Inverter Insulator Device and Method

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein include an alignment device for a circuit board, an inverter assembly, and a method of manufacturing an assembly having a circuit board disposed thereon in the alignment device. Exemplary devices include an electrically insulating substrate having a first substantially flat surface and a second substantially flat surface forming an opposite side of the first substantially flat surface. The second substantially flat surface defines therein a self-alignment feature configured to align at least one power module pin with the electrically insulating substrate. The first substantially flat surface has at least one alignment feature configured to align a printed circuit board with the electrically insulating substrate. The device further includes a wiring feature coupled to the electrically insulating substrate. The wiring feature is configured to route at least one low voltage conductor.

Description

[0001] Introduction

[0002] This disclosure relates to the assembly of inverter parts for an electric vehicle. The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0003] An inverter is an integral part of most electric vehicles that are powered by a direct current (DC) power pack to drive an alternating current (AC) motor. The inverter power switching module is a main component of the inverter and includes one or more circuit boards. One board of the inverter can be a gate drive board. The gate drive board can have a plurality of plated through holes through which a plurality of contact pins must be fed during assembly. Doing so requires very precise alignment. Alignment problems during assembly can result in assembly failure or component damage. Some inverter boards also do not always provide significant electrical isolation from other parts and can also cause failures in some cases. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments disclosed herein include an alignment device for a circuit board, an inverter assembly, and a method for manufacturing an assembly having a circuit board placed on the alignment device.

[0005] In an exemplary embodiment, a device includes: an electrically insulating substrate having a first substantially flat surface and a second substantially flat surface forming an opposite side of the first substantially flat surface. The second substantially flat surface defines therein a self - alignment feature configured to align at least one power module pin with the electrically insulating substrate. The first substantially flat surface has at least one alignment feature configured to align a printed circuit board with the electrically insulating substrate. The device further includes a wiring feature coupled to the electrically insulating substrate and configured to route at least one low - voltage conductor.

[0006] In another exemplary embodiment, an inverter assembly includes: an inverter power module having at least one electrical connector pin. The inverter assembly further includes: a printed circuit board. Additionally, the inverter assembly includes: an electrically insulating substrate having a first substantially flat surface and a second substantially flat surface forming an opposite side of the first substantially flat surface. The second substantially flat surface defines therein a self - alignment feature configured to align the at least one electrical connector pin with the electrically insulating substrate. The first substantially flat surface has at least one alignment feature configured to align the printed circuit board with the electrically insulating substrate. Additionally, a wiring feature is coupled to the electrically insulating substrate and configured to route at least one low - voltage conductor coupled to the printed circuit board.

[0007] In another illustrative embodiment, a method includes: providing an electrically insulating substrate having a first substantially flat surface and a second substantially flat surface forming an opposite side of the first substantially flat surface. The second substantially flat surface defines therein a self-aligning feature including an aperture defined therein, and the first substantially flat surface has at least one printed circuit board alignment feature. The method further includes: placing the electrically insulating substrate adjacent to the second substantially flat surface such that at least one electrical connector pin of a power module can extend through at least one aperture of the self-aligning feature. Additionally, the method includes: placing a printed circuit board above the first substantially flat surface aligned with the at least one printed circuit board alignment feature.

[0008] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the above - described illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features, additional aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Illustrative embodiments are shown in the reference figures of the drawings. The embodiments and the drawings disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0010] Figure 1 Perspective view of an illustrative circuit board assembly having an illustrative mounting component for an electrical inverter circuit with circuitry mounted thereon.

[0011] Figure 2 and Figure 3 is Figure 1 a perspective view of the reverse side of the mounting component.

[0012] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a perspective view of the mounting component.

[0013] Figure 5 is a flowchart of an illustrative method for manufacturing a Figure 1 component.

[0014] Like reference symbols in the various drawings generally indicate like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. In the drawings, like symbols generally identify like components unless the context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not intended to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject presented herein.

[0016] Presented in a non - limiting overview, the embodiments disclosed by the present invention include an alignment device for a circuit board, an inverter assembly, and a method for manufacturing an assembly having a circuit board placed thereon in the alignment device.

[0017] Referring Figure 1 , in various embodiments, an exemplary inverter gate drive board assembly 100 includes an inverter gate drive circuit board 110 on which circuit elements 115 are deposited. The circuit board 110 can be mounted to an electrically insulating substrate 120 having a first substantially flat surface 125 ( Figure 4 ). The circuit board 110 is aligned with the substrate 120 by inserting alignment fasteners or pins 129 into apertures 119 in the circuit board 110. The substrate 120 includes a second substantially flat surface 127 ( Figure 2 and Figure 3 ) that forms the opposite side of the first substantially flat surface 125. The second substantially flat surface 127 has self - alignment features 130 defined therein, which are configured to align at least one power module pin 140 with the electrically insulating substrate 120 and then with the circuit board 110. The first substantially flat surface 125 can have at least one alignment feature, such as but not limited to the self - alignment feature 130, which is configured to align the printed circuit board 110 with the power module pins 140 extending from an inverter power module 170. The printed circuit board can include any of a variety of circuit elements and chips, and include wiring connector ports, such as port 150, for connecting the printed circuit board to other devices and controllers.

[0018] In various embodiments, a wiring feature 160 can be coupled to the electrically insulating substrate 120, and the wiring feature 160 can be configured to route at least one low - voltage conductor or bundle of low - voltage conductors therethrough. As depicted, the wiring feature 160 includes a post having an aperture therethrough. However, the wiring feature 160 is not limited to the disclosed configuration, but can be any structure that facilitates routing or holding in place a low - voltage conductor or bundle.

[0019] In various embodiments, the self - alignment feature 130 includes a partially conical recess formed in the second substantially flat surface 127. Each of the self - alignment features 130 in the self - alignment feature 130 can be a partially conical recess and can include an aperture configured to receive one or more power module pins 140 extending therethrough. These pins 140 are electrically coupled to the circuit board 110 during assembly. The number of pins 140 and self - alignment features 130 should not be considered limiting, as any number of pins can be used depending on the power module and inverter circuit design.

[0020] In various embodiments, an exemplary assembly method 500 begins at block 505. An electrically insulating substrate is provided at block 510. The insulating substrate has a first substantially flat surface and a second substantially flat surface that forms an opposite side of the first substantially flat surface. The second substantially flat surface defines therein a self - alignment feature that includes an aperture defined therein, and the first substantially flat surface has at least one printed circuit board alignment feature. At block 520, the electrically insulating substrate is placed adjacent to the second substantially flat surface such that at least one electrical connector pin of a power module can extend through at least one of the apertures of the self - alignment feature. At block 530, a printed circuit board is placed over the first substantially flat surface that is aligned with the at least one printed circuit board alignment feature. Method 500 stops at block 535.

[0021] Exemplary embodiments can be used in constructing components of an electric vehicle, but are not limited thereto. As commonly constructed, the insulating substrate 120 can help solve the problem of aligning the inverter power switch module pins with the inverter gate drive printed circuit board during assembly. In various embodiments, twenty - one pins are to be aligned. These twenty - one pins will be fed through vias in the circuit board and soldered. However, it should be understood that any number of pins can be used for a particular application as needed, and no limitation to any number of pins is intended to be implied or inferred. Misalignment of these pins with the holes can cause damage to the parts and can cause assembly failure. Adding the insulating substrate 120 to hold the circuit board in place and adding the self - alignment feature can help achieve simplified alignment. The self - alignment feature that is partially formed in a conical shape can help achieve alignment to guide the inverter module pins through the vias in the circuit board.

[0022] In addition to helping solve possible problems of module / pin alignment, the insulating substrate 120 can also provide electrical isolation between the electrical connections and the metal parts of the base. It should also be understood that the insulating substrate 120 can help provide a wire - bundling feature through which wire harnesses can be routed or supported.

[0023] In some cases, one or more components may be referred to herein as “configured to”, “constructed of”, “capable of being configured to”, “operable / operates to”, “adapted to / adaptable to”, “able to”, “conformable / conforms to”, etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize that such terms (e.g., “configured to”) generally cover active - state components and / or non - active - state components and / or standby - state components, unless the context requires otherwise.

[0024] While particular aspects of the subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, based on the teachings herein, changes and modifications can be made without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broader aspects, and thus the appended claims are to cover all such changes and modifications within their scope, as in the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Those skilled in the art should understand that, generally speaking, the terms used herein, particularly the terms used in the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least", the term "includes" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", etc.). Those skilled in the art should further understand that if the intent is to introduce a specific number of recited claims, such intent will be explicitly recited in the claims, and in the absence of such recitation, there is no such intent. For example, for purposes of illustration, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to a claim containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and the indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should generally be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same applies to the use of the definite article to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of introduced claim recitations are explicitly stated, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitations will generally be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., in the absence of other modifiers, the bare recitation of "two recitations" will generally mean at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Further, in those instances where a convention such as "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, generally speaking, such constructs are conventions that those skilled in the art will understand in a certain sense (e.g., a "system having at least one of A, B, and C" will include, but not be limited to, systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). Those skilled in the art will further understand that, unless the context dictates otherwise, a disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms (whether in the specification, claims, or drawings) will generally be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one of the terms, any one of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will generally be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0025] Those skilled in the art will understand, with respect to the appended claims, that the operations recited therein can generally be performed in any order. Additionally, although the various operational flows are presented in sequence, it should be understood that the various operations can be performed in other orders than those shown, or can be performed concurrently. Unless the context otherwise requires, examples of such alternative orderings may include overlapping, interleaving, interrupting, reordering, incremental, preparatory, supplementary, concurrent, reverse, or other variant orderings. Moreover, unless the context otherwise requires, terms such as "in response to", "associated with", or other past tense adjectives are not generally intended to exclude such variants.

[0026] While the subject matter disclosed herein has been described in terms of illustrative embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications can be made to the subject matter without departing from the scope of the claimed subject matter set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. An alignment device, the alignment device comprising: An electrically insulating substrate configured to be mounted on a seat body, the electrically insulating substrate having a first flat surface and a second flat surface formed on the opposite side of the first flat surface, wherein the first flat surface has at least one alignment feature configured to align a printed circuit board with the electrically insulating substrate to allow the printed circuit board to be mounted on the first flat surface; The second flat surface defines a self - alignment feature therein, the self - alignment feature being configured to align at least one power module pin with the electrically insulating substrate and then with the printed circuit board; And A wiring feature coupled to the electrically insulating substrate, the wiring feature being configured to route at least one low - voltage conductor; the wiring feature is provided on opposite sides of the electrically insulating substrate for restricting the printed circuit board mounted on the first flat surface.

2. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein, The wiring feature is configured to accommodate a low - voltage conductor bundle.

3. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein, The wiring feature includes columns.

4. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein The wiring feature includes orifices.

5. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein, The self - alignment feature includes a partially conical recess formed in the second flat surface.

6. The alignment device according to claim 5, wherein, Each of the partially conical recesses in the partially conical recess includes an orifice.

7. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein, The self - alignment feature includes at least five partially conical recesses formed in the second flat surface.

8. The alignment device according to claim 7, wherein, The self - alignment feature includes at least ten partially conical recesses formed in the second flat surface.

9. The alignment device according to claim 8, wherein, The self - alignment feature includes at least twenty partially conical recesses formed in the second flat surface.

10. An inverter assembly, the inverter assembly comprising: An inverter power module having at least one electrical connector pin; A printed circuit board; An electrically insulating substrate configured to be mounted on a seat body, the electrically insulating substrate having a first flat surface and a second flat surface formed on the opposite side of the first flat surface, wherein the first flat surface has at least one alignment feature configured to align the printed circuit board with the electrically insulating substrate such that the printed circuit board is mounted on the first flat surface; The second flat surface defines a self - alignment feature therein, the self - alignment feature being configured to align the at least one electrical connector pin with the electrically insulating substrate and then with the printed circuit board; And A wiring feature coupled to the electrically insulating substrate, the wiring feature being configured to route at least one low - voltage conductor coupled to the printed circuit board; the wiring feature is provided on opposite sides of the electrically insulating substrate for restricting the printed circuit board mounted on the first flat surface.

11. The inverter assembly according to claim 10, wherein, The wiring feature is configured to accommodate a low - voltage conductor bundle.

12. The inverter assembly according to claim 10, wherein, The wiring feature includes columns.

13. The inverter assembly according to claim 10, wherein, The wiring feature includes orifices.

14. The inverter assembly according to claim 10, wherein, The self - alignment feature includes a partially conical recess formed in the second flat surface.

15. The inverter assembly according to claim 14, wherein, Each of the partially conical recesses in the partially conical recess includes an orifice.

16. The inverter assembly according to claim 10, wherein, The self-alignment feature formed in the second flat surface includes at least five partial conical recesses formed in the second flat surface.

17. The inverter assembly according to claim 16, wherein, The self-alignment feature formed in the second flat surface includes at least ten partial conical recesses formed in the second flat surface.

18. The inverter assembly according to claim 17, wherein, The self-alignment feature formed in the second flat surface includes at least twenty partial conical recesses formed in the second flat surface.

19. The inverter assembly according to claim 10, wherein, The printed circuit board includes a gate driver board.

20. A method for mounting a printed circuit board, the method for mounting a printed circuit board comprising: Providing an electrically insulating substrate having a first flat surface and a second flat surface formed on the opposite side of the first flat surface, the second flat surface defining a self-alignment feature therein, the self-alignment feature including an aperture defined therein, and the first flat surface having at least one printed circuit board alignment feature; Mounting the electrically insulating substrate on a seat body such that at least one electrical connector pin of a power module can extend through at least one aperture of the self-alignment feature; And Placing a printed circuit board above the first flat surface in alignment with the at least one printed circuit board alignment feature so that the printed circuit board is mounted on the first flat surface and is aligned with at least one electrical connector pin extending through at least one aperture of the self-alignment feature; Wherein, the wiring features provided on opposite sides of the electrically insulating substrate limit the printed circuit board mounted on the first flat surface.

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