a terminal block (5) that connects the plurality of output bus bars (4) and an external wiring (9) of an external device. The terminal block (5) The power conversion device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the signal output unit (53). The signal output unit (53) is configured to output the signal output signal when viewed from either the insertion direction of the output bus bar (4) in each of the magnetic collecting cores (52) and the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the insertion direction. The power conversion device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the portion (53) is arranged outside the outer shape of the semiconductor unit (10).

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