Power distribution module with cooled busbars

Abstract

A power distribution module with a cooled busbar includes a housing and a busbar disposed within the housing, the busbar having a first end connected to an input conductor extending out of the housing and a second end connected to an electrical device located within the housing, the busbar having a cooling conduit extending therethrough, a first end of the cooling conduit is connected to the cooling device by a cooling line, and wherein a second end of the cooling conduit is connected to the discharge port of the housing by a discharge line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of power distribution devices, and more specifically to power distribution modules having actively cooled busbars. Background Technology

[0002] The power distribution module (sometimes called the "power distribution unit") in an electric vehicle (EV) is a critical component that distributes electrical power from the vehicle's main battery to various subsystems, such as the motor, charger, and auxiliary systems. The power distribution module (PDM) acts as a central hub for power routing, voltage regulation, and protection via circuit breakers, relays, and fuses. The PDM facilitates the safe and efficient delivery of power to critical components while managing the high voltage and high current conditions common in EV systems.

[0003] Busbars in a PDM (Power Delivery System) are metal strips or bars that act as conductors to carry large amounts of current. Typically made of copper or aluminum, busbars provide a low-resistance path for the current and help organize the distribution of electrical power to the different circuits connected to the busbars within the vehicle. The high current required for EV operation can generate significant heat in the busbars. Excessive heat in the busbars, if not properly managed, can cause several problems:

[0004] Increased resistance – As the busbar temperature rises, the resistance of the conductive material in the busbar also increases. This further exacerbates the heat problem in a cycle known as “thermal runaway,” leading to more heat generation and reduced power transmission efficiency.

[0005] Material degradation – Over time, high temperatures can cause busbar materials to degrade, especially at joints and connections. This can lead to oxidation, corrosion, or softening of the material, particularly if the busbar is made of aluminum.

[0006] Insulation damage – Excessive heat may damage the insulation material around the busbar, causing short circuits, reduced electrical performance, or arcing between components, resulting in serious safety risks.

[0007] Thermal expansion – As the busbars heat up, they expand, which can lead to mechanical stress or loose connections in the mounting structure and components. These loose connections, in turn, can increase drag and cause further heat generation.

[0008] Thermal stress on surrounding components—heat generated by the busbars can also affect nearby components in the PDM, such as relays, capacitors, and semiconductors. This can cause these components to fail prematurely or degrade in performance, reducing the overall reliability of the EV's electrical system.

[0009] It is precisely because of these and other considerations that the improvements of the present invention may be useful. Summary of the Invention

[0010] This summary is provided to introduce, in a simplified form, a series of concepts further described below in the detailed embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0011] The power distribution module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a housing and a busbar disposed within the housing, the busbar having a first end connected to an input conductor extending out of the housing and a second end connected to an electrical device located within the housing, the busbar having a cooling conduit extending therethrough, wherein the first end of the cooling conduit is connected to a cooling device via a cooling line, and wherein the second end of the cooling conduit is connected to a discharge port of the housing via a discharge line.

[0012] Another power distribution module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a housing, a first busbar disposed within the housing, the first busbar having a first end connected to an input conductor extending out of the housing and a second end connected to an input of a primary electrical device located within the housing, the first busbar having a cooling conduit extending therethrough, wherein a first end of the cooling conduit is connected to a cooling device via a cooling line, and wherein a second end of the cooling conduit is connected to a discharge port of the housing via a discharge line. The power distribution module may further include a second busbar disposed within the housing and connected to the output of the primary electrical device, a secondary electrical device connected to the first busbar, and a tertiary electrical device connected to the second busbar. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1A This is a top view showing a power distribution module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 1B It is shown Figure 1A A partial perspective view of the power distribution module; and

[0015] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1A A detailed view of the busbars of the power distribution module.

[0016] The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. They are merely illustrative and not intended to depict specific parameters of this disclosure. The drawings are intended to depict exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and should therefore not be considered as limiting the scope. In the drawings, the same numbers represent the same elements.

[0017] Furthermore, for clarity, certain elements in some figures may be omitted or shown off-scale. Cross-sectional views may be in the form of "slices" or "close-up" cross-sectional views, and for clarity, some background lines visible in the "true" cross-sectional view are omitted. Additionally, for clarity, some reference numerals may be omitted in some figures. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Embodiments of the power distribution module (PDM) according to this disclosure will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The PDM may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided to make this disclosure comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the PDM to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, unless otherwise stated, the same reference numerals always refer to the same elements.

[0019] refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B The diagram provides a top view and a partial perspective view of the PDM 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For convenience and clarity, terms such as "top," "bottom," "upper," "lower," "upper part," "lower part," "above," "below," "lateral," "longitudinal," "vertical," and "horizontal," etc., may be used herein to describe the relative positions and orientations of the various components of the PDM 10, all of which are relative to, as shown in, Figure 1A and Figure 1B The terminology refers to the geometry and orientation of the PDM 10 as presented. The terminology will include specifically mentioned words, their derivatives, and words with similar meanings.

[0020] PDM 10 typically includes a housing 12 and a first busbar 14 disposed within the housing 12. The top of the housing 12 may be closed by a cover, which has been omitted for clarity. A first side or first end 16 of the first busbar 14 may be connected to an input conductor 18 extending out of the housing 12. The input conductor 18 may be connected to an electrical power source (e.g., a car battery, not shown) and may be adapted to supply electrical power to the first busbar 14 at a high current (e.g., 1000A or higher) and a high voltage (e.g., 750V or higher). A second side or second end 20 of the first busbar 14 may be connected to an input 22 of a primary electrical device 24 located within the housing 12. Figure 1A and Figure 1B In the illustrated embodiment, the primary electrical device 24 may be an electrical contactor having a control line 25 extending to a low-voltage power supply 26 located outside the housing 12. This disclosure is not limited to this. One or more secondary electrical devices 28 (e.g., fuses, current sensors, relays, etc.) may be connected to the first busbar 14 and may be located inside or outside the housing 12.

[0021] In various embodiments, and as Figure 1A As shown, the second busbar 30 may be housed within the housing 12 and may be connected to the output 32 of the primary electrical device 24. One or more tertiary electrical devices 34 (e.g., fuses, current sensors, relays, etc.) may be connected to the second busbar 30 and may be located inside or outside the housing 12. Thus, in embodiments where the primary electrical device 24 is an electrical contactor or a similar electrical switching device, the primary electrical device 24 may be operated to selectively allow current supplied by the conductor 18 to flow from the first busbar 14 to the second busbar 30 and the tertiary electrical devices 34 connected to the second busbar. In various embodiments, the second busbar 30 and the tertiary electrical devices 34 may be omitted entirely, and the output 32 of the primary electrical device 24 may alternatively be connected to an output conductor extending out of the housing 12 for connection to one or more electrical components located outside the housing 12. This disclosure is not limited to this.

[0022] PDM 10 may further include a cooling device 36 located within housing 12. In various embodiments, the cooling device 36 may be an electric fan connected to the same low-voltage power supply 26 connected to the primary electrical device 24. This disclosure is not limited to this. The output of the cooling device 36 may be connected to the first busbar 14 via one or more cooling lines 38. Specifically, as Figure 2 As shown, the first busbar 14 may include a cooling conduit 40 extending therethrough, and a cooling line 38 may be connected to the cooling conduit 40 at a second end 20 of the first busbar 14 via a flexible gasket or plug 42, the flexible gasket or plug 42 being fitted onto the end of the cooling line 38 and extending into the cooling conduit 40 to form a fluid tight seal therebetween. In various embodiments, the cooling conduit 40 may be formed by drilling or otherwise in the first busbar 14. This disclosure is not limited to this. A drain line 44 may be connected to the cooling conduit 40 at a first end 16 of the first busbar 14 via a flexible gasket or plug 46, the flexible gasket or plug 46 being fitted onto the end of the drain line 44 and extending into the cooling conduit 40 to form a fluid tight seal therebetween. The drain line 44 may extend to a corresponding drain port 48 formed in the housing 12. Alternative embodiments of this disclosure are contemplated, wherein the cooling device 36 is located outside the housing 12 and is connected to the first busbar 14 via cooling lines extending through the sidewalls of the housing 12. This disclosure is not limited to this.

[0023] During operation of PDM 10, input conductor 18 can supply electrical power to the first busbar 14 to power devices and components connected thereto (e.g., primary electrical device 24, secondary electrical device 28, second busbar 30, tertiary electrical device 34, etc.). The high current supplied by input conductor 18 can cause a significant amount of heat to be generated in the first busbar 14. If left unchecked, this heat can cause damage or degradation to the first busbar 14, surrounding components, and the connections between them. To mitigate the heat, cooling device 36 can be operated to actively cool the first busbar 14. For example, if cooling device 36 is an electric fan, the fan can be activated to force air through cooling line 38 and into cooling duct 40 of the first busbar 14. The air in cooling duct 40 can collect heat from the first busbar 14 and then be discharged through discharge line 44 and discharge port 48. Thus, the temperature of the first busbar 14 can be regulated and maintained below levels where damage or degradation may occur.

[0024] As described above, only the first busbar 14 is provided with cooling conduits 40, which are connected to the cooling device 36 and the discharge port 48 via cooling lines 38 and discharge lines 44, respectively. In various alternative embodiments, the second busbar 30 may similarly be provided with cooling conduits and may similarly be connected to the cooling device and the discharge port via cooling lines and discharge lines. In such embodiments, the cooling device connected to the second busbar 30 may be the same cooling device 36 connected to the first busbar 30, or it may be a similar but separate / independent cooling device. This disclosure is not limited to this.

[0025] As used herein, elements or steps described in the singular and beginning with the words “a” or “one” should be understood to not exclude multiple elements or steps unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” in this disclosure are not intended to exclude the existence of additional embodiments that also include the described features.

[0026] While this disclosure references certain embodiments, many modifications, alterations, and variations may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the field and scope of this disclosure as defined in the appended claims. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the described embodiments, but rather has the full scope defined by the language of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A power distribution module (PDM), comprising: case; and A busbar is disposed within the housing, the busbar having a first end connected to an input conductor extending out of the housing and a second end connected to an electrical device located within the housing, the busbar having a cooling conduit extending therethrough; The first end of the cooling conduit is connected to the cooling device via a cooling pipeline, and the second end of the cooling conduit is connected to the discharge port of the housing via a discharge pipeline.

2. The PDM according to claim 1, wherein, The cooling device is located inside the housing.

3. The PDM according to claim 1, wherein, The cooling device is located outside the housing.

4. The PDM according to claim 1, wherein, The cooling device is an electric fan.

5. The PDM according to claim 1, wherein, The electrical installation is a primary electrical installation, and the PDM further includes secondary electrical installations connected to the busbar.

6. The PDM according to claim 1, wherein, The cooling conduits include a plurality of cooling conduits extending through the busbar, and wherein the discharge ports include a plurality of discharge ports, the plurality of cooling conduits being connected to the cooling device via a plurality of corresponding cooling lines and connected to the plurality of discharge ports via a plurality of corresponding discharge lines.

7. The PDM according to claim 1, wherein, The electrical device is a contactor having an input connected to a second end of the busbar.

8. The PDM according to claim 7, wherein, The busbar is a first busbar, and the contactor has an output connected to a second busbar located within the housing.

9. The PDM according to claim 8, wherein, The electrical device is a primary electrical device, and the PDM further includes a secondary electrical device connected to the first busbar and a tertiary electrical device connected to the second busbar.

10. The PDM according to claim 7, wherein, The contactor includes a control line connected to a low-voltage power supply located outside the housing, and the cooling device is also connected to the low-voltage power supply.

11. A power distribution module (PDM), comprising: case; A first busbar is disposed within the housing, the first busbar having a first end connected to an input conductor extending out of the housing and a second end connected to an input of a primary electrical device located within the housing, the first busbar having a cooling conduit extending therethrough, wherein a first end of the cooling conduit is connected to a cooling device via a cooling line, and wherein a second end of the cooling conduit is connected to a discharge port of the housing via a discharge line. The second busbar is disposed within the housing and connected to the output of the primary electrical device; Secondary electrical installations connected to the first busbar; and A three-stage electrical installation connected to the second busbar.

12. The PDM according to claim 11, wherein, The cooling device is located inside the housing.

13. The PDM according to claim 11, wherein, The cooling device is located outside the housing.

14. The PDM according to claim 11, wherein, The cooling device is an electric fan.

15. The PDM according to claim 11, wherein, The cooling conduits include a plurality of cooling conduits extending through the first busbar, and wherein the discharge ports include a plurality of discharge ports, the plurality of cooling conduits being connected to the cooling device via a plurality of corresponding cooling lines and to the plurality of discharge ports via a plurality of corresponding discharge lines.

16. The PDM according to claim 11, wherein, The electrical device is a contactor.

17. The PDM according to claim 16, wherein, The contactor includes a control line connected to a low-voltage power supply located outside the housing, and the cooling device is also connected to the low-voltage power supply.

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