Inverter device, motor, and vehicle

Abstract

To provide an inverter device, a motor, and a vehicle capable of efficiently cooling a capacitor efficiently.SOLUTION: An inverter device 20 has: a capacitor module 14 with a capacitor 141; a channel forming body 2 arranged adjacently to the capacitor module 14, having a flow channel 21 through which cooling medium Q for cooling the capacitor module 14 can pass; and a housing 3 that houses the capacitor module 14 and the channel forming body 2. The capacitor module 14 has: two principal surfaces S141 and S142 opposed to each other; and lateral faces S143 and S144 connecting between the two principal surfaces S141 and S142. The channel forming body 2 has: a first contact surface S21 in contact with the principal surface S141; a second contact surface S22 in contact with the lateral face S143; and a second contact surface S23 in contact with the lateral face S144.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inverter device, a motor, and a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] In-vehicle inverter devices include, for example, an inverter device mounted on an electric vehicle (EV) and an inverter device mounted on a hybrid vehicle. In the case of an inverter device mounted on an electric vehicle, the inverter device generates heat due to a large current during energization. Also, in the case of an inverter device mounted on a hybrid vehicle, the heat generated by the engine is transmitted and the inverter device is heated. And in either case, cooling of the inverter device, particularly the capacitor built into the inverter device, is required. For example, in the device described in Patent Document 1, the capacitor is cooled by a cooling medium with the flow path forming body 12 through which the cooling medium passes and the upper surface of the capacitor covered with a filler being in a close state.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in a configuration where only one surface of the capacitor is brought into contact with the cooling medium or the flow path forming body, the cooling of the capacitor by the cooling medium may be insufficient. An object of the present invention is to provide an inverter device capable of efficiently cooling a capacitor, a motor equipped with such an inverter device, and a vehicle equipped with such a motor.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] An exemplary invention of the present application includes a capacitor module having a capacitor for smoothing the voltage from a power source, a flow path forming body disposed adjacent to the capacitor module and having a flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling the capacitor module can pass, and a housing for housing the capacitor module and the flow path forming body. The capacitor module has two main surfaces facing each other and side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces. The flow path forming body has a first contact surface in contact with one of the main surfaces and a second contact surface in contact with the side surface. The inverter device is characterized by this structure. Another exemplary invention of the present application is a motor characterized by mounting the above inverter device. Another exemplary invention of the present application is a vehicle characterized by mounting the above motor.

Advantages of the Invention

[0006] According to the exemplary invention of the present application, it is possible to provide an inverter device capable of efficiently cooling a capacitor, a motor equipped with such an inverter device, and a vehicle equipped with such a motor.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, an inverter device, a motor, and a vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. In the following, for convenience of explanation, three axes orthogonal to each other are set as the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. As an example, the XY plane including the X-axis and the Y-axis is horizontal, and the Z-axis is vertical. Also, in FIGS. 2 to 5, the upper side may be referred to as "upper" or "above", and the lower side may be referred to as "lower" or "below". Further, in this specification, the vertical direction (vertical direction), the horizontal direction, the upper side, and the lower side are merely names for explaining the relative positional relationship of each part, and the actual arrangement relationship or the like may be an arrangement relationship or the like other than the arrangement relationship indicated by these names.

[0009] In FIG. 1, a motor (electric motor) 15 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor and is a driving power source of the vehicle 100. The rotating shaft of the motor 15 is connected to a speed reducer 60 and a differential gear 70. Thereby, the driving force (torque) of the motor 15 is transmitted to a pair of wheels 50a and 50b via these speed reducer 60, differential gear 70, and drive shaft (drive shaft) 80.

[0010] The inverter device (inverter unit) 20 of the inverter control device 10 is mounted on the motor 15 and used. This inverter device 20 includes a power module unit 13 that supplies driving power to the motor 15, a power module drive circuit (drive circuit) 12 that outputs a drive signal for driving the motor 15 to the power module unit 13, an inverter control circuit (control circuit) 11 that outputs a control signal to the power module control circuit board 12, and a capacitor module 14 that smoothes the voltage from a battery (external power source) BT.

[0011] The inverter device 20 is controlled by a control signal from a control unit 30 that controls the entire vehicle 100, and drives the motor 15. That is, the inverter device 20 can convert the power from the battery BT (convert from DC to AC) and supply it to the motor 15. The control unit 30 is, for example, a vehicle control unit (VCU). In addition, the inverter device 20 can also convert the back electromotive force generated by the rotation of the motor 15 (convert from AC to DC) and supply it to the battery BT. Note that the inverter device 20 can be mounted on any vehicle, for example, a vehicle 100 equipped with a motor 15 such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle.

[0012] The power module unit 13 has a bridge circuit (power conversion circuit) formed by connecting two power switching elements (the power switching element of the upper arm and the power switching element of the lower arm) for each of the U phase, V phase, and W phase, a total of six power switching elements. Examples of the power switching element include an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), a MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor), and a SiC (Silicon Carbide) semiconductor.

[0013] The power module unit 13 switches the on / off of the power switching element according to a drive signal (PWM control signal) from the power module drive circuit 12. Thereby, the power module unit 13 converts the DC power supplied from the battery BT via the capacitor module 14 into AC power (three-phase AC power) and supplies it to the motor 15 to drive the motor 15.

[0014] The battery BT is a source of electrical energy that is the power source of the vehicle 100 and is composed of, for example, a plurality of secondary batteries. A capacitor module 14 is arranged at the connection part of the inverter device 20 with the battery BT. The capacitor module 14 is connected between the high potential line (positive electrode potential B+) and the low potential line (negative electrode potential B-(GND)). This capacitor module 14 has a function of smoothing the input voltage from the battery BT and is provided with a large-capacity capacitor 141.

[0015] Here, the configuration of the inverter device 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the inverter device 20 includes a circuit board 17, a power module unit 13, a flow path forming body 2, and a capacitor module 14 arranged in order from above. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the arrangement directions of the circuit board 17, the power module unit 13, the flow path forming body 2, and the capacitor module 14 are the same as the Z-axis direction. Thereby, for example, compared with the case where the arrangement directions of the circuit board 17, the power module unit 13, the flow path forming body 2, and the capacitor module 14 are the X-axis direction, the overall length of the inverter device 20 in the X-axis direction can be suppressed, contributing to the miniaturization of the inverter device 20. The inverter device 20 further includes a housing 3 that collectively houses the circuit board 17, the power module unit 13, the flow path forming body, and the capacitor module 14, and a lid member 5 fixed to the housing 3. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the inverter device 20 includes a power supply unit 40 that supplies power from a battery BT (not shown) to the power module unit 13, a positive bus bar 90A and a negative bus bar 90B that connect the power module unit 13 and the capacitor 141.

[0016] The capacitor module 14 includes a capacitor 141, a capacitor case 4 that houses the capacitor 141, and a resin sealing material 142 filled in the capacitor case 4. The capacitor case 4 is composed of a box-shaped member. When viewed from the Y-axis direction, the capacitor case 4 has a main surface S141 and a main surface S142 that face each other in the Z-axis direction, and a side surface S143 and a side surface S144 that face each other in the X-axis direction on the outer surface. The side surface S143 connects the main surface S141 and the main surface S142, and the side surface S144 is on the opposite side of the side surface S143 and connects the main surface S141 and the main surface S142.

[0017] The main surfaces S141 and S142 are each planes parallel to the XY plane, and the side surfaces S143 and S144 are each planes parallel to the YZ plane. As a result, the capacitor case 4 forms a rectangle in which the main surface S141 is orthogonal to the side surfaces S143 and S144, and the main surface S142 is orthogonal to the side surfaces S143 and S144. Therefore, the outer shape of the capacitor case 4 can be made into a simple shape that is easy to mold, for example. Also, by this molding, the main surface S141, the main surface S142, the side surface S143, and the side surface S144 can be easily formed into smooth planes.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 5, the capacitor case 4 includes one opening 41 that opens in the Y-axis direction. The opening 41 is surrounded by the main surface S141, the main surface S142, the side surface S143, and the side S144. And the capacitor 141 can be housed in the capacitor case 4 through the opening 41. Note that the side (bottom surface) closes the side opposite to the opening 41 of the capacitor case 4. The capacitor 141 is a film capacitor that smoothes the voltage from the battery BT. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, four capacitors 141 are housed in the capacitor case 4. The four capacitors 141 are arranged in two in the Z-axis direction and two in the X-axis direction (hereinafter this arrangement is referred to as a "2×2 arrangement").

[0019] The 2×2 arrangement makes it easier to miniaturize the inverter device 20 when viewed from the Z-axis direction, compared to the case where, for example, four capacitors 141 are arranged in a row in the X-axis direction, and the capacitor module 14 can secure a wider area surrounded by the flow path forming body 2 described later. Also, since a wider area surrounded by the flow path forming body 2 is secured, rapid cooling of the capacitor 141 by the flow path forming body 2 becomes possible. Note that the number of capacitors 141 arranged is four in the present embodiment, but is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, one, two, three, or five or more. Also, the arrangement of the four capacitors 141 is not limited to the 2×2 arrangement.

[0020] Inside the capacitor case 4, a resin sealing material 142 is filled. The resin sealing material 142 is, for example, an epoxy resin, and it fixes and seals the capacitor 141. As a result, the position of each capacitor 141 inside the capacitor case 4 is regulated, and moisture (water vapor) can be prevented from entering the capacitor 141. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the resin sealing material 142 is exposed from the opening 41. The positive electrode bus bar 90A and the negative electrode bus bar 90B can pass through the opening 41. Then, the positive electrode bus bar 90A and the negative electrode bus bar 90 can be fixed by the resin sealing material 142. As a result, the connection state between the power module unit 13 and the capacitor 141 via the positive electrode bus bar 90A and the negative electrode bus bar 90 becomes stable.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, a flow path forming body 2 is arranged adjacent to the upper side of the capacitor module 14. The flow path forming body 2 is composed of a bent long plate-like member. The flow path forming body 2 has a flow path 21 formed along the longitudinal direction. The refrigerant Q that cools the capacitor module 14 can pass through the flow path 21. The flow path 21 has, in order from the upstream side, a first portion 211, a second portion 212, and a third portion 213. The first portion 211 is composed of a through hole extending in the Z-axis direction. The second portion 212 is composed of a groove extending in the X-axis direction. The third portion 213 is composed of a through hole extending in the Z-axis direction. Also, the first portion 211 and the third portion 213 are connected via the second portion 212. As the refrigerant Q, for example, LLC (Long Life Coolant) such as an ethylene glycol aqueous solution is preferable, but it is not limited to this.

[0022] The flow path forming body 2 has, on the lower (back) surface, a first contact surface S21 that contacts the entire main surface S141 of the capacitor module 14 (capacitor case 4), a second contact surface S22 that contacts a part of the side surface S143 on the main surface S141 side, and a second contact surface S23 that contacts a part of the side surface S144 on the main surface S141 side. Further, in the flow path forming body 2, the first contact surface S21 and the second portion 212 are as close to each other as possible and parallel to each other. Similarly, the second contact surface S22 and the first portion 211 are also as close to each other as possible and parallel to each other. Also, the second contact surface S23 and the third portion 213 are as close to each other as possible and parallel to each other.

[0023] As described above, in the inverter device 20, the flow path forming body 2 and the capacitor module 14 are in contact with each other on a plurality (three in this embodiment) of surfaces. Thereby, when the refrigerant Q passes through the flow path 21 of the flow path forming body 2, the heat of each capacitor 141 can be quickly and collectively taken away (absorbed) by the refrigerant Q. Thereby, the inverter device 20 can efficiently cool each capacitor 141 and has excellent cooling performance. Also, as described above, the motor 15 is mounted with the inverter device 20. Therefore, since the motor 15 is mounted with the inverter device 20 having excellent cooling performance, high durability and long life can be achieved during high current supply. Also, since the vehicle 100 is mounted with the motor 15 having high durability and long life during high current, smooth and rapid running and stopping can be achieved over a long period of time.

[0024] In the capacitor module 14, the capacitor case 4 which is a molded body can more easily form a smoother surface than the resin sealing material 142. Thereby, the main surface S141, the side surface S143, and the side surface S144 of the capacitor case 4 can be made into smooth surfaces and brought into close contact with the flow path forming body 2. And by increasing the degree of adhesion, the cooling efficiency for the capacitor module 14 is improved. Further, a heat dissipation grease or a compound may be applied between the flow path forming body 2 and the capacitor case 4 to further increase the degree of their adhesion. On the upper side of the flow path forming body 2 (the side opposite to the capacitor module 14), the power module unit 13 that supplies drive current to the motor 15 is arranged adjacent thereto. The power module unit 13 covers the second portion 21 of the flow path 21. Thereby, when the refrigerant Q passes through the second portion 21 (flow path 21), the refrigerant Q can be in contact with the power module unit 13 and directly cool the power module unit 13. Thereby, rapid cooling of the power module unit 13 becomes possible.

[0025] Also, the refrigerant Q passing through the flow path forming body 2 can cool the capacitor module 14 and the power module unit 13 together. Thereby, it is possible to omit providing a configuration for cooling the capacitor module 14 separately from the flow path forming body 2, and thus, the number of parts of the inverter device 20 can be reduced. Also, a packing 16 is disposed between the power module unit 13 and the flow path forming body 2. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant Q from leaking from between the power module unit 13 and the flow path forming body 2.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the flow path forming body 2 has a capacitor fastening portion 23 fastened to the capacitor module 14 via a screw 91 and a power module fastening portion 24 fastened to the power module unit 13 via a screw 92. The capacitor fastening portion 23 and the power module fastening portion 24 are each composed of a female screw. When fastening the capacitor module 14 to the flow path forming body 2, with the capacitor module 14 disposed on the lower side (back side) of the flow path forming body 2, the screw 91 is screwed into the capacitor fastening portion 23 from the capacitor module 14 side. Also, at this time, the screw 91 passes through a through hole 42 provided in the capacitor case 4 of the capacitor module 14. Thereby, the capacitor module 1 is fastened to the flow path forming body 2.

[0027] When fastening the power module unit 13 to the flow path forming body 2, with the power module unit 13 placed on the upper side (front side) of the flow path forming body 2, screw 92 is screwed into the capacitor fastening portion 23 from the side of the power module unit 13. At this time, screw 92 passes through the through hole 131 provided in the power module unit 13. Thereby, the power module unit 13 is fastened to the flow path forming body 2. Through the above fastening, the flow path forming body 2, the capacitor module 14, and the power module unit 13 become an assembly 1 that is pre-assembled by screwing before being housed in the housing 3. And, as shown in FIG. 3, the assembly 1 can be housed in the housing 3 as it is. Thereby, for example, compared to the case where the capacitor module 14, the flow path forming body 2, and the power module unit 13 are housed in the housing 3 in this order, the housing operation into the housing 3 can be performed quickly. Thereby, the assembly workability of the inverter device 20 is improved.

[0028] Note that the number of installations of the capacitor fastening portion 23 is four in this embodiment. When the number of installations of the capacitor fastening portion 23 is four, two capacitor fastening portions 23 are arranged in the X-axis direction and two in the Y-axis direction. Thereby, the capacitor module 14 is stably and firmly fastened to the flow path forming body 2. Also, the number of installations of the power module fastening portion 24 is four in this embodiment. When the number of installations of the power module fastening portion 24 is four, two power module fastening portions 24 are arranged in the X-axis direction and two in the Y-axis direction. Thereby, the power module unit 13 is stably and firmly fastened to the flow path forming body 2. However, the number of installations of the capacitor fastening portion 23 and the power module fastening portion 24 is not limited to four each, and any number can be used as long as stable fixing is possible.

[0029] On the upper side of the power module unit 13, the circuit board 17 is arranged and fixed. The circuit board 17 is a single board on which the inverter control circuit 11 and the power module drive circuit 12 are mounted. The inverter control circuit 11 is a circuit that outputs a control signal to the power module drive circuit 12. The power module drive circuit 12 is a circuit that outputs a drive signal to the power module unit 13 that supplies a drive current to the motor 15. Since the inverter control circuit 11 and the power module drive circuit 12 are integrated on one board, the number of components constituting the inverter device 20 can be reduced. As a result, for example, the assembly time of the inverter device 20 can be shortened and the inverter device 20 can be miniaturized. Note that since the circuit board 17 is fixed to the power module unit 13, it is included in the assembly 1.

[0030] As described above, the assembly 1 is housed in the housing 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 3 is composed of a box-shaped member having a bottom portion 33 and a side wall portion 34. Further, the housing 3 has an inflow portion 31 connected to the first portion 211 (upstream side) of the flow path 21 of the flow path forming body 2 and an outflow portion 32 connected to the third portion 213 (downstream side) of the flow path 21 of the flow path forming body 2. The inflow portion 31 and the outflow portion 32 are provided in a block shape having the same height on the bottom portion 33 and also function as a support base for supporting the flow path forming body 2 (assembly 1).

[0031] The inflow portion 31 has a flow path 311 extending from the side wall portion 34 to the first portion 211 of the flow path 21 of the flow path forming body 2. The flow path 311 is composed of a through hole through which the refrigerant Q can pass. Thereby, the refrigerant Q can be made to flow into the flow path 21. The outflow portion 32 has a flow path 321 extending from the third portion 213 of the flow path 21 of the flow path forming body 2 to the bottom portion 33. The flow path 321 is composed of a through hole through which the refrigerant Q can pass. Thereby, the refrigerant Q can be made to flow out from the flow path 21. Further, a capacitor module 14 is disposed between the inflow portion 31 and the outflow portion 32. The inflow portion 31 contacts the side surface S143 of the capacitor module 14, and the outflow portion 32 contacts the side surface S144 of the capacitor module 14. As a result, in addition to the flow path forming body 2, the contact portion (contact area) of the capacitor module 14 with the member through which the refrigerant Q passes increases. Thereby, the cooling efficiency for the capacitor module 14 is further improved.

[0032] The inverter device 20 includes a first pipe 18 connected to the inflow portion 31 and a second pipe 19 connected to the outflow portion 32. The first pipe 18 is a tubular member that allows the refrigerant Q to flow into the flow path 21 through the inflow portion 31, and has, for example, a straight portion, a bent or curved portion. The second pipe 19 is a tubular member that allows the refrigerant Q to flow out from the flow path 21 through the outflow portion 32, and like the first pipe 18, has, for example, a straight portion, a bent or curved portion. The first pipe 18 and the second pipe 19 having such shapes each extend toward the motor housing 151 (see FIG. 1) that houses the motor 15. Thereby, the piping paths of the first pipe 18 and the second pipe 19 can be shortened, contributing to rapid cooling of the capacitor module 14.

[0033] Further, the flow path forming body 2 has a housing fastening portion 22 that is fastened to the inflow portion 31 and the outflow portion 32 of the housing 3 via screws 93. The housing fastening portion 22 includes a through hole 221 through which the screw 93 passes along the Z-axis direction (the normal direction of the main surface S141). On the other hand, female screws 35 are provided on the inflow portion 31 and the outflow portion 32, respectively. When fastening the flow path forming body 2 to the housing 3, with the flow path forming body 2 placed on the inflow portion 31 and the outflow portion 32, the screw 93 is screwed into the female screw 35 from above. At this time, the screw 93 passes through the through hole 221 of the housing fastening portion 22. Thereby, the flow path forming body 2 is fastened to the housing 3. Note that it is preferable that the number of installation positions of the housing fastening portion 22 is at least four. When the number of installation positions of the housing fastening portion 22 is four, two housing fastening portions 22 are arranged in the X-axis direction and two are arranged in the Y-axis direction. Thereby, the flow path forming body 2 is stably and firmly fastened to the housing 3. In addition, for the four housing fastening portions 22, the directions of the screws 93 passing through the through holes 221 are aligned (the same). Thereby, the workability during screw fastening between the flow path forming body 2 and the housing 3 is improved.

[0034] A lid member 5 is fixed to the housing 3 via a plurality of screws 94. Thereby, the upper opening 36 of the housing 3 can be closed, and for example, the assembly 1 inside the housing 3 can be protected. Note that it is preferable that the number of fixing positions by the screws 94 is at least four. When the number of fixing positions is four, two screws 94 are arranged in the X-axis direction and two are arranged in the Y-axis direction. The lid member 5 has a plate-shaped lid body 51 and a plate-shaped small lid member 52. The lid body 51 has a window portion 511 provided therethrough. The small lid member 52 is detachably attached to the window portion 511 of the lid body 51 via a screw 95. Thereby, the window portion 511 can be in a closed state covered by the small lid member 52 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) and an open state opened from the small lid member 52 (see FIG. 4). Thereby, even when the lid member 5 (lid body 51) is fixed to the housing 3, if the small lid member 52 is removed from the lid body 51, for example, connection work for the capacitor module 14 inside the housing 3, cable connection replacement for the terminal block 6, etc. can be performed, and the work efficiency is improved. The terminal block 6 supports a bus bar (a bent long plate member having a power supply portion 40) that supplies power from the battery BT to a member of the inverter device 20 (for example, the power module unit 13).

[0035] As described above, the inverter device 20 includes a power supply portion 40, a positive electrode bus bar 90A, and a negative electrode bus bar 90B. The power supply portion 40 is a portion that supplies power from the battery BT to the power module unit 13, and is configured by, for example, the upper end portion (end portion) of a bent long plate member. The positive bus bar 90A and the negative bus bar 90B are bus bars that connect the power module unit 13 and the capacitor 141, respectively, and are composed of, for example, bent long plate members.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 5, the power supply unit 40 is adjacent to the circuit board 17 and is arranged on the same plane as the circuit board 17. Thereby, for example, compared with the case where the power supply unit 40 is located above the circuit board 17, the height of the inverter device 20 can be suppressed, contributing to the miniaturization of the inverter device 20. The positive bus bar 90A and the negative bus bar 90B are arranged across between the power module unit 13 and the capacitor 141. Further, when viewed from the X-axis direction (the normal direction of the side surfaces S143 and S144), a part of them is arranged so as to overlap each other. Thereby, the equivalent series inductance (ESL) can be reduced.

[0037] As described above, the inverter device, the motor, and the vehicle of the present invention have been described with respect to the illustrated embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and each part constituting the inverter device, the motor, and the vehicle can be replaced with any configuration that can exhibit the same function. Further, any components may be added.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0038] 1 Assembly 2 Flow Path Forming Body 21 Flow Path 211 First Part 212 Second Part 213 Third Part 22 Housing Fastening Part 221 Through Hole 23 Capacitor Fastening Part 24 Power Module Fastening Part 3 Housing 31 Inflow Part 311 Flow Path 32 Outflow Part 321 Flow Path 33 Bottom 34 Side wall 35 Female screw 36 Opening 4 Capacitor case 41 Opening 42 Through hole 5 Cover member 51 Cover body 511 Window portion 52 Small cover member 6 Terminal block 91 Screw 92 Screw 93 Screw 94 Screw 95 Screw 10 Inverter control device 11 Inverter control circuit (control circuit) 12 Power module drive circuit (drive circuit) 13 Power module unit 131 Through hole 14 Capacitor module 141 Capacitor 142 Resin sealing material 15 Motor (electric motor) 151 Motor housing 16 Packing 17 Circuit board 18 First pipe 19 Second pipe 20 Inverter device (inverter section) 30 Control section 40 Power supply section 50a, 50b Wheels 60 Reducer 70 Differential gear 80 Drive shaft 90A Positive bus bar 90B Negative bus bar 100 Vehicle BT Battery (external power source) S141, S142 Main surfaces S143, S144 Side surfaces S21 First contact surface S22, S23 Second contact surfaces Refrigerant Q

Claims

1. A capacitor module having a capacitor for smoothing the voltage from a power supply, a flow path forming body disposed adjacent to the capacitor module and having a flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling the capacitor module can pass, and a housing for housing the capacitor module and the flow path forming body, wherein the capacitor module has two main surfaces facing each other and side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces, the flow path forming body has a first contact surface in contact with one of the main surfaces and a second contact surface in contact with the side surface, the capacitor module and the flow path forming body form an assembly assembled by screwing, the flow path forming body has a housing fastening portion fastened to the housing via a screw, one of the main surfaces is a flat surface, and the housing fastening portion is provided with at least four through holes through which the screw penetrates along the normal direction of one of the main surfaces, characterized in that it is an inverter device.

2. The inverter device according to claim 1, wherein the flow path forming body is in contact with the entire surface of one of the main surfaces and a part of the side surface on the one main surface side.

3. Furthermore, a power module unit is provided, which is disposed adjacent to the opposite side of the flow path forming body from the capacitor module and supplies a driving current to a motor, wherein the flow path forming body has at least four capacitor fastening portions fastened to the capacitor module via screws and at least four power module fastening portions fastened to the power module unit via screws, according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it is an inverter device.

4. The capacitor module includes a capacitor case for housing the capacitor through one opening surrounded by the two main surfaces and the side surfaces, and a resin sealing material filled in the capacitor case for sealing the capacitor and exposed from the opening, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is an inverter device.

5. The inverter device according to claim 4, wherein the capacitor case has a rectangular shape in which the two main surfaces and the side surfaces are orthogonal.

6. The housing further has an inflow portion connected to the upstream side of the flow path of the flow path forming body and through which the refrigerant flows into the flow path, and an outflow portion connected to the downstream side of the flow path of the flow path forming body and from which the refrigerant flows out of the flow path. The inverter device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inflow portion and the outflow portion also contact the side surface of the capacitor module.

7. The inverter device is mounted on a motor and used, Furthermore, a first pipe connected to the inflow portion and through which the refrigerant flows into the flow path via the inflow portion, And a second pipe connected to the outflow portion and through which the refrigerant flows out of the flow path via the outflow portion, The inverter device according to claim 6, wherein the first pipe and the second pipe extend toward the motor housing that houses the motor.

8. Furthermore, the inverter device according to claim 7, comprising a single circuit board on which a drive circuit that outputs a drive signal to a power module unit that supplies a drive current to the motor and a control circuit that outputs a control signal to the drive circuit are mounted.

9. Furthermore, a power module unit that supplies a drive current to the motor is provided, The inverter device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein when the refrigerant passes through the flow path, the refrigerant contacts the power module unit and cools the power module unit.

10. Furthermore, a lid member fixed to the housing is provided, The lid member includes a lid main body provided with a through window portion, The inverter device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a small lid member detachably attached to the window portion.

11. A capacitor module having a capacitor for smoothing the voltage from a power source, A flow path forming body disposed adjacent to the capacitor module and having a flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling the capacitor module can pass, A housing that houses the capacitor module and the flow path forming body, The capacitor module has two main surfaces facing each other and side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces, The flow path forming body has a first contact surface that contacts one of the main surfaces and a second contact surface that contacts the side surface, Furthermore, a power module unit that supplies a drive current to the motor, A single circuit board on which a drive circuit that outputs a drive signal to the power module unit and a control circuit that outputs a control signal to the drive circuit are mounted, And a power supply unit that supplies power from an external power source to the power module unit, The circuit board, the power module unit, the flow path forming body, and the capacitor module are arranged in this order. The power supply unit is an inverter device arranged on the same plane as the circuit board.

12. The capacitor module has four of the capacitors, The four capacitors are arranged in two in the arrangement direction of the circuit board, the power module unit, the flow path forming body, and the capacitor module, and two in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction. The inverter device according to claim 11.

13. Furthermore, it includes a positive bus bar and a negative bus bar for connecting the power module unit and the capacitor, The positive bus bar and the negative bus bar are arranged such that a part of them overlaps each other when viewed from the normal direction of the side surface. The inverter device according to claim 12.

14. A motor characterized by mounting the inverter device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A vehicle characterized by mounting the motor according to claim 14.

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