Inverter

Abstract

To provide an inverter which can improve location accuracy in fixing a three-phase bus bar.SOLUTION: An inverter is used for driving a motor. The inverter comprises: a power module; a cooling device which cools the power module; a three-phase bus bar which connects the motor and the power module; and a case for installing the power module, the cooling device and the three-phase bus bar. The power module has a rectangular shape in plan view. The three-phase bus bar has an L-letter shape in plan view and has a power module connection terminal side part along a longer direction of the power module and a motor connection terminal side part along a shorter direction. The three-phase bus bar is provided on a lower surface of the three-phase bus bar and has the rectangular shape or an elliptical shape in plan view, and a short side of the rectangular shape or a short axis of the elliptical shape has a projection part along the longer direction of the power module. The projection part is fitted into a recessed part provided on the cooling device or the case.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inverter, and more particularly to an inverter capable of improving the positional accuracy when fixing a three-phase bus bar. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a laminated busbar having high positional accuracy at the fixing portion of the busbar even if the busbar has bent portions, and a good quality laminated busbar, and a manufacturing method for manufacturing the laminated busbar.

[0003] This laminated busbar has a plurality of busbars arranged in parallel with gaps therebetween, each busbar having a fixing portion for connecting and fixing to a circuit component and a bent portion, with insulating sheets disposed in the gaps between each busbar, and adhesive filled in the areas of the gaps between each busbar that overlap the busbars to bond one busbar to the other busbar via the insulating sheet.

[0004] Furthermore, when manufacturing a laminated busbar in which multiple busbars, each having a fixing portion for connecting and fixing to a circuit component and a bent portion, are joined via an insulating sheet and adhesive, the method includes a positioning step of positioning and fixing each busbar at a predetermined position with the adhesive interposed therebetween, based on the fixing portion formed on each busbar, and a heating step of heating the adhesive to soften it and then harden it to join the multiple busbars via the insulating sheet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-294040 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the laminated busbar and the manufacturing method of the laminated busbar as disclosed in Patent Document 1 have the following problems: 1) it is costly to use an adhesive; 2) in addition to the busbar assembly process, a heating process is required to heat and soften the adhesive, and then harden it to join multiple busbars via the insulating sheet, which increases the number of processes; 3) it is necessary to create a layout that allows the adhesive to be applied without the busbars overlapping in a planar view, which requires space in a planar view and results in a large size; and 4) if the heights of the overlapping busbars are different, the adhesive will sag when softened, reducing insulation properties and dimensional accuracy.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems associated with the conventional techniques, and has an object to provide an inverter capable of improving the positional accuracy when fixing three-phase bus bars. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] As a result of extensive investigations into achieving the above-mentioned object, the inventors have found that the above-mentioned object can be achieved by arranging a three-phase bus bar having an L-shape in a plan view so as to fit along a power module having a rectangular shape in a plan view, providing a predetermined convex portion on the three-phase bus bar, and fitting the convex portion into a concave portion provided in a cooler or an inverter case of the power module, and have thus completed the present invention.

[0009] That is, the inverter of the present invention is an inverter used to drive a motor, and comprises a power module, a cooler for cooling the power module, a three-phase bus bar connecting the motor and the power module, and a case in which the power module, the cooler, and the three-phase bus bar are installed. The power module has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The three-phase bus bar has an L-shape in a plan view, and has a power module connection terminal side along the longitudinal direction of the power module and a motor connection terminal side along the lateral direction. The three-phase bus bar is provided on the lower surface of the three-phase bus bar, has a rectangular or elliptical shape in a plan view, and has a protrusion whose short side of the rectangular shape or whose short axis of the elliptical shape is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the power module. The protrusion is fitted into a recess provided in the cooler or the case. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, a three-phase busbar having an L-shape in plan view is arranged so as to fit along a power module having a rectangular shape in plan view, the three-phase busbar is provided with the above-mentioned convex portion, and the convex portion is fitted into a concave portion provided in a cooler of the power module or a case of the inverter, thereby providing an inverter that can improve the positional accuracy when fixing the three-phase busbar. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic view of a portion of a first embodiment of an inverter of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic view of a part of the inverter of the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a three-phase bus bar used in the inverter of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of a main part of a case used in the inverter of the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a convex portion of a three-phase bus bar used in the inverter of the first embodiment is fitted into a concave portion provided in a cooler. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic diagram of a recess provided in a cooler used in an inverter of a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of a recess provided in a cooler used in an inverter of a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a schematic view of a part of an inverter according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a schematic view of a part of an inverter according to a third embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a convex portion of a three-phase bus bar used in the inverter of the third embodiment is fitted into a concave portion provided in a cooler. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic diagram of a recess provided in a cooler used in an inverter of a third embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The inverter of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The dimensional ratios of the drawings cited below are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios. In each drawing, the arrow X indicates the longitudinal direction of the power module, the arrow Y indicates the lateral direction of the power module, and the arrow Z indicates the up-down direction.

[0013] (First embodiment) 1 to 5, the inverter 1 of this embodiment is an inverter used to drive a motor (not shown), and includes a power module 10, a cooler 20 that is provided below the power module 10 and cools the power module 10, a resin-molded three-phase bus bar 30 that functions as a high-voltage line connecting the motor and the power module 10, and a case 40 in which the power module 10, the cooler 20, and the three-phase bus bar 30 are installed. Note that the cooler 20 is preferably integrated with the case 40 as in the illustrated example.

[0014] The power module 10 has a rectangular shape in a plan view.

[0015] The three-phase busbar 30 has an L-shape in a plan view, and has a power module connection terminal side portion 31 along the longitudinal direction of the power module 10 and a motor connection terminal side portion 32 along the lateral direction of the power module 10.

[0016] As shown in the illustrated example, the power module connection terminal side portion 31 preferably has a power module connection terminal 31A protruding towards the power module 10 and is fastened to the power module 10 with a bolt. Also, as shown in the illustrated example, the motor connection terminal side portion 32 preferably has a motor connection terminal 32A protruding upward. For ease of explanation, components fastened to the front side of the power module 10 shown in Fig. 1 and to the left side of the power module 10 shown in Fig. 2 are omitted.

[0017] Furthermore, the three-phase bus bar 30 is provided on its lower surface 30a, has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and has a protrusion 30A whose short side 30A1 is aligned along the longitudinal direction of the power module .

[0018] The protrusion 30A is fitted into a recess 20a provided in the cooler 20.

[0019] As shown in the illustrated example, it is preferable that the protrusion 30A is provided on the motor connection terminal side 32, and the three-phase bus bar 30 has a fastening portion 30B on the power module connection terminal side 31 that is fastened to the case 40 with a bolt.

[0020] As shown in the illustrated example, the cooler 20 has a refrigerant flow path 20b that extends from the back to the front in a planar view at one end side of the longitudinal direction of the power module 10 and has a corner 20c that bends the extension direction in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the power module 10, and it is preferable that a flow path side convex portion 20d formed on the back side of the recess 20a provided in the cooler 20 protrudes at the corner 20c by forming an inclined surface 20e in a cross-sectional view on the refrigerant flow path 20b side.

[0021] Next, advantages of this embodiment will be described. According to this embodiment, the three-phase busbar 30 having an L-shape in plan view is arranged along the power module 10 having a rectangular shape in plan view, and the protrusion 30A having a rectangular shape in plan view and a short side 30A1 having high dimensional accuracy along the longitudinal direction of the power module 10 is provided on the lower surface 30a of the three-phase busbar 30, and the protrusion 30A is fitted into the recess 20a provided in the cooler 20 of the power module 10, so that the positional accuracy when fixing the three-phase busbar can be improved. Note that when the long side of the protrusion having a rectangular shape in plan view is aligned along the longitudinal direction of the power module 10, the long side has a larger dimension than the short side, resulting in low dimensional accuracy.

[0022] Furthermore, according to a preferred form of the present embodiment, the convex portion 30A is provided on the motor connection terminal side portion 32, and the three-phase bus bar 30 has the fastening portion 30B with the case 40 on the power module connection terminal side portion 31. Therefore, by positioning using the convex portion, there is an advantage that fastening can be performed with high precision without strict tolerance control for the hole diameter of the bolt insertion hole of the power module connection terminal 31A.

[0023] Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooler 20 is integrated with the case 40, which has the advantage that there are fewer components than in a case where the cooler is provided separately, and when dimensional tolerances are taken into consideration, the positional accuracy when fixing the three-phase bus bars can be improved.

[0024] Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, since the power module connection terminals 31A and the motor connection terminals 32A are provided as described above, the three-phase bus bar 30 can be made smaller, and further the inverter 1 can be made smaller.

[0025] Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooler 20 has the refrigerant flow path 20b having the above-mentioned corner 20c at one end side in the longitudinal direction of the power module 10, and the above-mentioned flow path side convex portion 20d protrudes at the corner 20c to form the inclined surface 20e on the refrigerant flow path 20b side, thereby providing an advantage of being able to reduce pressure loss in the refrigerant flow path.

[0026] 6 to 11 are diagrams for explaining inverters according to a second and third embodiment. In the following embodiments, the same components as those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions of the invention are omitted.

[0027] Second embodiment As shown in Figures 6 and 7, in the inverter of this embodiment, the cooler 20 has a refrigerant flow path 20b that extends from the back to the front in a planar view at one end side of the longitudinal direction of the power module 10 and has a corner 20c that bends the extension direction in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the power module 10, the recess 20a provided in the cooler 20 is formed by a plate-shaped member in the width direction of the refrigerant flow path 20b, and the flow path side convex portion 20d formed on the back side of the recess 20a provided in the cooling unit 20 protrudes at the corner 20c toward the refrigerant flow path 20b in the width direction of the refrigerant flow path 20b. Except for this, the inverter of this embodiment has the same structure as the inverter of the first embodiment.

[0028] Next, advantages of this embodiment will be described. According to this embodiment, since the flow path side convex portion 20d protrudes toward the refrigerant flow path 20b side at the corner portion 20c across the width direction of the refrigerant flow path 20b, in addition to the advantages of the first embodiment, there is an advantage that the pressure loss in the refrigerant flow path can be further reduced.

[0029] Third embodiment As shown in Figures 8 to 11, the inverter 3 of this embodiment has the same structure as the inverter of the first or second embodiment, except that a protrusion 30A is fitted into a recess 20a provided in a cooler 20 provided on the upper side of a power module 10.

[0030] Next, advantages of this embodiment will be described. According to this embodiment, even if the protrusion 30A is fitted into the recess 20a provided in the cooler 20 provided on the upper side of the power module 10, advantages similar to those of the first or second embodiment can be obtained. Note that a part of the cooler 20 is integrated with the case 40 as in the illustrated example.

[0031] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to some embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0032] In the present invention, in order to provide an inverter that can improve the positional accuracy when fixing a three-phase bus bar, a three-phase bus bar that is L-shaped in a plan view is arranged along a power module that is rectangular in a plan view, the three-phase bus bar is provided with the above-mentioned convex portion, and the convex portion is fitted into a concave portion provided in a cooler of the power module or a case of the inverter.

[0033] Therefore, in the above embodiment, the case where the recess 20a is provided in the cooler 20 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, for example, the recess 20a may be provided on the lower surface of the case 40. Furthermore, the protrusion 30A may be provided on the lower surface of the power module connection terminal side portion 31.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the flow path side protrusion 20d forms the inclined surface 20e at the corner 20c, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the flow path side protrusion 20d may have a convex shape at the corner 20c in cross section, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 7. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1,3 Inverter 10 Power Module 20 Cooler 20a Recess 20b Coolant flow path 20c corner 20d Flow passage side convex part 20e slope 30 3-phase busbar 30A Convex 30A1 Short side 30A2 Long side 30B Fastening section 30a Bottom side 31 Power module connection terminal side 31A Power module connection terminal 32 Motor connection terminal side 32A motor connection terminal 40 cases

Claims

1. An inverter used to drive a motor, The power module includes a power module, a cooler for cooling the power module, a three-phase bus bar for connecting the motor and the power module, and a case for installing these components; The power module has a rectangular shape in a plan view, the three-phase bus bar has an L-shape in a plan view, and has a power module connection terminal side along a longitudinal direction of the power module and a motor connection terminal side along a lateral direction of the power module, the three-phase bus bar is provided on a lower surface thereof, has a rectangular or elliptical shape in a plan view, and has a protrusion whose short side or short axis is aligned with a longitudinal direction of the power module; The convex portion is fitted into a concave portion provided in the cooler or the case. An inverter characterized by:

2. The protrusion is provided on a side of the motor connection terminal, 2. The inverter according to claim 1, wherein the three-phase bus bar has a fastening portion for fastening to the case on a side of the power module connection terminal.

3. the cooler has a refrigerant flow path extending from the back to the front in a plan view at one end side of the longitudinal direction of the power module and having a corner that bends the extending direction in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the power module, The recess provided in the cooler is formed by a plate-like member across the width direction of the flow path, A flow passage side protrusion formed on a rear side of the recess provided in the cooler protrudes toward the refrigerant flow passage at the corner across the width direction of the refrigerant flow passage.

3. The inverter according to claim 2.

4. 4. The inverter according to claim 3, wherein the flow passage side convex portion forms an inclined surface at the corner portion.

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