Patent ID: 9190933
Filing Date: 2015-11-17
Classification: G06F,H01L,H02M

Abstract:
1. An electric power converter comprising: a stacked-layer unit comprising a plurality of semiconductor modules arrayed in layers along a stacking direction, and a plurality of coolant passages formed adjacent to said semiconductor modules and configured for passing a flow of a coolant to cool said semiconductor modules, each of said semiconductor modules comprising a body containing an internal semiconductor element, and having a pair of power terminals comprising an AC power terminal and a positive-polarity power terminal or a negative-polarity power terminal respectively protruding from said body along a protrusion direction at right angles to said stacking direction, the power terminals in each of said pairs being separated by a fixed spacing along a width direction at right angles to said stacking direction and to said protrusion direction; a positive-polarity busbar and a negative-polarity busbar for carrying a DC current, each of said negative-polarity busbar and said positive-polarity busbar comprising a main body having a thin flat shape, and connection portions extending from said main body, said connection portions of said negative-polarity busbar being respectively connected to said negative-polarity power terminals and said connection portions of said positive-polarity busbar being respectively connected to said positive-polarity power terminals; a plurality of AC busbars for carrying AC currents, connected to respective ones of said AC power terminals; and a terminal strip disposed adjacent to a first side of said stacked-layer unit and extending along said stacking direction, said terminal strip comprising a mounting face having external connection terminals mounted thereon, said AC power terminals being respectively connected via said AC busbars to said external connection terminals; wherein: said plurality of semiconductor modules are arrayed as a single column along said stacking direction, thereby forming a first column of power terminals extending along said stacking direction adjacent to said first side of said stacked-layer unit, and forming a second column of power terminals extending along said stacking direction adjacent to a second side of said stacked-layer unit, said second side being opposite said first side of the stacked-layer unit with respect to said width direction; said first column of power terminals comprises said AC power terminals; said second column of power terminals comprises said positive-polarity power terminals and said negative-polarity power terminals arrayed at successively alternating positions along said stacking direction; said negative-polarity busbar and said positive-polarity busbar are disposed directly opposite on another with respect to said protrusion direction and separated by a fixed spacing with respect to said protrusion direction and are located adjacent to said second side of said stacked-layer unit.