Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6978856?dq=7222078
Timestamp: 2016-05-06 16:28:02
Document Index: 523316911

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n2', 'art.\n4', 'art.\n11', 'art.\n12', 'art 701', 'art 701']

Patent US6978856 - Electrical apparatus, cooling system therefor, and electric vehicle - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsAn inverter apparatus includes a liquid path in which cooling water flows, and in which the cooling water performs cooling at a cooling part located directly underneath the power circuit part of the inverter apparatus. The liquid path includes a first partial structure part formed between a feed pipe...http://www.google.com/patents/US6978856?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6978856 - Electrical apparatus, cooling system therefor, and electric vehicleAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6978856 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/417,339Publication dateDec 27, 2005Filing dateApr 17, 2003Priority dateApr 18, 2002Fee statusLapsedAlso published asDE10317580A1, DE10317580B4, US7090044, US7252167, US7660122, US7983044, US20040020231, US20040173392, US20060243504, US20070242435, US20100139997Publication number10417339, 417339, US 6978856 B2, US 6978856B2, US-B2-6978856, US6978856 B2, US6978856B2InventorsTakayoshi Nakamura, Akihiro Tamba, Ryuichi Saito, Atsuo NishiharaOriginal AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (13), Referenced by (37), Classifications (23), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetElectrical apparatus, cooling system therefor, and electric vehicle
US 6978856 B2Abstract
1. An electrical apparatus having a liquid path including a space for allowing a cooling medium for cooling a heating member to flow therein, said liquid path comprising:
a cooling part formed at the place corresponding to said heating member;
an introducing part for being continuous with said cooling part, and for introducing said cooling medium supplied from an outside into said cooling part; and
a draining part for being continuous with said cooling part, and for draining said cooling medium introduced into said cooling part to the outside,
wherein said liquid path is configured so that the cross-sectional area of the liquid path extending from said introducing part up to said draining part through said cooling part is substantially constant,
wherein the liquid path width at the leading edge of said introducing part is equal to that at the trailing edge of said draining part and smaller than that in said cooling part, and
wherein the liquid path depth at the leading edge of said introducing part is equal to that at the trailing edge of said draining part and larger than that in said cooling part.
2. An electrical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said liquid path is configured to allow said cooling medium to linearly flow.
3. An electrical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid path width and liquid path depth in said introducing part is gradually changed so that the liquid path width and liquid path depth at the leading edge of said introducing part, respectively, becomes the liquid path width and liquid path depth in said cooling part, and wherein the liquid path width and liquid path depth in said draining part is gradually changed so that the liquid path width and liquid path depth at the end of said cooling part adjacent to said draining part, respectively, becomes the liquid path width and liquid path depth at the trailing edge of said draining part.
4. A cooling system for an electrical apparatus, said cooling system comprising:
a cooling device for cooling a cooling medium; and
a cooling medium supply device for supplying a cooling medium cooled by said cooling device to an electrical apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said cooling system is configured to include said liquid path provided for said electrical apparatus.
5. An electric vehicle, comprising:
a power source mounted on said electric vehicle;
an electrical apparatus for converting electric power supplied from said power source into predetermined electric power;
an electric motor for being rotationally driven by electric power supplied from said electrical apparatus, and for driving said electric vehicle;
a cooling device for being mounted on said electric vehicle, and for cooling a cooling medium; and
a cooling medium supply device for supplying said cooling medium cooled by said cooling device to at least said electric motor and electrical apparatus,
wherein said electrical apparatus is the electrical apparatus according to claim 1.
6. An electric vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said power source is a battery, and wherein said electrical apparatus is an inverter apparatus that converts direct-current power supplied from said battery, into alternating-current power to thereby supply it to said electric motor.
7. An electrical apparatus having a liquid path including a space for allowing a cooling medium for cooling a heating member to flow therein, and a feed pipe and a drain pipe for allowing said cooling medium to enter into and drain out of said space, respectively, said liquid path comprising:
a cooling part disposed immediately underneath said heating member;
a first partial structure part disposed between said feed pipe and said cooling part, and having a liquid path cross-sectional profile that is gradually reduced in the short side direction of said cooling part and that is gradually enlarged in the long side direction thereof; and
a second partial structure part disposed between said cooling part and said drain pipe, and having a liquid path cross-sectional profile that is gradually enlarged from the short side of said cooling part and that is gradually reduced from the long side thereof.
8. An electrical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of said first and second partial structure parts is constant in the rate of change of the length in the short side direction, and wherein each of said first and second partial structure parts is constant in the rate of change of the length in the long side direction.
9. An electrical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first and second partial structure parts, and said feed and drain pipes are each parallel with said cooling part, and wherein the angle formed between the peripheral wall of said cooling part and that of each of said partial structure parts is not more than 45 degrees.
10. An electrical apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the angle θ1 formed between the peripheral wall of said first partial structure part and that of said cooling part is smaller than the angle θ3 formed between the peripheral wall of said second partial structure part and that of said cooling part.
11. An electrical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of said feed pipe and drain pipe is perpendicular to said cooling part.
12. An electrical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said feed pipe and drain pipe are located on the same side with respect to said inverter apparatus, wherein the angle θ5 formed between the peripheral wall of said feed pipe and that of said first partial structure part is not more than 45 degrees, and wherein the angle θ6 formed between the peripheral wall of said first partial structure part and that of said cooling part is less than 90 degrees.
13. An electrical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of inverter apparatuses is arranged on the same plane.
14. A cooling system for an electrical apparatus, said cooling system comprising:
a cooling medium supply device for supplying a cooling medium cooled by said cooling device to an electrical apparatus according to claim 7,
15. An electric vehicle, comprising:
wherein said electrical apparatus is the electrical apparatus according to claim 7.
16. An electric vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said power source is a battery, and wherein said electrical apparatus is an inverter apparatus that converts direct-current power supplied from said battery, into alternating-current power to thereby supply it to said electric motor.
The present invention relates an electrical apparatus, a cooling system therefor, and electric vehicle inverter apparatus, and more particularly to an inverter apparatus characterized by the liquid path structure in the power circuit part in a liquid-cooling inverter.
FIG. 1A is a plan view showing a module with six arms (upper and lower arms in each of the U, V, and W phases) of the inverter apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a perspective plan view showing the liquid path part of this inverter apparatus. FIG. 1C is a sectional view showing the overall construction of the inverter apparatus, the sectional view being taken along the line A–A′ in FIG. 1B.
As shown in FIG. 1C, the semiconductor chips 103 and 104 are mounted on each of the substrates 102 via solder 106. Each of the substrate 102 is mounted on the copper base 101 via solder 107. The planar size of the copper base 101 is, e.g., approximately 100 mm�30 mm. Screw holes 105 for screwing are formed in the copper base 101, and the size of the screw hole is approximately M6. Using screws 111, the module 100 is fastened, via grease, to the case 110 formed by aluminum die-casting.
In FIG. 4A, the abscissa axis denotes a position X of the liquid path 120 in the longitudinal direction. The ordinal axis denotes a liquid path cross-sectional area S. In FIG. 4A, a position x1 denotes the position of the feed pipe inlet 200 shown in FIG. 2. When the liquid path cross-sectional profile changes from 17 Φ into 17 mm square at the position x1, the liquid path cross-sectional area steeply changes from S2 (227 mm2) into S3 (289 mm2). A position x2 denotes the position of a liquid path cross-section 202 in FIG. 2. A position x3 denotes the position of a liquid path cross-section 203 shown in FIG. 2. In the range from the position x2 to the position x3, the liquid path cross-sectional area gradually changes from S3 (289 mm2) into S4 (300 mm2) because the partial structure pipe 113 is employed here. The range from a position x4 to a position x5 denote the positional range where the inter-fin liquid path 118 is formed. At the position x4, the liquid path cross-sectional area steeply changes from S4 (300 mm2) into S1 (150 mm2) A position x6 denotes the position of the liquid path cross-section 204 in FIG. 2, and a position x7 denotes the position of the liquid path cross-section 205 in FIG. 2. In the range from the position x6 to the position x7, the liquid path cross-sectional area gradually changes from S4 (300 mm2) into S3 (289 mm2) because the partial structure pipe 115 is employed here. A position x8 denotes the position of the drain pipe outlet 201 in FIG. 2. When the liquid path cross-sectional profile changes from 17 mm square into 17 Φ at the position x8, the liquid path cross-sectional area steeply changes from S3 (289 mm2) into S2 (227 mm2).
FIG. 7A is a plan view showing a module with six arms (upper and lower arms in each of the U, V, and W phases) of an inverter apparatus according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a perspective plan view showing the liquid path part of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 7C is a sectional view showing the overall construction of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment, the sectional view being taken along the line B–B′ in FIG. 7B. In FIGS. 7A to 7C, the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those in FIG. 1.
FIG. 8A is a plan view showing a module with six arms (upper and lower arms in each of the U, V, and W phases) of an inverter apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8B is a perspective plan view showing the liquid path part of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 8C is a sectional view showing the overall construction of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment, the sectional view being taken along the line C–C′ in FIG. 8B. In FIGS. 8A to 8C, the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those in FIG. 1.
The inverter apparatus according to this embodiment is used as a water-cooling inverter having the configuration of a base-direct-cooling module without fins. Specifically, the copper base 100 is a flat plate without fins. The constructions other than the copper base 100 is the same as those shown in FIG. 6. As a cooling system, a direct cooling system is used also in the case. A liquid path 700 is formed by joining the module 100 to the case 110 by screwing or welding. The liquid path depth H6 in a cooling part 701 is e.g., approximately 2 mm. When the flow rate is 20 liters per minute, the flow speed in the cooling part 701 is approximately 2.5 m/s.
FIG. 9A is a perspective plan view showing the liquid path part of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 9B is a sectional view showing the overall construction of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment, the sectional view being taken along the line D–D′ in FIG. 9A. In FIGS. 9A and 9B, the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those in FIG. 1.
FIG. 10A is a perspective view showing the liquid path part of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 10B is a sectional view showing the liquid path part of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment, the sectional view being taken along the line E–E′ in FIG. 10A. In FIGS. 10A and 10B, the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those in FIG. 1.
FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing the liquid path part of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 11B is a sectional view showing the liquid path part of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment, the sectional view being taken along the line F–F′ in FIG. 11A. In FIGS. 11A and 11B, the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those in FIG. 1.
FIG. 12A is a perspective plan view showing the liquid path part of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 12B is a sectional view showing the overall construction of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment, the sectional view being taken along the line G–G′ in FIG. 12A. In FIGS. 12A and 12B, the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those in FIG. 1.
FIG. 13A is a perspective plan view showing the liquid path part of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 13B is a sectional view showing the overall construction of the inverter apparatus according to this embodiment, the sectional view being taken along the line H–H′ in FIG. 13A. In FIGS. 13A and 13B, the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those in FIG. 1.
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