Power assembly and inverter

Abstract

The utility model provides a power assembly and an inverter, the power assembly comprises a liquid cooling heat dissipation module and a power module, and the liquid cooling heat dissipation module is provided with a liquid cooling cavity and a heat dissipation structure arranged in the liquid cooling cavity; the power modules are arranged on the liquid cooling heat dissipation module and located on the outer surface of the liquid cooling cavity, and the power modules are arranged on the two opposite sides of the liquid cooling cavity. Compared with the prior art that each power module of a dual inverter needs to be provided with a group of water cooling structures in a matched manner, the power modules are arranged on the outer surfaces of the two opposite sides of the liquid cooling cavity, and heat dissipation can be carried out on the power modules on the two sides under the action of the cooling liquid flowing in the cavity and the heat dissipation structure; therefore, the two power modules of the double inverters share the same group of water cooling structures, the heat dissipation efficiency can be improved, the overall integration level of the power assembly is improved, the size is reduced, and the overall structure is more compact.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of inverters, in particular to a power component and an inverter. Background Art

[0002] The vehicle inverter is one of the key components of new energy vehicles. Its main function is to convert the DC high voltage voltage input by the high-voltage battery into AC voltage, and receive control instructions from the outside through the controller area network (CAN) bus to drive and control the motor. Existing inverters are divided into single inverters and dual inverters, which are suitable for electric vehicles with different driving requirements.

[0003] Dual inverters can be applied to hybrid vehicles and pure electric vehicles, and their overall technical iteration trend presents the characteristics of miniaturization, high power density, high integration, etc. In this context, the dual inverter power module 10 is required to be small in size and highly integrated, and can be adapted to different assembly arrangements to achieve high power density while being compatible with the adaptation requirements of different vehicle models.

[0004] The power module 10 of the current mainstream inverter has the problem that its water cooling structure occupies a large space, and the circuit board installation and fixation occupies a large volume, which makes the overall power density of the power module 10 low and the installation complicated. The dual inverter needs to use two sets of power modules 10 and water cooling structure, and the integration of the overall structural design will greatly affect the volume of the dual inverter product.

[0005] There are two common methods for cooling the power module 10:

[0006] See also Figure 1 The first method is to integrate a pin-fin heat dissipation structure (pinfin structure) on the power module 10, that is, a power module 10 with a pinfin structure, but it is necessary to use a sealing ring 20 and a screw fastening assembly with the housing 30 to form a closed water channel, so that the coolant can take away the heat on the pinfin structure and achieve heat dissipation of the power module 10. For a dual inverter, this method requires two sets of power modules 10 to be installed flat, which occupies a large volume, and requires two sets of sealing rings 20 and two sets of screw fastening assemblies. The installation is relatively complicated and has many parts.

[0007] See also Figure 2 The second method is that the power module 10 adopts double-sided water cooling, and a thermal conductive adhesive 50 is used between the power module 10 and the cooling plate to dissipate heat. This method belongs to indirect water cooling. On the basis of considering two water cooling plates 40, the heat dissipation cost and volume are increased, and the installation is more complicated.

[0008] A common method for fixing the circuit board is to install a support plate in the housing 30 for mounting the circuit board. The support plate requires a separate installation space and occupies a large height space in the overall arrangement.

[0009] Therefore, designing a power component with high integration, compact structure, few parts for installation, simple installation method and applicable to dual inverters has become an urgent problem to be solved in the dual inverter assembly technology of new energy vehicles. Utility Model Content

[0010] The utility model aims to provide a power component and an inverter to solve the problem that the design of the water cooling structure of the current dual inverter for automobiles leads to a large overall volume of the power module, a low integration level and a complex installation.

[0011] In order to solve the above technical problems, based on one aspect of the utility model, the utility model provides a power component, which includes a liquid cooling module and a power module;

[0012] The liquid cooling heat dissipation module comprises a liquid cooling cavity and a heat dissipation structure arranged in the liquid cooling cavity;

[0013] The power module is arranged on the liquid cooling heat dissipation module and is located on the outer surface of the liquid cooling cavity, and the power modules are arranged on two opposite sides of the liquid cooling cavity.

[0014] Optionally, the liquid-cooled heat dissipation module includes two liquid-cooling plates, which are welded to form the liquid-cooling cavity between their respective sides facing each other, and the power module is installed on each side of the two liquid-cooling plates facing away from each other.

[0015] Optionally, the heat dissipation structure is a water channel fin or a heat dissipation fin pin; the heat dissipation structure is welded on the liquid cooling plate.

[0016] Optionally, the power module includes a plurality of power units arranged on the liquid cooling plate at intervals from each other.

[0017] Optionally, the power module includes a U-phase power unit, a V-phase power unit and a W-phase power unit.

[0018] Optionally, the U-phase power unit, the V-phase power unit and the W-phase power unit are arranged in a colinear manner and in sequence.

[0019] Optionally, a metal welding layer is provided on each surface of the two liquid cooling plates facing away from each other, and the liquid cooling plates are welded to the power module through the metal welding layer.

[0020] Optionally, the liquid cooling plate and the power module are welded by vapor phase welding or reflow welding.

[0021] Optionally, the power component also includes a circuit board; the circuit board is mounted on one of the liquid cooling plates, and the power module is located between the liquid cooling plate and the circuit board; the power modules mounted on the two liquid cooling plates are electrically connected to the circuit board.

[0022] Optionally, the power assembly further includes two circuit boards, which are respectively mounted on the two liquid cooling plates, and the two circuit boards are respectively electrically connected to the power modules on the corresponding liquid cooling plates, and the power modules are located between the corresponding liquid cooling plates and the circuit boards.

[0023] Optionally, the circuit board and the liquid cooling plate are mounted by screw connection or welding;

[0024] Optionally, the liquid cooling plate has a plurality of connection columns protruding toward the circuit board, and the liquid cooling plate is connected to the circuit board by welding or screws through the connection columns.

[0025] Based on another aspect of the utility model, the utility model also provides an inverter, which includes the power component as described above.

[0026] In summary, in the power component and inverter of the utility model, the power component includes a liquid-cooled heat dissipation module and a power module, the liquid-cooled heat dissipation module has a liquid-cooled cavity and a heat dissipation structure arranged in the liquid-cooled cavity; the power module is arranged on the liquid-cooled heat dissipation module and is located on the outer surface of the liquid-cooled cavity, and the power modules are arranged on the opposite sides of the liquid-cooled cavity. Compared with the prior art that each power module of the dual inverter needs to be designed with a set of water-cooling structures, the utility model is provided with power modules on the outer surfaces of the opposite sides of the liquid-cooled cavity, and the power modules on both sides can be cooled by the coolant flowing in the cavity and the heat dissipation structure, so that the two power modules of the dual inverter share the same set of water-cooling structures, which can improve the heat dissipation efficiency, improve the overall integration of the power component, reduce the volume, and make the overall structure more compact.

[0027] It should be noted that the inverter includes the power components described above, and therefore also has the technical effects brought by the power components, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Those skilled in the art should understand that the drawings provided are for a better understanding of the present invention and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a water cooling design of a power module in the prior art;

[0030] Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of a water cooling design for a power module in the prior art;

[0031] Figure 3 It is an exploded diagram of a power component of an embodiment of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 4 It is an assembly diagram of a power component of an embodiment of the utility model;

[0033] Figure 5 It is an exploded view of a liquid cooling module of a power component according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0034] In the attached figure:

[0035] 10-power module; 20-sealing ring; 30-housing; 40-water cooling plate; 50-thermal conductive adhesive;

[0036] 11-U phase power unit; 12-V phase power unit; 13-W phase power unit;

[0037] 60-liquid cooling module; 61-heat dissipation structure; 62-liquid cooling plate; 63-metal welding layer; 64-connecting column;

[0038] 70-Circuit board. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the purpose, advantages and features of the utility model clearer, the utility model is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and are not drawn to scale, and are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the utility model. In addition, the structure shown in the drawings is often a part of the actual structure. In particular, the emphasis of each drawing is different, and sometimes different scales are used.

[0040] As used in the present invention, the singular forms "one", "an" and "the" include plural objects, the term "or" is usually used to include the meaning of "and / or", the term "several" is usually used to include the meaning of "at least one", and the term "at least two" is usually used to include the meaning of "two or more". In addition, the terms "first", "second" and "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" and "third" may explicitly or implicitly include one or at least two of the features, "one end" and "the other end" and "the proximal end" and "the distal end" generally refer to two corresponding parts, which not only include the endpoints, and the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. In addition, as used in the present invention, an element disposed on another element generally only indicates that there is a connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission relationship between the two elements, and the connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission between the two elements may be direct or indirect through an intermediate element, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the spatial position relationship between the two elements, that is, an element may be in any orientation such as inside, outside, above, below or on one side of another element, unless otherwise clearly indicated in the content. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0041] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of a power component of an embodiment of the utility model. Figure 4 This is an assembly diagram of a power component of an embodiment of the utility model. Figure 3 and Figure 4 An embodiment of the utility model schematically provides a power component suitable for a dual inverter, the power component includes a liquid cooling heat dissipation module 60 and a power module 10, the liquid cooling heat dissipation module 60 has a liquid cooling cavity and a heat dissipation structure 61 ( Figure 5As shown in the figure, the power module 10 is arranged on the liquid cooling heat dissipation module 60 and is located on the outer surface of the liquid cooling cavity, and the power modules 10 are arranged on the opposite sides of the liquid cooling cavity, and the heat generated by the power module 10 during operation can be conducted to the heat dissipation structure 61. It should be noted that the liquid cooling cavity has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, and the coolant enters the liquid cooling cavity from the liquid inlet and flows out of the liquid cooling cavity from the liquid outlet, so that the heat on the heat dissipation structure 61 is taken out by the coolant to achieve heat dissipation of the power module 10. It is immediately known to those skilled in the art that the function of the inverter is to convert direct current into alternating current, and the dual inverter can output two alternating currents based on the configuration of two groups of power components, one alternating current is output to the driving motor for the vehicle, and the other alternating current is output to the generator for the vehicle. Correspondingly, the power component of this embodiment includes a power module 10 that matches the driving motor and a power module 10 that matches the generator, and the two power modules 10 are respectively arranged on the outer surfaces of the opposite sides of the cooling cavity. Thus, compared with the prior art in which each power module 10 of the dual inverter needs to be designed with a set of water cooling structures, the utility model is provided with power modules 10 on the outer surfaces of the opposite sides of the liquid cooling cavity, and the power modules 10 on both sides can be cooled by the coolant flowing in the cavity and the heat dissipation structure 61, so that the two power modules 10 of the dual inverter share the same set of water cooling structures, which can improve the heat dissipation efficiency, improve the overall integration of the power components, reduce the volume, and make the overall structure more compact.

[0042] Figure 5 FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a liquid cooling module 60 of a power component according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 , further, the liquid cooling heat dissipation module 60 includes two liquid cooling plates 62, preferably, the two liquid cooling plates 62 are parallel to each other, and the two liquid cooling plates 62 are welded to form a closed liquid cooling cavity between the sides facing each other, and the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet can be respectively arranged on both sides of the liquid cooling cavity along the length direction of the liquid cooling plate 62, and the power module 10 is installed on the sides of the two liquid cooling plates 62 facing away from each other. In one embodiment, a groove is provided on one surface of at least one liquid cooling plate 62, and based on the design of the groove, the two liquid cooling plates 62 can form the liquid cooling cavity through the groove between the two ends facing each other after welding. The heat dissipation structure 61 can be welded in the groove. Compared with the prior art that requires the cooperation of the sealing ring 20 and the fastening assembly with the housing 30 to design a closed waterway, this embodiment can form a liquid cooling cavity by directly welding the two liquid cooling plates 62, and does not require the design of sealing structures such as the sealing ring 20, thereby saving parts.

[0043] In one embodiment, the heat dissipation structure 61 is a water channel fin, and is welded to the liquid cooling plates 62 on both sides. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that after the water channel fin is welded between the two liquid cooling plates 62, a number of parallel flow channels can be formed in the liquid cooling cavity, and the coolant flows through the parallel flow channels after entering, and then is discharged from the liquid cooling cavity to achieve heat dissipation of the power module 10. In another embodiment, the heat dissipation structure 61 is a heat dissipation fin pin, that is, a commonly used pinfin structure, and a plurality of heat dissipation fin pins are welded to the liquid cooling plates 62 on both sides. The heat generated by the power module 10 during operation is conducted to the heat dissipation fin pins, and the coolant entering and exiting the cooling cavity takes away the heat from the heat dissipation fin pins to achieve heat dissipation.

[0044] Further, see Figure 3 The power module 10 includes a plurality of power units, including a U-phase power unit 11, a V-phase power unit 12, and a W-phase power unit 13, which correspond to the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase of the three-phase alternating current, respectively. The U-phase power unit 11, the V-phase power unit 12, and the W-phase power unit 13 are arranged on the outer surface of the liquid cooling cavity at intervals from each other, that is, the U-phase power unit 11, the V-phase power unit 12, and the W-phase power unit 13 are arranged on the side of the corresponding liquid cooling plate 62 away from the other liquid cooling plate 62 at intervals from each other, for example, the U-phase power unit 11, the V-phase power unit 12, and the W-phase power unit 13 are arranged on the liquid cooling plate 62 in a colinear manner and at intervals in sequence. In one embodiment, the power module 10 may be an IGBT module, and the power unit is an IGBT.

[0045] Furthermore, the liquid cooling plate 62 and the power module 10 are welded together. Generally, the material of the liquid cooling plate 62 is different from the material of the outer surface of the power module 10, and a metal welding layer 63 ( Figure 3 As shown), the metal material of the metal welding layer 63 is the same as the metal material of the outer surface of the power module 10, so that the liquid cooling plate 62 is welded to the power module 10 through the metal welding layer 63 to achieve the welding connection between the liquid cooling plate 62 and the power module 10. In one embodiment, the material of the liquid cooling plate 62 is aluminum, and the metal welding layer 63 formed into a copper layer is sprayed on the liquid cooling plate 62, and the liquid cooling plate 62 is welded to the power module 10 through the copper layer. Furthermore, the welding method between the liquid cooling plate 62 and the power module 10 is vapor phase welding or reflow welding. In this way, compared with the prior art method of using fasteners (such as screws) to achieve the connection between the power module 10 and the liquid cooling plate 62, the power module 10 in this embodiment is directly welded to the liquid cooling plate 62, which reduces the installation of mechanical parts and can improve the vibration resistance between the power module 10 and the liquid cooling plate 62 during vehicle operation.

[0046] Further, see Figure 3 and Figure 4, the power assembly further includes a circuit board 70. In one embodiment, the number of the circuit boards 70 is two, and the two circuit boards 70 are respectively mounted on the two liquid cooling plates 62. Preferably, the circuit boards 70 are parallel to the liquid cooling plates 62, and the two circuit boards 70 are respectively electrically connected to the power modules 10 on the corresponding liquid cooling plates 62, and the power modules 10 are located between the corresponding liquid cooling plates 62 and the circuit boards 70. In another embodiment, the number of the circuit boards 70 is one, and the circuit board 70 is mounted on one of the liquid cooling plates 62, and the power module 10 is located between the liquid cooling plates 62 and the circuit boards 70; the power modules 10 mounted on the two liquid cooling plates 62 are both electrically connected to the circuit boards 70, so that the control and driving functions of the two power modules 10 can be integrated on one circuit board 70. In addition, compared with the prior art which requires an additional support plate to be provided inside the shell 30 to install the circuit board 70, this embodiment directly installs the circuit board 70 on the liquid cooling plate 62 and directly welds the power module 10 on the liquid cooling plate 62, which can save installation components and reflects that the liquid cooling plate 62 itself can be used as a support member to install the power module 10 and the circuit board 70, making the overall power component highly integrated.

[0047] Furthermore, the circuit board 70 and the liquid cooling plate 62 may be mounted by screw connection or welding. In one embodiment, the liquid cooling plate 62 has a plurality of connection posts 64 protruding toward the circuit board, and the liquid cooling plate 62 may be screwed to the circuit board 70 or welded to the circuit board 70 through the connection posts 64.

[0048] Based on the above-mentioned power components, the utility model also provides an inverter, specifically a dual inverter. The inverter of this embodiment includes the above-mentioned power components. The inverter of this embodiment can be used to convert direct current into two three-phase alternating current outputs, one of which is output to the vehicle-mounted drive motor, and the other is output to the vehicle-mounted generator. Further, the inverter also includes a housing 30 and a bus capacitor. The power components and the bus capacitor are both arranged in the housing 30. The bus capacitor can be used to store energy, balance voltage and current, and prevent electromagnetic interference. Those skilled in the art can learn about other structural components of the inverter and the working distance of the inverter based on the prior art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0049] Although the utility model is disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, the above embodiments are not intended to limit the utility model. For any technician familiar with the art, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the utility model, the above disclosed technical content can be used to make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the utility model, or modified into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes. Therefore, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the utility model without departing from the content of the technical solution of the utility model still falls within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the utility model.

Claims

1. A power component, characterized in that: Including liquid cooling module and power module; The liquid cooling heat dissipation module comprises a liquid cooling cavity and a heat dissipation structure arranged in the liquid cooling cavity; The power module is arranged on the liquid cooling heat dissipation module and is located on the outer surface of the liquid cooling cavity, and the power modules are arranged on two opposite sides of the liquid cooling cavity.

2. The power component according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid cooling heat dissipation module comprises two liquid cooling plates, which are welded to form the liquid cooling cavity between their respective sides facing each other, and the power modules are mounted on the respective sides of the two liquid cooling plates facing away from each other.

3. The power assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heat dissipation structure is a water channel fin or a heat dissipation fin pin; the heat dissipation structure is welded on the liquid cooling plate.

4. The power assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power module includes a plurality of power units arranged on the liquid cooling plate at intervals from each other.

5. The power assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: A metal welding layer is provided on each of the two liquid cooling plates on a surface facing away from each other, and the liquid cooling plate is welded to the power module via the metal welding layer.

6. The power component according to claim 5, characterized in that: The liquid cooling plate and the power module are welded by vapor phase welding or reflow welding.

7. The power assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power assembly also includes a circuit board; the circuit board is mounted on one of the liquid cooling plates, and the power module is located between the liquid cooling plate and the circuit board; the power modules mounted on the two liquid cooling plates are electrically connected to the circuit board.

8. The power assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power assembly also includes two circuit boards, which are respectively mounted on the two liquid cooling plates. The two circuit boards are respectively electrically connected to the power modules on the corresponding liquid cooling plates, and the power modules are located between the corresponding liquid cooling plates and the circuit boards.

9. The power assembly according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The liquid cooling plate has a plurality of connection columns protruding toward the circuit board, and the liquid cooling plate is connected to the circuit board by welding or screws through the connection columns.

10. An inverter, characterized in that: The invention comprises the power component as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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