Power supply module, power supply system and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a power supply module, a power supply system and a vehicle, the power supply module comprises a housing comprising a plurality of mounting columns extending from the bottom of the housing; the first circuit board is configured to be connected to the shell through the plurality of mounting columns; the shielding plate is configured to be arranged between the bottom of the shell and the first circuit board and comprises a main body and a plurality of mounting arms, and the plurality of mounting arms extend away from the main body towards the first circuit board; wherein the plurality of mounting arms are configured to correspond to the plurality of mounting columns, and the shielding plate is connected to the shell through the cooperation of the mounting arms and the mounting columns.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a power module, and a power supply system and a vehicle comprising the power module. Background Art

[0002] Electric or hybrid vehicles have electric drive assembly systems that need to be powered by power modules, such as on-board power modules. As more and more compact products are popularized in vehicles, the demand for integrated and compact design of power modules has also emerged.

[0003] According to the requirements of integrated and compact design, one or more circuit boards in the power module, such as the main circuit board and / or the filter circuit board, need to be stacked vertically in the housing of the power module. In addition, considering electromagnetic compatibility, the circuit board needs to be provided with a shielding plate for electromagnetic shielding. However, the installation space for mounting the circuit board and the shielding plate on the housing is limited.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to arrange multiple circuit boards and shielding plates in a limited housing space to meet the requirements of vehicle integration and compact design. Summary of the invention

[0005] In response to the above-mentioned problems and needs, the present invention proposes a new type of power module, as well as a power supply system and a vehicle including such a power module, which solve the above-mentioned problems and bring other technical effects by adopting the following technical features.

[0006] On the one hand, the present invention provides a power module, comprising: a shell, including a plurality of mounting posts extending from its bottom; a first circuit board, configured to be connected to the shell via a first number of mounting posts among the plurality of mounting posts; and a shielding plate, configured to be arranged between the bottom of the shell and the first circuit board, and comprising a main body and a plurality of mounting arms, wherein the plurality of mounting arms extend away from the main body toward the first circuit board; wherein the plurality of mounting arms are configured to correspond to the first number of mounting posts, and the shielding plate is connected to the shell via the cooperation between the mounting arms and the mounting posts.

[0007] According to the above features, the present invention provides a solution for vertically stacking circuit boards and shielding plates, making full use of the mounting posts of the shell so that the first circuit board and the shielding plate share the same mounting posts and the same fasteners, without the need for additional mounting structures. The compact internal space of the shell is effectively utilized to achieve an integrated and compact design of the power module.

[0008] In some embodiments, the power module also includes a second circuit board, which is configured to be connected to the shell via a second number of mounting poles among the plurality of mounting poles, wherein the shielding plate separates the shell into a first shell part and a second shell part along the installation direction, the first shell part is used to accommodate the first circuit board, and the second shell part is used to accommodate the second circuit board, wherein one of the first circuit board and the second circuit board is a filter circuit board.

[0009] According to the above features, due to the high space utilization, the power module proposed in the present disclosure can accommodate multiple circuit boards, and the circuit boards are separated by shielding plates to meet the electromagnetic compatibility requirements. In the description of the present disclosure, the installation direction refers to the assembly direction of the circuit board and the shielding plate installed in the housing. For example, in a vertically stacked power module, the installation direction is a vertical direction from top to bottom. In other embodiments not shown, the installation direction may also be a horizontal direction or other linear direction or curvilinear direction.

[0010] Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) refers to the ability of a device or system to work properly in its electromagnetic environment and not cause any electromagnetic disturbance that cannot be tolerated by anything in the environment. According to the definition of EMC, electronic equipment must meet EMC design indicators. On the one hand, it is necessary to ensure that the electronic equipment has a certain degree of immunity to the electromagnetic interference in the environment in which it is located, and on the other hand, it is required that the electromagnetic interference generated by the electronic equipment to the environment in the process of operation does not exceed the specified limit.

[0011] When designing an EMC solution, the general design idea is to add filtering components such as magnetic rings and magnetic buckles at the DC end and / or the AC end, and to set a filtering circuit board assembly on the transmission path, including a filtering circuit board and filtering capacitors, resistors and other components arranged on the filtering circuit board. Generally speaking, the volume and size of the filtering circuit board are large, so it takes up a large space in the housing. In a vertically stacked power module, the filtering circuit board can select a suitable layout position according to the design requirements of the power module. For example, in some embodiments, the second circuit board is a filtering circuit board, and accordingly, the second housing portion provides a larger accommodation space. Conversely, in some embodiments, the first circuit board is a filtering circuit board, and accordingly, the first housing portion provides a larger accommodation space.

[0012] Exemplarily, the other of the first circuit board and the second circuit board may be a main circuit board. The main circuit board is configured to drive the power device module and / or control the components in the power supply module. Exemplarily, the main circuit board may be integrated with a control unit and a drive unit, the control unit may include a main control MCU and phase current sampling, resolver sampling and other circuits, and the drive unit may include an IGBT drive chip and high-voltage sampling, active discharge, passive discharge and other circuits. The present disclosure is not limited to this, and the control unit and the drive unit may also increase or decrease the corresponding circuits according to actual needs, as long as the drive and control functions can be realized. The main circuit board may also include a connector integrated on the circuit board, and the external signal of the power module can be transmitted through the connector.

[0013] In some examples, the first number of mounting posts have mounting surfaces disposed at ends thereof, and the shield plate and the first circuit board are press-mounted to the mounting surfaces by first fasteners.

[0014] According to the above features, the shielding plate and the first circuit board are pressed against and mounted to the mounting surface by the first fastener. The mounting surface may be provided with a matching feature, such as a threaded hole, and the first fastener may be, for example, a screw. Accordingly, the shielding plate and the first circuit board may be provided with through holes at positions corresponding to the mounting surface, so that the screws pass through the through holes of the shielding plate and the first circuit board and are threadedly mounted on the mounting column. Other mounting methods are also feasible, such as mounting by snap-fit, welding connection or other mounting and fastening methods commonly used in the art.

[0015] In some examples, each of the plurality of mounting arms has a mounting tab disposed at a free end thereof, and the mounting tab is connected to the body via a flexible pivot portion.

[0016] The flexible pivot is advantageous for handling manufacturing tolerances and assembly tolerances. The flexible pivot can be pivoted relative to the mounting arm, in other words, relative to the shielding plate, so that the mounting tab and the mounting arm can be adapted to mounting surfaces of different heights, preventing over-positioning.

[0017] In some examples, before installation, a first height of the mounting tab from the main body is equal to or less than a second height corresponding to the mounting surface from the main body, such that no gap exists between the mounting tab and the mounting surface.

[0018] According to the above features, when the first height is equal to or less than the second height, there is no gap between the mounting protrusion and the mounting surface, and when mounted in place, the flexible pivot portion will pivot relative to the shielding plate in a direction away from the shielding plate body.

[0019] In some examples, before installation, a first height of the mounting tab from the main body is greater than a second height corresponding to the mounting surface from the main body, such that a gap exists between the mounting tab and the mounting surface.

[0020] According to the above features, when the first height is greater than the second height, there is a gap between the mounting protrusion and the mounting surface, and when mounted in place, the flexible pivot portion will pivot relative to the shielding plate in a direction close to the shielding plate body.

[0021] In some examples, the second circuit board is mounted to the housing by a second fastener, and the shielding plate further includes a protrusion disposed on the main body and protruding in a direction toward the first circuit board, the protrusion being used to accommodate at least a portion of the second fastener.

[0022] Since the second circuit board needs to be mounted to the housing by, for example, a second fastener, the second fastener will inevitably protrude a certain height relative to the second circuit board. The shielding plate is provided with a protruding portion, which can stagger the protruding height of the second fastener, so that the shielding plate is closer to the second circuit board, the shielding effect is better, and the size in the vertical direction is more compact.

[0023] In some examples, the shell periphery has a supporting edge, and the main body abuts against the supporting edge along the installation direction.

[0024] In some examples, a compressible conductive material is disposed between the housing and the shielding plate, and the compressible conductive material is arranged corresponding to the supporting edge.

[0025] In some examples, the compressible conductive material includes an elastomeric material, such as foam material, foam, rubber, etc.

[0026] According to the above features, compressible conductive material is arranged at the position of the supporting edge corresponding to the periphery of the shell, so that the shell and the shielding plate are in conductive contact, thereby improving the shielding capability. In addition, the compressible conductive material can also adapt to manufacturing and assembly tolerances and provide installation margin.

[0027] In some examples, the mounting arm is formed by stamping and bending the body.

[0028] According to the above features, the mounting arm can be integrally formed by the shielding plate body through a stamping process. Alternatively, the mounting arm can also be formed as a separate part and fixed to the body through a fastener.

[0029] In another aspect, the present invention further provides a power supply system, comprising the power supply module as described above. As the power supply system comprises all the technical features of the power supply module as described above, the power supply system also has corresponding technical effects and advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only relate to some embodiments of the present disclosure, but are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 1 A partial view of a power module according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 2 A perspective view of a housing according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0033] Figure 3 A three-dimensional view of a power module according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein the first circuit board is omitted;

[0034] Figure 4 A three-dimensional view of a power module according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein the first circuit board and the shielding plate are omitted;

[0035] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a filter circuit board according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0036] Figure 6 A top schematic diagram of a shielding plate according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0037] Figure 7 A bottom schematic diagram of a shielding plate according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0038] Figure 8 A partial cross-sectional view of a power module according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0039] Fig. 9 A highly schematic diagram of a mounting tab in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the technical solution of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the drawings of specific embodiments of the present invention. The same figure marks in the drawings represent the same parts. It should be noted that the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used herein shall have the usual meanings understood by persons of ordinary skill in the field to which the present invention belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the patent application specification and claims of the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, words such as "one" or "one" do not necessarily indicate a quantity limitation. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0042] As is known to all, an electric or hybrid vehicle has an electric drive assembly system, which includes an electric motor and other electrical devices, such as a power converter, which need to be powered by a power module, which generally includes a housing and a main circuit board.

[0043] Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) refers to the ability of a device or system to work properly in its electromagnetic environment and not cause any electromagnetic disturbance that cannot be tolerated by anything in the environment. According to the definition of EMC, electronic equipment must meet EMC design indicators. On the one hand, it is necessary to ensure that the electronic equipment has a certain degree of immunity to the electromagnetic interference in the environment in which it is located, and on the other hand, it is required that the electromagnetic interference generated by the electronic equipment to the environment in the process of operation does not exceed the specified limit.

[0044] When designing an EMC solution, a filter circuit board assembly is usually set on the transmission path, including filter capacitors, resistors and other components. The filter circuit board assembly is large in size and size, which is challenging for applications in compact design spaces.

[0045] As more and more compact products are popularized in vehicles, multiple circuit boards usually need to be stacked vertically in a housing. In order to meet the requirements of electromagnetic compatibility, they also need to be shielded by metal shielding plates and metal housings.

[0046] However, the installation space for mounting the circuit board and the shielding plate on the housing is limited. For example, the circuit board and the shielding plate usually need to be fixed to the housing by fasteners such as screws, and the housing needs to be provided with mounting bosses or mounting columns accordingly, which takes up more space. Therefore, the space for the circuit board is drastically squeezed, which may cause many problems and, in some cases, even make the circuit board design impossible.

[0047] Therefore, in order to arrange multiple circuit boards and shielding plates in a limited housing space and meet the requirements of vehicle integration and compact design, a power module of the present disclosure and a power supply system including such a power module are proposed.

[0048] Various embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, it should be noted that in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are given to components having substantially the same or similar structures and functions, and repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0049] Compared to the embodiments shown in the drawings, feasible implementations within the scope of the present disclosure may have fewer components, other components not shown in the drawings, different components, differently arranged components, or differently connected components, etc., for example, may include only one circuit board. In addition, without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, two or more components in the drawings may be implemented in a single component, or a single component shown in the drawings may be implemented as multiple separate components.

[0050] For the purpose of concise description, the present disclosure will provide a detailed description of the main relevant structures and components of the power module, and simplify or omit the description of other common structures of the power module, such as the housing cover, electrical interface, sealing strip, circuit elements on the first circuit board and the second circuit board, etc.

[0051] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the power module 100 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a housing 1, a first circuit board 2, a shielding plate 3, a second circuit board 4 and a housing cover 5. The first circuit board 2, the shielding plate 3 and the second circuit board 4 are arranged along Figure 1 The mounting direction A shown is from top to bottom and is compactly arranged and mounted in sequence in the housing 1 and sealed by the housing cover 5. In this embodiment, the first circuit board 2 is a main circuit board, and the second circuit board 4 is a filter circuit board.

[0052] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the housing 1 is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the housing 1 includes an internal accommodating space and a plurality of mounting posts 11 extending from the bottom of the accommodating space inside the housing 1. Among them, a portion of the mounting posts 11 is used to fix the first circuit board 2 and the shielding plate 3, hereinafter referred to as the first mounting posts 13. Another portion of the mounting posts 11 is used to fix the second circuit board 4, hereinafter referred to as the second mounting posts 14. The mounting surfaces 131 of the first mounting posts 13 are substantially on the same horizontal plane, and the mounting surfaces 141 of the second mounting posts 14 are substantially on another horizontal plane and are lower than the plane where the mounting surfaces 131 of the first mounting posts 13 are located.

[0053] The shielding plate 3 is disposed between the bottom of the housing 1 and the first circuit board 2 and is made of a metal material. In this embodiment, the shielding plate 3 is disposed between the first circuit board 2 and the second circuit board 4 .

[0054] like Figure 6 and Fig. 9 As shown, the shielding plate 3 includes a main body 30, a plurality of mounting arms 31 and a protrusion 33. The plurality of mounting arms 31 extend away from the main body 30 toward the first circuit board 2, for example, in a direction opposite to the mounting direction A. One end of the plurality of mounting arms 31 is connected to the main body 30, and the other end is a free end. The mounting arms 31 are formed by stamping and bending the main body 30.

[0055] Each of the plurality of mounting arms 31 has a mounting tab 32 disposed at a free end thereof, and the mounting tab 32 is connected to the main body 30 via a flexible pivot portion 34 .

[0056] The protrusion 33 is provided on the main body 30 and protrudes in a direction toward the first circuit board 2 . The protrusion 33 is used to accommodate at least a part of a screw used to fix the second circuit board 4 .

[0057] For details on the arrangement and connection of the first circuit board 2, the shielding plate 3 and the second circuit board 4 in the housing 1, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The shielding plate 3 separates the housing 1 into a first housing portion 15 and a second housing portion 16 along the installation direction A. The first housing portion 15 is used to accommodate the first circuit board 2, and the second housing portion 16 is used to accommodate the second circuit board 2. Since the second circuit board 2 is a filter circuit board, its size and volume are relatively large, so the volume of the second housing portion 16 is larger than that of the first housing portion 15.

[0058] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The second circuit board 4 is shown. The second circuit board 4 is mounted to the mounting surface 141 of the second mounting column 14 of the housing 1 by fasteners, such as screws. The second circuit board 4 includes a PCB board and filtering elements (capacitors, resistors and / or inductors, etc.) mounted on the PCB board.

[0059] Figure 8 A partial cross-sectional view of the power module of this embodiment is shown, specifically showing this specific mounting arrangement. The shielding plate 3 and the first circuit board 2 are mounted to the mounting surface 131 of the first mounting column 13, such as a screw hole, by screw pressing. The second circuit board 4 is mounted to the mounting surface 141 of the second mounting column 14, such as a screw hole, by screw pressing.

[0060] Fig. 9 FIG. 2 shows a highly schematic diagram of the mounting tab 32 of this embodiment. Fig. 9As shown, the distance from the mounting tab 32 to the main body 30 before installation is defined as a first height h1, which can be specifically the distance from the mounting tab 32 to the main body 30, and a second height h2 from the mounting surface 131 to the main body 30 is defined. In this embodiment, h1 is greater than h2, so before installation, there is a gap between the mounting tab 32 and the mounting surface 131. After being tightened by the screw, the mounting tab 32 is pressed against the mounting surface 131, and it is easy to imagine that the flexible pivot portion 34 pivots in the clockwise direction in the figure.

[0061] In an alternative embodiment not shown, h1 may be equal to or less than h2. In this alternative embodiment, there is no gap between the mounting protrusion 32 and the mounting surface 131 before installation, but after the screw is tightened, the flexible pivot portion 34 will also pivot accordingly, for example, in a counterclockwise direction or in a direction away from the main body 30.

[0062] Figure 7 The bottom schematic diagram of the shielding plate 3 is shown. The main body 30 of the shielding plate 3 can be against the supporting edge of the periphery of the housing 1 along the installation direction, and a compressible conductive material can be provided between the housing 1 and the shielding plate 3, and the compressible conductive material is arranged corresponding to the supporting edge. The compressible conductive material has both conductive and compressible physical properties, and can include, for example, an elastomeric material, such as a foam material, foam, rubber, etc. The present disclosure is not limited to this, and other common compressible conductive materials in the art are also feasible.

[0063] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a power supply system, comprising the power module as described above. The power supply system is used, for example, for powering electric or hybrid vehicles.

[0064] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided, the vehicle comprising a power source as described above and having the functions as described above. The vehicle may be an electrified vehicle, such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), an extended range electric vehicle (Range extendedEV), or a fuel cell vehicle (FCEV). The vehicle may also be a hydrogen energy vehicle.

[0065] The exemplary implementation of the power module and the power supply system proposed in the present invention is described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments. However, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the above specific embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention. In addition, various technical features and structures proposed in various aspects of the present invention can also be combined in various ways without exceeding the protection scope of the present invention, which is determined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A power module, comprising: a housing including a plurality of mounting posts extending from a bottom thereof; a first circuit board configured to be connected to the housing via a first number of mounting posts among the plurality of mounting posts; as well as a shielding plate configured to be disposed between the bottom of the housing and the first circuit board, comprising a main body and a plurality of mounting arms extending away from the main body toward the first circuit board; The plurality of mounting arms are configured to correspond to the first number of mounting posts, and the shielding plate is connected to the housing via cooperation between the mounting arms and the mounting posts.

2. The power module according to claim 1, further comprising: a second circuit board configured to be connected to the housing via a second number of mounting posts among the plurality of mounting posts, The shielding plate separates the shell into a first shell part and a second shell part along the installation direction, the first shell part is used to accommodate the first circuit board, and the second shell part is used to accommodate the second circuit board, wherein one of the first circuit board and the second circuit board is a filter circuit board.

3. The power module according to claim 1, wherein: The first number of mounting posts have mounting surfaces disposed at ends thereof, and the shielding plate and the first circuit board are press-mounted to the mounting surfaces by first fasteners.

4. The power module according to claim 3, wherein: Each of the plurality of mounting arms has a mounting tab disposed at a free end thereof, and the mounting tab is connected to the main body via a flexible pivot portion.

5. The power module according to claim 4, wherein: Before installation, a first height from the mounting protrusion to the main body is equal to or smaller than a second height from the mounting surface to the main body, so that there is no gap between the mounting protrusion and the mounting surface.

6. The power module according to claim 4, wherein: Before installation, a first height from the mounting protrusion to the main body is greater than a second height from the mounting surface to the main body, so that a gap exists between the mounting protrusion and the mounting surface.

7. The power module according to claim 2, wherein: The second circuit board is mounted to the housing through a second fastener, and the shielding plate further includes a protrusion provided on the main body and protruding in a direction toward the first circuit board, wherein the protrusion is used to accommodate at least a portion of the second fastener.

8. The power module according to claim 1, wherein: The shell periphery has a supporting edge, and the main body abuts against the supporting edge along the installation direction.

9. The power module according to claim 8, wherein: A compressible conductive material is disposed between the housing and the shielding plate, and the compressible conductive material is arranged corresponding to the supporting edge.

10. The power module according to claim 9, wherein: The compressible conductive material includes an elastomeric material.

11. The power module according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The mounting arm is formed by stamping and bending the main body.

12. A power supply system, comprising the power supply module according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A vehicle comprising the power supply system according to claim 12.

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