JP7567487B2 - Rotating Electric Machine Drive Unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rotating electric machine drive device.

Cited document 1 discloses a configuration in which a heat dissipation section connected to a terminal block to which the bus bar of a power module is connected extends into a coolant flow path formed in the housing of a rotating electric machine, thereby cooling the bus bar and the terminal block.

JP 2018-3893 A

In the conventional technology described above, the busbar is cooled via a heat dissipation section that is added for cooling purposes, but this has the problem that cooling is not always efficient due to the influence of the thermal resistance of the heat dissipation section, etc.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide technology that can efficiently cool rotating electric machines.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is applied to a rotating electric machine drive device including a rotating electric machine, an inverter unit, and a conductive member electrically connecting the rotating electric machine and the inverter unit. The inverter unit includes a power module adjacent to the rotating electric machine and supplying power to the rotating electric machine. The rotating electric machine includes a housing, and a stator and a rotor accommodated in the housing. A lubricant oil flow path is provided within the housing through which lubricant oil for lubricating the rotating electric machine flows. The lubricant oil flow path includes a lubricant oil outlet that supplies lubricant oil to the power module or the conductive member electrically connected to the power module. The power module is fixed within the housing via a fixing member so as to be positioned away from the inner wall surface of the housing.

According to the present invention, the lubricating oil that lubricates the rotating electric machine is supplied to the power module and the conductive member that electrically connects the power module and the rotating electric machine inside the motor housing, so that these can be directly cooled by the lubricating oil. Therefore, the inverter unit can be efficiently cooled without adding any components for cooling.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rotary electric machine drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the motor as viewed from the inverter unit side. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the inverter unit as viewed from the motor side. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a rotary electric machine drive device according to a first modified example. FIG. 5 is a top view of the rotary electric machine drive device according to the first modified example. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a rotary electric machine drive device according to a second modified example. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a bus bar according to a third modified embodiment. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a main portion of a rotary electric machine drive device according to a fourth modified example.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are explanatory diagrams of a rotating electric machine drive device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view in the direction of the rotation axis, Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of the coil end 33 of the motor 3 as viewed from the inverter unit 2, and Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the inverter unit 2 as viewed from the motor 3 side.

The rotating electric machine drive device 1 is composed of a rotating electric machine (motor) 3 and an inverter unit 2 arranged at the axial end side (coil end side) of the motor 3, housed in a motor housing 4.

The motor 3 includes a rotor 31 and a stator 32. A coil end 33 is formed at the axial end of the stator 32. The motor 3 rotates and drives the rotor 31 by receiving power from the inverter unit 2. The motor 3 is mounted on, for example, an electric vehicle, and functions as an electric motor that drives the wheels. The motor 3 also functions as a generator that receives driving force from the rotation of the wheels to generate electricity (regeneration).

The motor housing 4 is provided with a lubricating oil passage 35 through which the lubricating oil circulates. A lubricating oil pump 36 (see FIG. 2) is provided midway through the lubricating oil passage 35 to circulate the lubricating oil. The lubricating oil lubricates the rotating shaft of the motor 3 and the gap between the rotor 31 and the stator 32. The lubricating oil also cools the motor 3 to an appropriate temperature.

The lubricating oil flow passage 35 is exposed as a pipe above the coil end 33 from the lubricating oil pump 36 through the motor housing 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the lubricating oil flow passage 35 is configured in a curved shape above the coil end 33 to follow the shape of the coil end 33. In this curved portion, multiple first lubricating oil outlets 35a are formed toward the coil end 33.

The lubricating oil coming out of the first lubricating oil outlet 35a is supplied to the coil end 33 as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 1. The lubricating oil supplied to the coil end 33 flows downward by gravity and is stored in the lubricating oil reservoir 37 provided at the bottom of the motor housing 4.

At the end of the lubricating oil flow path 35 (right side in FIG. 2), a folded portion 35b is formed in which the pipe is folded back in the opposite direction. A number of second lubricating oil outlets 35c are formed in the folded portion 35b so as to face the inverter unit 2.

The lubricating oil coming out of the second lubricating oil outlet 35c is supplied to the inverter unit 2 as shown by the black arrow in FIG. 1. The lubricating oil supplied to the inverter unit 2 flows downward through each component of the inverter unit 2 and is stored in the lubricating oil reservoir 37. The lubricating oil stored in the lubricating oil reservoir 37 is sent back to the lubricating oil flow path 35 by the lubricating oil pump 36.

Since the lubricating oil is supplied to the motor 3 and the inverter unit 2 inside the motor housing 4, it goes without saying that the lubricating oil has insulating properties. Furthermore, the positions and distances of each component of the inverter unit 2 (distances from the motor housing 4 and coil ends 33, spacing between each bus bar, etc.) are set so that sufficient insulation distances can be ensured even if insulation is reduced due to contamination being mixed into the lubricating oil.

A set of three-phase terminals 38, consisting of U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase, are provided at the bottom of the coil end 33 to electrically connect the inverter unit 2 and the motor 3.

The inverter unit 2 converts DC power supplied from a battery (not shown) into AC power and supplies it to the motor 3 to drive the motor 3. When the vehicle decelerates, the regenerative power of the motor 3 is used to charge the battery.

The inverter unit 2 includes a smoothing capacitor 21 and a power module 22. The inverter unit 2 also includes a pair of positive and negative PN bus bars 24 that electrically connect the smoothing capacitor 21 and the power module 22, and a set of three-phase UVW bus bars 25 for U, V, and W phases that serve as conductive members that electrically connect the inverter unit 2 and the motor 3.

The smoothing capacitor 21 smoothes the DC power supplied from the battery. The power module 22 has a switching element, converts the DC power to AC power, and supplies it to the motor 3. The surface of the power module 22 facing the motor 3 is equipped with a cooler 22a with high thermal conductivity to cool the switching element in the power module 22.

The smoothing capacitor 21 is disposed at the top of the motor housing 4, and the power module 22 is disposed below the smoothing capacitor 21 within the motor housing 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper end of the PN bus bar 24 is connected to a terminal located slightly to the left of the underside of the smoothing capacitor 21. The PN bus bar 24 extends downward from the smoothing capacitor 21 and is bent at a substantially right angle along the way, with the lower end being connected to a terminal located to the left of the power module 22. The PN bus bar 24 is also connected to a battery (not shown) via wiring (not shown) to receive DC power.

One end of the UVW bus bar 25 is connected to a terminal portion disposed at the bottom of the power module 22. As shown in FIG. 1, the UVW bus bar 25 extends downward from the power module 22 and bends midway to extend in a substantially horizontal direction, and then bends diagonally upward toward the coil end. The other end of the UVW bus bar 25 is connected to a terminal 38 of the motor 3 by bolting, welding, or the like.

The power module 22 is fixed to a bracket (fixing member) 221 inside the motor housing 4. The upper part of the bracket 221 is fixed to the side of the motor housing 4, and the lower part is fixed to the bottom surface of the motor housing 4. By placing and fixing the power module 22 on the bracket 221, the power module 22 is fixed in an inclined state so that it approaches the coil end 33 from the upper part to the lower part.

Furthermore, the power module 22 is fixed to the bracket 221 so that it is positioned away from the inner wall of the motor housing 4, so that the transmission of mainly high-frequency noise generated by the operation of the motor 3 from the inner wall of the motor housing 4 to the power module 22 is minimized.

Next, we will explain how to cool the inverter unit 2.

The smoothing capacitor 21 and power module 22 of the inverter unit 2 generate heat when the motor 3 is driven. Furthermore, the motor 3 itself also generates heat when driven. This heat is transferred between the smoothing capacitor 21 and the power module 22 via the PN bus bar 24, and between the power module 22 and the motor 3 via the UVW bus bar 25. Since an increase in temperature leads to a decrease in the efficiency of the inverter unit 2 and the motor 3, it is necessary to properly cool the inverter unit 2.

In this embodiment, the inverter unit 2 is housed inside the motor housing 4, so in order to cool the inverter unit 2, it may be possible to provide a new cooling water flow path or the like inside the motor housing 4.

However, if new cooling water flow paths were provided inside the motor housing 4, there would be problems such as increased costs due to an increase in the number of parts and assembly steps, and increased costs due to increased management steps such as managing water leakage from sealing materials, etc., and there were issues with efficiently cooling the inverter unit.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the lubricating oil used to cool the motor 3 is supplied directly to the components of the inverter unit 2, allowing the inverter unit 2 to be cooled efficiently.

The lubricating oil for the motor 3 keeps the motor 3 at a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100°C) or below in order to drive the motor 3 efficiently. On the other hand, the temperature for efficiently driving the power module 22 of the inverter unit 2 is also close to this predetermined temperature. Therefore, by directly supplying the lubricating oil for cooling the motor 3 to the power module 22, the power module 22 can be cooled efficiently.

As described above, the lubricating oil flow path 35 has a folded portion 35b. This folded portion 35b is disposed in the motor housing 4 facing the PN bus bar 24 of the inverter unit 2. The second lubricating oil outlet 35c of the folded portion 35b is oriented so that lubricating oil is supplied to the PN bus bar 24.

With this configuration, as shown by the black arrow in Figure 1, the lubricating oil coming out of the lubricating oil flow path 35 is supplied to the inverter unit 2, cooling the inverter unit 2.

More specifically, the lubricating oil coming out of the second lubricating oil outlet 35c is supplied near the upper end of the PN bus bar 24 of the smoothing capacitor 21. This lubricating oil flows along the surface of the PN bus bar 24 and down to the power module 22. The lubricating oil that has flowed down to the power module 22 flows along the surface of the power module 22 and is supplied to the UVW bus bar 25 provided at the bottom of the power module 22.

As a result, by supplying lubricating oil from the second lubricating oil outlet 35c to the PN bus bar 24, power module 22, and UVW bus bar 25, which are components of the inverter unit 2, the lubricating oil can be caused to flow over these surfaces, thereby cooling these components of the rotating electric machine drive device 1.

In addition, a cooler 22a is provided on the surface of the power module 22, and the lubricating oil flows over the surface of the cooler 22a, which promotes cooling of the power module 22.

The lubricating oil supplied to the UVW busbar 25 flows along the surface of the UVW busbar 25, then falls downward and is stored in the lubricating oil reservoir 37.

As described above, the rotating electric machine drive device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the motor 3 as a rotating electric machine, the inverter unit 2, and the UVW bus bar 25 as a conductive member that electrically connects the motor 3 and the power module 22. The inverter unit 2 includes the power module 22 that is adjacent to the motor 3 and supplies power to the motor 3. The motor 3 includes a motor housing 4, and a stator 32 and a rotor 31 housed in the motor housing 4. The motor housing 4 includes a lubricating oil flow path 35 through which lubricating oil flows to lubricate the rotor 31. The lubricating oil flow path 35 includes a second lubricating oil outlet 35c that supplies lubricating oil to the power module 22 or the UVW bus bar 25 that is electrically connected to the power module.

With this configuration, the lubricating oil that lubricates the motor 3 is supplied directly to the power module 22 and the UVW bus bar 25, so the power module 22 and the UVW bus bar 25 can be directly cooled by the lubricating oil. Therefore, the inverter unit 2 can be efficiently cooled without adding any components for cooling.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the power module 22 is fixed inside the motor housing 4 via a bracket 221, which is a fixing member, so that the power module 22 is positioned away from the inner wall surface of the motor housing 4.

This configuration allows the power module 22 to be positioned within the motor housing 4 away from the inner wall surface of the motor housing 4, minimizing the effects of noise generated by driving the motor 3.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the power module 22 or the UVW busbar 25 is tilted by the bracket 221 so that the lubricant supplied from the second lubricant outlet 35c flows over the surfaces of the power module 22 and the UVW busbar 25.

With this configuration, the lubricating oil flows slowly over the inclined surfaces of the power module 22 or UVW busbar 25, lengthening the time the lubricating oil is in contact with the power module 22 and UVW busbar 25, allowing the inverter unit 2 to be cooled efficiently.

In the above embodiment, the inverter unit 2 includes a smoothing capacitor 21 that smoothes power, and a PN bus bar (DC bus bar) 24 that connects the smoothing capacitor 21 and the power module 22. The smoothing capacitor 21 is disposed above the power module 22, and the lubricating oil flow path 35 includes a folded portion 35b that is bent toward the smoothing capacitor 21, and lubricating oil is supplied to the PN bus bar 24 from a second lubricating oil outlet 35c provided in the folded portion 35b.

With this configuration, by supplying lubricating oil to the smoothing capacitor 21 provided above the power module 22, the lubricating oil can be supplied in sequence to the smoothing capacitor 21, the PN bus bar 24, the power module 22, and the UVW bus bar 25, thereby efficiently cooling the inverter unit 2.

Next, we will explain a modified embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3, an example was described in which the inverter unit 2 was disposed at the end of the motor 3 on the coil end 33 side. In contrast, in the first modified example shown in Figures 4 and 5, the inverter unit 2 is disposed on the upper side of the motor 3. The configuration will be described below.

Figure 4 is an axial cross-sectional view of the rotating electric machine drive device 1 of the first modified example, and Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the inverter chamber 41 as viewed from above.

In the first modified example, a partition wall 43 is formed in the motor housing 4, and the area above the partition wall 43 is configured as the inverter chamber 41, and the area below the partition wall 43 is configured as the motor chamber 42.

The inverter chamber 41 houses the smoothing capacitor 21 and the power module 22. The smoothing capacitor 21 and the power module 22 are placed on the partition wall 43. The partition wall 43 has an opening 431 that connects the inverter chamber 41 and the motor chamber 42.

The opening 431 is opened to a size corresponding to the cooler 22a of the power module 22, and the cooler 22a of the power module 22 is placed therein. The periphery of the opening 431 is sealed with a sealing member or the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, one end of the PN bus bar 24 is connected to a terminal located slightly below the right side of the smoothing capacitor 21. The PN bus bar 24 extends from the smoothing capacitor 21 to the right and is bent at a right angle along the way, and the other end is connected to a terminal located on the left side of the power module 22.

The PN bus bar 24 further has an extension 24a that extends toward the motor chamber 42. The extension 24a extends into the motor chamber 42 through a through hole 424 drilled in the partition wall 43. That is, the PN bus bar 24 branches in two directions at its other end: an end that connects to the power module 22 and an end that extends into the motor chamber 42.

As shown in FIG. 5, the UVW bus bar 25 extends from the right side of the power module 22, and as shown in FIG. 4, it bends toward the motor chamber 42 midway and descends in a substantially vertical direction, and then extends into the motor chamber 42 through a through hole 425 drilled in the partition wall 43. Inside the motor chamber 42, the UVW bus bar 25 bends toward the coil end 33 so as to avoid the lubricating oil flow path 35, and then extends downward. The other end of the UVW bus bar 25 is connected to the terminal 38 of the motor 3 by bolting, welding, or the like.

The through holes 424 and 425 are also sealed with a sealing member.

The lubricating oil passage 35 in the motor chamber 42 is formed with a first lubricating oil outlet 35a that supplies lubricating oil toward the coil end 33, a second lubricating oil outlet 35c that supplies lubricating oil toward the UVW bus bar 25, and a third lubricating oil outlet 35d that supplies lubricating oil toward the opening 431 of the partition wall 43.

The lubricating oil coming out of the first lubricating oil outlet 35a is supplied to the coil end 33, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 4, and then flows down and is stored in the lubricating oil reservoir 37. The lubricating oil coming out of the second lubricating oil outlet 35c is supplied to the UVW busbar 25, flows down its surface, then flows down the terminal 38, and is then stored in the lubricating oil reservoir 37.

The lubricant oil coming out of the third lubricant oil outlet 35d is sprayed upward and supplied through the opening 431 to the surface of the cooler 22a of the power module 22 and to the extension 24a of the PN bus bar 24 located adjacent thereto. After flowing over these surfaces, the lubricant oil falls downward and is stored in the lubricant oil reservoir 37.

With this configuration, lubricating oil is supplied from the lubricating oil passage 35 arranged inside the motor housing 4 to the cooler 22a of the power module 22, the UVW bus bar 25, and the extension 24a extended from the PN bus bar 24. This allows the inverter unit 2 to be cooled efficiently without increasing the number of components of the rotating electric machine drive device 1.

Thus, in the first modified example of this embodiment, the power module 22 is disposed in the inverter chamber 41 formed in the motor housing 4, the motor 3 is disposed in the motor chamber 42 formed in the motor housing 4, and the inverter chamber 41 and the motor chamber 42 are isolated by the partition wall 43. The UVW bus bar 25 extends from the inverter chamber 41 to the motor chamber 42 through a through hole 425 formed in the partition wall 43, and is connected to the power module 22 in the inverter chamber 41 and to the motor 3 in the motor chamber 42, and lubricating oil is supplied to the UVW bus bar 25 from the second lubricating oil outlet 35c in the motor chamber 42.

This allows lubricating oil to be supplied to the UVW busbar 25 from the lubricating oil passage 35 arranged in the motor chamber 42, and the inverter unit 2 can be cooled efficiently without increasing the number of components of the rotating electric machine drive device 1.

In the first modified example, the power module 22 is provided with a cooler 22a, and the cooler 22a is exposed to the motor chamber through an opening 431 formed in the partition wall 43, and the lubricant outlet has a second lubricant outlet 35c that supplies lubricant to the UVW busbar 25, and a third lubricant outlet 35d that supplies lubricant to the cooler 22a of the power module 22.

As a result, lubricating oil is supplied to the UVW busbar 25 and the power module 22 from different outlets, allowing these components of the inverter unit 2 to be cooled efficiently.

In the first modified example, the inverter unit 2 is housed in the inverter chamber 41 located above the motor 3, so the partition wall 43 can prevent the noise generated by the driving of the motor 3 from affecting the inverter unit 2. As a result, for example, a control board that controls the power module 22 may be integrated with the power module and housed in the inverter chamber 41.

Next, we will explain a second variant of the embodiment of the present invention.

The modified example in Figure 2 shows an example in which the inverter unit 2 is placed below the motor 3. The configuration is explained below.

Figure 6 is an axial cross-sectional view of a rotating electric machine drive device 1 of a second modified example.

In the second modified example, a partition wall 43 is formed in the motor housing 4, and the area below the partition wall 43 is configured as the inverter chamber 41, and the area above the partition wall 43 is configured as the motor chamber 42.

The inverter chamber 41 houses the smoothing capacitor 21 and the power module 22. The smoothing capacitor 21 and the power module 22 are placed on the partition wall 43. The partition wall 43 has an opening 431 that connects the inverter chamber 41 and the motor chamber 42.

The opening 431 is opened to a size corresponding to the cooler 22a of the power module 22, and the cooler 22a of the power module 22 is placed therein. The periphery of the opening 431 is sealed with a sealing member or the like.

One end of the PN bus bar 24 is connected to the smoothing capacitor 21. The other end of the PN bus bar 24 is connected to a terminal portion arranged on the left side surface of the power module 22. Furthermore, the PN bus bar 24 has an extension portion 24a that extends upward toward the motor chamber 42 along the way. The extension portion 24a extends into the motor chamber 42 through a through hole 424 drilled in the partition wall 43. In other words, the PN bus bar 24 branches in two directions at the other end, one that connects to the power module 22 and the other that extends into the motor chamber 42.

One end of the UVW bus bar 25 is connected to the power module 22, and partway along the way, it bends upward toward the motor chamber 42, extends in a substantially vertical direction, and is installed within the motor chamber 42 through a through hole 425 drilled in the partition wall 43. The UVW bus bar 25 bends within the motor chamber 42 and is connected to the terminal 38 of the motor 3 by bolting, welding, or the like.

A lubricating oil passage 35 is provided above the motor chamber 42. The lubricating oil passage 35 is provided with a first lubricating oil outlet 35a that supplies lubricating oil toward the coil end 33.

A lubricant reservoir 37 is formed on the upper surface of the partition wall 43, i.e., the bottom of the motor chamber 42. The lubricant supplied to the coil end 33 from the first lubricant outlet 35a flows down the coil end 33, the terminal 38 provided adjacent to the coil end 33, and the UVW busbar 25, and is stored in the lubricant reservoir 37. A second lubricant outlet 35c may be provided so that the lubricant flow path 35 supplies lubricant directly to the UVW busbar 25.

In this way, in the second modified example of this embodiment, the cooler 22a of the power module 22 arranged in the opening 431 of the partition wall 43, the extension 24a of the PN bus bar 24, and the UVW bus bar 25 above the partition wall 43 are always immersed in the lubricating oil stored in the lubricating oil reservoir 37. This allows the inverter unit 2 to be cooled efficiently without increasing the number of components of the rotating electric machine drive device 1.

Next, we will explain a third variant of the embodiment of the present invention.

In the modified example shown in Figure 3, the PN busbar 24 and UVW busbar 25 are configured to allow the lubricant to flow easily. The configuration is described below.

Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram of the inverter unit 2 seen from the motor 3 side in the third modified example, and corresponds to Figure 3.

In the third modified example of this embodiment, a receiving member 241 having a cross-sectional shape resembling a trough is provided so as to fit along the underside of the PN busbar 24. Similarly, a receiving member 251 having a cross-sectional shape resembling a trough is provided so as to fit along the underside of the UVW busbar 25.

By providing receiving members 241 and 251 on the PN busbar 24 and the UVW busbar 25, the lubricant does not slide down the surface of the lubricant busbar to the PN busbar 24 and the UVW busbar 25, but flows downward while being received by the trough-shaped receiving members 241, 251. As a result, the lubricant supplied to the PN busbar 24 and the UVW busbar 25 does not easily fall, and a larger amount of lubricant flows over the PN busbar 24 and the UVW busbar 25 for a longer period of time, thereby efficiently cooling the PN busbar 24 and the UVW busbar 25.

The UVW busbar 25 of the first and second modified examples described above may be provided with a receiving member having a configuration similar to that of receiving member 251 shown in FIG. 7.

Next, we will explain the fourth variant of the embodiment of the present invention.

The fourth variant is a further variant of the second variant described above, and is characterized by the shape of the UVW busbar 25. The configuration is described below.

Figure 8 is an enlarged view focusing on the lubricant flow path 35, UVW bus bar 25, and terminal 38.

The UVW busbar 25 extends from the inverter chamber 41 to the motor chamber 42 through the through-hole 425 of the partition wall 43. The UVW busbar 25 extends straight downward from the through-hole 425, and its lower end is bent to form an inclined portion 25a that approaches the coil end 33 as it approaches the lower end. The terminal 38 extending from the coil end 33 is connected to the UVW busbar 25 at the upper part of the inclined portion 25a.

The lubricant flow passage 35 is provided between the UVW busbar 25 and the coil end 33, and the second lubricant outlet 35c supplies lubricant toward the UVW busbar 25.

The lubricating oil supplied to the UVW busbar 25 flows down the UVW busbar 25 to the terminal 38. A portion of the lubricating oil is guided to the coil end side according to the inclination of the inclined portion 25a and is supplied to the coil end 33.

Thus, in the fourth modified example of this embodiment, in the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the inverter chamber 41 is disposed above the motor chamber 42, and the UVW busbar 25 is connected via a terminal 38 provided on the coil end 33 of the motor 3 in the motor chamber 42. The UVW busbar 25 has an inclined portion 25a near the terminal 38 that is inclined toward the coil end 33 as it approaches the lower end.

With this configuration, the lubricating oil supplied to the UVW busbar 25 can be supplied to the coil end 33 along the inclined portion 25a, so that not only the inverter unit 2 but also the components of the motor 3 can be efficiently cooled.

The above describes the embodiments of the present invention and their variations. However, the above embodiments and variations merely show some of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

In the configurations of Figures 1 and 2 described above, the lubricant flow passage 35 is provided with a turn-back portion 35b, and the turn-back portion 35b is provided with a second lubricant outlet 35c, but this is not limited to the configuration. It is also possible to provide a lubricant outlet that supplies lubricant toward the PN bus bar 24 in the lubricant flow passage 35 without having the turn-back portion 35b.

1 Rotating electric machine drive device 2 Inverter unit 3 Motor (rotating electric machine)
4 Motor housing 21 Smoothing capacitor 22 Power module 22a Cooler 24 PN bus bar (DC bus bar)
25 UVW bus bar (conductive member)
33 Coil end 35 Lubricating oil flow path 35a First lubricating oil outlet 35b Turn-back portion 35c Second lubricating oil outlet 35d Third lubricating oil outlet 36 Lubricating oil pump 37 Lubricating oil reservoir portion 38 Terminal 221 Bracket (fixing member)
241 receiving member 251 receiving member

Claims (6)

A rotating electric machine drive device including a rotating electric machine, an inverter unit, and a conductive member that electrically connects the rotating electric machine and the inverter unit,
the inverter unit includes a power module adjacent to the rotating electric machine and configured to supply electric power to the rotating electric machine;
The rotating electric machine includes a housing, and a stator and a rotor accommodated in the housing,
A lubricant flow path through which lubricant for lubricating the rotor flows is provided within the housing,
the lubricant oil passage includes a lubricant oil outlet for supplying the lubricant oil to the power module or the conductive member electrically connected to the power module ;
The power module is fixed in the housing via a fixing member so as to be spaced apart from an inner wall surface of the housing.
Rotating electric drive unit. 2. The rotating electric machine drive device according to claim 1,
The power module or the conductive member electrically connected to the power module is inclined by the fixing member so that the lubricating oil supplied from the lubricating oil outlet flows on a surface of the power module or the conductive member electrically connected to the power module.
Rotating electric drive unit. A rotating electric machine drive device including a rotating electric machine, an inverter unit, and a conductive member that electrically connects the rotating electric machine and the inverter unit,
the inverter unit includes a power module adjacent to the rotating electric machine and configured to supply electric power to the rotating electric machine;
The rotating electric machine includes a housing, and a stator and a rotor accommodated in the housing,
A lubricant flow path through which lubricant for lubricating the rotor flows is provided within the housing,
the lubricant oil passage includes a lubricant oil outlet for supplying the lubricant oil to the power module or the conductive member electrically connected to the power module;
The inverter unit includes a smoothing capacitor that smoothes electric power, and a DC bus bar that connects the smoothing capacitor and the power module,
the smoothing capacitor is disposed above the power module,
The lubricant flow path includes a turn-back portion bent toward the smoothing capacitor, and the lubricant is supplied to the DC bus bar from a second lubricant outlet provided at the turn-back portion.
Rotating electric drive unit. A rotating electric machine drive device including a rotating electric machine, an inverter unit, and a conductive member that electrically connects the rotating electric machine and the inverter unit,
the inverter unit includes a power module adjacent to the rotating electric machine and configured to supply electric power to the rotating electric machine;
The rotating electric machine includes a housing, and a stator and a rotor accommodated in the housing,
A lubricant flow path through which lubricant for lubricating the rotor flows is provided within the housing,
the lubricant oil passage includes a lubricant oil outlet for supplying the lubricant oil to the power module or the conductive member electrically connected to the power module;
The conductive member electrically connected to the power module is provided with a receiving member having a trough-shaped cross section along its underside.
Rotating electric drive unit. A rotating electric machine drive device including a rotating electric machine, an inverter unit, and a conductive member that electrically connects the rotating electric machine and the inverter unit,
the inverter unit includes a power module adjacent to the rotating electric machine and configured to supply electric power to the rotating electric machine;
The rotating electric machine includes a housing, and a stator and a rotor accommodated in the housing,
A lubricant flow path through which lubricant for lubricating the rotor flows is provided within the housing,
the lubricant oil passage includes a lubricant oil outlet for supplying the lubricant oil to the power module or the conductive member electrically connected to the power module;
the power module is disposed in an inverter chamber formed in the housing,
The rotating electric machine is disposed in a motor chamber formed in the housing,
The inverter chamber and the motor chamber are separated by a partition wall,
the conductive member electrically connected to the power module extends from the inverter chamber to the motor chamber through a through hole formed in the partition wall, is connected to the power module in the inverter chamber, and is connected to the rotating electric machine in the motor chamber;
The power module is provided with a cooler,
The cooler is exposed to the motor chamber through an opening formed in the partition wall,
The lubricant oil outlet includes a second lubricant oil outlet that supplies the lubricant oil to the conductive member electrically connected to the power module in the motor chamber, and a third lubricant oil outlet that supplies the lubricant oil to the cooler of the power module.
Rotating electric drive unit. A rotating electric machine drive device including a rotating electric machine, an inverter unit, and a conductive member that electrically connects the rotating electric machine and the inverter unit,
the inverter unit includes a power module adjacent to the rotating electric machine and configured to supply electric power to the rotating electric machine;
The rotating electric machine includes a housing, and a stator and a rotor accommodated in the housing,
A lubricant flow path through which lubricant for lubricating the rotor flows is provided within the housing,
the lubricant oil passage includes a lubricant oil outlet for supplying the lubricant oil to the power module or the conductive member electrically connected to the power module;
the power module is disposed in an inverter chamber formed in the housing,
The rotating electric machine is disposed in a motor chamber formed in the housing,
The inverter chamber and the motor chamber are separated by a partition wall,
the conductive member electrically connected to the power module extends from the inverter chamber to the motor chamber through a through hole formed in the partition wall, is connected to the power module in the inverter chamber, and is connected to the rotating electric machine in the motor chamber;
In the motor chamber, the lubricating oil is supplied from the lubricating oil outlet to the conductive member electrically connected to the power module,
the inverter chamber is disposed above the motor chamber,
the conductive member electrically connected to the power module is connected via a terminal provided at a coil end of the rotating electric machine in the motor chamber,
the conductive member electrically connected to the power module has an inclined portion inclined toward the coil end toward a lower end near the terminal,
Rotating electric drive unit.

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