Inverter device, motor module and vehicle

Abstract

To provide an inverter device having a simple structure and excellent assembling workability while shielding a power module.SOLUTION: An inverter device 20 includes: a power module 100 which has one or more switching elements for converting DC to AC; a drive circuit board 200 which is arranged so as to overlap the power module and drives the switching elements; a control circuit board 400 which is arranged to overlap the drive circuit board, is electrically connected to the drive circuit board, and controls on / off of the switching element; a shield plate 300 which is arranged between the drive circuit board and the control circuit board so as to cover the drive circuit board and shields electromagnetic noise generated from the drive circuit board. The power module has at least two first positioning pins 110, 120 protruding vertically to the drive circuit board and the shielding plate. The drive circuit board and the shielding plate each have at least two through holes 206, 208, 306, 308 respectively engaging with each first positioning pin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inverter device, a motor module including the inverter device, and a vehicle including the motor module. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Inverter devices are used in vehicles that use a motor as a power source, such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHVs), and electric vehicles (EVs). The inverter device includes a power module in which multiple switching elements (e.g., IGBTs) are modularized, and by turning the switching elements on / off according to control signals from a control circuit board, it converts DC power from the battery installed in the vehicle into AC power to drive the motor and outputs it. In such an inverter device, electromagnetic noise is generated by the switching operation of the switching elements of the power module. In order to solve this problem, a configuration has been proposed in which a conductive shield plate is provided between the control circuit board and the power module to block the electromagnetic noise generated by the power module (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-250910 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The inverter device of Patent Document 1 is configured to prevent electromagnetic noise generated in the power module from reaching the control circuit board by providing a shielding plate between the switching elements of the power module and the control circuit board and arranging the switching elements and the control circuit board in separate spaces. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the switching elements and the control circuit board are arranged in separate spaces, which necessitates space for assembly work in each space, resulting in a problem of an increased size of the device. Furthermore, the need to electrically connect the switching elements to the control circuit board results in a complex structure, which in turn makes assembly difficult.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide an inverter device that is simple in structure and easy to assemble while shielding a power module, a motor module including such an inverter device, and a vehicle including such a motor module. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One embodiment of an inverter device of the present invention comprises a power module having at least one switching element for converting direct current to alternating current, a drive circuit board arranged to overlap the power module and driving the switching element, a control circuit board arranged to overlap the drive circuit board and electrically connected to the drive circuit board and controlling the on / off of the switching element, and a shielding plate arranged between the drive circuit board and the control circuit board to cover the drive circuit board and shield against electromagnetic noise generated from the drive circuit board, wherein the power module has at least two first positioning pins protruding vertically toward the drive circuit board and the shielding plate, and the drive circuit board and the shielding plate each have at least two through holes that engage with each of the first positioning pins.

[0007] A motor module according to one aspect of the present invention includes the inverter device described above. A vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it includes the motor module described above. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, an inverter device having a simple structure and good assembly workability while shielding a power module is realized. Also, a motor module including such an inverter device and a vehicle including such a motor module are realized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a motor module on which an inverter device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an inverter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the inverter device of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inverter device 20 taken along line AA in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a motor module on which an inverter device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted, and Figs. 2 to 4 are diagrams showing the configuration of the inverter device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the direction of gravity is defined based on the positional relationship when the motor module is mounted on a vehicle positioned on a horizontal road surface. In addition, in Figs. 1 to 4, an XYZ coordinate system is appropriately shown as a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. In the XYZ coordinate system, the Z-axis direction indicates the vertical direction (i.e., the up-down direction), the +Z direction is the upper side (opposite the direction of gravity), and the -Z direction is the lower side (direction of gravity). The X-axis direction is perpendicular to the Z-axis direction and indicates the front-rear direction of the vehicle on which the motor module is mounted. The Y-axis direction is perpendicular to both the X-axis and Z-axis directions and indicates the width direction (left-right direction) of the vehicle. In addition, in this specification, "extending (being provided) along" a specified direction (or plane) includes not only extending strictly in the specified direction, but also extending in a direction tilted at an angle of less than 45° relative to the specified direction.

[0012] 1, the motor module 1 is mounted on a vehicle powered by a motor, such as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHV), an electric vehicle (EV), etc., and is used as the power source. In other words, the motor module 1 is a drive device. 1, the motor module 1 includes a motor 10, an inverter device 20, a housing 30, and an inverter cover 40. The motor module 1 also includes a reduction gear, a differential gear, an oil pump (none of which are shown), and the like.

[0013] 1, the motor 10 is accommodated in a motor accommodation section (not shown) formed in the housing 30. The motor 10 includes a rotor (not shown) that rotates about a motor shaft (axis) J2 that extends in the horizontal direction, and a stator (not shown) that is positioned radially outward of the rotor. The rotor rotates about a motor shaft J2 extending horizontally and in the width direction of the vehicle when an AC current is supplied to the stator from a battery (not shown) via an inverter device 20. In this embodiment, the motor shaft J2 is parallel to the Y direction.

[0014] The inverter device 20 is a device that converts DC power from a battery (not shown) mounted on the vehicle into AC power that drives the motor 10. The inverter device 20 is electrically connected to the battery and the motor 10, and, like the motor 10, is housed in an inverter storage section (not shown) formed in the housing 30. The inverter device 20 housed in the inverter storage section is covered by an inverter cover 40 attached to the housing 30.

[0015] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an inverter device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the inverter device 20 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inverter device 20 of Fig. 2 taken along line AA.

[0016] 2 to 4, the inverter device 20 of this embodiment includes a power module 100, a drive board 200 (drive circuit board), a shielding plate 300, a control board 400 (control circuit board), and a case 500. The inverter device 20 is configured by stacking the power module 100, the drive board 200, the shielding plate 300, and the control board 400 in this order in the Z direction on the case 500. Note that in FIGS. 2 to 4, some components (for example, the case 500, bolts, etc.) are omitted as appropriate to make the drawings easier to see.

[0017] The power module 100 is a switching element that controls the power supplied to the motor 10, and has at least one IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (not shown)) therein. The power module 100 of this embodiment has a rectangular plate-shaped main body 101, a plurality of (e.g., eight) through holes 102 formed along the edge of the main body 101, a plurality of (e.g., eight) bosses 104 cylindrically protruding from the main body 101 in the +Z direction, and positioning pins 110 and 120 (first positioning pins) cylindrically protruding from the main body 101 in the +Z direction.

[0018] The drive board 200 is disposed so as to overlap the power module 100, is electrically connected to the power module 100 and the control board 400, and is an electronic circuit that drives the switching element (IGBT) of the power module 100 based on a signal from the control board 400. The drive board 200 has a rectangular plate-shaped circuit board 201, three tall parts 210, 220, 230 that protrude in the +Z direction (i.e., are tall), and a connector 250 (first connector). In this embodiment, the tall parts 210, 220, 230 are sources of electromagnetic noise, such as transformers. The circuit board 201 also has through holes 206, 208 that engage with the positioning pins 110, 120 of the power module 100.

[0019] The shielding plate 300 is a rectangular plate-shaped metal member (e.g., SECC (electro-galvanized steel plate)) that is arranged between the drive board 200 and the control board 400 so as to cover the drive board 200 and shield electromagnetic waves generated by the drive board 200. The shielding plate 300 has through holes 302 formed at the four corners for fixing the shielding plate 300 to the case 500, a plurality of (e.g., six) bosses 304 (boss members) protruding cylindrically in the +Z direction from the shielding plate 300, positioning pins 310, 320 (second positioning pins) protruding cylindrically in the +Z direction from the shielding plate 300, narrowing portions 330, 340 formed at positions opposite the high-back components 210, 220, 230 and protruding (recessed) in the +Z direction, through holes 306, 308 that engage with the positioning pins 110, 120 of the power module 100, and a U-shaped cutout portion 350 arranged to expose the connector 250 of the drive board 200.

[0020] The control board 400 is an electronic circuit that is electrically connected to the drive board 200 and a vehicle control device (not shown) and transmits a control signal (a signal for controlling the on / off of the switching element (IGBT)) to the drive board 200 according to a signal from the vehicle control device. The control board 400 has a rectangular plate-shaped circuit board 401, six through holes 402 formed at positions corresponding to the bosses 304, through holes 406 and 408 that engage with the positioning pins 310 and 320 of the shielding plate 300, and a plurality of mounted components (not shown). In addition, a connector 450 (second connector) that fits with the connector 250 of the drive board 200 is disposed on the back surface (surface facing the shielding plate 300) of the control board 400 (FIG. 4). The connector 250 and the connector 450 are so-called BtoB (Board to Board) connectors.

[0021] The case 500 is, for example, a box-shaped metal (for example, aluminum die-cast) member that houses the power module 100, the drive board 200, the shielding plate 300, and the control board 400. As described below, the power module 100 is attached to the bottom surface of the case 500, and the drive board 200, the shielding plate 300, and the control board 400 are attached thereon in this order. A protrusion 510 for fixing the shielding plate 300 is formed inside the case 500 (FIG. 4). The case 500 is fixed inside an inverter storage section formed inside the housing 30 of the motor module 1.

[0022] (Assembly process of inverter device 20) Next, an assembly process of the inverter device 20 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. When assembling the inverter device 20, first, the power module 100 is placed at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the case 500, and bolts (not shown) are inserted into the through holes 102 and screwed into screw holes (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the case 500 to fix the power module 100 in the case 500 (Figure 4).

[0023] Next, the drive substrate 200 is attached onto the power module 100. The boss 104 of the power module 100 is a member that supports the drive substrate 200 in the Z direction. When the drive substrate 200 is attached onto the power module 100, the tip surface of the boss 104 comes into contact with the rear surface of the drive substrate 200 (the surface facing the power module 100). In other words, the boss 104 restricts the movement of the drive substrate 200 in the Z direction and positions it. Furthermore, when the drive substrate 200 is mounted on the power module 100, the positioning pin 110 is inserted into the through hole 206 of the drive substrate 200, and the positioning pin 120 is inserted into the through hole 208 of the drive substrate 200. Therefore, when the drive substrate 200 is mounted on the power module 100, the movement of the drive substrate 200 in the X and Y directions is restricted by the positioning pins 110, 120, and the drive substrate 200 is positioned relative to the power module 100.

[0024] Next, the shielding plate 300 is attached onto the drive substrate 200. The positioning pins 110, 120 extending from the power module 100 extend upward (in the +Z direction) through the through holes 206, 208 of the drive substrate 200, and when the shielding plate 300 is attached onto the drive substrate 200, the positioning pin 110 is inserted into the through hole 306 of the shielding plate 300, and the positioning pin 120 is inserted into the through hole 308 of the shielding plate 300. Therefore, when the shielding plate 300 is attached onto the drive substrate 200, the movement of the shielding plate 300 in the X direction and Y direction is restricted by the positioning pins 110, 120, and the shielding plate 300 is positioned relative to the power module 100 and the drive substrate 200. Furthermore, when the shielding plate 300 is attached onto the drive board 200, the through holes 302 of the shielding plate 300 are positioned above the protruding portion 510 of the case 500, and the shielding plate 300 is fixed to the protruding portion 510 by inserting bolts (not shown) into the through holes 302 and screwing them into screw holes (not shown) formed in the protruding portion 510. By fixing the shielding plate 300 to the protruding portion 510, the movement of the shielding plate 300 in the Z direction is also restricted and the shielding plate 300 is positioned.

[0025] 4, when the shielding plate 300 is attached onto the drive substrate 200, the upper end of the tall part 210 of the drive substrate 200 is accommodated within the drawn portion 330 of the shielding plate 300, and the upper ends of the tall parts 220, 230 are accommodated within the drawn portion 340 of the shielding plate 300. Thus, in this embodiment, the tall parts 210, 220, 230, which are sources of electromagnetic noise, are accommodated within the drawn portions 330, 340 of the shielding plate 300, and the drive substrate 200 and the shielding plate 300 are disposed close to each other. Therefore, the electromagnetic noise generated by the drive substrate 200 is suitably reflected (i.e., shielded) by the shielding plate 300. Since the shielding plate 300 is fixed to the housing 30 of the motor module 1 via the case 500, the shielding plate 300 is electrically connected to the body earth of the vehicle.

[0026] Next, the control board 400 is attached on the shielding plate 300. When the control board 400 is attached on the shielding plate 300, the positioning pin 310 of the shielding plate 300 is inserted into the through hole 406 of the control board 400, and the positioning pin 320 is inserted into the through hole 408 of the control board 400. Therefore, when the control board 400 is attached on the shielding plate 300, the movement of the control board 400 in the X direction and Y direction is restricted by the positioning pins 310, 320, and the control board 400 is positioned relative to the shielding plate 300. Furthermore, the boss 304 of the shielding plate 300 is a member that supports the control board 400 in the Z direction and regulates the distance between the shielding plate 300 and the control board 400. When the control board 400 is attached onto the shielding plate 300, the tip surface of the boss 304 comes into contact with the rear surface of the control board 400 (the surface facing the shielding plate 300), and each through hole 402 is positioned in a screw hole formed in each boss 304. The control board 400 is fixed onto the shielding plate 300 by inserting a bolt (not shown) into each through hole 402 and screwing it into the screw hole of each boss 304. That is, the boss 304 regulates the movement of the control board 400 in the Z direction and positions it. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, when the control board 400 is attached on the shielding plate 300, the connector 450 arranged on the back surface of the control board 400 (the surface facing the shielding plate 300) passes through the cutout portion 350 of the shielding plate 300 and engages with the connector 250 of the drive board 200, so that the control board 400 and the drive board 200 are electrically connected.

[0027] In this manner, the inverter device 20 of this embodiment is assembled by stacking the power module 100, the drive board 200, the shielding plate 300, and the control board 400 in this order in the Z direction on the case 500. In this assembly process, the drive board 200 and the shielding plate 300 are positioned by the positioning pins 110, 120 formed on the power module 100, and the control board 400 is positioned by the positioning pins 310, 320 formed on the shielding plate 300, making the assembly work extremely easy. Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the positional relationship between the drive board 200 and the control board 400 is accurately determined, so that the connectors 250 and 450 can be easily fitted together, and no external stress is applied to the connectors 250 and 450. Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the positional relationship between the drive substrate 200 and the shielding plate 300 is accurately determined, making it possible to position the shielding plate 300 in close proximity to the drive substrate 200, thereby suppressing the radiation (propagation) of electromagnetic noise generated by the drive substrate 200.

[0028] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical concept thereof.

[0029] For example, the inverter device 20 of this embodiment has been described as having the power module 100, drive board 200, shielding plate 300, and control board 400 mounted on the case 500, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, instead of the case 500, the power module 100, drive board 200, shielding plate 300, and control board 400 can be directly mounted in an inverter storage section in the housing 30 of the motor module 1.

[0030] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1: Motor module 10: Motor 20: Inverter device 30: Housing 40: Inverter cover 100: Power module 101: Main body 102: Through hole 104: Boss 110: Positioning pin 120: Positioning pin 200: Drive board 201: Circuit board 206: Through hole 208:Through hole 210: High-profile parts 220: High-profile parts 230: High-profile parts 250: Connector 300: Shielding plate 302: Through hole 304: Boss 306: Through hole 308:Through hole 310: Positioning pin 320: Positioning pin 330: Squeezing section 340: Squeezing section 350: Notch 400: Control board 401: Circuit board 402: Through hole 406: Through hole 408:Through hole 450: Connector 500: Case 510:Protrusion J2: Motor shaft

Claims

1. a power module having at least one switching element for converting direct current to alternating current; a drive circuit board arranged to overlap the power module and configured to drive the switching elements; a control circuit board that is disposed so as to overlap the drive circuit board and is electrically connected to the drive circuit board, and that controls the on / off of the switching elements; a shielding plate disposed between the drive circuit board and the control circuit board so as to cover the drive circuit board and shield against electromagnetic noise generated from the drive circuit board; Equipped with the power module has at least two first positioning pins that protrude perpendicularly toward the drive circuit board and the shielding plate; the drive circuit board and the shielding plate each have at least two through holes that engage with the first positioning pins, the drive circuit board has a tall component on a surface facing the shielding plate, The inverter device according to the present invention, characterized in that the shielding plate has a tapered portion that protrudes toward the control circuit board so as to cover the tall components. Inverter device.

2. 2. The inverter device according to claim 1, wherein the high-profile part is a transformer.

3. the shielding plate has at least two second positioning pins that protrude perpendicularly toward the control circuit board; 3. The inverter device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit board has at least two through holes that engage with the second positioning pins, respectively.

4. a metal case that houses the power module, the drive circuit board, the control circuit board, and the shielding plate, 4. The inverter device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding plate is fixed to the case.

5. a boss member disposed between the shielding plate and the control circuit board to regulate a distance between the shielding plate and the control circuit board; 5. The inverter device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit board is fixed to the shielding plate via the boss member.

6. the drive circuit board has a first connector protruding toward the control circuit board; 6. The inverter device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit board has a second connector that protrudes toward the drive circuit board and is fitted into the first connector.

7. A motor module comprising the inverter device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A vehicle comprising the motor module according to claim 7.

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