Electrical device, inverter, electric drive device, vehicle, and manufacturing method

Abstract

A printed circuit board (206) and a sensor (208) mounted on the printed circuit board and protruding from the RGB (206) i , 2082, 2083) and the sensors (2081, 2082, 208 s and a sensor protection component (214) having a housing (2161, 2162, 2163) in which the sensor protection component (214) is housed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical device, an inverter, an electric drive device, a vehicle equipped with such an electrical device, and a manufacturing method. In particular, the present invention is intended to be used in motor vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] Current measurement in an electrical conductor can be achieved using a so-called shunt design. However, in such a shunt design, an electrical connection to the conductor is required.

[0003] An object of the present invention is to enable current measurement in a non-invasive manner while also enabling accurate measurement values to be obtained.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention can be achieved by an electrical device comprising - a printed circuit board, - a sensor mounted on the printed circuit board and protruding from the printed circuit board, - a sensor protection component comprising a housing for accommodating the sensor. This can be realized by an electrical device comprising the above.

[0005] The sensor is preferably a Hall sensor. By using a Hall sensor, a non-invasive measurement can be carried out by introducing the magnetic-field-sensitive part of the Hall sensor into the air gap of the magnetic core surrounding the conductor. However, for this, it is necessary to accurately arrange at least the magnetic-field-sensitive part of the Hall sensor within the air gap, preferably at the center of this air gap. Due to the size of the magnetic core and other assumed design constraints, the PCB may be arranged at a long distance from the air gap, more specifically from the center of the air gap. For this reason, the Hall sensor must extend a long distance from the PCB to the air gap and can be a very elongated Hall sensor. As a result, it may not be possible to use SMD (Surface Mounted Device) components, which are generally not elongated, and instead, a Hall sensor having a body placed at a distance from the printed circuit board (abbreviated as PCB) and connection pins connecting the body to the PCB is preferred. Due to its elongated shape, the Hall sensor can be bent during handling or assembly, so that the magnetic-field-sensitive part may not be correctly arranged within the air gap. This can occur especially when using a Hall sensor having connection pins because the diameter of the pins is very small and they are easily bent. A sensor protection component can help overcome this problem by housing the Hall sensor in the housing of the sensor protection component, which can protect the Hall sensor from mechanical stress and bending, for example, during handling or assembly, especially when the Hall sensor is introduced into the air gap.

[0006] Some further options of the present invention that can be used in combination or separately are developed below.

[0007] The sensor protection component can be mounted on and fixed to the PCB.

[0008] The sensor, which is particularly a Hall sensor, can comprise a body and at least one connection pin protruding from the body and connecting to the PCB, whereby the body extends at a distance from the PCB.

[0009] In particular, the sensor, which is a Hall sensor, can be mounted on the PCB by through-hole technology.

[0010] The sensor protection component can include at least one pin extending through the PCB, the pin enabling positioning of the sensor protection component relative to the PCB.

[0011] The sensor protection component can include at least one snap attachment portion extending through the PCB, the snap attachment portion fixing the sensor protection component to the PCB.

[0012] The housing of the sensor protection component can include a first opening facing the PCB. The first opening has a frustoconical shape enabling centering when the Hall sensor enters the housing.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention relates to - an input terminal, - an output terminal, - a controllable switch connected to the input terminal and the output terminal, - an electrical device as described above, configured to control the controllable switch to convert a DC voltage at the input terminal into an AC voltage at the output terminal, and relates to an inverter comprising the same.

[0014] Preferably, the inverter further includes a magnetic core around one of the output terminals, the magnetic core being provided with an air gap, and in particular, the sensor, which is a Hall sensor, can extend within the air gap.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention relates to an electric drive device comprising the above-described inverter and an electric motor driven by the inverter.

[0016] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a vehicle comprising wheels and the above-described electric drive device for driving at least one of the wheels at least indirectly.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention also relates to - a step of mounting a sensor, particularly a Hall sensor, on a printed circuit board; - a step of mounting a sensor protection component on the printed circuit board by positioning the sensor, particularly the Hall sensor, inside a housing of the sensor protection component; and relates to a method for manufacturing the above-described electric device comprising these steps.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention also relates to - a step of manufacturing a power module comprising an input terminal, an output terminal, and a controllable switch connected to the input terminal and the output terminal; - a step of manufacturing an electric device, which is a control device of the power module, as described above; - a step of mounting a magnetic core provided with an air gap around at least one of the output terminals; - a step of mounting the electric device on the power module such that the sensor, particularly the Hall sensor, extends within the air gap of the magnetic core; - a step of controlling the controllable switch by connecting the control device to the power module to convert a DC voltage at the input terminal into an AC voltage at the output terminal; and relates to a method for manufacturing an inverter comprising these steps.

[0019] The present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the following drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

[0021] Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 according to the present invention will be described. In the described example, the vehicle 100 is an automobile.

[0022] The vehicle 100 includes wheels 102 and an electric drive device 104 configured to drive at least one of the wheels 102 at least indirectly. The vehicle 100 further includes a DC voltage source 106, such as a battery, for supplying electricity to the electric drive device 104. The DC voltage source 106 is configured to provide a DC voltage E.

[0023] The electric drive device 104 includes a motor 108, such as an electric asynchronous motor, and an inverter 110 configured to drive the motor 108, for example, by supplying power. For example, the motor 108 is a rotary electric motor including a stator and a rotor, and the rotor is configured to rotate relative to the stator about a rotation axis.

[0024] The stator has stator phases. In the described example, the motor 108 is a three-phase electric motor having three stator phases.

[0025] The inverter 110 is intended to generate a rotating magnetic field that rotates about the rotation axis by causing phase currents I 1~3 to flow through the stator phases, respectively.

[0026] The inverter 110 comprises input terminals IT+, IT- connected to the DC voltage source 106 such that a DC voltage E is present at the input terminals IT+, IT-. More precisely, the input terminals IT+, IT- comprise a positive input terminal IT+ connected to the positive pole of the DC voltage source 106 and a negative input terminal IT- connected to the negative pole of the DC voltage source 106 and to the electrical ground GND.

[0027] The inverter 110 has an output terminal OT 1~3 The AC voltage is connected to output terminal OT 1~3 More precisely, it is intended to be present at output terminal OT 1~3 are connected to the respective stator phases of the motor 108, and the respective phase currents I 1~3 is intended to flow therethrough. The AC voltage may be a single-phase or polyphase AC voltage. In the described example where motor 108 is a three-phase electric motor, the AC voltage is a three-phase AC voltage.

[0028] The inverter 110 further comprises a power module 111 including controllable switches Q, Q′, called main switches, which are connected to the input terminals IT+, IT− and to the output terminal OT. The main switches Q, Q′ may be semiconductor switches, for example comprising transistors. Each main switch Q, Q′ comprises, for example, one of a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), or a silicon carbide MOSFET (SiC MOSFET).

[0029] In the illustrated example, the power module 111 includes switch legs 114 each associated with a stator phase of the motor 108. 1~3 Each switch leg 114 1~3It includes a high-side (HS) main switch Q' connected to the positive input terminal IT+ and a low-side (LS) main switch Q connected to the negative input terminal IT-. The HS main switch Q and the LS main switch Q' are connected to each other at a midpoint connected to the output terminal OT connected to the relevant stator phase of the motor 108.

[0030] Each switch leg 114 1~3 is intended to be controlled to switch between two configurations. In a first one called the high-side (HS) configuration, the HS main switch Q' is closed (on) and the LS main switch Q is open (off), so that the DC voltage E is essentially applied to the relevant stator phase. In a second one called the low-side (LS) configuration, the HS main switch Q' is open (off) and the LS main switch Q is closed (on), so that zero voltage is essentially applied to the relevant stator phase.

[0031] The inverter 110 further includes a power module 111, more precisely a control device 116 configured to control the main switches Q, Q' such that the main switches Q, Q' convert the DC voltage into an AC voltage. In the described example, the control device 116 is configured to switch each switch leg 114 between the two above-described configurations.

[0032] To control the power module 111, the control device 116 utilizes at least one of the measured phase currents I 1~3

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, an example of a system for measuring the phase current I 1~3 will be described.

[0034] The electric drive device 104 includes, for example, a magnetic core 202 1~3 mounted around at least one of the output terminal phases OT 1~3 1~3 In the described example, three output terminals OT​​1~3 All of them are associated with their respective magnetic cores 202 1~3 Each magnetic core 202 1~3 is provided with an air gap 204 1~3 When the phase current I 1~3 flows through the output terminal OT 1~3 a magnetic field that penetrates the air gap 204 is generated in each magnetic core 202 1~3 Therefore, these magnetic fields represent the phase current I 1~3 To measure the magnetic field and identify the phase current I from these, the control device 116 includes a printed circuit board 206 referred to herein as a PCB. On the PCB 206, sensors, particularly Hall sensors 208 1~3 are each mounted one by one for each phase current C

[0035] they measure 1~3 More precisely, in the described example, each Hall sensor 208 1~3 includes a main body 210 and at least one (three in the described example) connection pin 212 protruding from the main body 210. Since the connection pin 212 is connected to the PCB 206, the main body 210 extends at a distance from the PCB 206 within the air gap 204 1~3 of each magnetic core 202

[0036] of each magnetic core 202 1~3 More precisely, in the described example, each Hall sensor 208 1~3 includes a main body 210 and at least one (three in the described example) connection pin 212 protruding from the main body 210. Since the connection pin 212 is connected to the PCB 206, the main body 210 extends at a distance from the PCB 206 within the air gap 204 1~3 of each magnetic core 202

[0037] Each Hall sensor 208 1~3 is mounted on the PCB 206 using, for example, through-hole technology (THT). Advantageously, the connection pins 212 of the Hall sensors 208 1~3 are soldered to the PCB 206

[0038] To accurately measure the magnetic field, the main body 210 of each Hall sensor 208 1~3 is accurately placed within the respective air gap 204 1~3 for example, within the air gap 204 1~3It is necessary to be accurately positioned at the center.

[0039] However, since the PCB 206 is arranged at a distance from the air gap 204 1~3 the connection pins 212 have to be long. Due to this length, the connection pins 212 are prone to bending, which may lead to improper positioning of the body 210 and can have a functional adverse effect.

[0040] To overcome this problem, the control device 116 also includes sensor protection components 214 that are intended to protect the sensors 208 1~3 from mechanical stress and bending, especially during handling operations and assembly operations. The sensor protection components 214 include, for each sensor 208 1~3 a housing 216 1~3 in which the sensor 208 1~3 is accommodated. Advantageously, the sensor protection components 214 include a plurality of housings 216 1~3 for example, in the described example, three housings are provided to receive the plurality of sensors 208 1~3 respectively. In particular, the body 210 of the sensor 208 1~3 is held in a predetermined position by the housing 216 1~3 . For this purpose, the body 210 preferably contacts at least two walls of the housing 216 1~3 that face each other.

[0041] The sensor protection components 214 are preferably configured as a single part, for example, made of plastic.

[0042] After being mounted on the PCB 206, the sensor protection component 214 is adjacent to the bottom surface of the PCB 206. Advantageously, the sensor protection component 214 includes at least one positioning pin 218 for positioning the sensor protection component 201 relative to the PCB 206 during mounting, and at least one snap attachment portion 220 for fixing the sensor protection component 214 to the PCB 206. When the sensor protection component 214 is mounted on the PCB 206, the positioning pin 218 and the snap attachment portion 220 extend through the PCB 206. The mounting of the sensor protection component 214 is shown more clearly in FIG. 4.

[0043] Hall sensor 208 1~3 is housed in the housing 216 of the sensor protection component 214 1~3 When this is done, the risk of bending and breakage of the Hall sensor 208 1~3 is significantly reduced. Further, the positioning of the Hall sensor 208 1~3 can be controlled with respect to the magnetic core 202 1~3 so that good current measurement is possible.

[0044] More specifically, referring to FIG. 5, in the described example, each housing 216 of the sensor protection component 214 1~3 includes a first opening 502 facing the PCB 206. The first opening 502 has a frustum shape. Due to this shape, each Hall sensor 208 1~3 can be centered when entering the housing 216 1~3 . Each housing 216 of the sensor protection component 214 1~3 may also include a lower opening 504 on the side opposite to the first opening 502. The tip of the Hall sensor 210 preferably penetrates the lower opening 504. Also, it is possible to cover the entire Hall sensor with the protection component 214 preferably made of plastic.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 6, an example of a method 600 for manufacturing the inverter 110 will be described. In other embodiments, the order of the steps may be different.

[0046] In step 602, the power module 111 is manufactured. As described above, the power module 111 includes input terminals IT+, IT−, output terminals OT1, OT2, OT3, and controllable switches Q, Q' connected to the input terminals IT+, IT−, and the output terminals OT1, OT2, OT3.

[0047] In step 604, the control device 116 is manufactured. Specifically, this step includes the following steps.

[0048] In step 604-1, each hall sensor 208 1~3 is mounted on the PCB 206. For example, the connection pins 212 of each sensor 208 1~3 are passed through the corresponding holes of the PCB 206 and soldered to the PCB 206.

[0049] In step 604―2, the hall sensor 208 1~3 is positioned inside each housing 216 of the sensor protection component 214 1~3 , and the sensor protection component 214 is mounted on the PCB 206. For example, step 604―2 includes positioning the sensor protection component 214 adjacent to the PCB 206 by inserting the positioning pins 218 of the sensor protection component 214 into the PCB 206, and fixing the sensor protection component 214 to the PCB 206 by inserting the snap attachment portion 220 of the sensor protection component 214 into the PCB 206.

[0050] In step 606, or preferably in step 602, the magnetic cores 202 1~3 are respectively mounted around the output terminals OT 1~3 .

[0051] In step 608, the control device 116 is mounted on the power module 111, whereby the hall sensors 208 1~3 extend within the air gaps 203 1~3 of the respective magnetic cores 202 1~3 .

[0052] In step 610, by connecting the control device 116 to the power module 111, the DC voltage at the input terminals IT+ and IT- is converted into an AC voltage at the output terminal OT 1~3 +.

[0053] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes can be made to the above-described embodiments in light of the teachings disclosed herein.

[0054] In the above detailed description of the invention, the terms used should not be construed as limiting the invention to the embodiments shown in this specification, but should be construed as including all equivalents within the scope that can be reached by those skilled in the art by applying their general knowledge to the examples of the teachings disclosed herein.

Claims

1. - A printed circuit board (206), - A plurality of sensors (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ) mounted on the printed circuit board (206) and protruding from the printed circuit board (206), - the plurality of sensors (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ) is a sensor protection component (214) provided with a housing (216 １ , 216 ２ , 216 ３ ), and each sensor (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ) is respectively housed in each housing (216 １ , 216 ２ , 216 ３ ) of the sensor protection component (214), comprising: The sensor protection component (214) is at least one pin (218) extending through the printed circuit board (206), the pin (218) enabling positioning of the sensor protection component (214) relative to the printed circuit board (206), at least one snap attachment portion (220) extending through the printed circuit board (206), the snap attachment portion (220) fixing the sensor protection component (214) to the printed circuit board (206), comprising: The housing (216 1, 216 2, 216 3) of the sensor protection component (214) comprises an opening (502) facing the printed circuit board (206), the opening (502) having a frustoconical shape enabling centering when the sensor (208 1, 208 2, 208 3) enters the housing (216 1, 216 2, 216 3), an electrical device (116).

2. The sensor is a Hall sensor (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ), and / or the sensor protection component (214) is mounted and fixed to the printed circuit board (206). The electrical device (116) according to claim 1.

3. The sensor (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ) includes a main body (210) and at least one connection pin (212) that protrudes from the main body (210) and is connected to the printed circuit board (206), whereby the main body (210) extends at a distance from the printed circuit board (206), and the electrical device (116) according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The sensor (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ) is mounted on the printed circuit board (206) by through-hole technology, and is the electrical device (116) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The sensor protection component (214) is configured as a single component, the electrical device (116) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The sensor protection component (214) is made of plastic, the electrical device (116) according to claim 5.

7. - Input terminals (IT +, IT-), - Output terminals (OT １ , OT ２ , OT ３ ), and - the input terminals (IT+, IT-) and the output terminals (OT １ , OT ２ , OT ３ ) and controllable switches (Q, Q') connected thereto - An electrical device (116) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which controls the controllable switch (Q, Q') to convert a DC voltage at the input terminal (IT+, IT-) into an AC voltage at the output terminal (OT １ , OT ２ , OT ３ ), and is configured as an electrical device (116). an inverter (110) comprising.

8. The inverter (110) is around one of the output terminals (OT １ , OT ２ , OT ３ ), and further includes a magnetic core (202 １ , 202 ２ , 202 ３ ). The magnetic core (202 １ , 202 ２ , 202 ３ ) is provided with an air gap (204 １ , 204 ２ , 204 ３ ). The sensor (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ) extends within the air gap (204 １ , 204 ２ , 204 ３ ). The inverter (110) according to claim 7.

9. The inverter (110) according to claim 7 or 8 and an electric motor (108) driven by the inverter (110), an electric drive device (104).

10. A vehicle (100) comprising a wheel (102) and the electric drive device (104) according to claim 9 for driving at least one of the wheels (102) at least indirectly.

11. - In particular, a step of mounting a sensor which is a hall sensor (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ) on a printed circuit board (216); - A step of mounting a sensor protection component (214) on the printed circuit board (206), wherein the sensor (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ) is positioned inside the housing (216 １ , 216 ２ , 216 ３ ) of the sensor protection component, and Comprising, in particular, a method for manufacturing the electrical device (116) according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

12. - Input terminals (IT+, IT-) and output terminals (OT １ , OT ２ , OT ３ ), and controllable switches (Q, Q') connected to the input terminals (IT+, IT-) and the output terminals (OT １ , OT ２ , OT ３ ), and a step of manufacturing a power module (111) comprising the same - A step of manufacturing the electrical device (116), which is a control device of the power module (111), according to claim 11, - An air gap (204 １ , 204 ２ , 204 ３ ) is provided in a magnetic core (202 １ , 202 ２ , 202 ３ ), and a step of mounting the magnetic core around at least one of the output terminals (OT １ , OT ２ , OT ３ ); - the sensor (208 １ , 208 ２ , 208 ３ ) is such that the electrical device (116) is mounted on the power module (111) so as to extend within the air gap (204 １ , 202 ２ , 202 ３ ) of the magnetic core (202 １ , 204 ２ , 204 ３ ), and - Controlling the controllable switches (Q, Q') by connecting the control device (116) to the power module (111) to convert the DC voltage at the input terminals (IT+, IT−) into an AC voltage at the output terminals (OT １ , OT ２ , OT ３ ); comprising a method for manufacturing an inverter (110).

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