Power conversion device

Abstract

This power conversion device comprises a semiconductor module having: a plurality of upper arm modules that constitute an upper arm circuit of an upper / lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel with each other; and a plurality of lower arm modules that constitute a lower arm circuit of the upper / lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel with each other. The plurality of upper arm modules and the plurality of lower arm modules are disposed on a substrate. Some of the modules of at least one of the plurality of upper arm modules and the plurality of lower arm modules are disposed in a first row and a second row that corresponds to and is adjacent to the first row. The first row and the second row are formed along a first direction. The plurality of upper arm modules have first terminals, and the plurality of lower arm modules have second terminals. The first terminals and the second terminals extend in a direction orthogonal to the substrate. Positive electrode wiring that electrically connects the plurality of first terminals to each other, and negative electrode wiring that electrically connects the plurality of second terminals to each other extend in parallel with each other along the first direction.

Description

Power Conversion Device

[0001] The present invention relates to a power conversion device.

[0002] It is desirable to make a power conversion device as small as possible when mounting it on a vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a configuration in which upper and lower arm modules are arranged side by side in the direction in which each bus bar of the UVW phases extends. By realizing such a configuration, the projected area of ​​the semiconductor module in the power conversion device is reduced, thereby achieving miniaturization.

[0003] International Publication No. 2023 / 058381

[0004] The configuration described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the inductance increases as the number of upper and lower arm modules connected in parallel increases.

[0005] The power conversion device comprises a semiconductor module having a plurality of upper arm modules that form an upper arm circuit of an upper / lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel to each other, and a plurality of lower arm modules that form a lower arm circuit of the upper / lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel to each other, the plurality of upper arm modules and the plurality of lower arm modules are arranged on a substrate, some of at least one of the plurality of upper arm modules and the plurality of lower arm modules are arranged in a first row and a second row corresponding to the first row and adjacent to each other, the first row and the second row are formed along a first direction, the plurality of upper arm modules have first terminals, and the plurality of lower arm modules have second terminals, the first terminals and the second terminals extend in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, and positive wiring that electrically connects the plurality of first terminals and negative wiring that electrically connects the plurality of second terminals extend parallel to each other along the first direction.

[0006] It is possible to provide a power conversion device that achieves both reduced inductance and miniaturization.

[0007] 1 is a perspective view showing a semiconductor module on a wiring board according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an arrangement of a semiconductor module and a cooling member according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 3 is a view showing an arrangement of a semiconductor module and a cooling member according to a third direction according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a view showing an arrangement of a semiconductor module and a bus bar according to a third direction according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 5 is a view showing an arrangement of a semiconductor module and a bus bar according to a third direction according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 6 is a view showing an arrangement of a semiconductor module, a cooling member, and a bus bar according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description and drawings are examples for explaining the present invention, and some omissions and simplifications have been made as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0009] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0010] (First embodiment and overall configuration) (FIG. 1) A power conversion device 1 is electrically connected to a motor 2 and a battery 3. The power conversion device 1 has a smoothing capacitor 4, a semiconductor module 5, and a drive device 7. The semiconductor modules 5 for each of the UVW phases have a plurality of upper arm modules 5a that form upper arm circuits of an upper / lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel to each other, and a plurality of lower arm modules 5b that form lower arm circuits of the upper / lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel to each other.

[0011] Below, we will explain the upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b based on the U phase of the AC wiring. However, as the upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b connected to the V phase and W phase AC wiring have the same configuration as the U phase, we will not explain them here.

[0012] The parallel-connected upper arm modules 5a are connected via first terminals 9a to a positive bus bar 61P through which a positive current flows. The parallel-connected upper arm modules 5a are also connected via AC terminals 13 to an AC bus bar 62U through which an AC current flows.

[0013] The parallel-connected lower arm modules 5b are connected via second terminals 9b to a negative bus bar 61N through which a negative current flows. The parallel-connected lower arm modules 5b are also connected via AC terminals 13 to an AC bus bar 62U through which an AC current flows.

[0014] The power conversion device 1 converts DC power input from the battery 3 into AC power by switching operations in the upper arm module 5 a and the lower arm module 5 b. The power conversion device 1 outputs the converted AC power to the motor 2.

[0015] For convenience of the electrical circuit diagram, the upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b are shown as each having two modules electrically connected in parallel, but as will be described later, in this embodiment, the upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b are each configured as each having four modules electrically connected in parallel.

[0016] (FIG. 2) A plurality of upper arm modules 5a and a plurality of lower arm modules 5b are arranged on wiring board 8. In the configuration of the present invention, the plurality of upper arm modules 5a and the plurality of lower arm modules 5b are each arranged in a predetermined row formed in the first direction, with four modules in each row.

[0017] In a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in the planar direction of the wiring board 8, rows of a plurality of upper arm modules 5a and rows of a plurality of lower arm modules 5b are alternately arranged, with six rows being arranged corresponding to the U-phase bus bars, V-phase bus bars, and W-phase bus bars formed on the wiring board 8. Although not shown, a plurality of first water channels 41, which will be described later, are provided between each row of a plurality of upper arm modules 5a and each row of a plurality of lower arm modules 5b.

[0018] The cooling surfaces 6 of the upper arm modules 5 a and the lower arm modules 5 b are oriented in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction in the planar direction of the wiring board 8 .

[0019] Each of the plurality of upper arm modules 5a has a first terminal 9a, and each of the plurality of lower arm modules 5b has a second terminal 9b. The first terminals 9a and the second terminals 9b are connected to the wiring board 8 along a third direction that is perpendicular to the first and second directions and perpendicular to the wiring board 8. The first terminals 9a and the second terminals 9b form rows along the first direction and are arranged opposite each other in the second direction.

[0020] This makes it possible to reduce the volume (projected area) of the semiconductor modules in the power conversion device 1. Furthermore, when changing the output of the power conversion device 1, it becomes possible to change the layout while maintaining the cooling performance without changing the number of water channels.

[0021] (FIG. 3) The wiring board 8 (FIG. 2) has a U-phase bus bar, a V-phase bus bar, and a W-phase bus bar, which are AC output bus bars, as well as a positive bus bar 61P and a negative bus bar 61N. Note that in FIG. 3, the arrangement of the upper arm module 5a, the lower arm module 5b, and the cooling members is described based on the U-phase AC bus bar 62U among the AC output bus bars, and the V-phase bus bar and the W-phase bus bar are omitted, but the same applies to configurations that include the V-phase bus bar and the W-phase bus bar, respectively.

[0022] The upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b, which are electrically connected to the AC bus bar 62U via the AC terminal 13 (FIG. 1), are sandwiched on both sides by the first water passage 41, which is a cooling member. As a result, the semiconductor module 5 having the semiconductor element 30 is cooled by the refrigerant flowing in the first water passage 41.

[0023] The upper arm module 5a has a first terminal 9a that is connected to the positive bus bar 61P on the wiring board 8 and through which a positive current flows. The lower arm module 5b has a second terminal 9b that is connected to the negative bus bar 61N on the wiring board 8 and through which a negative current flows.

[0024] (FIGS. 4 and 5) The upper arm module 5a has a first terminal 9a and an AC terminal 13. The lower arm module 5b has a second terminal 9b and an AC terminal 13. A plurality of first water channels 41 are provided between the plurality of upper arm modules 5a and the plurality of lower arm modules 5b, and are water-conductively connected to a second water channel 42 and a third water channel 43. The first water channel 41 extends along the first direction, while the second water channel 42 and the third water channel 43 extend along the second direction.

[0025] 5 , the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are arranged facing each other with AC bus bars 62U, 62V, and 62W extending in the first direction sandwiched therebetween. The AC bus bars 62U, 62V, and 62W are electrically connected to the AC terminals 13 of the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b, respectively. In the following drawings, the AC bus bars 62U, 62V, and 62W are shown shaded.

[0026] 4 , the distance between the centers of gravity 35, which is the distance between the upper arm center of gravity 35a, which is the connection center of gravity between the first terminal 9a of each of the upper arm modules 5a arranged in the first direction and the positive bus bar 61P, and the lower arm center of gravity 35b, which is the connection center of gravity between the second terminal 9b of each of the lower arm modules 5b arranged in the first direction and the negative bus bar 61N, can be made shorter than in the past. By shortening the distance between the centers of gravity 35, the area where the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N run side by side is increased, thereby increasing the mutual inductance and reducing the inductance. Note that for convenience of explanation, only the upper arm center of gravity 35a and the lower arm center of gravity 35b related to the AC bus bar 62U are shown in FIG.

[0027] This point will be explained in detail using a comparative example (conventional example) of the present invention shown in FIG. 14 . In the comparative example of FIG. 14 , multiple upper arm modules 5 a and multiple lower arm modules 5 b are arranged in the same row. The positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N run parallel and partially overlap each other, but do not run parallel in the section indicated by the dotted arrow 70. Therefore, in the comparative example, the mutual inductance cannot be increased in the section where the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N do not run parallel, and the inductance between the smoothing capacitor 4 and the semiconductor module 5 cannot be sufficiently reduced. Furthermore, the length of the dotted arrow 70, where the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N do not run parallel, increases as the number of parallel semiconductor modules increases, which is a problem.

[0028] Shortening the distance between the centers of gravity 35 between the upper arm center of gravity position 35a and the lower arm center of gravity position 35b can also shorten the length of the dotted arrow 70. Therefore, by making the distance between the centers of gravity 35 shown in Figure 4 shorter than in the past, the section in which the positive electrode bus bar 61P and the negative electrode bus bar 61N run side by side can be lengthened, increasing the mutual inductance and contributing to a reduction in inductance.

[0029] (FIG. 6) FIG. 6 shows the positional relationship between the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N, and the upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b. On the wiring board 8 (FIG. 2), the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N overlap in a plane. As shown in FIG. 6, the parallel running section in the first direction of the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N can be made larger than in the past, allowing for increased mutual inductance.

[0030] The distance over which the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N do not run parallel to each other in the second direction is the distance between the first terminal 9a of the upper arm module 5a and the second terminal 9b of the lower arm module 5b, which face each other in the second direction. This distance corresponds to the distance between centers of gravity 35 shown in FIG. 4. In this way, by reducing the distance between centers of gravity 35, the mutual inductance can be increased and the main circuit inductance can be reduced. In other words, by reducing the area over which the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N do not overlap each other, the main circuit inductance can be reduced.

[0031] This increases the switching speed of the semiconductor modules 5, improving power conversion efficiency. Furthermore, even if the number of parallel-connected semiconductor modules 5 increases, the center-of-gravity distance 35 does not increase, so an increase in inductance can be suppressed. Note that, similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N may be swapped.

[0032] Furthermore, with this configuration, when the number of upper arm modules 5a and lower arm modules 5b is changed, for example when changing the output, this can be accommodated by changing only the length of the first water passages 41 without changing the number of them, so there is no need for redesign and cooling performance can be maintained.

[0033] Second Embodiment (FIG. 7) In the second embodiment, the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are installed in the same positions as in the first embodiment, but the electrode surfaces (cooling surfaces) of the modules face the first direction. The first water passage 41 extends along the second direction, and the second water passage 42 and the third water passage 43, which are connected to the first water passage 41, also extend along the first direction.

[0034] With this configuration, for example, when changing the output, the number of semiconductor elements 30 ( FIG. 3 ) arranged in the upper arm module 5 a and the lower arm module 5 b is changed, but accordingly, it is only necessary to change the number of first water passages 41, and there is no need to change their lengths. Furthermore, the second water passages 42 and the third water passages 43 extend in the first direction and are oriented in the same direction as the U-phase bus bar, V-phase bus bar, and W-phase bus bar that also extend in the first direction, thereby meeting the requirement to connect the first water passage 41 to the second water passages 42 and the third water passages 43 from the same direction as the connection direction of the U-phase bus bar, V-phase bus bar, and W-phase bus bar in the vehicle layout.

[0035] Furthermore, the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b sandwiched between the first water channels 41 are arranged such that the semiconductor elements 30 are as close as possible to each other in each module so as to correspond to the electrically connected U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase bus bars. This simplifies the shapes of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase output bus bars.

[0036] (Fig. 8) Fig. 8(a) is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention described in Fig. 2 to Fig. 6, and Fig. 8(b) is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the present invention described in Fig. 7. Although not shown in Fig. 8, the first to third directions described below are the same as those shown in Fig. 2.

[0037] A positive electrode current 21 flows through the upper arm module 5a. A negative electrode current 22 flows through the lower arm module 5b. The positive electrode wiring through which the positive electrode current 21 flows and electrically connects the plurality of first terminals 9a and the negative electrode wiring through which the negative electrode current 22 flows and electrically connects the plurality of second terminals 9b extend parallel to each other in the first direction.

[0038] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the cooling surfaces of the upper arm modules 5 a and the lower arm modules 5 b face the first direction, unlike in the first embodiment. In this way, by simply changing the orientation of the upper arm modules 5 a and the lower arm modules 5 b without changing their positions, it is possible to achieve the effects of the present invention while meeting layout requirements.

[0039] (First Modification, Second Modification) (FIG. 9) Below, examples of the arrangement of the upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. Note that the modifications described below with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 are configuration examples of the first embodiment, and the modifications described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13 are configuration examples of the second embodiment.

[0040] The arrangement example of the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b will be described as corresponding to one of the three-phase bus bars, i.e., the U-phase bus bar, the V-phase bus bar, and the W-phase bus bar. Also, Figures 9 to 13 are views seen from the third direction (Figure 2) described above, with the up-down direction in the drawing being the first direction and the left-right direction in the drawing being the second direction. Also, from the left in the drawing, the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are arranged in the first and second rows, respectively, and the third and subsequent rows are not shown.

[0041] In the arrangement example described below, some of at least one of the plurality of upper arm modules 5 a and the plurality of lower arm modules 5 b are arranged in a first row and a second row that corresponds to and is adjacent to the first row. The modules arranged in the first and second rows are formed along the first direction.

[0042] FIG. 9( a) shows an example of an arrangement of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9( b) shows a first modified example of the present invention, and FIG. 9( c) shows a second modified example of the present invention. In the example of the arrangement of FIG. 9( a), the modules arranged in the first and second rows have source surfaces 5c (the shorter sides of a pair of opposite sides of the module illustrated as a trapezoid) that are the cooling surfaces having the electrodes on the low potential side of each cooling surface, which do not face each other. In other words, the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b arranged along the first direction have drain surfaces 5d (the longer sides of a pair of opposite sides of the module illustrated as a trapezoid) that are the cooling surfaces having the electrodes on the high potential side, which are arranged facing each other. Note that the upper arm module 5a is illustrated as having an AC terminal 13 through which AC current flows and a positive terminal 11 (corresponding to the first terminal 9a) through which positive current flows, from the upper side in the first direction, and the lower arm module 5b is illustrated as having an AC terminal 13 and a negative terminal 12 (corresponding to the second terminal 9b) through which negative current flows, from the upper side in the first direction.

[0043] 9(b), the first and second rows in FIG. 9(a) are interchanged, and the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are arranged such that their source surfaces 5c, which are the low-potential surfaces, face each other. Note that the upper arm module 5a is shown as having an AC terminal 13 and a positive terminal 11 from above in the first direction, and the lower arm module 5b is shown as having an AC terminal 13 and a negative terminal 12 from above in the first direction.

[0044] 9(c), the modules arranged in the first and second rows are arranged such that the surfaces having the high-potential electrodes and the surfaces having the low-potential electrodes are alternately inverted along the first direction. That is, the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b, in which the drain surfaces 5d having large heat dissipation areas are arranged facing each other, and the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b, in which the source surfaces 5c having small heat dissipation areas are arranged facing each other, are alternately arranged in each of the first and second rows. This allows for uniform heat dissipation across the entire semiconductor module.

[0045] (Third to Fifth Modifications) (FIG. 10) FIG. 10(a) shows a third modification of the present invention, FIG. 10(b) shows a fourth modification of the present invention, and FIG. 10(c) shows a fifth modification of the present invention. In FIG. 10(a), the source surfaces 5c of the plurality of upper arm modules 5a and the plurality of lower arm modules 5b are arranged such that their respective source surfaces 5c and drain surfaces 5d face the same side. The upper arm module 5a is configured with an AC terminal 13 and a positive terminal 11 from above in the first direction, while the lower arm module 5b is configured with a negative terminal 12 and an AC terminal 13 from above in the first direction. In this way, some of the modules arranged in the first and second rows have their source surfaces 5c, which are surfaces of their cooling surfaces that have low-potential electrodes, facing the same direction. This allows the arrangement of gate signals (not shown) extending in the third direction (toward the front of the drawing) in each module to be the same, simplifying the wiring pattern of the drive board (not shown) and facilitating layout.

[0046] 10(b), the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are arranged alternately. The drain surfaces 5d of the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are arranged facing each other. The upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are also arranged adjacent to each other alternately in the first direction. This shortens the current loop distance and reduces inductance.

[0047] In FIG. 10( c ), the first terminal 9 a and the second terminal 9 b ( FIG. 2 ) are provided on the smoothing capacitor 4 side of the upper arm module 5 a and the lower arm module 5 b, respectively. The drain surfaces 5 d of the multiple upper arm modules 5 a and the multiple lower arm modules 5 b are arranged facing each other. The upper arm module 5 a has a positive terminal 11 and an AC terminal 13 from the upper side in the first direction, while the lower arm module 5 b has a negative terminal 12 and an AC terminal 13 from the upper side in the first direction. In this configuration, smoothing capacitors 4 (not shown) are arranged adjacent to the upper arm modules 5 a and the lower arm modules 5 b within the power conversion device 1. The first terminal 9 a, which is the positive terminal 11, and the second terminal 9 b, which is the negative terminal 12, are arranged on the smoothing capacitor 4 arranged on the upper side in the drawing. This configuration shortens the distance between the smoothing capacitor 4 and the first terminal 9 a and the second terminal 9 b, thereby reducing inductance.

[0048] 9( a), 10(b), and 10(c) have the following effects: In the multiple first water channels 41, the first water channels 41 at both ends (see FIG. 4) that are arranged between six rows each consisting of multiple upper arm modules 5a and multiple lower arm modules 5b have a small flow rate of coolant flowing therethrough, but by arranging each module with its source surface 5c, which dissipates less heat, facing outward, a cooling configuration can be achieved that is compatible with a state in which the flow rate of the first water channels 41 at both ends is small, which contributes to maintaining efficient heat dissipation overall.

[0049] In addition, by adopting the arrangement configurations of Figures 9(a) to 9(c), 10(a), and 10(c), the upper arm modules 5a are arranged in the first row and the lower arm modules 5b are arranged in the second row, or the lower arm modules 5b are arranged in the first row and the upper arm modules 5a are arranged in the second row, thereby simplifying the shapes of the corresponding positive bus bar 61P and negative bus bar 61N.

[0050] In the above explanation, the arrangement of modules in the first and second rows corresponding to one phase bus bar out of three phase bus bars has been described. However, in another adjacent row not shown, for example, a configuration in which the arrangement of the first and second rows is swapped may be applied to the third and fourth rows.

[0051] (Sixth Modification) (Fig. 11) Figs. 11 to 13 show arrangement examples of the second embodiment. Fig. 11(a) shows an arrangement example of the second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 11(b) shows a sixth modification of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the cooling surfaces of the plurality of upper arm modules 5a and the plurality of lower arm modules 5b face in a first direction.

[0052] 11A, the source surfaces 5c and drain surfaces 5d of the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are arranged facing a first direction. The upper arm modules 5a are arranged side by side in the first direction, and similarly, the lower arm modules 5b are arranged side by side in the first direction. The source surfaces 5c and drain surfaces 5d of the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b face the same direction.

[0053] In Fig. 11(b), the first terminal 9a and the second terminal 9b are adjacent to each other in the second direction. In Fig. 11(b), the upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b are arranged in the same positions as in Fig. 11(a), but the source surface 5c and the drain surface 5d are oriented in the opposite direction to those in Fig. 11(a), with the drain surface 5d facing the smoothing capacitor 4 (not shown). In the multiple upper arm modules 5a and the multiple lower arm modules 5b, the AC terminals 13 are not adjacent to each other, so AC bus bars 62U extending in the second direction are provided to connect the AC bus bars 62U extending in the first direction to each other.

[0054] (Seventh Modification, Eighth Modification) (FIG. 12) FIG. 12(a) shows a seventh modification of the present invention, and FIG. 12(b) shows an eighth modification of the present invention. In FIG. 12(a), a plurality of upper arm modules 5a are arranged side by side in a first direction, and similarly, a plurality of lower arm modules 5b are arranged side by side in the first direction. The plurality of upper arm modules 5a arranged in a first row are repeated in a configuration in which their respective source surfaces 5c face each other. Similarly, the plurality of lower arm modules 5b arranged in a second row are repeated in a configuration in which their respective source surfaces 5c face each other.

[0055] 12(b), the configuration in which the source surfaces 5c face each other is repeated, as in FIG. 12(a), but the upper arm modules 5a and lower arm modules 5b are alternately arranged in each of the first and second rows. This allows the AC terminals 13 in the first and second rows to be adjacent to each other, simplifying the configuration of the AC bus bar 62U connected thereto. Furthermore, the distance between the upper arm center of gravity 35a and the lower arm center of gravity 35b shown in FIG. 7 is shortened.

[0056] (Ninth Modification) (FIG. 13) The upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are arranged such that the source surfaces 5c and the drain surfaces 5d are oriented in opposite directions. In other words, the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b adjacent to each other in the second direction have the cooling surfaces with the high-potential electrodes and the low-potential electrodes alternately rotated along the second direction. This configuration ensures that the amount of heat dissipated from the modules is uniform in each first water channel 41. Note that, because the AC terminals 13 of the upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are not adjacent to each other in the second direction, AC bus bars 62U extending in the second direction are provided to connect the AC bus bars 62U extending in the first direction to each other.

[0057] To summarize the above, by adopting the arrangement configurations of Figures 11, 12(b), and 13, the AC output terminals of each of the multiple upper arm modules 5a and the multiple lower arm modules 5b are arranged in a row along the first direction, and the AC bus bar 62U connected to these AC output terminals can be made linear.

[0058] Furthermore, by adopting the arrangement configurations of Figures 11(a) and 12(b), the AC output terminals of the multiple upper arm modules 5a and the AC output terminals of the multiple lower arm modules 5b are adjacent to each other in the second direction, and therefore the shape of the AC bus bar 62U connected to these AC output terminals is simplified.

[0059] In addition, by adopting the arrangement configurations shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b), the surfaces of each cooling surface having electrodes on the high potential side and the surfaces having electrodes on the low potential side are arranged in an alternating inverted manner along the first direction, and the drain surface 5d, which has a large amount of heat dissipation, is placed on the outside, which can accommodate the flow rate of the first water channel 41, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0060] Furthermore, by adopting the arrangement configurations of Figures 11, 12(a), and 13, in the modules arranged in the first and second rows, the upper arm module 5a is arranged in the first row and the lower arm module 5b is arranged in the second row, thereby simplifying the shapes of the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N.

[0061] According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the following advantageous effects are achieved.

[0062] (1) The power conversion device 1 includes a semiconductor module 5 having a plurality of upper arm modules 5 a that form an upper arm circuit of an upper / lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel to each other, and a plurality of lower arm modules 5 b that form a lower arm circuit of the upper / lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel to each other, the plurality of upper arm modules 5 a and the plurality of lower arm modules 5 b are arranged on a substrate 8, a portion of at least one of the plurality of upper arm modules 5 a and the plurality of lower arm modules 5 b is arranged in a first row and a second row that corresponds to the first row and is adjacent to the first row, the first row and the second row are formed along a first direction, the plurality of upper arm modules 5 a have first terminals 9 a, and the plurality of lower arm modules 5 b have second terminals 9 b, the first terminals 9 a and the second terminals 9 b extend in a direction perpendicular to the substrate 8, and positive wiring that electrically connects the plurality of first terminals 9 a and negative wiring that electrically connects the plurality of second terminals 9 b extend parallel to each other along the first direction. In this way, it is possible to provide a power conversion device 1 that achieves reduced inductance and size reduction.

[0063] (2) The cooling surfaces of the upper arm modules 5 a and the lower arm modules 5 b are oriented in a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction in the planar direction of the wiring board 8. This configuration makes it possible to change the layout while maintaining the cooling performance and without changing the number of water channels when changing the output of the power conversion device 1.

[0064] (3) The first terminals 9 a and the second terminals 9 b arranged in the first and second rows face each other in the second direction, so that the upper arm center of gravity position 35 a and the lower arm center of gravity position 35 b in the first direction coincide with each other, thereby minimizing the distance between the centers of gravity 35.

[0065] (4) The cooling surfaces 5c of the modules arranged in the first and second rows, which have electrodes on the low potential side, do not face each other, which improves heat dissipation and reduces inductance.

[0066] (5) The modules arranged in the first and second rows are arranged such that the surfaces 5d having the high-potential electrodes and the surfaces 5c having the low-potential electrodes are alternately inverted along the first direction, thereby equalizing the heat dissipation in each module.

[0067] (6) In some of the modules arranged in the first and second rows, the cooling surfaces 5c having the electrodes on the low potential side of the cooling surfaces face the same direction. This makes the arrangement of gate signals and other signals extending in the third direction the same, simplifying the pattern of the drive substrate (not shown).

[0068] (7) In the modules arranged in the first and second rows, the upper arm modules 5 a are arranged in the first row, and the lower arm modules 5 b are arranged in the second row, which simplifies the shapes of the positive bus bar 61P and the negative bus bar 61N.

[0069] (8) In the modules arranged in the first and second rows, the upper arm modules 5 a and the lower arm modules 5 b adjacent to each other along the first direction are alternately arranged, thereby reducing inductance.

[0070] (9) The smoothing capacitor 4 is disposed adjacent to the upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b, and the first terminal 9a and the second terminal 9b are provided on the smoothing capacitor 4 side of the upper arm module 5a and the lower arm module 5b, respectively. This arrangement reduces inductance.

[0071] (10) The cooling surfaces 6 of the upper arm modules 5 a and the lower arm modules 5 b face the first direction. By doing so, when the output of the power conversion device 1 is changed, the number of water channels is changed, but the length of the water channels does not need to be changed.

[0072] (11) The upper arm modules 5 a and the lower arm modules 5 b each have an AC output terminal, and the AC output terminals are arranged in a row along the first direction. This allows the AC bus bar 62U to have a linear shape, making layout easier.

[0073] (12) The AC output terminals of the upper arm modules 5 a and the AC output terminals of the lower arm modules 5 b are adjacent to each other in the second direction. This simplifies the shape of the AC bus bar 62U.

[0074] (13) The first terminal 9 a and the second terminal 9 b are adjacent to each other in the second direction. This allows the AC bus bar 62U to have a linear shape, making the layout easier.

[0075] (14) In the modules arranged in the first and second rows, the surfaces 5d having the electrodes on the high potential side and the surfaces 5c having the electrodes on the low potential side of the cooling surfaces are alternately inverted along the first direction, thereby improving heat dissipation.

[0076] (15) In the modules arranged in the first and second rows, the surfaces 5d having the high-potential electrodes and the surfaces 5c having the low-potential electrodes are alternately inverted along the second direction, thereby making the amount of heat dissipated in the same water channel uniform.

[0077] (16) The upper arm modules 5a and the lower arm modules 5b are alternately arranged in the first and second rows, thereby shortening the distance 35 between the centers of gravity.

[0078] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and combinations of other configurations are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to those having all of the configurations described in the above-described embodiments, and includes those in which some of the configurations are omitted.

[0079] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Power conversion device 2 Motor 3 Battery 4 Smoothing capacitor 5 Semiconductor module 5a Upper arm module 5b Lower arm module 5c Source surface 5d Drain surface 6 Cooling surface 7 Drive device 8 Wiring board 9 Power module terminal 9a First terminal 9b Second terminal 11 Positive terminal 12 Negative terminal 13 AC terminal 21 Positive current 22 Negative current 30 Semiconductor element 35 Distance between centers of gravity 35a Upper arm center of gravity position 35b Lower arm center of gravity position 41 First water channel 42 Second water channel 43 Third water channel 61P Positive bus bar 61N Negative bus bar 62U AC bus bar (U phase)

Claims

1. A power conversion device comprising a semiconductor module having a plurality of upper arm modules that form an upper arm circuit of an upper and lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel to each other, and a plurality of lower arm modules that form a lower arm circuit of the upper and lower arm circuit and are electrically connected in parallel to each other, wherein the plurality of upper arm modules and the plurality of lower arm modules are arranged on a substrate, and a portion of at least one of the plurality of upper arm modules and the plurality of lower arm modules are arranged in a first row and a second row corresponding to the first row and adjacent to each other, the first row and the second row are formed along a first direction, the plurality of upper arm modules have first terminals, and the plurality of lower arm modules have second terminals, the first terminals and the second terminals extend in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, and positive wiring that electrically connects the plurality of first terminals and negative wiring that electrically connects the plurality of second terminals extend parallel to each other along the first direction.

2. The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling surfaces of the upper arm modules and the lower arm modules are oriented in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction in the planar direction of the substrate.

3. The power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the first terminals and the second terminals arranged in the first row and the second row face each other in the second direction.

4. The power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the cooling surfaces of the modules arranged in the first row and the second row that have electrodes on the low potential side do not face each other.

5. A power conversion device as described in claim 2, wherein the modules arranged in the first row and the second row are arranged such that the sides having the high potential side electrodes and the sides having the low potential side electrodes are alternately inverted along the first direction.

6. The power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the cooling surfaces of the modules arranged in the first row and the second row that have electrodes on the low potential side face in the same direction.

7. The power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein, of the modules arranged in the first row and the second row, the upper arm module is arranged in the first row and the lower arm module is arranged in the second row.

8. The power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the upper arm modules and the lower arm modules are alternately arranged in the first and second rows of modules.

9. The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein smoothing capacitors are disposed adjacent to the upper arm module and the lower arm module, and the first terminal and the second terminal are provided on the smoothing capacitor side of the upper arm module and the lower arm module, respectively.

10. The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling surfaces of the upper arm modules and the lower arm modules face the first direction.

11. The power conversion device according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of upper arm modules and the plurality of lower arm modules each have an AC output terminal, and the AC output terminals are arranged in a row along the first direction.

12. The power conversion device according to claim 11, wherein in the modules arranged in the first row and the second row, the AC output terminals of the upper arm modules and the AC output terminals of the lower arm modules are adjacent to each other in the second direction.

13. The power conversion device according to claim 10, wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are adjacent to each other in a second direction that is a direction perpendicular to the first direction in the planar direction of the substrate.

14. A power conversion device as described in claim 10, wherein the cooling surfaces of the modules arranged in the first row and the second row, the surfaces having electrodes on the high potential side and the surfaces having electrodes on the low potential side, are alternately inverted along the first direction.

15. A power conversion device as described in claim 10, wherein the cooling surfaces of the modules arranged in the first and second rows, the surfaces having electrodes on the high potential side and the surfaces having electrodes on the low potential side, are alternately inverted along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction in the planar direction of the substrate.

16. The power conversion device according to claim 10, wherein the modules arranged in the first row and the second row are arranged such that the upper arm modules and the lower arm modules are alternately arranged.

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