Abstract:
An electric vehicle including an inverter which includes a plurality of elements to convert direct current power to alternating current power. The inverter includes first, second and third heat sinks to absorb heat within the inverter. The first, second, and third heat sinks including fluid passages therein to allow cooling fluid to pass through each of the heat sinks in parallel, wherein a controller controls the flow of the cooling fluid through each of the first, second and third heat sinks. Temperature sensors associated with each of the heat sinks allows the controller to control the flow of the cooling fluid to the corresponding heat sink. The inverter being part of a cooling fluid circulation circuit which includes a heater core which can transfer heat from the cooling fluid to a passenger space of a body of the vehicle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in priority Korean Application No. 10-2011-0029067, filed on Mar. 30, 2011, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to an inverter apparatus and an electric vehicle having the same, and more particularly, to an inverter apparatus for cooling thermal radiation components as well as collecting heat, and an electric vehicle having the same. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     As is generally known, an inverter or inverter apparatus is an apparatus for converting direct-current power into high-frequency alternate-current power. 
     Such an inverter apparatus may be used in driving an induction heating apparatus or three-phase alternate-current motor for heating metal or the like using high-frequency power. 
     The inverter apparatus may include a case forming an accommodation space therein, and a circuit unit having a switching element disposed at an inner portion of the case to switch direct-current power to output high-frequency power. 
     Furthermore, the inverter apparatus may further include a cooling unit configured to dissipate and cool the heat generated by the circuit unit. 
     The cooling unit may further include a heat sink combined with the switching element to dissipate heat from the switching element. 
     On the other hand, in recent years, due to environmental pollution problems caused by the exhaust fumes of automobiles or vehicles, exhaustion of fossil fuels, and the like, the use of an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle (hereinafter, also referred to as “electric vehicle”) using an electromotor (electric motor) as the power source of an automobile or vehicle has been increased. 
     The electric vehicle may include a battery for supplying power to the electromotor and an inverter apparatus for receiving direct-current power from the battery to convert it into alternate-current power and supply three-phase alternate-current power to the electromotor. 
     The electric vehicle may include a cooling cycle apparatus for cooling and/or heating the air inside a vehicle. 
     For the cooling cycle apparatus, there may be used a so-called vapor compression cooling cycle including a compressor for compressing refrigerant, a condenser for heat-dissipating and condensing the refrigerant, an expansion apparatus for decompressing and expanding the refrigerant, and an evaporator for allowing the refrigerant to absorb and evaporate ambient latent heat. 
     However, in such an electric vehicle in the related art, the heat generated inside the case of the inverter apparatus may be dissipated to the outside of the case, and thus it may not be preferable in the aspect of energy consumption. 
     In particular, in case of heating the inside of the vehicle using electric energy (for example, in the winter season), battery consumption may be greatly increased. 
     In the winter season when the inside of the vehicle is heated using electricity, the consumption of the battery may be greatly increased, thereby remarkably reducing the mileage of the vehicle. 
     In the winter season when the inside of the vehicle is heated using electricity, the battery should be frequently charged. However, such charging takes long time, which cause the vehicle to be unusable at a proper timing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to solve the foregoing problem, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an inverter apparatus capable of cooling the components as well as collecting thermal energy to use it in heating, and an electric vehicle having the same. 
     In addition, another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an inverter apparatus capable of reducing battery consumption during heating and suppressing the reduction of mileage due to heating, and an electric vehicle having the same. 
     In order to accomplish the foregoing objectives of the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle including a body, a plurality of wheels provided at the body, an electromotor to drive at least one wheel, a battery provided in the body, an inverter coupled between the battery and the electromotor, the inverter to convert direct current (DC) power to alternating current (AC) power, a first heat sink to absorb heat within the inverter, the first heat sink including a first cooling fluid passage therein to allow cooling fluid to pass through and exchange heat with the first heat sink, a second heat sink to absorb heat within the inverter, the second heat sink including a second cooling fluid passage therein to allow cooling fluid to pass through and exchange heat with the second heat sink; and a cooling fluid circulation circuit coupling the first cooling fluid passage of the first heat sink and the second cooling fluid passage of the second heat sink in parallel, and the cooling fluid circulation circuit including a heater core to transfer heat from the cooling fluid to a passenger space of the body. 
     Here, the first heat sink may be disposed to exchange heat with one or more elements of the inverter, and the second heat sink may be disposed to exchange heat with the first heat sink. 
     The electric vehicle may further include a controller, and the controller may control the flow of cooling fluid through the first cooling fluid passage of the first heat sink and the second cooling fluid passage of the second heat sink. 
     The electric vehicle may further include a first temperature sensor to sense a temperature associated with the first heat sink, and a second temperature sensor to sense a temperature associated with the second heat sink, and the controller may detect the temperature associated with the first heat sink using the first temperature sensor and detect the temperature associated with the second heat sink using the second temperature sensor. 
     The controller may reduce or suspend flow of the cooling fluid to the first cooling fluid passage when the controller detects that the temperature associated with the first heat sink is lower than a predetermined temperature, and the controller may reduce or suspend flow of the cooling fluid to the second cooling fluid passage when the controller detects that the temperature associated the second heat sink is lower than a predetermined temperature. 
     The electric vehicle may further include a third heat sink including a third cooling fluid passage therein, and the cooling fluid circulation circuit coupling the first cooling fluid passage of the first heat sink, the second cooling fluid passage of the second heat sink, and the third cooling passage of the third heat sink in parallel, wherein the controller controls the flow of cooling fluid through the first cooling fluid passage of the first heat sink, the second cooling fluid passage of the second heat sink, and the third cooling fluid passage of the third heat sink. 
     The electric vehicle may further include a first temperature sensor to sense a temperature associated with the first heat sink, a second temperature sensor to sense a temperature associated with the second heat sink, and a third temperature sensor to sense a temperature associated with the third heat sink, wherein the controller detects the temperature associated with the first heat sink using the first temperature sensor, detects the temperature associated with the second heat sink using the second temperature sensor, and detects the temperature associated with the third heat sink using the third temperature sensor. 
     The controller may reduce or suspend flow of the cooling fluid to the first and the second cooling fluid passage when the controller detects that the temperature associated with the third heat sink is higher than a predetermined temperature. 
     The controller may reduce or suspend flow of the cooling fluid to the second and the third cooling fluid passage when the controller detects that the temperature associated with the first heat sink is higher than a predetermined temperature. 
     The controller may reduce or suspend flow of the cooling fluid to the first and the third cooling fluid passage when the controller detects that the temperature associated with the second heat sink is higher than a predetermined temperature. 
     The electric vehicle may further include a radiator, and the controller may cause the cooling fluid to flow through at least one of the heating core and the radiator. 
     The controller may control between causing the cooling fluid to flow through the heater core and to flow through the radiator in order to suppress a temperature of the cooling fluid from increasing beyond a predetermined temperature. 
     At least a portion of the inverter may be insulated using an insulating material. 
     On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inverter for use in an electric vehicle including a plurality of elements to convert direct current (DC) power to alternating current (AC) power, a first heat sink to absorb heat within the inverter, and the first heat sink including a first cooling fluid passage therein to allow cooling fluid to pass through and exchange heat with the first heat sink, and a second heat sink to absorb heat within the inverter, and the second heat sink including a second cooling fluid passage therein to allow cooling fluid to pass through and exchange heat with the second heat sink, wherein the first heat sink is disposed to exchange heat with at least one element of the inverter, and the second heat sink is disposed to exchange heat with the first heat sink. 
     Here, at least a portion of the inverter may be insulated using an insulating material. 
     The inverter may further include a first temperature sensor to detect a temperature associated with the first heat sink, and a second temperature sensor to detect a temperature associated with the second heat sink. 
     The inverter may further include a cooling fluid path coupling the first cooling fluid passage of the first heat sink and the second cooling fluid passage of the second heat sink. 
     The inverter may further include heat-dissipating fins disposed on at least one of the first heat sink and the second heat sink. 
     The inverter may further include a third heat sink including a third cooling fluid passage therein, and the third heat sink may be disposed between the first heat sink and the second heat sink. 
     The inverter may further include a third temperature sensor to detect a temperature associated with the third heat sink. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an electric vehicle having an inverter apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view illustrating the inverter apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a configuration diagram illustrating a cooling passage of the electric vehicle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a control block diagram illustrating the electric vehicle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view illustrating an inverter apparatus of an electric vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a configuration diagram illustrating a cooling passage of the electric vehicle of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a control block diagram illustrating the electric vehicle of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view illustrating an inverter apparatus of an electric vehicle according to still another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a configuration diagram illustrating a cooling passage of the electric vehicle of  FIG. 8 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is a control block diagram illustrating the electric vehicle of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , an electric vehicle having an inverter apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a body or car body  110 , a wheel  115  provided in the car body  110 , an electromotor  130  configured to drive the wheel  115 , a battery  140  provided in the car body  110 , and an inverter apparatus  150  connected to the battery  140  and electromotor  130 , respectively, to supply drive power to the electromotor  130 . 
     A passenger space for allowing a driver and/or a passenger to get on, though not shown in the drawing, may be provided at an upper region of the car body  110 . 
     A plurality of wheels  115  for driving a vehicle may be provided in the car body  110 . 
     The plurality of wheels  115  may be provided at both front and rear sides of the car body  110 . 
     A suspension device  120  may be provided between the car body  110  and the wheel  115  to absorb vibration and/or shock generated while driving a road. 
     A battery  140  for supplying direct-current power may be provided in the car body  110 . 
     The battery  140  may be configured with a secondary battery capable of charging and discharging. 
     An electromotor  130  may be provided at a side of the wheel  115  to provide a driving force to the wheel  115 . The electromotor  130  may be configured with a three phase alternate-current electromotor being operated with three phase alternate-current power. 
     The electromotor  130  may include a frame  131  provided with an accommodation space therein, a stator (not shown) disposed within the frame  131 , a rotor (not shown) rotatably disposed around a rotation shaft  135  with respect to the stator. 
     A gearbox (not shown) for transmitting a rotational force to the wheel  115  with a predetermined gear ratio may be provided at an output end portion of the rotation shaft of the electromotor  130 . 
     An inverter apparatus  150  for converting the direct-current power of the battery  140  into alternate-current power to output the alternate-current power may be provided between the electromotor  130  and the battery  140 . 
     A plurality of input cables  152  for receiving direct-current power and a plurality of output cables  154  for outputting drive power (alternate-current power) may be provided at a side of the inverter apparatus  150 . 
     On the other hand, the inverter apparatus  150 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , may include a case  155 , a switching element  160  disposed within the case  155 , a first heat sink  171  provided with a cooling fluid passage therein and disposed to exchange heat with the switching element  160 , and a second heat sink  181  disposed to exchange heat with the first heat sink  171 . 
     The case  155  may be formed with a rectangular parallelepiped formed with an accommodation space therein. 
     The case  155  may be formed of an insulating material. Due to this, it may be possible to suppress thermal energy within the case  155  from being dissipated to the outside. 
     A plurality of switching elements  160  may be provided within the case  155 . 
     The switching element  160  may be configured with an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT). 
     The switching elements  160  may be disposed at an inner lower region of the case  155 . 
     A printed circuit board (hereinafter, referred to as “PCB”)  162  may be provided at an upper side of the switching element  160 . 
     A plurality of PCBs  162  may be configured therein. The PCBs  162  may be disposed to be vertically separated from one another with a predetermined distance. 
     A DC-link capacitor  165  may be provided within the case  155  to remove noise in the direct-current power supplied from the battery  140  and provide the noise-removed direct-current power to the switching element  160 . The DC-link capacitor  165  may be provided at an upper side of the PCB  162 . 
     On the other hand, a heat sink  170  may be provided within the case  155  to cool the inside of the case  155 . More specifically, the heat sink  170  may be provided to cool an internal space and/or a component (for example, switching element) of the case  155 . A plurality of heat sinks  170  may be provided therein. 
     For example, the heat sink  170  may include a first heat sink  171  provided with a cooling fluid passage  175  therein and disposed to exchange heat with the switching element  160  and a second heat sink  181  disposed to be separated from the first heat sink  171  within the case  155 . Due to this, it may be possible to quickly cool the inside of the case  155 . 
     The first heat sink  171  as a thermal conductive member may be formed with a substantially rectangular plate shape. The first heat sink  171  may be formed in a substantially same size (width and length) as that of the internal space of the case  155 . As a result, the heat exchange area of the first heat sink  171  may be increased, thereby quickly cooling the switching elements  160 . 
     The first heat sink  171  may include a body  173  formed with a thermal conductive member, and a passage  175  formed within the body  173  to flow a cooling fluid. 
     The passage  175  may be formed to have a zigzag-shaped cross section. A cooling fluid inlet  177  may be formed at a side of the first heat sink  171  to inhale a cooling fluid. A cooling fluid outlet  178  may be formed at the other side of the first heat sink  171  to discharge the cooling fluid. 
     The second heat sink  181  may be disposed at an upper region of the inner space of the case  155 . As a result, an upper region of the inner space of the case  155  having a relatively high temperature may be quickly cooled by convective phenomenon. 
     The second heat sink  181  may include a body  183  formed of a thermal conductive member and a passage  185  formed within the body  183  to flow a cooling fluid. 
     A cooling fluid inlet  187  may be formed at a side of the second heat sink  181  to inhale a cooling fluid and a cooling fluid outlet  188  may be formed at the other side of the second heat sink  181  to discharge the cooling fluid. 
     The second heat sink  181  may be provided with a plurality of heat-dissipating fins  184  protruded from a surface thereof. Due to this, a surface area of the second heat sink  181  may be increased, thereby promoting heat exchange with the air within the case  155 . The heat-dissipating fins  184  may be formed to be protruded downward at a bottom surface of the second heat sink  181 . 
     A connecting pipe  189  for connecting a passage  175  of the first heat sink  171  and a passage  185  of the second heat sink  181  to be communicated with each other may be provided between the second heat sink  181  and the first heat sink  171 . Due to this, the second heat sink  181  and the first heat sink  171  may be configured with a single passage. 
     More specifically, an end portion of the connecting pipe  189  may be connected to the cooling fluid outlet  188  of the second heat sink  181  and the other end portion of the connecting pipe  189  may be connected to the cooling fluid inlet  177  of the first heat sink  171 . As a result, the cooling fluid, first, may cool the second heat sink  181  while passing through the second heat sink  181 , and then move to the first heat sink  171  to cool the first heat sink  171 . 
     On the other hand, an electric vehicle having the inverter apparatus  150  may include a cooling fluid circulation circuit  210  for allowing a cooling fluid to be circulated while passing through the inverter apparatus  150 . 
     The cooling fluid circulation circuit  210 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , may include a pump  211  for pumping a cooling fluid to be circulated, and a fluid pipe  215  for forming a passage to move the cooling fluid. 
     More specifically, the cooling fluid inlet  187  of the second heat sink  181  and the cooling fluid outlet  178  of the first heat sink  171  may be connected to the cooling fluid circulation circuit  210 , respectively. As a result, the cooling fluid pumped by the pump  211  may flow through the second heat sink  181 , the connecting pipe  189 , and the first heat sink  171  in the inverter apparatus  150 . 
     A tank  220  may be provided at a side of the pump  211  (for example, an upstream side or inlet side of the pump  211 ). An accommodation space for temporarily accommodating the cooling fluid may be provided within the tank  220 . 
     The cooling fluid circulation circuit  210  may be configured to allow the cooling fluid that has passed through the inverter apparatus  150  to pass through the electromotor  130 . Due to this, the electromotor  130  may be cooled by the cooling fluid that has passed through the inverter apparatus  150 . As a result, heat (thermal energy) may be collected while cooling the electromotor  130  as well as the inverter apparatus  150 , thereby collecting more thermal energy. 
     A radiator  225  may be provided in the cooling fluid circulation circuit  210  to cool a cooling fluid. A cooling fan  228  may be provided at a side of the radiator  225  to ventilate air to the radiator  225 , thereby cooling the radiator  225 . 
     On the other hand, a heater core  235  may be provided in the cooling fluid circulation circuit  210  to use the heat collected from the heat sink  170  while passing through the inverter apparatus  150 . 
     The heater core  235  may be disposed at a region being communicated with a passenger space of the car body  110 . A ventilation fan  238  may be provided at a side of the heater core  235  to ventilate air to the passenger space. As a result, the air with an increased temperature while passing through the heater core  235  may be ventilated to the inside of the vehicle. 
     A first branch pipe  227  may be connected to the radiator  225 . 
     The first branch pipe  227  may be connected to an inlet side of the cooling fluid of the radiator  225 . 
     A second branch pipe  237  may be connected to the heater core  235 . 
     The second branch pipe  237  may be connected to an inlet side of the cooling fluid of the heater core  235 . 
     The first branch pipe  227  and second branch pipe  237  may be connected to a passage change valve  241 . 
     The passage change valve  241  may be provided with a plurality of ports. 
     A port of the passage change valve  241  may be connected to the pump  211 . Due to this, it may be possible to control the passage of the cooling fluid being pumped and circulated by the pump  211 . 
     On the other hand, an electric vehicle having the inverter apparatus may be configured to have the controller  250  with a control program. 
     The controller  250 , for example, may be implemented with a microprocessor having a control program to be mounted on the PCB  162 . 
     The controller  250  may be configured to change a passage of the cooling fluid according to the selected operation mode such as cooling or heating inside a vehicle. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a mode selector  251  for selecting an operation mode may be connected to the controller  250 . 
     A passage change valve  241  for changing a passage of the cooling fluid may be controllably connected to the controller  250 . As a result, the cooling fluid may be passed through the radiator  225  to cool the inside of the vehicle, or passed through the heater core  235  to heat the inside of the vehicle (specifically, a passenger space of the car body  110 ). 
     The pump  211  may be controllably connected to the controller  250  to control a flow speed of the cooling fluid. The controller  250  may increase the flow speed of the cooling fluid by increasing the rotation number of the pump  211 . 
     By this configuration, heat (or thermal energy) is generated when starting the operation of the switching element  160  in the inverter apparatus  150 . The controller  250  may control the pump  211  to allow the cooling fluid to be circulated along the cooling passage. 
     Part of the heat generated by the switching element  160  may be transferred to the first heat sink  171 , and another part thereof may be generated upward. The dissipated heat may be moved to an inner upper region of the case  155  by convective phenomenon. Here, the case  155  is formed of an insulating material, and thus the heat inside the case  155  may not be dissipated to the outside but may be heat-exchanged with the cooling fluid to collect more thermal energy. 
     On the other hand, the cooling fluid inhaled into the passage  185  through the cooling fluid inlet  187  of the second heat sink  181  may be heat-exchanged with the second heat sink  181  while flowing along the passage  185  of the second heat sink  181 . As a result, it may be possible to cool the second heat sink  181 . 
     The cooling fluid that has passed through the second heat sink  181  may be inhaled into the passage  175  of the first heat sink  171  through the connecting pipe  189 . The cooling fluid that has inhaled into the first heat sink  171  may be heat-exchanged with the first heat sink  171  while flowing along the passage  175 . As a result, it may be possible to cool the switching elements  160  and the first heat sink  171 . 
     The cooling fluid with an increased temperature that has passed through the first heat sink  171  may cool the electromotor  130  while passing through the electromotor  130  with a relatively higher temperature. 
     The cooling fluid that has passed through the electromotor  130  may be temporarily stored inside the tank  220 . 
     The cooling fluid inside the tank  220  may be pumped by the pump  211  to be circulated along a cooling passage formed within the fluid pipe  215 . 
     On the other hand, if heating (mode) is selected by the mode selector  251 , then the controller  250  may control the passage change valve  241  to flow the cooling fluid while passing through the heater core  235 . The cooling fluid moved to the heater core  235  may be heat-exchanged with the air inside a vehicle. The air inside the vehicle with an increased temperature may be ventilated into the vehicle to heat the inside of the vehicle (a passenger space of the car body  110 ). 
     The inside of the vehicle can be heated while alternately performing the process of moving the cooling fluid to the heater core  235  and exchanging heat with the air inside a vehicle to reduce the temperature, and the process of exchanging heat with the heat sink  170  in the inverter apparatus  150  to increase the temperature. 
     When the heating mode is not selected, the controller  250  may control the passage change valve  241  to allow the cooling fluid to be passed and circulated through the radiator  225 . Due to this, the cooling fluid may be cooled to reduce the temperature. 
     Furthermore, the controller  250  may alternately repeat the process of moving the cooling fluid the radiator  225  and exchanging heat with the air in a vehicle to reduce the temperature, and the process of moving the cooling fluid to the inverter apparatus  150  and exchanging heat with the heat sink  170  to increase the temperature. Due to this, the temperature of the inverter apparatus  150  may be suppressed from being excessively increased. 
     Hereinafter, an inverter apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 5 through 7 . 
     For the sake of brevity of explanation, the same or similar elements as the foregoing configuration are designated with the same numeral references and their detailed redundant description regarding some of the configuration and operation will be omitted. 
     As described above, an electric vehicle having an inverter apparatus according to this embodiment may include a car body  110 , a wheel  115  provided in the car body  110 , an electromotor  130  configured to drive the wheel  115 , a battery  140  provided in the car body  110 , and an inverter apparatus  150  connected to the battery  140  and electromotor  130 , respectively, to supply drive power to the electromotor  130 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the inverter apparatus  150  may include a case  157 , a switching element  160  disposed within the case  157 , a first heat sink  171  provided with a cooling fluid passage therein and disposed to exchange heat with the switching element  160 , and a second heat sink  181  disposed to exchange heat with the first heat sink  171 . 
     The case  157  may be formed with a rectangular parallelepiped formed with an accommodation space therein. 
     An insulating material  158  surrounding an outer surface of the case  157  may be provided at an outer portion of the case  157 . Due to this, it may be possible to suppress heat (thermal energy) within the case  157  from being dissipated to the outside. 
     On the other hand, a plurality of switching elements  160  may be provided within the case  157 . 
     The switching element  160  may be disposed at an inner lower portion of the case  157 . 
     The first heat sink  171  may be disposed in a heat-exchanging manner at a lower side of the switching element  160 . Due to this, it may be possible to quickly cool the switching element  160 . 
     The first heat sink  171  may include a body  173  formed with a thermal conductive member, and a passage  175  formed within the body  173 . The switching elements  160  may be combined with an upper surface of the body  173  in a heat-exchanging manner. The body  173  may be provided with a cooling fluid inlet  177  and a cooling fluid outlet  178 , respectively. 
     A plurality of PCBs  162  may be provided at an upper side of the switching element  160 . 
     A DC-link capacitor  165  may be disposed at an upper side of the PCB  162 . 
     The second heat sink  181  may be provided at an upper side of the DC-link capacitor  165 . 
     The second heat sink  181  may include a body  183  formed of a thermal conductive member and a passage  185  formed within the body  183 . A plurality of heat-dissipating fins  184  may be formed at a bottom portion of the body  183  to be protruded downward. Due to this, it may be possible to more quickly cool an inner upper region of the case  157 . 
     The body  183  of the second heat sink  181  may be provided with a cooling fluid inlet  187  and a cooling fluid outlet  188 , respectively. 
     Here, the first heat sink  171  and second heat sink  181 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , may be connected in parallel to the cooling fluid circulation circuit  210 . More specifically, a first branch passage  261  and a second branch passage  271  may be formed on the cooling fluid circulation circuit  210 , and the first heat sink  171  and second heat sink  181  may be connected to the first branch passage  261  and second branch passage  271 , respectively. 
     A first valve  263  and a second valve  273  may be provided on the first branch passage  261  and second branch passage  271 , respectively, to switch the relevant passage, and/or control a flow rate of the relevant branch passage. 
     On the other hand, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , a mode selector  251  and a passage change valve  241  may be controllably connected, respectively, to the controller  250  to change a passage according to the selected operation mode. 
     The first valve  263  and second valve  273  may be controllably connected, respectively, to the controller  250  to control a supply and/or a flow rate of the cooling fluid supplied to the first heat sink  171  and second heat sink  181 . 
     The controller  250  may be configured to control a flow rate of the cooling fluid based on the temperature of the first heat sink  171  and second heat sink  181 . 
     The controller  250  may be connected to a plurality of temperature sensor units  275 , respectively, to detect the temperature of the first heat sink  171  and second heat sink  181 , respectively. 
     By this configuration, the cooling fluid pumped by the pump  211  to flow through the radiator  225  or heater core  235  may be branched off and flowed into the first heat sink  171  and the second heat sink  181 , respectively, along the first branch passage  261  and second branch passage  271 . 
     The cooling fluid flowing into each passage of the first heat sink  171  and second heat sink  181  may exchange heat with the relevant heat sink  170  to cool the relevant heat sink  170 , and then join and flow again. 
     The joined cooling fluid may perform a function of cooling the inside of the case  157  while being circulated along the cooling fluid circulation circuit  210 . 
     On the other hand, the controller  250  may control a flow rate of the cooling fluid supplied to the first heat sink  171  and second heat sink  181  based on the temperature sensing result of the temperature sensor unit  275 . 
     For example, when the temperature of the second heat sink  181  is lower than a preset temperature, the controller  250  may control the second valve  273  to reduce an amount of the cooling fluid supplied to the second heat sink  181  or suspend a supply of the cooling fluid for a predetermined period of time. 
     Hereinafter, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 8 through 10 . 
     As described above, an electric vehicle having an inverter apparatus according to this embodiment may include a car body  110 , a wheel  115  provided in the car body  110 , an electromotor  130  configured to drive the wheel  115 , a battery  140  provided in the car body  110 , and an inverter apparatus  150  connected to the battery  140  and electromotor  130 , respectively, to supply drive power to the electromotor  130 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the inverter apparatus  150  may include a case  157 , a switching element  160  disposed within the case  157 , a first heat sink  171  provided with a cooling fluid passage therein and disposed to exchange heat with the switching element  160 , a second heat sink  181  disposed to exchange heat with the first heat sink  171 , and a third heat sink  191  disposed at an inner lateral surface of the case  157 . 
     The case  157  may be formed with a rectangular parallelepiped provided with an accommodation space therein. 
     An insulating material  158  surrounding an outer surface of the case  157  may be provided at an outer portion of the case  157 . 
     A switching element  160 , a PCB  162 , and a DC-link capacitor  165  may be provided, respectively, within the case  157 . 
     The first heat sink  171  may be provided at a lower side of the switching element  160 . 
     The second heat sink  181  may be provided at an inner upper region of the case  157 . 
     On the other hand, the third heat sink  191  formed of a thermal conductive member and disposed at an inner lateral surface of the case  157  may be provided within the case  157 . Due to this, it may be possible to more quickly cool an internal space of the case  157 . 
     The third heat sink  191  may be disposed at least two surfaces of a lateral surface of the internal space of the case  157 . 
     A passage may be formed within the third heat sink  191 . 
     The third heat sink  191  may include a body  193  formed of a thermal conductive member, and a passage  195  formed within the body  193 . 
     Here, the first heat sink  171 , second heat sink  181 , and third heat sink  191  may be formed to have cooling fluid inlets  177 ,  187 ,  197  and cooling fluid outlets  178 ,  188 ,  198 , respectively. 
     On the other hand, the first heat sink  171 , second heat sink  181 , and third heat sink  191 , as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , may be connected in parallel to the cooling fluid circulation circuit  210 . A first branch passage  261 , a second branch passage  271 , and a third branch passage  281  may be formed on the cooling fluid circulation circuit  210 . The first heat sink  171 , second heat sink  181 , and third heat sink  191  may be connected to the first branch passage  261 , second branch passage  271 , and third branch passage  281 , respectively. 
     A first valve  263 , a second valve  273 , and third branch passage  283  may be provided on the first branch passage  261 , second branch passage  271 , and third branch passage  281 , respectively, to switch the relevant passage, and/or control a flow rate of the relevant branch passage. 
     Here, the first heat sink  171 , second heat sink  181 , and third heat sink  191 , as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , may be configured such that the internal passages thereof are connected to one another in series by a connecting pipe  189 . 
     On the other hand, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , a mode selector  251  and a passage change valve  241  may be controllably connected, respectively, to the controller  250  to change a passage according to the selected operation mode. 
     The first valve  263 , second valve  273 , and third valve  283  may be controllably connected, respectively, to the controller  250  to control a supply and/or a flow rate of the cooling fluid supplied to the first heat sink  171  through the third heat sink  191 . 
     The controller  250  may be configured to control a flow rate of the cooling fluid based on the temperature of the first heat sink  171 , second heat sink  181 , and third heat sink  191 . 
     The controller  250  may be connected to a plurality of temperature sensor units  275 , respectively, to detect the temperature of the first heat sink  171 , second heat sink  181 , and third heat sink  191 , respectively. 
     By this configuration, the cooling fluid pumped by the pump  211  to flow through the radiator  225  or heater core  235  may be branched off and flowed into the first heat sink  171 , second heat sink  181 , and third heat sink  191 , respectively, along the first branch passage  261 , second branch passage  271 , and third branch passage  281 . 
     The cooling fluid flowing into each passage of the first heat sink  171  and second heat sink  181  may exchange heat with the relevant heat sink to cool the relevant heat sink, and then join again. 
     The joined cooling fluid may perform a function of cooling the inside of the case  157  while being circulated along the cooling fluid circulation circuit  210 . 
     On the other hand, the controller  250  may control a flow rate of the cooling fluid supplied to the first heat sink  171 , second heat sink  181 , and third heat sink  191  based on the temperature sensing result of the temperature sensor unit  275 . 
     For example, when the temperature of the second heat sink  181  and third heat sink  191  is lower than a preset temperature, the controller  250  may reduce an amount of the cooling fluid supplied to the second heat sink  181  and third heat sink  191  or suspend a supply of the cooling fluid for a predetermined period of time. 
     Furthermore, when the temperature of the first heat sink  171  is higher than a preset temperature, the controller  250  may reduce a flow rate of the second heat sink  181  and third heat sink  191  or suspend a supply thereof, thereby more quickly cooling the first heat sink  171 . 
     As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a first heat sink and a second heat sink may be provided within a case of the inverter apparatus, wherein the first heat sink has a passage of the cooling fluid to quickly collect the heat generated by the components through the cooling fluid, thereby cooling the components as well as collecting thermal energy. 
     Furthermore, the heat generated by the components may be collected to be used in heating without being dissipated to the outside, thereby reducing battery consumption during heating. 
     Furthermore, the reduction of mileage due to heating may be suppressed, thereby extending a battery charge period. 
     In addition, a battery charge period that requires a lot of time for charging may be extended to reduce a waiting time for charging the battery to that extent, thereby facilitating the use of a vehicle. 
     As described above, specific embodiments of the present invention are illustrated and described herein. However, the present invention can be implemented in various embodiments without departing from the spirit or gist of the invention, and thus the foregoing embodiments should not be limited to the content of the detailed description. 
     Furthermore, the foregoing embodiments should be broadly construed within the scope of the technical spirit defined by the appended claims even though they are not specifically disclosed in the detailed description herein. Moreover, all changes and modifications within the technical scope of the claims and the equivalent scope thereof should be construed to be included in the appended claims.