Parallel Circuit Board Converter With Capacitor Through-Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Converter arrangements with a large number of power semiconductor switches and capacitors require significant installation space, leading to increased size and weight, which limits scalability and maintenance accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A compact converter arrangement design where two identical converters are stacked with their circuit boards in parallel planes, allowing capacitors to pass through openings, reducing overall height and enabling a more compact and stable configuration, with a shared heat sink and efficient cooling system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If converters are arranged in separate housings with individual circuit boards, then each converter can be independently manufactured and maintained, but the overall installation space increases linearly with the number of power semiconductor switches
Solution Approach 1:
Two separate converter housings are merged into a single integrated housing where the circuit boards are arranged in parallel planes. The power capacitors extend through openings from one circuit board to the other, physically connecting the two converters and eliminating the need for separate housings. This merging reduces the overall installation space while maintaining independent manufacturing capability through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit boards are arranged in parallel planes rather than stacked vertically or placed side-by-side in the same plane. This three-dimensional arrangement allows power capacitors to extend through openings between the boards, utilizing the space between the parallel planes efficiently. This dimensional change enables compact integration while preserving individual component accessibility.
2Area of stationary object
If the converter housing is made compact to reduce installation space, then space efficiency improves, but maintenance accessibility and component replacement difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The converter is segmented into modular components with standardized openings in the housing and circuit boards. Power capacitors are positioned to extend through these openings, creating natural access points. This segmentation allows individual components to be accessed and replaced independently while maintaining a compact overall structure, as each component can be serviced through its designated opening without disassembling the entire unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The openings in the housing and circuit boards serve as intermediaries that provide access to internal components. These openings act as access channels that reconcile the contradiction between compact housing and maintenance accessibility, allowing technicians to reach power capacitors and other components without opening the entire housing or disassembling complex structures.
3Length of stationary object
If power capacitors are arranged in parallel between circuit boards with openings, then the overall height is reduced to less than capacitor height, but manufacturing precision requirements for aligned openings increase
Solution Approach 1:
The openings in the housing and circuit boards are designed with universal dimensions that accommodate standard power capacitor sizes. This standardization allows the same opening design to be used across multiple converter units, reducing the need for high-precision custom manufacturing. The universal opening design maintains compact height while minimizing manufacturing precision requirements through repeatability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design parameters of the openings (size, shape, position) are optimized to balance compactness and manufacturability. By carefully selecting opening parameters that match standard capacitor dimensions, the design achieves reduced overall height while keeping manufacturing precision requirements within standard manufacturing capabilities. Parameter optimization allows the system to benefit from both compact arrangement and ease of manufacture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design significantly reduces installation space requirements, allows for easy replacement of failed capacitors, and maintains high power handling capabilities, making the converter arrangement more scalable and maintainable while maintaining high performance.
Implementation Method 1
a common heat sink is arranged between the electrical power semiconductor switches on the first and second board, which heat sink is thermally conductively coupled to the power semiconductor switches on the first and second board
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A converter arrangement (1) comprising a first converter (100) with a first circuit board (104) arranged in a first plane (102), which carries at least one first electrical power semiconductor switch (106) and at least two first power capacitors (108, 110), and with a second converter (200) designed essentially identically to the first converter (100), which comprises a second circuit board (204) carrying at least one second power semiconductor switch (206) and at least two second power capacitors (208, 210), is characterized in that the second circuit board (204) is arranged opposite the power capacitors (108, 110) of the first circuit board (104) in a second plane (202) running parallel to the first plane (102), and that openings (112, 212) are provided in the first and second circuit boards (104, 204). are shaped by which the power capacitors (108, 110, 208, 210) of the respective opposite board (104,204) can be inserted through them.,