阅读说明：本技术 功率开关模块和集成有该功率开关模块的电力电子装置 (Power switch module and power electronic device integrated with same ) 是由 弗雷德保德·基尔 于 2019-02-22 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种功率模块,包括集成有至少一个功率开关支路的电子板(EB)、电容器(CE)和至少三条直流供电母线(B1、B2、B3),在该功率模块中,电子板安装在第一母线(B1)和第二母线(B2)之间,并且电容器安装在第二母线(B2)和第三母线(B3)之间,并且电子板、电容器和母线包括允许电子板和电容器的“压装”型安装的电接触面。(A power module comprising an Electronic Board (EB) integrated with at least one power switching branch, a Capacitor (CE) and at least three dc supply buses (B1, B2, B3), in which power module the electronic board is mounted between a first bus (B1) and a second bus (B2), and the capacitor is mounted between a second bus (B2) and a third bus (B3), and the electronic board, the capacitor and the buses comprise electrical contact surfaces allowing a "press-fit" type mounting of the electronic board and the capacitor.)

1. A power module (1) comprising an Electronic Board (EB) integrated with at least one power switch Branch (BM), a capacitor (C)_E) And at least three direct current supply buses (B1, B2, B3), wherein the Electronic Board (EB) is mounted between a first bus (B1) and a second bus (B2), and the capacitor (C)_E) Mounted between the second bus bar (B2) and a third bus bar (B3), and the Electronic Board (EB), capacitor (C)_E) And the bus-bars (B1, B2, B3) comprise means allowing said Electronic Board (EB) and capacitors (C)_E) So-called "press-fit" type mounting of electrical contact surfaces (F3, F5, F6, F7).

2. Power module according to claim 1, characterized in that it has an outer shape housed in a cylindrical Sector (SC) with a determined angle (a) and in that said electrical contact surfaces (F3, F5, F6, F7) are substantially perpendicular to a radial symmetry Plane (PS) of said cylindrical Sector (SC).

3. Power module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the capacitor (C)_E) Is of the multilayer ceramic type.

4. Power module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the Electronic Board (EB) is of the so-called "SiP" type and comprises control means (μ C) and at least one first-order capacitive filter capacitor (C)_I)。

5. Power module in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that the first order capacitive filter capacitor (C)_I) Is a multilayer ceramic type capacitor.

6. The power module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first busbar (B1) comprises a circular arc shaped outer surface (F1) having a plurality of fins (10).

7. The power module according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and claim 2, characterized in that among the three busbars (B1, B2, B3), at least the first busbar (B1) comprises two joining faces (F2, F4, F8) symmetrically inclined with respect to the radial symmetry Plane (PS).

8. A power module according to any one of claims 1-7, characterised in that at least one of the three busbars (B1, B2, B3) comprises at least one passage (12, 13) for the passage and/or filling of a liquid having a heat-carrying and/or fire-resistant and/or electrical insulating function.

9. A power module according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the at least one power switching Branch (BM) comprises at least one transistor of GaN, SiC, MOSFET or IGBT type.

10. The power module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the three dc supply busbars (B1, B2, B3) are made of copper and/or aluminium.

11. A power electronic device, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of power modules (1 to 6) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the power modules (1 to 6) being arranged in a circle and being electrically contacted by first, second and third busbars (B1, B2, B3) of the power modules.

12. A power electronic device according to claim 11, characterized by comprising an intermediate Volume (VC) filled with a liquid having a heat carrying and/or fire resistant and/or electrical insulating function and/or with electrical, mechanical and/or electronic components.

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to the field of power electronics. More particularly, the present invention relates to power switch modules and power electronics devices incorporating such modules.

Background

Power electronics devices such as inverters and power converters are common in many industries such as transportation, industry, lighting, heating, and the like. With the desired conversion to renewable and less CO production₂The energy conversion of the discharged energy, power electronics technology needs to be further generalized and should be adapted to the growing economic and technical limitations. Research and development in the field of power electronics today is particularly focused on reducing costs, increasing power density to be more compact, increasing reliability, reducing parasitic elements and electromagnetic radiation, and heat transfer of the consumed energy.

The different constraints imposed on the power electronics devices have led to a modular architecture of the switching bridges with basic power switching modules, called "power modules", each corresponding to a switching bridge branch of the bridge. Thus, for example, a six-phase switching bridge, a three-phase switching bridge, or a switching bridge comprising any number of phases and poles may be obtained by assembling a plurality of power modules.

For power modules, a 3D architecture with double-sided cooling of the power chips is proposed, and this 3D architecture has certain benefits for improving the compactness of the power electronics. Seeking increased compactness requires the ability to keep the temperatures of the active and passive components below critical values to achieve thermal equilibrium and ensure reliability. It is desirable to extract dissipated energy proximate the element. The thermal path between the heat source constituted by the components and the heat sink constituted by the heat dissipating means should be optimized. Therefore, a cooling device with good performance is indispensable.

The availability of new power semiconductors such as existing silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), and soon after diamond, and the rational use of these new power semiconductors drive the compactness of power modules to increase. These new power semiconductors allow for greater current densities, higher switching frequencies, and higher voltages that are beneficial for reducing joule losses. However, since a larger voltage increases the risk of breakdown and is detrimental to the reduction of the distance between the elements of different potentials, a solution needs to be found.

To achieve the best possible compromise between seeking compactness and meeting different design constraints, it is necessary to reduce parasitic resistive, inductive and capacitive elements. Parasitic inductance in the power bus bar is detrimental to higher switching frequencies. Higher switching frequencies are advantageous for compactness, but increase switching losses and power consumed by the components. A reduction in parasitic inductance is necessary to protect the circuit from potentially damaging overvoltages, improve control over electromagnetic radiation, reduce heat generation, and improve switching speed.

To improve reliability, especially in applications where thermal cycling is severe, a technique known as "press-pack" is used. In the "press-fit" technique, electrical contact is ensured by mechanical pressure or fastening means that hold the components in place and in contact. The "press-fit" technique allows the power module itself to be made modular and the sub-modules of the power module to be made testable and replaceable. Thereby resulting in further standardization and reduction of production costs. In addition, the "press-fit" technique also has the benefit of facilitating repair of the device due to its removability.

Power electronics devices having a geometry that is a cylindrical disc or cylindrical cake have great benefits. Such a cylindrical pie-shaped geometry is particularly advantageous for integrating an electronic power converter to the rear of a rotating electrical machine on an extension of its cylindrical stator. Therefore, the power modules of the converter need to be geometrically contained in adjacent cylindrical sectors. Due to the size of the filter capacitors of the dc supply bus of the converter, difficulties often arise in mounting such capacitors to the rear of the rotating electrical machine. In the prior art, it is known to implement the filter capacitor by means of a plurality of cylindrical capacitors mounted in parallel, in order to facilitate integration into the rear of the rotating electrical machine.

It now appears desirable to propose a power module with a new architecture that facilitates the manufacture of power electronic devices with an increased compactness of a cylindrical pie-shaped appearance, allowing to obtain the best compromise while meeting the above design constraints, and that is suitable for new SiC and GaN power semiconductors, as well as 3D technology and "press-fitting".

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a power module comprising an electronic board integrated with at least one power switching branch, a capacitor and at least three dc supply buses, in which power module the electronic board is mounted between a first bus and a second bus and the capacitor is mounted between the second bus and a third bus, and the electronic board, the capacitor and the buses comprise electrical contact surfaces allowing a so-called "press-fit" type mounting of the electronic board and the capacitor.

According to a particular feature, the power module has an external shape housed in a cylindrical sector with a determined angle, and the electrical contact surface is substantially perpendicular to a radial symmetry plane of the cylindrical sector.

According to another particular feature, the capacitor is of the multilayer ceramic type.

According to another particular feature, the electronic board is of the so-called "SiP" type and comprises control means and at least one first-class capacitive filter capacitor.

According to another particular feature, the first-level capacitive filter capacitor is a multilayer ceramic type capacitor.

According to another particular feature, the first busbar comprises an outer surface of circular arc shape having a plurality of fins.

According to another particular feature, among the three busbars, at least a first busbar comprises two joining faces symmetrically inclined with respect to a radial symmetry plane.

According to another particular feature, at least one of the three busbars comprises at least one passage for the passage and/or filling of a liquid having a heat-carrying and/or fire-resistant and/or electrical insulating function.

According to another particular feature, at least one power switching branch comprises at least one transistor of GaN, SiC, MOSFET or IGBT type.

According to another particular feature, the three dc supply busbars are made of copper or aluminium.

According to another aspect, the invention also relates to a power electronic device comprising a plurality of power modules as briefly described above, arranged in a circle and electrically contacted by their first, second and third busbars.

According to a particular feature, the power electronic device comprises an intermediate volume filled with a liquid having a heat carrying and/or fire resistant and/or electrical insulating function and/or with electrical, mechanical and/or electronic components.

Drawings

Other advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description of several specific embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is an electrical schematic diagram of a particular embodiment of a power module according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a power module according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a power module according to the present invention; and is

Fig. 4 is an external perspective view of a particular embodiment of a power electronic device including a plurality of power modules according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

In fig. 1, an electrical principle schematic of a specific embodiment 1 of a power module according to the invention is shown. The power module 1 is of the "SiP" (System in Package) type and comprises a switching bridge branch BM, a controller μ C and a filter capacitor arrangement C_IAnd C_EBM switch connected with switching bridge branchAnd (4) connecting.

The switching bridge branch BM here comprises two transistors T of gallium nitride (GaN) type_HSAnd T_LS. Of course, other types of electronic power switches, such as MOSFET or IGBT transistors, may also be used. Transistor T_HSAnd T_LSUpper and lower portions, which are called "High Side" and "Low Side" in english, are formed and connected between the DC supply buses with positive voltage + DC and negative voltage-DC, respectively. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the transistor T_HSAnd T_LSIs connected to the + DC bus and the-DC bus, respectively. Transistor T_HSAnd T_LSRespectively, and form the switching power output OUT of the power module 1.

Controller μ C pass transistor T_HSAnd T_LSGate G of control transistor T_HSAnd T_LSAnd may perform other functions depending on the application, such as fault detection.

The filter capacitance means comprise a first capacitor C connected between the + DC and-DC buses_IAnd a second capacitor C_E. Capacitor C_IAnd C_EAnd respectively forming a first-stage capacitive filtering device and a second-stage capacitive filtering device.

Switch bridge branch BM, controller μ C and capacitor C_IIncluded in the same SiP type electronic board EB.

Capacitor C_ITypically of the multilayer ceramic type and may be formed by a single capacitor or a plurality of capacitors in parallel. By means of capacitors C installed in the electronic board CE as first-stage capacitive filtering means_IClosest to the transistor chip.

Advantageously, the electronic board CE can be formed by well-established and economical techniques for manufacturing electronic boards with printed circuits, and has a 3D architecture.

Capacitor C as a second-stage capacitive filter arrangement_EHaving a specific capacitor C_IMuch larger capacity and therefore greater capacitive filtering can be ensured. Capacitor C_EIs a large elementAnd is mounted on the outside of the electronic board EB. Capacitor C_ETypically of the multilayer ceramic type.

Now, the arrangement of the electronic board EB and the capacitor C between the bus bars will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 2 to 4_EThe material architecture of the power module 1.

As can be seen in fig. 2, which shows an external perspective view, the power module 1 is accommodated in a cylindrical sector SC. Cylindrical sector SC is defined by sector axis AA, radius R, sector angle a, and height H. In this particular embodiment, the sector SC has an angle α equal to 60 °.

This external configuration, accommodated in the cylindrical sector, allows to realize a cylindrical pie-shaped power electronic device by adjacently arranging a plurality of power modules. As shown in fig. 4, a six-phase power electronic device CONV can be obtained here by assembling six similar power modules 1 to 6.

More particularly with reference to fig. 2 and 3, the power module 1 mainly comprises an electronic board EB, a capacitor C_EAnd three bus bars B1, B2, and B3. Electronic board EB and capacitor C_EAre housed in the internal volumes E1 and E2 respectively, provided between the bus bars B1, B2 and between the bus bars B2, B3.

In the power module 1, the bus bars B1 and B3 are used for negative direct-current voltage-DC applied with the corresponding ground polarity. Bus B2 is for being applied with a positive DC voltage + DC.

The bus bars B1, B2, and B3 are formed of a conductive metal such as aluminum or copper, and may be made by molding and/or machining and/or cutting the profile strips.

The bus bar B1 includes a plurality of fins 10 formed on the circular arc-shaped outer side surface F1. The fins 10 extend radially outward from the circular arc-shaped outer side surface F1. Thus, bus bar B1 forms a heat sink. Furthermore, the generatrix B1 comprises, among other things, two substantially flat inclined faying surfaces F2, and a substantially flat inner surface F3.

The two engagement faces F2 form longitudinally opposite ends of the generatrix B1 and are inclined at an angle a/2 with respect to the radial symmetry plane PS of the cylindrical sector SC. In this embodiment, the two engagement faces F2 are inclined at an angle α/2 of 30 ° as the power module is accommodated in a cylindrical sector having an angle α of 60 °.

The interface F2 of the bus bar B1 is for contacting a corresponding interface F2 of an adjacent power module. It should be noted that the term "flat" as used herein to define the engagement face F2 should not be interpreted in a strict manner. In practice, as shown in fig. 3, these engagement faces F2 may for example comprise a groove 11 for accommodating a seal of the so-called "Viton" (registered trademark) type, for example. A removable mechanical connection (not shown) may also be provided at this engagement face F2.

The substantially flat inner surface F3 is the contact surface with the electronic board EB by fastening. As noted above with respect to the engagement face F2, the term "flat" as used herein to define the inner surface F3 should not be interpreted in a strict manner, as different arrangements may be provided depending on the application.

The bus bar B2 includes, among other things, two engagement faces F4 forming longitudinally opposite ends of the bus bar B2, and first and second faces F5 and F6.

Like the face F2 of the generatrix B1, the two engagement faces F4 are inclined at an angle α/2 with respect to the radial symmetry plane PS of the cylindrical sector SC. The engagement face F4 is for contacting a corresponding engagement face F4 of an adjoining power module.

The first face F5 of the bus bar B2 is a contact face that is brought into contact with the electronic board EB by fastening. As can be seen in fig. 2 and 3, the duct 12 is arranged in this first face F5 and is generally used for the circulation or filling of liquids having heat transfer and/or fire-resistant and/or electrical insulating functions. Of course, in other embodiments, the liquid conduit may also or only be formed in the inner surface F3 of the bus bar B1. It should be noted that the fire protection and electrical insulation functions allow to avoid electrical breakdowns and fires, and consequently potential damages of the power module.

Faces F3 and F5 are suitable for "press-fit" type mounting of the electronic board EB between the bus bars B1 and B2. The internal volume E1 formed between the face F3 and the face F5 allows housing the electronic board EB.

The second face F6 of the bus bar B2 is a substantially planar face oriented opposite the substantially planar first face F7 of the bus bar B3. Face F6 and face F7 are substantially parallel and define a housingCapacitor C_EE2. The faces F6 and F7 are fastened to the capacitor C_EAnd is suitable for capacitor C_EA "press-fit" type mounting between bus bars B2 and B3.

In addition to the first face F7, the bus bar B3 includes, inter alia, two engagement faces F8 forming longitudinally opposite ends of the bus bar, and a second face F9. Like the face F2 of the generatrix B1, the two engagement faces F8 are inclined at an angle α/2 with respect to the radial symmetry plane PS of the cylindrical sector SC. The engagement face F8 is for contacting a corresponding engagement face F8 of an adjacent power module.

The set of faces F3, F5, F6 and F7 of the busbars B1, B2, B3 are electrical contact faces substantially perpendicular to the radial symmetry plane of the cylindrical sector SC and allow the electronic board EB and the capacitor C to be connected to the same_EA "press fit" type of mounting between the bus bars.

The second face F9 of the bus bar B3 is substantially flat and parallel to the first face F7 and forms an end face of the power module 1 perpendicular to the radial symmetry plane PS of the cylindrical sector SC. In the cylindrical sector SC, there is a volume E3 between the axis AA and the face F9.

As can be seen in fig. 2, it should be noted that there are ducts 13 provided on the upper and lower end faces of the busbar B3. The recess 13 is particularly used for the passage or filling of heat-carrying and/or fire-resistant and/or electrically insulating liquids.

The "press-fit" assembly of the power module 1 will use, for example, elastic fasteners to ensure the required fastening, or screws that fit through insulated screw passages to prevent short circuits. Such mechanical assembly techniques by fastening are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described here.

As shown in fig. 4, when a plurality of power modules according to the invention, in this example power modules 1 to 6, are assembled to realize a cylindrical pie-shaped power electronic device CONV, the intermediate volume VC remains available by adding a different volume E3 that remains free.

According to the power electronic device made by a plurality of power modules according to the invention, the intermediate volume VC can be dedicated to different functions. Thus, for example, the intermediate volume VC may be dedicated locally or globally to the circulation or filling of a liquid having a heat-carrying and/or fire-resistant and/or electrical insulating function. In other applications, the intermediate volume VC may be dedicated, partially or totally, to housing additional capacitive filtering means and/or energy storage means, for example in the form of lithium-ion type batteries, supercapacitors, or any other mechanical, electrical and/or electronic component.

The upper and lower surfaces of the power electronics CONV will be closed by the plates reaching the-DC voltage of the buses B1 and B3. A Faraday cage (cage de Faraday) is thus obtained and provides electromagnetic shielding in favor of electromagnetic Compatibility (CEM). The tightness at the upper and lower surfaces will be ensured by means of a seal of the so-called "Viton" (registered trademark) type, for example.

It should be noted here that the discoid circular shape of the power electronic device CONV makes it very suitable for integration into a rotating electric machine, for example a traction engine or a reversible machine associated with a regenerative braking system.

The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein as examples. Depending on the application of the invention, various modifications and variations may be provided by those skilled in the art which fall within the scope of the appended claims.