Power conversion device

Abstract

The power conversion device of the present application includes a power module having a plurality of power devices, and a circuit substrate connected to the power module, the circuit substrate having a drive circuit arrangement region in which a plurality of drive circuits for driving the plurality of power devices are arranged, and a control circuit arrangement region in which a control circuit for controlling the drive circuits is arranged, the two drive circuit arrangement regions being arranged with the control circuit arrangement region interposed therebetween.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to power conversion devices.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-172850 filed on September 24, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-336793, a power control unit (PCU) is installed between the battery and the motor in vehicles such as electric vehicles. Such a power control unit includes a power module with multiple power devices (power semiconductor chips) and a circuit board on which drive circuits for driving these power devices are mounted. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0005] However, in recent years, it has been proposed to mount a control circuit for controlling the drive circuit on the aforementioned circuit board. In this way, by mounting the control circuit on the circuit board, both the control circuit and the drive circuit can be placed on a single board. Therefore, it is not necessary to connect the control circuit and the drive circuit via a wiring harness, which reduces communication noise between the control circuit and the drive circuit and enables miniaturization of the power conversion device.

[0006] However, power conversion devices, as described above, include multiple power devices. Therefore, multiple drive circuits are installed on the circuit board. Communication delays naturally exist between the control circuit and each drive circuit. These communication delays need to be managed in the control system. For example, if one power device forms the upper arm of one arm of an inverter circuit, and another power device forms the lower arm of the same arm, it is necessary to reliably prevent through current from flowing through both the upper and lower arms. Therefore, managing the communication delays in these power devices is crucial.

[0007] The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to achieve miniaturization in power conversion devices by arranging the control circuit and the drive circuit in close proximity, and to facilitate the management of communication delay between the control circuit and the drive circuit.

[0008] Solution for solving the problem

[0009] The present invention employs the following methods as a means to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0010] The first method employs the following structure, comprising: a power module having multiple power devices; and a circuit board connected to the power module, wherein the circuit board has a drive circuit configuration area configured with multiple drive circuits for driving the multiple power devices, and a control circuit configuration area configured with control circuits for controlling the drive circuits, and two drive circuit configuration areas are provided by sandwiching the control circuit configuration area in the middle.

[0011] The second method adopts the following structure: In the first method, when viewed from the control circuit configuration area, the circuit board has a current detection circuit configuration area outside the drive circuit configuration area, in which a current detection circuit for detecting the input and output current of the power module is configured.

[0012] The third method adopts the following structure, in which the current detection circuit configuration area is located outside each of the aforementioned drive circuit configuration areas, as described in the second method above.

[0013] The fourth method adopts the following structure: in any of the first to third methods described above, when viewed from the control circuit configuration area, the circuit board has a high-voltage circuit configuration area in which a high-voltage circuit that processes a voltage higher than that of the control circuit is configured in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the control circuit configuration area and the two drive circuit configuration areas.

[0014] The fifth method employs the following structure: in the fourth method described above, a smoothing capacitor is provided; the high-voltage circuit is a discharge circuit that discharges the charge stored in the smoothing capacitor; and the circuit board is provided with a voltage detection circuit that detects the input voltage to the high-voltage circuit and is connected to the control circuit.

[0015] The sixth method employs the following structure: In the fourth or fifth method described above, when viewed from the control circuit configuration area, the high-voltage circuit configuration area is configured on one side in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the control circuit configuration area and the two drive circuit configuration areas. The circuit board has an external interface that is configured on the opposite side of the high-voltage circuit configuration area when viewed from the control circuit configuration area and connects the control circuit to the outside.

[0016] Invention Effects

[0017] According to the embodiments of the present invention described above, two drive circuit configuration areas are provided on the circuit board, separated from the control circuit configuration area by two sides. Therefore, compared to the case where drive circuits are irregularly arranged on the circuit board and the case where multiple drive circuits are concentrated in one area, the wiring length from the control circuit to each drive circuit can be balanced. As a result, the communication delay time between the control circuit and each drive circuit is balanced, and the communication delay between the control circuit and the drive circuit is easily managed. According to these embodiments of the present invention, the control circuit and the drive circuit are mounted on a single substrate. Therefore, the power conversion device can be miniaturized. Furthermore, the wiring length from the control circuit to the drive circuit is balanced. Therefore, the communication delay between the control circuit and the drive circuit is easily managed. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is an exploded perspective view showing the schematic structure of the power conversion device in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram showing the circuit board of the power conversion device in the first embodiment of the present invention, and a schematic diagram showing the layout of the functional structure of the circuit board.

[0020] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram showing the circuit board of the power conversion device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, only showing the circuit board. Figure 2A A schematic diagram of the configuration area shown.

[0021] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram showing the circuit board of the power conversion device in the second embodiment of the present invention, and a schematic diagram showing the layout of the functional structure of the circuit board.

[0022] Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram showing the circuit board of the power conversion device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, which only extracts... Figure 3A A schematic diagram of the configuration area shown.

[0023] Label Explanation

[0024] 1…Power conversion device; 2…Intelligent power module; 3…Capacitor (smoothing capacitor); 4…Main casing; 10…Power module; 11…Circuit board; 12…Control circuit; 13…Drive circuit; 14…Current sensor circuit (current detection circuit); 15…External connector (external interface); 16…Discharge circuit (high voltage circuit); 17…Voltage sensor circuit (voltage detection circuit); 18…Terminal section; R1…Control circuit configuration area; R2…Drive circuit configuration area; R3…Current sensor circuit configuration area (current detection circuit configuration area); R4…Discharge circuit configuration area (high voltage circuit configuration area) Detailed Implementation

[0025] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, one embodiment of the power conversion device of the present invention will be described.

[0026] (First Embodiment)

[0027] Figure 1 This is an exploded perspective view showing the schematic structure of the power conversion device 1 according to this embodiment. The power conversion device 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle and is positioned between a motor (load) (not shown) and a battery. Figure 1 As shown, the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment includes a smart power module 2, a capacitor 3, and a main body housing 4.

[0028] The intelligent power module 2 includes a power module 10, a circuit board 11, and current and voltage sensors (not shown). The power module 10 includes: multiple power devices (not shown) having power semiconductor elements, a power module housing holding these power devices, a bus bar connected to the power devices, and a water jacket for cooling. The circuit board 11 is stacked on the power module 10 and, as described later, includes multiple drive circuits for driving the power devices and control circuits for controlling these drive circuits. The current sensor (not shown) is a sensor that detects the current flowing in the bus bar and is, for example, held in the power module housing. Similarly, the voltage sensor (not shown) is a sensor that detects the voltage applied to the bus bar and is, for example, held in the power module housing.

[0029] The capacitor 3 is connected to the smart power module 2 and is positioned on the opposite side of the circuit board 11, separated from the power module 10. The main housing 4 is a housing that accommodates the smart power module 2 and the capacitor 3, and includes an upper housing 4a, a central housing 4b, and a lower housing 4c. These upper housing 4a, central housing 4b, and lower housing 4c are separably connected in the stacking direction with the power module 10 and the circuit board 11. The upper housing 4a covers the smart power module 2 from the circuit board 11 side and is fastened to the central housing 4b. The central housing 4b houses a reactor and covers the periphery of the smart power module 2. The lower housing 4c is provided with a connector for connecting the smart power module 2 and the motor and is fastened within the central housing 4b.

[0030] The power conversion device 1 includes a step-up / step-down circuit consisting of power devices, capacitors 3, and reactors, as well as an inverter circuit. The power conversion device 1 converts the power supplied from the battery into three-phase alternating current and supplies it to the motor, while transferring the regenerated power from the motor back to the battery.

[0031] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the circuit board 11, which is a schematic diagram showing the layout of the functional structure of the circuit board. Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of circuit board 11, indicating that only [the following data was extracted]. Figure 2A The diagram shows the configuration area. The circuit board 11 of this embodiment is an electronic board in which a drive circuit for controlling a step-up / step-down circuit that performs voltage boosting and boosting, a drive circuit for controlling an inverter circuit that converts power into DC and three-phase AC, and a control circuit for controlling these drive circuits are formed.

[0032] like Figure 2A As shown, the circuit board 11 includes a single control circuit 12, multiple drive circuits 13, a current sensor circuit 14 (current detection circuit), and an external connector 15.

[0033] The control circuit 12 is a circuit that controls the drive circuit 13 based on input signals from an external source, and may include, for example, a microcontroller. The drive circuit 13 is a circuit used to drive the power devices disposed in the power module 10. For example, if the power module includes power devices that form switching elements for an inverter and power devices that form switching elements for a boost circuit, the drive circuit 13 is arranged in the same number as these switching elements. Each of these drive circuits 13 is connected to the control circuit 12 within the circuit board 11, and under the control of the control circuit 12, controls, for example, the on / off state of the power devices.

[0034] The current sensor circuit 14 is used to detect the input and output current to the power module 10. For example, the current sensor circuit 14 generates a signal representing the current value input to the control circuit 12 from the signal input by a current sensor consisting of a magnetic core held in the power module housing and a Hall element mounted in the circuit board 11. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the current sensor is positioned away from the power module housing, and two current sensor circuits 14 are provided in the circuit board 11. These current sensor circuits 14 are connected to the control circuit 12 within the circuit board 11, bypassing the area where the drive circuit 13 is located.

[0035] The external connector 15 (external interface) is an interface connecting the control circuit 12 to the outside, and is disposed near the end of the circuit board 11. Such an external connector 15 is configured to protrude from the mounting surface (top) of the circuit board 11 to the outside of the body housing 4.

[0036] In the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, a control circuit configuration area R1 is provided at the center of the mounting surface of the circuit board 11 (the surface opposite to the power module 10). A control circuit 12 is configured in this control circuit configuration area R1. Furthermore, in the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, two drive circuit configuration areas R2 are provided in the aforementioned mounting surface. The same number of drive circuits 13 are configured in each drive circuit configuration area R2. Figure 2B As shown, the two drive circuit configuration areas R2 are configured to sandwich the control circuit configuration area R1 from both sides in the aforementioned mounting surface. That is, in this embodiment, the circuit board 11 has a control circuit configuration area R1 where the control circuit 12 is configured and a drive circuit configuration area R2 where the drive circuit 13 is configured, and two drive circuit configuration areas R2 are provided by sandwiching the control circuit configuration area R1 in the middle.

[0037] Furthermore, two current sensor circuit configuration areas R3 (current detection circuit configuration areas) are provided on the mounting surface of the circuit board 11. A current sensor circuit 14 is configured in each current sensor circuit configuration area R3. For example... Figure 2BAs shown, in the aforementioned mounting surface, viewed from the control circuit configuration area R1, the current sensor circuit configuration area R3 is disposed outside the drive circuit configuration area R2. That is, the drive circuit configuration area R2 is disposed between the control circuit configuration area R1 and the current sensor circuit configuration area R3. Thus, in this embodiment, viewed from the control circuit configuration area R1, the circuit board 11 has a current sensor circuit configuration area R3 outside the drive circuit configuration area R2, and this current sensor circuit configuration area R3 is configured with a current sensor circuit 14 for detecting the input and output current to the power module 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the current sensor circuit configuration area R3 is disposed outside each drive circuit configuration area R2.

[0038] The power conversion device 1 of the present embodiment described above includes a power module 10 having multiple power devices and a circuit board 11 connected to the power module 10. Further, in the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, the circuit board 11 has a drive circuit configuration region R2 where multiple drive circuits 13 for driving power devices are configured, and a control circuit configuration region R1 where control circuits 12 for controlling the drive circuits 13 are configured, and two drive circuit configuration regions R2 are provided by sandwiching the control circuit configuration region R1 in between.

[0039] According to the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, two drive circuit configuration areas R2 are provided in the circuit board 11 to sandwich the control circuit configuration area R1 from both sides. Therefore, compared with the case where the drive circuits 13 are irregularly arranged on the circuit board 11, or the case where multiple drive circuits 13 are concentrated in one area, the wiring length from the control circuit 12 to each drive circuit 13 can be balanced. As a result, the communication delay time from the control circuit 12 to each drive circuit 13 is balanced, and the communication delay between the control circuit 12 and the drive circuit 13 is easily managed. According to the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, the control circuit 12 and the drive circuit 13 are mounted on a single board. Therefore, the power conversion device 1 can be miniaturized. Furthermore, the wiring length from the control circuit 12 to the drive circuit 13 is balanced. Therefore, the communication delay between the control circuit 12 and the drive circuit 13 is easily managed.

[0040] Furthermore, in the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, viewed from the control circuit configuration area R1, the circuit board 11 has a current sensor circuit configuration area R3 outside the drive circuit configuration area R2. This current sensor circuit configuration area R3 is equipped with a current sensor circuit 14 that detects the input and output current to the power module 10. In this power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, the current sensor circuit 14 is moved outside the control circuit 12, and viewed from the control circuit 12, the current sensor circuit 14 is positioned outside the drive circuit 13. Therefore, the control circuit 12 and the drive circuit 13 can be connected with a shorter distance. Additionally, in the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, the current sensor has a magnetic core held in the power module housing and a Hall element mounted on the circuit board 11. Therefore, the distance from the current sensor to the current sensor circuit 14 can be shortened, and further, the distance from the current sensor to the control circuit 12 can be shortened, accelerating signal transmission between the current sensor and the control circuit 12. Therefore, the power conversion device 1 can operate more stably.

[0041] Furthermore, in the power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, the current sensor circuit configuration area R3 is provided outside each drive circuit configuration area R2. According to this power conversion device 1 of this embodiment, the current sensor circuits 14 can be distributed, and multiple current sensors can be distributed within the power module 10.

[0042] (Second Implementation)

[0043] Next, refer to Figure 3A and Figure 3B The second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, in the description of this embodiment, the parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment described above will be omitted or simplified. Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram of the circuit board 11 included in the power conversion device of this embodiment, and a schematic diagram showing the layout of the functional structure included in the circuit board. Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram of the circuit board 11 included in the power conversion device of this embodiment; only the portion shown is extracted. Figure 3A A schematic diagram of the configuration area shown.

[0044] like Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown, in this embodiment, the circuit board 11 includes a discharge circuit 16 and a voltage sensor circuit 17 (voltage detection circuit). The discharge circuit 16 is a circuit that releases (discharges) the charge stored in the capacitor 3 (smoothing capacitor) included in the power conversion device 1. This discharge circuit 16 is a high-voltage circuit that handles voltages higher than those of the control circuit 12, and discharges the capacitor 3 under the control of the control circuit 12.

[0045] The voltage sensor circuit 17 is used to detect the input voltage to the discharge circuit 16 and the power module 10. The voltage sensor circuit 17 is connected, for example, to a voltage sensor mounted on the circuit board 11 via a voltage detection terminal 18 held in the power module housing. This voltage sensor circuit 17 generates a signal representing the voltage value input from the signal input by the voltage sensor to the control circuit 12. The voltage sensor circuit 17 is connected to the control circuit 12.

[0046] In this embodiment, a discharge circuit configuration region R4 is provided in the circuit board 11. A discharge circuit 16 is configured in the discharge circuit configuration region R4. Figure 3B As shown, viewed from the control circuit configuration area R1, the discharge circuit configuration area R4 is configured in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the control circuit configuration area R1 and the two drive circuit configuration areas R2. That is, in this embodiment, as... Figure 3B As shown, viewed from the control circuit configuration area R1, the discharge circuit configuration area R4 is positioned on one side in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the control circuit configuration area R1 and the two drive circuit configuration areas R2. Viewed from the control circuit configuration area R1, the external connector 15 is positioned on the opposite side to the discharge circuit configuration area R4.

[0047] In this embodiment, the drive circuit configuration region R2 and the discharge circuit configuration region R4, which handle higher voltages, do not need to be separated by the region handling lower voltages, but are connected via... Figure 3A and Figure 3B The area to the right of the circuit board 11 is arranged in an adjacent state. Furthermore, the control circuit configuration area R1 for handling lower voltages and the current sensor circuit configuration area R3 do not need to be separated from the area for handling higher voltages, but are connected via... Figure 3A and Figure 3B The area on the left side of the circuit board 11 is arranged in an adjacent manner. That is, in this embodiment, the areas that process higher voltages are arranged adjacent to each other, and the areas that process lower voltages are arranged adjacent to each other. Therefore, according to the power conversion device of this embodiment, as described above, the wiring length from the control circuit 12 to each drive circuit 13 can be balanced, and the layout can be arranged such that the areas that process higher voltages and the areas that process lower voltages are each integrated with each other.

[0048] According to this embodiment, the discharge circuit 16, which does not require a high level of responsiveness to the instructions of the control circuit 12, can be configured separately from the drive circuit 13. According to this embodiment, a circuit for processing higher voltages can be provided in a region different from the drive circuit configuration region R2. It can be configured separately from the drive circuit 13. Thus, as in this embodiment, a circuit for processing higher voltages can be provided in a region different from the drive circuit configuration region R2. Therefore, many functions can be integrated on a single circuit board 11, enabling the power conversion device 1 to have more functions and be miniaturized.

[0049] In addition, such as Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown, by connecting the discharge circuit 16 and the voltage sensor circuit 17 via the voltage detection terminal 18, the heat of the discharge circuit 16 during operation can be suppressed from being transferred to the voltage sensor circuit 17 and the control circuit 12, and the heat of the discharge circuit 16 during operation can be suppressed from affecting the voltage sensor circuit 17 and the control circuit 12.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the external connector 15 and the discharge circuit configuration area R4 are positioned opposite each other by sandwiching the control circuit configuration area R1 in between. Therefore, the external connector 15 can be moved away from areas handling higher voltages, suppressing noise generated during communication between the external connector and the control circuit 12.

[0051] The above is with reference to the appendix. Figure 1 While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is self-evident that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The various shapes and combinations of the structural components shown in the above embodiments are examples, and various modifications based on design requirements, etc., can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0052] For example, in the above embodiment, a structure was described in which two current sensor circuit configuration regions R3 are provided on the circuit board 11. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. A structure in which the current sensor circuit configuration region R3 is not provided, or a structure in which only one current sensor circuit configuration region R3 is provided, may also be adopted.

[0053] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, a structure was described in which the high-voltage circuit configuration area is set as the discharge circuit configuration area R4 where the discharge circuit 16 is installed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a structure in which circuits for processing other high voltages are configured in the high-voltage circuit configuration area may also be adopted.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a structure in which four drive circuits 13 are configured within one drive circuit configuration area R2 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a structure in which seven drive circuits 13 or three drive circuits 13 are configured within one drive circuit configuration area R2 may also be used.

[0055] Industrial applicability

[0056] According to the present invention, in the power conversion device, since the control circuit and the drive circuit are mounted on a single substrate, the power conversion device can be miniaturized, and since the wiring length from the control circuit to the drive circuit is balanced, the communication delay between the control circuit and the drive circuit is easily managed.

Claims

1. A power conversion device, characterized in that, have: Power module, having multiple power devices; and The circuit board is connected to the power module. The circuit board has: a drive circuit configuration area where multiple drive circuits for driving the plurality of power devices are configured; and a control circuit configuration area where control circuits for controlling the drive circuits are configured. Two drive circuit configuration areas are provided by sandwiching the control circuit configuration area in the middle. Viewed from the control circuit configuration area, the circuit board has a current detection circuit configuration area outside the drive circuit configuration area, which is equipped with a current detection circuit for detecting the input and output current of the power module. The current detection circuit configuration area is located outside each of the drive circuit configuration areas. The current detection circuit is connected to the control circuit, bypassing the drive circuit configuration area. The current detection circuit consists of a magnetic core held in the power module housing and a Hall element mounted in the circuit board, and detects the current flowing in the busbar connected to the power device.

2. The power conversion device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Viewed from the control circuit configuration area, the circuit board has a high-voltage circuit configuration area that is configured in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the control circuit configuration area and the two drive circuit configuration areas, and is configured with a high-voltage circuit that processes a voltage higher than that of the control circuit.

3. The power conversion device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, It also has: Smoothing capacitor, The high-voltage circuit is a discharge circuit that discharges the charge stored in the smoothing capacitor. The circuit board includes a voltage detection circuit that detects the input voltage to the high-voltage circuit and is connected to the control circuit.

4. The power conversion device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Viewed from the control circuit configuration area, the high-voltage circuit configuration area is positioned on one side in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the control circuit configuration area and the two drive circuit configuration areas. The circuit board has an external interface that is located on the opposite side of the high-voltage circuit configuration area when viewed from the control circuit configuration area, and connects the control circuit to the outside.

5. The power conversion device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Viewed from the control circuit configuration area, the high-voltage circuit configuration area is positioned on one side in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the control circuit configuration area and the two drive circuit configuration areas. The circuit board has an external interface that is located on the opposite side of the high-voltage circuit configuration area when viewed from the control circuit configuration area, and connects the control circuit to the outside.

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