Electronic control device

Abstract

An electronic control device (30) controls driving of a rotary electric machine (20) having the windings (21, 22) of a plurality of phases and comprises substrates (31, 32) and heat-generating elements (511-516, 521-526). The substrates (31, 32) are disposed such that the mounting surfaces (311, 312) lies along the flow of a refrigerant. The heat-generating elements (511-516, 521-526) are connected to the windings (21, 22) and mounted on the substrates (31, 32). When a region in which one heat-generating element or the plurality of heat-generating elements corresponding to the respective phases of the windings (21, 22) are mounted is defined as element mounting regions (51-56), the respective element mounting regions (51-56) are disposed so as not to overlap with other element mounting regions in the flow direction of the refrigerant.

Description

Electronic control unit Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0001] The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-028356 filed on February 25, 2025, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an electronic control unit.

[0003] Conventionally, a power converter including a power conversion circuit formed of switching elements is known. For example, Patent Document 1 is provided with a cooler that cools a semiconductor module.

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2024-143276

[0005] In Patent Document 1, semiconductor modules are arranged along the flow direction of a refrigerant. In such a configuration, since the elements on the downstream side are cooled after the refrigerant has been warmed by cooling the elements on the upstream side of the refrigerant flow, there is a risk that cooling performance becomes non-uniform between the upstream side and the downstream side. An object of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic control unit capable of cooling heat generating elements.

[0006] The electronic control unit of the present disclosure controls driving of a rotating electric machine having a plurality of phases of windings, and includes a substrate and a heat generating element. The substrate is arranged such that its mounting surface follows the flow of refrigerant. The heat generating element is connected to the winding and mounted on the substrate. When a region where one heat generating element or a plurality of heat generating elements corresponding to each phase of the winding are mounted is defined as an element mounting region, each element mounting region is arranged so as not to overlap with other element mounting regions in the flow direction of the refrigerant. This enables appropriate cooling of the heat generating elements.

[0007] The above-mentioned objectives and other objectives, features and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer with reference to the attached drawings and the detailed description below. The drawings are as follows: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electric vehicle according to the first embodiment; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an electric motor unit according to the first embodiment; Figure 3 is a circuit diagram showing a control circuit and power circuit according to the first embodiment; Figure 4 is a circuit diagram showing a power element according to the first embodiment; Figure 5 is a plan view showing the substrate arrangement in the electric motor unit according to the first embodiment; Figure 6 is a plan view showing the arrangement of element mounting areas according to the first embodiment; Figure 7 is a plan view showing the arrangement of element mounting areas according to the second embodiment; Figure 8 is a plan view showing the arrangement of element mounting areas according to the third embodiment; Figure 9 is a plan view showing the arrangement of element mounting areas according to the fourth embodiment; and Figure 10 is Figure 11 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the element mounting area according to the fifth embodiment, Figure 12 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the element mounting area according to the sixth embodiment, Figure 13 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the element mounting area according to the seventh embodiment, Figure 14 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the element mounting area according to the eighth embodiment, Figure 15 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the element mounting area according to the ninth embodiment, Figure 16 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the element mounting area according to the tenth embodiment, Figure 17 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the element mounting area according to the eleventh embodiment, and Figure 18 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the element mounting area according to the twelfth embodiment.

[0008] The electronic control device described herein will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, substantially identical components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0009] (First Embodiment) The first embodiment is shown in Figures 1 to 6. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electric motor unit 10, which is a rotating electric motor unit, is applied to, for example, an electric vehicle 90. The electric vehicle 90 is an electric two-wheeled vehicle having a front wheel 91 and a rear wheel 92, and is configured so that a driver D can ride on it. The electric vehicle 90 is also equipped with a battery 95 (see Figure 3).

[0010] As shown in Figure 2, the motor unit 10 comprises a motor section 20 and an electrical circuit section 30 as an electronic control device. The motor unit 10 is a so-called "mechatronics-integrated" type, with the electrical circuit section 30 located on one side of the axial direction of the motor section 20, and is housed in a common housing 11.

[0011] The housing 11 comprises a housing body 12, a frame member 13, and a cover 14. The housing body 12 has a cylindrical portion 121 and a substrate holding portion 125, and is integrally formed, for example, from metal. The cylindrical portion 121 is formed in a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape that opens on the side opposite to the electrical circuit portion 30.

[0012] The substrate holder portion 125 is provided on the electrical circuit portion 30 side of the cylindrical portion 121. The substrate holder portion 125 is formed to protrude in a substantially rectangular shape from one radial side of the cylindrical portion 121. A connector 15 is provided on the portion of the substrate holder portion 125 that protrudes radially outward from the cylindrical portion 121.

[0013] The frame member 13 is provided at the end of the cylindrical portion 121 opposite to the substrate holding portion 125, so as to close the opening. The cover 14 is provided to cover the substrate holding portion 125 and the substrate 31. A heat dissipation fin 141 is erected on the outer surface of the cover 14 opposite to the motor portion 20. The heat dissipation fin 141 is formed to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle when mounted on the electric vehicle 90 (see Figure 1). By providing the heat dissipation fin 141, the cooling efficiency of the electrical circuit portion 30 by the airflow during driving can be increased.

[0014] The motor section 20 is, for example, a three-phase brushless motor and has two sets of motor windings 21 and 22, a stator 23, a rotor 24, and a shaft 25, etc., and constitutes a magnetic circuit. The stator 23 has the motor windings 21 and 22 wound around it and is fixed to the cylindrical section 121. Hereinafter, the combination of configurations provided corresponding to the motor winding 21 will be referred to as the first system, and the combination of configurations provided corresponding to the motor winding 22 will be referred to as the second system.

[0015] The rotor 24 is mounted radially inward of the stator 23 and is rotatable relative to the stator 23. The shaft 25 is fitted into the rotor 24 and rotates integrally with the rotor 24. The shaft 25 is rotatably supported in the housing 11 by bearings 251 and 252.

[0016] A magnet 26 is provided at one end of the shaft 25 and is exposed to the electrical circuit section 30 through a hole 122 formed in the housing body 12. The magnet 26 rotates integrally with the shaft 25 and is used for rotation detection.

[0017] The other end of the shaft 25 is an output end 255, which is exposed to the outside of the housing 11 through a hole 131 formed in the frame member 13. The output end 255 is connected to the rear wheel 92 (see Figure 1) via a gear or the like (not shown). As a result, the rear wheel 92, which is a drive wheel, is driven by the driving force of the motor unit 20. The drive wheel may also be the front wheel 91. The electric vehicle 90 runs on the driving force of the motor unit 20, which is a drive motor (a so-called main motor).

[0018] The electrical circuit section 30 has a circuit board 31. The circuit board 31 is fixed to the housing body 12 by fixing members such as screws (not shown). The mounting surface of the circuit board 31 on the motor section 20 side is called the motor surface 311, and the surface on the cover 14 side is called the cover surface 312. As shown in Figure 3, the electrical circuit section 30 has a control circuit section 35 and a power circuit section 40. The electronic components constituting the control circuit section 35 and the power circuit section 40 are mounted on the circuit board 31.

[0019] The control circuit unit 35 includes a microcontroller 36, a pre-driver 37, and a rotation angle sensor 39. The microcontroller 36 performs various calculations related to the drive control of the motor unit 20. The pre-driver 37 outputs drive signals that control the on / off operation of power elements 511-516 and 521-526 based on the drive command values ​​calculated by the microcontroller 36. The rotation angle sensor 39 is mounted in a location where it can detect changes in the magnetic field accompanying the rotation of the magnet 26 (see Figure 2), and detects the rotation of the rotor 24.

[0020] The power circuit section 40 includes a capacitor 41, an inductor 42, a current sensor 45, and inverter circuits 510, 520, etc. The capacitor 41 and the inductor 42 are mounted on the motor side 311 of the substrate 31 and constitute a filter circuit. The current sensor 45 is, for example, a shunt resistor and detects the current supplied to each phase of the motor windings 21 and 22. The current sensor 45 may be something other than a shunt resistor, such as a Hall IC.

[0021] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the inverter circuit 510 has power elements 511 to 516 and is provided corresponding to the motor winding 21. The inverter circuit 520 has power elements 521 to 526 and is provided corresponding to the motor winding 22. The power elements 511 to 516 and 521 to 526 are mounted on the cover surface 312 of the substrate 31. A protrusion 145 is provided on the cover 14 at the location facing the power elements 511 to 516 and 521 to 526. A heat dissipation member 146, such as a heat dissipation gel, is provided between the power elements 511 to 516 and 521 to 526 and the protrusion 145, and is configured to dissipate the heat generated by the energization of the power elements 511 to 516 and 521 to 526 to the cover 14 side. In other words, the cover 14 in this embodiment also functions as a heat sink.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, power elements 511 to 513 are connected to the high-potential side, and power elements 514 to 516 are connected to the low-potential side, and are bridge-connected. Power elements 511 and 514 are connected to the U-phase winding 211 of the motor winding 21, power elements 512 and 515 are connected to the V-phase winding 212 of the motor winding 21, and power elements 513 and 516 are connected to the W-phase winding 213 of the motor winding 21.

[0023] Power elements 521 to 523 are connected to the high-potential side, and power elements 524 to 526 are connected to the low-potential side, and are bridge-connected. Power elements 521 and 524 are connected to the U-phase winding 221 of the motor winding 22, power elements 522 and 525 are connected to the V-phase winding 222 of the motor winding 22, and power elements 523 and 526 are connected to the W-phase winding 223 of the motor winding 22.

[0024] The power element 511 may consist of a single semiconductor element, or it may consist of multiple semiconductor elements (four in Figure 4) connected in parallel, as shown in Figure 4. The number of parallel connections is not limited to four. The same applies to power elements 512-516 and 521-526.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the electric motor unit 10 is mounted on the electric vehicle 90 such that the mounting surface of the circuit board 31 is aligned with the side surface of the electric vehicle 90. This allows the electrical circuit section 30 to be cooled by the airflow during operation. In this embodiment, the circuit board 31 is positioned so that its mounting surface is parallel to the vehicle's centerline, but it is acceptable as long as it can be cooled by the airflow during operation, and it may also be inclined relative to the vehicle's centerline. In Figure 5, the circuit board 31 is formed in a rectangular shape, but it may extend to, for example, the semicircular portion at the bottom of the page, and the shape of the circuit board 31 is arbitrary.

[0026] Here, for example, if the power elements are arranged side by side horizontally on the paper as shown in Figures 1 and 5, the power elements will overlap with the airflow while driving. As a result, the airflow will be heated by the power elements located on the front side of the vehicle, which is upstream of the airflow, and the heated airflow will cool the power elements located on the rear side of the vehicle. This will result in uneven cooling performance between the elements.

[0027] Figure 6 shows the element arrangement of this embodiment. In Figure 6, the explanation assumes that the airflow is from left to right on the page. Here, the area where the first system's U-phase power elements 511 and 514 are mounted is designated as element mounting area 51, the area where the V-phase power elements 512 and 515 are mounted is designated as element mounting area 52, and the area where the W-phase power elements 513 and 516 are mounted is designated as element mounting area 53. Furthermore, the area where the second system's U-phase power elements 521 and 524 are mounted is designated as element mounting area 54, the area where the V-phase power elements 522 and 525 are mounted is designated as element mounting area 55, and the area where the W-phase power elements 523 and 526 are mounted is designated as element mounting area 56. Each of the areas 51 to 56 has 2n (n is the number of parallel connections) semiconductor elements of the same phase and system mounted. For example, the area is a rectangular area that defines the outermost frame of the chips constituting the semiconductor elements included in that area, but depending on the element arrangement, it may be a circular or polygonal area, for example. Furthermore, the arrangement and orientation of semiconductor elements within the same system and phase element mounting area are arbitrary. The same applies to the embodiments described later.

[0028] In this embodiment, the element mounting areas 51 to 56 are offset from each other so as not to overlap with respect to the direction of airflow (left-right direction in Figure 6). In this embodiment, the first system of element mounting areas 51 to 53 are arranged on a virtual line L1 perpendicular to the airflow, with a spacing of at least the width of one element mounting area. The second system of element mounting areas 54 to 56 are arranged on a different virtual line L2, which is perpendicular to the airflow, with a spacing of at least the width of one element mounting area. The virtual lines L1 and L2 can be straight lines passing through their respective element mounting areas, but here we will explain them as passing through the centers of the element mounting areas.

[0029] In this embodiment, on the first system side, the element mounting areas 51, 52, and 53 are arranged in that order from the power supply unit 305 side, and on the second system side, the element mounting areas 54, 55, and 56 are arranged in that order from the power supply unit 305 side. The system and phase assignments are arbitrary and may differ from those shown in Figure 6.

[0030] The element mounting regions 51-53 and element mounting regions 54-56 are arranged in an alternating manner in a direction perpendicular to the airflow so as not to overlap with the airflow while driving. In other words, in this embodiment, the regions are arranged in the order of 51, 54, 52, 55, 53, and 56 in a direction perpendicular to the airflow while driving.

[0031] In this embodiment, by arranging the element mounting areas 51 to 56 so that they do not overlap with respect to the direction of airflow, the elements mounted in the element mounting areas 51 to 56 can be cooled uniformly. Furthermore, by arranging the element mounting areas 51 to 56 in multiple straight lines (two lines in this embodiment) opposite to the direction of airflow, a relatively large distance can be secured between the element mounting areas. This suppresses the thermal influence between areas 51 to 56, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0032] In this embodiment, regions 51 to 56 are arranged on different straight lines for each system. By arranging the virtual line L1 on which regions 51 to 53 of the first system are arranged and the virtual line L2 on which regions 54 to 56 of the second system are arranged symmetrically with respect to the power supply unit 305, and by arranging the element mounting regions 51 to 53 and element mounting regions 54 to 56 alternately, variations in wiring length between systems can be reduced.

[0033] As described above, the electrical circuit section 30 of this embodiment controls the drive of a motor section 20 having multiple phase motor windings 21 and 22, and comprises a substrate 31 and power elements 511 to 516 and 521 to 526. The substrate 31 is arranged so that the motor surface 311 and the cover surface 312, which are the mounting surfaces, are aligned with the flow of cooling air. The power elements 511 to 516 and 521 to 526 are connected to the motor windings 21 and 22 and mounted on the substrate 31.

[0034] If the regions where multiple power elements 511-516 and 521-526 corresponding to each phase of the motor windings 21 and 22 are mounted are defined as element mounting regions 51-56, then each element mounting region 51-56 is arranged so as not to overlap with other element mounting regions in the direction of coolant flow. Alternatively, the mounting locations for each power element 511-516 and 521-526 may also be defined as "element mounting regions." This reduces variations in the cooling performance of the power elements 511-516 and 521-526, and allows for proper cooling of the power elements 511-516 and 521-526.

[0035] The element mounting regions 51 to 56 are arranged on multiple straight lines that are not parallel to the direction of the cooling airflow. This suppresses thermal effects between the element mounting regions and improves cooling efficiency.

[0036] The motor section 20 has multiple motor windings 21 and 22, and the configuration provided corresponding to each motor winding 21 and 22 is called a system. The element mounting areas of the same system are arranged discontinuously in a direction perpendicular to the direction of cooling airflow. Since this embodiment has two systems, the element mounting areas 51 to 53 related to the first system and the element mounting areas 54 to 56 related to the second system are arranged alternately. This suppresses thermal influence between areas and reduces variations in cooling performance between systems. It also suppresses variations in wiring length between systems.

[0037] (Second Embodiment) A second embodiment is shown in Figure 7. In this embodiment, the substrate 32 is circular, but as in the above embodiment, the substrate shape is arbitrary. Element mounting areas 51 to 53 are arranged on a virtual line L1 that is oblique to the airflow. Element mounting areas 54 to 56 are arranged on a virtual line L2 that is oblique to the airflow and parallel to the virtual line L1.

[0038] Motor wire connection sections for connection to the motor winding 21 are formed on the radially outer side of element mounting areas 51 to 53, and motor wire connection sections for connection to the motor winding 22 are formed on the radially outer side of element mounting areas 54 to 56. In Figure 7 and other figures, the reference numerals of the motor wires to which the motor wires are connected are indicated at the motor wire connection sections. The motor wire connection sections are provided so as to have the same phase arrangement as the element mounting areas 51 to 53 and 54 to 56.

[0039] The element mounting areas 51-53 and element mounting areas 54-56 are arranged to be offset alternately in a direction perpendicular to the airflow so as not to overlap in the direction of the airflow while driving. The power supply unit 305 is provided so as to straddle the system boundary line Ld, and the virtual lines L1 and L2 are symmetrical with respect to the power supply unit 305.

[0040] This allows for a relatively large distance between the element mounting areas 51-56, suppressing the thermal influence between them, thereby improving cooling efficiency while preventing the substrate from becoming too large. Furthermore, by arranging the virtual lines L1 and L2 symmetrically with respect to the system demarcation line Ld, and arranging the element mounting areas 51-53 and areas 54-56 alternately when viewed from the power supply unit 305 side, variations in wiring length between systems can be reduced. This also provides the same effects as in the above embodiment.

[0041] (Third and Fourth Embodiments) The third embodiment is shown in Figure 8, and the fourth embodiment is shown in Figure 9. In the third and fourth embodiments, an example of a circular substrate will be described in the same manner as in the second embodiment. In the third embodiment shown in Figure 8, element mounting areas 51 to 53 are arranged on a virtual line L1 that is oblique to the airflow, and element mounting areas 54 to 56 are arranged on a virtual line L2 that is oblique to the airflow and parallel to the virtual line L1. Similar to the second embodiment, the motor wire connection portion for the first system is formed radially outward of the element mounting areas 51 to 53, and the motor wire connection portion for the second system is formed radially outward of the element mounting areas 54 to 56.

[0042] The element mounting regions 51 to 56 are arranged offset in a direction perpendicular to the traveling wind so as not to overlap in the flow direction of the traveling wind. In the third embodiment, assuming that Lc is a center line passing through the center of the substrate 31 along the direction of the traveling wind, the element mounting regions 51 to 53 of the first system are arranged on one side of the center line Lc, and the element mounting regions 54 to 56 of the second system are arranged on the other side of the center line Lc. The power feeding portion 305 is provided so as to straddle the system dividing line Ld, and the virtual lines L1 and L2 are symmetrical with respect to the power feeding portion 305.

[0043] The fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 9 is a modification of the third embodiment, wherein the element mounting regions 51 to 56 are arranged on concentric circles so as not to overlap in the flow direction of the traveling wind. It should be noted that the element mounting regions 51 to 56 in the second embodiment may also be arranged on concentric circles. The element mounting regions 51 to 53 and the element mounting regions 54 to 56 are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to the center of the substrate. This configuration also provides the same effects as those of the above embodiments.

[0044] (Fifth Embodiment to Sixth Embodiment) The fifth embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is an example of a non-circular substrate corresponding to the second embodiment. In the drawings of the following embodiments, the traveling wind is assumed to flow in the left-right direction on the paper surface, and the description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 10, the element mounting regions 51 to 53 are arranged on a virtual line L1 oblique to the traveling wind, and the element mounting regions 54 to 56 are arranged on a virtual line L2 that is oblique to the traveling wind and parallel to the virtual line L1. The element mounting regions 51 to 53 and the element mounting regions 54 to 56 are arranged alternately offset in a direction perpendicular to the traveling wind so as not to overlap in the flow direction of the traveling wind.

[0045] In FIG. 10, similarly to the first embodiment and the like, the element mounting regions 51 to 53 and 54 to 56 are both arranged in the order of U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase from one side. In the example of FIG. 11, the element mounting regions 51 to 53 are arranged in the order of U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase from one side, and the element mounting regions 54 to 56 are arranged in the order of W-phase, V-phase, and U-phase from one side, so that the phase arrangement is reversed between the first system side and the second system side. It should be noted that the phase arrangement within a system is arbitrary.

[0046] The sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 12 is an example of a non-circular substrate corresponding to the third embodiment. The element mounting regions 51 to 53 are arranged on an imaginary line L1 oblique to traveling wind. The element mounting regions 54 to 56 are arranged on an imaginary line L2 that is oblique to traveling wind and parallel to the imaginary line L1. The first-system element mounting regions 51 to 53 are located on one side of an imaginary line L3 parallel to traveling wind, and the second-system element mounting regions 54 to 56 are located on the other side of the imaginary line L3, such that they do not overlap in the flow direction of traveling wind and are shifted in the direction orthogonal to traveling wind. This configuration also provides the same effects as those of the above embodiments.

[0047] (Seventh Embodiment to Twelfth Embodiment) The seventh embodiment to twelfth embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 to 18 are variations of the arrangement of the element mounting regions 51 to 56, and in any of these embodiments, the element mounting regions 51 to 56 are arranged so as not to overlap in the flow direction of traveling wind. Accordingly, the same effects as those of the above embodiments can be obtained. In the seventh embodiment to twelfth embodiment, the element mounting regions 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 are arranged in this order from one side (the upper side of the drawing sheet herein) in the direction orthogonal to traveling wind, but the allocation of the element mounting regions 51 to 56 may be different and is arbitrary.

[0048] In the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the element mounting regions 51 to 56 are arranged on the same imaginary line L orthogonal to traveling wind. Accordingly, when the flow direction of traveling wind (that is, the left-right direction on the drawing sheet) is taken as the width direction, the mounting area in the width direction can be made relatively small.

[0049] In the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the element mounting regions 51 to 53 are arranged on an imaginary line L1 orthogonal to the flow direction of traveling wind, and the element mounting regions 54 to 56 are arranged on an imaginary line L2 orthogonal to the flow direction of traveling wind. The element mounting regions 51 to 53 are arranged on one side of an imaginary line L3 parallel to traveling wind, and the element mounting regions 54 to 56 are arranged on the other side of the imaginary line L3 parallel to traveling wind.

[0050] In the ninth embodiment shown in Figure 15, element mounting regions 51, 53, 54, and 56 are arranged on a virtual line L1 perpendicular to the direction of airflow, and element mounting regions 52 and 55 are arranged on a virtual line L2 perpendicular to the direction of airflow. This allows for relatively wide spacing between element mounting regions while keeping the width down, thereby reducing the thermal effects between elements and enabling highly efficient cooling.

[0051] In the tenth embodiment shown in Figure 16, element mounting regions 51, 53, 54, and 56 are arranged on a virtual line L perpendicular to the airflow, with element mounting region 52 on one side of the virtual line L and region 55 on the other side. Even with this configuration, similar to the ninth embodiment, a relatively wide gap can be secured between the element mounting regions, enabling highly efficient cooling.

[0052] In the 11th embodiment shown in Figure 17, the element mounting regions 51 to 56 are arranged on a virtual line L oblique to the airflow. In this embodiment, the element mounting regions 51 to 56 are also offset so as not to overlap in the direction perpendicular to the airflow. This suppresses the thermal influence between regions 51 to 56, enabling highly efficient cooling.

[0053] In the twelfth embodiment shown in Figure 18, the element mounting regions 52 to 55 are arranged on a virtual line L that is oblique to the airflow. Element mounting region 51 is located on one side of the virtual line L and overlaps with element mounting region 53 in a direction perpendicular to the airflow. Element mounting region 56 is located on the other side of the virtual line L and overlaps with element mounting region 54 in a direction perpendicular to the airflow. Even with this configuration, the thermal influence between regions 51 to 56 is suppressed, and highly efficient cooling can be achieved.

[0054] In this embodiment, the motor section 20 corresponds to the "rotating electric machine," the motor windings 21 and 22 to the "windings," the electrical circuit section 30 to the "electronic control device," the motor surface 301 and cover surface 302 of the substrate 31 to the "mounting surface," the power elements 511 to 516 and 521 to 526 to the "heating elements," and the running air to the "refrigerant."

[0055] (Other Embodiments) In the above embodiments, examples in which the power elements are arranged in the same line or in two rows have been mainly described. In other embodiments, for example, when there are many power elements, such as three or more systems, they may be arranged in three or more rows. In the above embodiments, the power elements are mounted on the cover surface of the substrate. In other embodiments, at least a portion of the power elements may be mounted on the motor side. Also, the heating element may be an element other than the element that constitutes the inverter circuit.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the electronic control unit is applied to the main motor of an electric motorcycle and uses the airflow as a coolant. In other embodiments, the coolant is not limited to the airflow, but may be a gas other than the airflow, water, oil, or any other fluid capable of cooling the heat-generating element. In other embodiments, the electronic control unit may be applied to electric mobility devices other than electric motorcycles. Furthermore, the electronic control unit may be applied to on-board auxiliary motors other than the main motor of an electric vehicle, or to devices other than vehicles.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the electric motor unit is provided with the electrical circuit section protruding radially outward from the motor section. In other embodiments, the electrical circuit section may be provided so as to be within the region projected axially from the motor section. The motor section may also be a so-called motor-generator that also functions as a generator. The component configuration and arrangement of the electric motor unit may differ.

[0058] The present disclosure is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from its spirit.

[0059] This disclosure is described in accordance with embodiments. However, this disclosure is not limited to such embodiments and structures. This disclosure also includes various modifications and variations within the scope of equivalents. Furthermore, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms that include only one, more, or fewer of those elements, fall within the scope and idea of ​​this disclosure.

Claims

1. An electronic control device for controlling the drive of a rotating electric machine (20) having multiple phase windings (21, 22), comprising: substrates (31, 32) whose mounting surfaces (311, 312) are arranged to follow the flow of a refrigerant; and heating elements (511-516, 521-526) connected to the windings and mounted on the substrates, wherein an element mounting area (51-56) is defined as an area on which one heating element or a plurality of heating elements corresponding to each phase of the windings are mounted, and each of the element mounting areas is arranged so as not to overlap with other element mounting areas in the direction of the refrigerant flow.

2. The electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein the element mounting region is arranged on a plurality of straight lines that are not parallel to the flow direction of the refrigerant.

3. The electronic control device according to claim 2, wherein the rotating electric machine has a plurality of windings, and the configuration provided corresponding to each winding is considered a system, and the element mounting regions of the system are arranged to be discontinuous in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the refrigerant.

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