Patent · US Active

Electric power converter

US7957145B2 · kind B2 · utility

26Cited by
8References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 17, 2010
Grant dateJun 7, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 17, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH05K7/203
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electric power converter for a vehicle, including a semiconductor element from which a motor drive current is output, a drive circuit that drives the semiconductor element, a control circuit that controls the drive circuit, a capacitor that smooths a DC current to be input to the semiconductor element, a container housing the semiconductor element, the drive circuit, the control circuit and the capacitor, a refrigerant retained in a state of vapor-liquid two-phase equilibrium within the container, and a heat exchanger unit that condenses the refrigerant in a vapor phase to be a liquid phase and exchanges heat with outside, wherein the semiconductor element, the drive circuit, the control circuit and the capacitor are disposed in a positional arrangement that will leave the semiconductor element, the drive circuit, the control circuit and the capacitor immersed in the refrigerant as the electric power converter is installed in the vehicle, and the heat exchanger unit is disposed at a side of a wall of the container forming a vapor-phase space.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.