JP5333346B2 - Power converter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power conversion apparatus capable of easily connecting a control circuit board to a control terminal, for a reduced manufacturing cost. <P>SOLUTION: A power conversion apparatus 1 includes a laminate body 10 in which a plurality of semiconductor modules 2 and a plurality of cooling tubes 5 are stacked, and a control circuit board 6. A control terminal 4 includes a base end part 40 protruding from a body part 3, and a bent part 41 in which the tip side of the base end part 40 is so bent as to be tilted toward a lamination direction X. The control circuit board 6 has a tapered connection part 7. The tapered connection part 7 has a tapered surface 70 which is made from a conductive material being conducted to a control circuit 60 and is inclined toward the lamination direction X. The bent part 41 contacts to the tapered surface 70 of the tapered connection part 7 so that an electrical connection between the control terminal 4 and the control circuit board 6 is assured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power conversion device including a control circuit board.

  As a power conversion device that performs power conversion between DC power and AC power, as shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of semiconductor modules 92 incorporating semiconductor elements that constitute a power conversion circuit, and a plurality of semiconductor modules 92 that cool the semiconductor modules 92. Conventionally, a laminate 910 is formed by laminating a cooling tube 95 (see Patent Documents 1 to 3 below).

  Each of the semiconductor modules 92 includes a main body portion 93 incorporating a semiconductor element, a control terminal 94 protruding from the main body portion 93, and a power terminal 920. The power terminal 920 includes a positive terminal connected to the positive electrode of a DC power supply (not shown), a negative terminal connected to the negative electrode of the DC power supply, and an AC terminal connected to an AC load (not shown). is there. A control circuit board 96 is connected to the control terminal 94. When the control circuit board 96 controls the semiconductor module 92, the DC voltage applied between the positive terminal and the negative terminal described above is converted into an AC voltage and output from the AC terminal.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the control circuit board 96 is formed with a through hole 90 penetrating in the thickness direction. By inserting the control terminal 94 into the through-hole 90, the control terminal 94 and the control circuit board 96 are electrically connected.

JP 2005-73374 A JP-A-2005-45186 JP 2006-157042 A

  However, the conventional power conversion device 91 has a problem that it is difficult to perform a connection process between the control circuit board 96 and the control terminal 94. That is, as shown in FIG. 17, when connecting the control circuit board 96 and the control terminal 94, after aligning all the through holes 90 and the control terminals 94, the control circuit board 96 and the laminated body 910 are connected. The control terminal 94 is inserted into the through hole 90 by being relatively approached. The main body 93 and the cooling tube 95 of the semiconductor module 92 have dimensional variations. Since the dimensional variations are accumulated, the positional deviation of the control terminal 94 in the stacking direction x is large. Therefore, when performing the connection step, it is necessary to insert the control terminal 94 into the through hole 90 in a state where the control terminal 94 is corrected using a jig (not shown) and the positional accuracy is improved. Therefore, a power converter that can connect the control circuit board and the control terminal more easily has been desired.

  Conventionally, it has been necessary to use the semiconductor module 92 and the cooling tube 95 with small dimensional variations in order to reduce the displacement of the control terminal 94. For this reason, there is a problem that the unit cost of the semiconductor module 92 and the cooling tube 95 increases, and the manufacturing cost of the entire power converter 91 increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power conversion device that can easily connect a control circuit board and a control terminal and reduce manufacturing costs.

The present invention has a main body portion incorporating a semiconductor element constituting a power conversion circuit, a plurality of semiconductor modules having control terminals projecting from end faces of the main body portion, and the semiconductor modules from both main surfaces of the main body portion. A laminated body in which a plurality of cooling tubes to be cooled are laminated;
A control circuit for controlling the semiconductor module, and a control circuit board electrically connected to the control terminal;
The control terminal includes a base end portion protruding from the main body portion, and a bent portion obtained by bending the distal end side of the base end portion so as to be inclined with respect to the stacking direction of the laminate.
The control circuit board is made of a conductive material conducted to the control circuit, and includes a tapered connection portion having a tapered surface inclined with respect to the stacking direction,
A power conversion device configured to ensure electrical connection between the control terminal and the control circuit board when the bent portion is in contact with the tapered surface of the tapered connection portion. (Claim 1).

The function and effect of the present invention will be described. In the present invention, a control terminal whose tip is bent so as to be inclined with respect to the stacking direction is used. In the present invention, the tapered connection portion is formed on the control circuit board. And the control terminal and the control circuit board were electrically connected by making the bending part of a control terminal contact the taper surface of a taper-shaped connection part.
If it does in this way, even if a control terminal varies in the lamination direction, a control terminal can be made to contact a taper surface in a bent part. Thereby, the connection process between the control terminal and the control circuit board can be easily performed. That is, as described above, the control terminal is easily displaced in the stacking direction, but the margin of alignment between the control terminal and the tapered surface can be increased by the bent portion and the tapered surface. Therefore, even when the control terminal is slightly displaced in the stacking direction, the control terminal and the control circuit board can be easily connected without using a jig as in the prior art.

  In the present invention, since the margin for alignment of the control terminals in the stacking direction is large, a semiconductor module or a cooling tube having a large dimensional variation can be used. Therefore, the unit cost of the semiconductor module and the cooling tube can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the power conversion device can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a power conversion device that can easily connect a control circuit board and a control terminal and reduce manufacturing costs.

It is a top view of the power converter device in Example 1, Comprising: The BB arrow line view of FIG. AA sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a control circuit board in the first embodiment. The expanded sectional view of FIG. The expanded sectional view of FIG. 2 in the state which connected the control circuit board and the control terminal. It is an expanded sectional view of the power converter device in Example 2, Comprising: DD sectional drawing of FIG. C arrow line view of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the power converter in Example 3, Comprising: It is FF sectional drawing of FIG. E arrow line view of FIG. The perspective view of the taper-shaped connection part in Example 3. FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the power converter device in Example 4, Comprising: HH sectional drawing of FIG. The G arrow line view of FIG. The perspective view of the taper-shaped connection part in Example 4. FIG. FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the power conversion device in the state before soldering in the fifth embodiment, and is a JJ cross-sectional view of FIG. 15. The arrow I view of FIG. The expanded sectional view of the power converter device in the state after soldering in Example 5. FIG. Sectional drawing of a power converter device in the state before connecting a control circuit board and a control terminal in a prior art example. Sectional drawing of the power converter device in the state after connecting the control circuit board and the control terminal in a prior art example.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention described above will be described.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the extending direction of the bent portion is parallel to a plane parallel to both the protruding direction of the base end portion and the stacking direction (claim 2).
If it does in this way, the length of the bending part in the lamination direction can be made longer. Therefore, it is possible to increase the alignment margin between the control terminal and the control circuit board in the stacking direction.

The length of the tapered surface in the stacking direction is preferably longer than the length of the bent portion in the stacking direction.
In this way, even when the control terminal is displaced in the stacking direction, the bent portion is unlikely to come off the tapered surface. Therefore, the alignment margin of the control terminal in the stacking direction can be further increased.

Further, it is preferable that the bent portion is pressed against the tapered surface by the elastic force of the control terminal.
In this case, since the bent portion can be pressed against the tapered surface, the connection reliability between the bent portion and the tapered surface can be improved.

In addition, it is preferable that the tapered connection portion is obtained by mounting a metal member having the tapered surface on the control circuit board.
If it does in this way, it will become possible to manufacture a control circuit board easily. That is, for example, if the tapered connection portion is prepared as a separate member and mounted on the control circuit board, the tapered connection section can be easily attached to the control circuit board.

Further, it is preferable that protrusions projecting in a direction perpendicular to the tapered surface are formed on both side portions of the tapered surface.
In this way, even when the power conversion device vibrates for some reason in a state where the power conversion device is used, the bent portion is guided by the pair of protrusions, so that the tapered connection portion The bent part is difficult to come off. Therefore, it is possible to improve the connection reliability between the control terminal and the control circuit board.

Further, it is preferable that a spring member for sandwiching the bent portion from a direction orthogonal to both the protruding direction of the base end portion and the stacking direction is provided in the tapered connection portion. .
In this case, since the bent portion is sandwiched by the spring member, the bent portion can be firmly fixed to the tapered connecting portion. Therefore, it is possible to improve the connection reliability between the control terminal and the control circuit board.

Further, the control circuit board is formed with a through-hole penetrating in the thickness direction and opened in the tapered surface, and the through-hole is filled with solder, and the opening on the tapered surface side of the through-hole is formed. It is preferable that the tapered connecting portion and the bent portion are connected by the solder leaked from the portion.
In this case, since the bent portion and the tapered connection portion are solder-connected, it is possible to further improve the connection reliability.
Moreover, if it is set as the said structure, it will become possible to perform a soldering operation | work easily. That is, if the soldering operation is attempted from the taper surface side after the bent portion is brought into contact with the taper surface, the semiconductor module may become an obstacle and the soldering operation may not be performed efficiently. However, in the present invention, since the through-hole opened in the tapered surface is formed in the control circuit board, the solder can be poured into the through-hole from the opening on the side opposite to the opening on the tapered surface side. And a taper surface and a bending part can be connected with the solder which leaked from the opening part by the side of a taper surface. This makes it possible to easily perform the soldering operation between the bent portion and the tapered connection portion.

Example 1
A power converter according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the power conversion device 1 of this example includes a stacked body 10 in which a plurality of semiconductor modules 2 and a plurality of cooling tubes 5 are stacked, and a control circuit board 6.
The semiconductor module 2 has a main body 3 that incorporates a semiconductor element that constitutes a power conversion circuit. The control terminal 4 protrudes from the end surface of the main body 3. The cooling tube 5 cools the semiconductor module 2 from both main surfaces of the main body 3.
A control circuit 60 for controlling the semiconductor module 2 is formed on the control circuit board 6. As shown in FIG. 5, the control circuit board 6 is electrically connected to the control terminal 4.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the control terminal 4 is formed by folding the base end portion 40 protruding from the main body portion 3 and the distal end side of the base end portion 40 so as to be inclined with respect to the stacking direction X of the laminate 10. And a curved portion 41.
Further, the control circuit board 6 includes a tapered connection portion 7. The tapered connection portion 7 is made of a conductive material that is electrically connected to the control circuit 60. The tapered connection portion 7 has a tapered surface 70 inclined with respect to the stacking direction X.
As shown in FIG. 5, the bent portion 41 is in contact with the tapered surface 70 of the tapered connecting portion 7, thereby ensuring electrical connection between the control terminal 4 and the control circuit board 6.
The details will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, two adjacent cooling tubes 5 are connected by connecting pipes 14 at both ends thereof. A pair of pipes 13 a and 13 b are attached to the cooling tube 5 a located at one end in the stacking direction X. When the refrigerant 15 is introduced from one pipe 13a, the refrigerant 15 flows into all the cooling tubes 5 through the connecting pipe 14, and the refrigerant 15 is led out from the other pipe 13b. Thereby, the semiconductor module 3 is cooled.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the power terminal 20 protrudes from the main body 3 of the semiconductor module 2. The power terminal 20 includes a positive terminal connected to a positive electrode of a DC power source (not shown), a negative terminal connected to a negative electrode of the DC power source, and an AC terminal connected to an AC load (not shown). There is. The control circuit board 6 controls the semiconductor module 2 to convert a DC voltage applied between the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal into an AC voltage and output it from the AC terminal.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in this example, the control circuit substrate 60 is etched to form a recess 700 having a triangular cross section, thereby exposing a part of the metal thin film constituting the control circuit 60. This metal thin film is the tapered connection portion 7 of this example. As shown in FIG. 3, each concave portion 700 has a quadrangular shape in plan view.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in this example, the control terminal 4 is connected to the tapered connection portion 7 while the bent portion 41 is elastically deformed. That is, the angle θ2 formed between the base end portion 40 and the bent portion 41 after connection (see FIG. 5) is larger than the angle θ1 formed between the base end portion 40 and the bent portion 41 before connection (see FIG. 4). Is smaller. In this example, the bent portion 41 is pressed against the tapered surface 70 using the elastic force of the control terminal 4.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 4, the extending direction A of the bent portion 41 with respect to a plane parallel to both the protruding direction Y of the base end portion 40 and the stacking direction X (a plane parallel to the paper surface). Are parallel.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the length L1 of the tapered surface 70 in the stacking direction X is longer than the length L2 of the bent portion 41 in the stacking direction X.

The effect of this example will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in this example, the control terminal 4 whose tip is bent so as to be inclined with respect to the stacking direction X is used. In this example, the tapered connection portion 7 is formed on the control circuit board 6. Then, the control terminal 4 and the control circuit board 6 were electrically connected by bringing the bent portion 41 of the control terminal 4 into contact with the tapered surface 70 of the tapered connection portion 7.
In this way, even if the control terminal 4 varies in the stacking direction X, the control terminal 4 can be brought into contact with the tapered surface 70 at the bent portion 41. Thereby, the connection process between the control terminal 4 and the control circuit board 6 can be easily performed. That is, as described above, the control terminal 4 is easily displaced in the stacking direction X, but the margin of alignment between the control terminal 4 and the tapered surface 70 can be increased by the bent portion 41 and the tapered surface 70. Therefore, even when the control terminal 4 is slightly displaced in the stacking direction X, the control terminal 4 and the control circuit board 6 can be easily connected without using a jig as in the prior art.

  Moreover, in this example, since the alignment margin of the control terminal 4 in the stacking direction X is large, it is possible to use the semiconductor module 2 and the cooling tube 5 having large dimensional variations. Therefore, the unit price of the semiconductor module 2 and the cooling tube 5 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the power conversion device 1 can be reduced.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the extending direction of the bent portion 41 with respect to a plane parallel to both the protruding direction Y of the base end portion 40 and the stacking direction X (surface parallel to the paper surface). A is parallel.
If it does in this way, the length L2 of the bending part 41 in the lamination direction X can be made longer. Therefore, it is possible to increase the alignment margin between the control terminal 4 and the control circuit board 6 in the stacking direction X.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, in this example, the length L1 of the tapered surface 70 in the stacking direction X is longer than the length L2 of the bent portion 41 in the stacking direction X.
In this way, even when the control terminal 4 is displaced in the stacking direction X, the bent portion is unlikely to be detached from the tapered surface 70. Therefore, the alignment margin of the control terminal 4 in the stacking direction X can be further increased.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in this example, the bent portion 41 is pressed against the tapered surface 70 by the elastic force of the control terminal 4.
If it does in this way, since the bending part 41 can be press-contacted to the taper surface 70, the connection reliability of the bending part 41 and the taper surface 70 can be improved.

  As described above, according to this example, it is possible to provide a power conversion device that can easily connect the control circuit board and the control terminal and reduce the manufacturing cost.

(Example 2)
In this example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a tapered member 7 is formed by mounting a metal member having a tapered surface 70 on the control circuit board 6.
As shown in FIG. 6, the tapered connection portion 7 of this example has a triangular prism shape. A part of a metal film (not shown) constituting the control circuit 60 is exposed on the surface of the control circuit board 6. The tapered connecting portion 7 is connected to the metal film using solder 16.
In addition, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is provided.

The effect of this example will be described. In this example, the control circuit board 6 can be easily manufactured. That is, for example, if the tapered connection portion 7 is prepared as a separate member and mounted on the control circuit board 6, the tapered connection portion 7 can be easily attached to the control circuit board 6.
In addition, the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment are provided.

(Example 3)
In this example, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the tapered connecting portion 7 is formed by forming protrusions 71 projecting in a direction orthogonal to the tapered surface 70 on both sides of the tapered surface 70. . In this example,
Protrusions 71 were formed over the entire stacking direction X on both sides in the direction orthogonal to both the stacking direction X and the protruding direction Y.
In addition, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is provided.

The effect of this example will be described. With the above configuration, since the bent portion 41 is guided by the pair of protrusions 71 even when the power conversion device 1 vibrates for some reason in a state where the power conversion device 1 is used, the taper is tapered. The bent portion 41 is unlikely to come off from the connection portion 7. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the connection reliability between the control terminal 4 and the control circuit board 6.
In addition, the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment are provided.

Example 4
In this example, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, a spring member 72 is provided in the tapered connection portion 7. The spring member 72 sandwiches the bent portion 41 from a direction orthogonal to both the protruding direction Y of the base end portion 40 and the stacking direction X.
Specifically, as in Example 3, a pair of protrusions 71 projecting in a direction perpendicular to the taper surface 70 are formed on both sides of the taper surface 70, and inside these protrusions 71, A spring member 72 is disposed.
In addition, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is provided.

The effect of this example will be described. In this example, since the bent portion 41 is sandwiched by the spring member 72, the bent portion 41 can be firmly fixed to the tapered connecting portion 7. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the connection reliability between the control terminal 4 and the control circuit board 6.
In addition, the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment are provided.

(Example 5)
In this example, the bent portion 41 and the tapered connection portion 7 are soldered. As shown in FIG. 16, a through hole 61 is formed in the control circuit board 6 of this example. The through hole 61 penetrates the control circuit board 6 in the thickness direction and opens in the tapered surface 70. The through hole 61 is filled with solder 12. The tapered connecting portion 7 and the bent portion 41 are connected by the solder 12 leaking from the opening 62 on the tapered surface 70 side of the through hole 61. The through hole 61 is formed over the entire stacking direction X of the tapered connection portion 7. Further, the bent portion 41 is arranged along the opening 62 so as to cover a part of the opening 62 of the through hole 61.

The solder connection process in this example is shown in FIGS. As shown in the figure, in this example, the bent portion 41 is brought into contact with the tapered surface 70, and then the solder 12 is poured into the through-hole 61 from the opening 63 on the side opposite to the opening 62 on the tapered surface 70 side. . And the taper-shaped connection part 7 and the bending part 41 are connected by the solder 12 which leaked from the opening part 62 by the side of the taper surface 70. FIG.
In addition, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is provided.

The effect of this example will be described. In this example, since the bent part 41 and the taper-shaped connection part 7 are solder-connected, these connection reliability can further be improved.
In this example, it is possible to easily perform the soldering operation. That is, if the soldering operation is performed from the tapered surface 70 side after the bent portion 41 is brought into contact with the tapered surface 70, the semiconductor module 2 becomes an obstacle, and the soldering operation cannot be performed efficiently. There is a case. However, in this example, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, since the through-hole 61 opened in the tapered surface 70 is formed in the control circuit board 6, the opening 63 on the side opposite to the opening 62 on the tapered surface 70 side The solder 12 can be poured into the through hole 61. The tapered surface 70 and the bent portion 41 can be connected by the solder 12 leaking from the opening 62 on the tapered surface 70 side. Thereby, it becomes possible to easily perform the soldering work between the bent portion 41 and the tapered connecting portion 7.
In addition, the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment are provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power converter 10 Laminated body 2 Semiconductor module 3 Main-body part 4 Control terminal 40 Base end part 41 Bending part 5 Cooling tube 6 Control circuit board 60 Control circuit 7 Tapered connection part 70 Tapered surface

Claims (8)

A plurality of semiconductor modules each having a main body including a semiconductor element constituting a power conversion circuit, the control terminals projecting from an end face of the main body, and a plurality of cooling the semiconductor modules from both main surfaces of the main body; A laminated body in which cooling tubes are laminated;
A control circuit for controlling the semiconductor module, and a control circuit board electrically connected to the control terminal;
The control terminal includes a base end portion protruding from the main body portion, and a bent portion obtained by bending the distal end side of the base end portion so as to be inclined with respect to the stacking direction of the laminate.
The control circuit board is made of a conductive material conducted to the control circuit, and includes a tapered connection portion having a tapered surface inclined with respect to the stacking direction,
A power conversion device configured to ensure electrical connection between the control terminal and the control circuit board when the bent portion is in contact with the tapered surface of the tapered connection portion. .   2. The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein an extending direction of the bent portion is parallel to a plane parallel to both the protruding direction of the base end portion and the stacking direction.   3. The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the tapered surface in the stacking direction is longer than a length of the bent portion in the stacking direction.   4. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the bent portion is pressed against the tapered surface by an elastic force of the control terminal. 5.   5. The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the tapered connection portion is obtained by mounting a metal member having the tapered surface on the control circuit board.   6. The power conversion device according to claim 5, wherein protrusions projecting in a direction orthogonal to the tapered surface are formed on both side portions of the tapered surface.   In any one of Claims 1-6, the spring member which clamps the said bending part from the direction orthogonal to both the protrusion direction of the said base end part and the said lamination direction is set to the said taper-shaped connection part. A power converter characterized by being provided.   8. The control circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit board is formed with a through-hole penetrating in the thickness direction and opened in the tapered surface, and the through-hole is filled with solder. In addition, the taper connection portion and the bent portion are connected by the solder leaking from the opening on the tapered surface side of the through hole.

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