Denso Corporation

Advics Co., Ltd.

Hiroshi Shimizu

Kazuma Fukushima

Yuu Yamahira

Tetsuya Matsuoka

Mitsunori Kimura

Kengo Mochiki

Yasuyuki Ohkouchi

Makoto Nakamura

Ryuji Omata

Daigo Nobe

Naoki Hirasawa

Shigemitsu Nohira

Hiroaki Niino

Ryota Tanabe

Takeshi Endo

Yoshimitsu Takahashi

Tatsuya Murakami

Mitsutaka Ito

Hiroshi Ohmi

A reactor cooling structure includes: a plurality of reactors that are stacked on one another, each reactor including a coil configured to produce magnetic flux when energized; and a cooling mechanism that cools the plurality of reactors, wherein each of the reactors has an exterior member that has: heat radiation surfaces respectively on both sides of the corresponding one of the reactors in a stacking direction of the stacked reactors i.e. a first direction, the heat radiation surfaces of the exterior member of each of the reactors being arranged to cool the coil of the corresponding one of the reactors; the cooling mechanism includes a cooling flow path for directly cooling the first and second heat radiation surfaces of the exterior member of each of the reactors by a refrigerant.

Reactor cooling structure

A charging system charges, through an external charger, a first voltage source and a second voltage source that supply electric power to a rotating electric machine that includes coils of phases. A first inverter is connected to respective first ends of the coils and the first voltage source. A second inverter is connected to respective second ends of the coils and the second voltage source. A first switch is provided on a first power supply line that connects a high potential side of the first voltage source and a first external connection terminal that is connected to a high potential side of the external charger. A second switch is provided on a second power supply line that connects a low potential side of the second voltage source and a second external connection terminal that is connected to a low potential side of the external charger.

Charging system

A charging system charges a first voltage source and a second voltage source through an external charger. The first voltage source and the second voltage source are capable of supplying electric power to a rotating electric machine that includes a coil group configured by multiphase coils. The charging system includes a first inverter, a second inverter, at least three switches, and a control unit. The first inverter includes a first switching element. The second inverter includes a second switching element. The control unit is capable of switching charging between individual charging in which either of the first voltage source and the second voltage source is charged, and simultaneous charging in which the first voltage source and the second voltage source are both simultaneously charged, by controlling operations of the first switching element, the second switching element, and the switches.

In a rotating electric machine, a stator includes a stator core and three phase windings. In the stator core, a plurality of slots arrayed in a circumferential direction are formed. The three phase windings are wound around the stator core. The three phase windings include first, second, and third windings. One end of the first winding is provided further towards an outer side of the stator in a radial direction than a division line that divides the slot into two in the radial direction of the stator. One end of the second winding is provided further towards an inner side of the stator in the radial direction than the division line. One end of the third winding is provided between the one end of the first winding and the one end of the second winding relative to the radial direction of the stator, with at least a single slot therebetween.

Rotating electric machine

A power conversion apparatus performs power conversion. The power conversion apparatus includes a semiconductor module and a cooler. The semiconductor module includes an insulated-gate bipolar transistor, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, and a lead frame. The insulated-gate bipolar transistor and the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor are connected in parallel to each other and provided on the same lead frame. The cooler has a coolant flow passage. The coolant flow passage extends such that the coolant flow passage and the lead frame of the semiconductor module are opposed to each other. The semiconductor module is configured such that the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor is not disposed further downstream than the insulated-gate bipolar transistor in a flow direction of a coolant in the coolant flow passage of the cooler.

Power conversion apparatus

A power conversion apparatus includes a semiconductor module including a semiconductor device and a control circuit unit controlling the semiconductor module. The semiconductor module has main and subsidiary semiconductor devices connected in parallel. The control circuit unit performs control such that the subsidiary semiconductor device is turned on after the main semiconductor device is turned on, and the main semiconductor device is turned off after the subsidiary semiconductor device is turned off. The control circuit unit performs control such that, one of the turn-on and turn-off switching timings has a switching speed faster than that of the other of the switching timings. The semiconductor module is configured such that, at a high-speed switching timing, an induction current directed to turn off the subsidiary semiconductor device is generated in a control terminal of the subsidiary semiconductor device depending on temporal change of a main current flowing to the main semiconductor device.

Parallely connected first and second switches respectively have first and second on resistances. The second on resistance is higher than the first on resistance in a lower range of current, and lower than the first on resistance in a higher range of current. A current obtaining unit obtains a current parameter indicative of an input current flowing through both the first and second switches. A low-current control unit controls, based on the obtained current parameter, switching operations of the first and second switches to correspondingly increase the number of times of turn-on of the first switch relative to the number of times of turn-on of the second switch, and prevent simultaneous turn-on of the first and second switches while a value of the input current is located within a predetermined low-level current region, the low-level current region being lower than the threshold current.

Drive control apparatus

A semiconductor module includes an IGBT and a MOSFET. The IGBT is made of a silicon semiconductor. The MOSFET is made of a wide-bandgap semiconductor having a wider bandgap than the silicon semiconductor. The IGBT and the MOSFET are connected in parallel to each other to form a semiconductor element pair. The IGBT has a greater surface area than the MOSFET. The semiconductor module is configured to operate in a region that includes a low-current region and a high-current region. Electric current flowing through the semiconductor element pair is higher in the high-current region than in the low-current region. In the low-current region, the on-resistance of the MOSFET is lower than the on-resistance of the IGBT. In contrast, in the high-current region, the on-resistance of the IGBT is lower than the on-resistance of the MOSFET.

Semiconductor module and electric power conversion apparatus

In a driving apparatus for switches connected in parallel to each other, drivers respectively turn on or off the switches. A temperature obtainer obtains a value of a temperature parameter correlating with a temperature of at least one of the first and second switches. A selector selects at least one of the switches as at least one drive target switch. A driver causes at least one of the drivers to turn on the at least one drive target switch during an on duration and thereafter turn off the at least one drive target switch in each target switching cycle. The selector adjusts the number of the selected at least one drive target switch based on the value of the temperature parameter.

Driving apparatus for switches

A power conversion apparatus includes a first semiconductor element pair that includes a MOSFET made of wide bandgap semiconductor material and a wide bandgap diode made of wide bandgap semiconductor material which is reverse parallel-connected to the MOSFET, a second semiconductor element pair that includes an IGBT made of silicon semiconductor material and a silicon diode made of silicon semiconductor material which is reverse parallel-connected to the IGBT, and a control circuit section for controlling switching operation of the MOSFET and the IGBT. The first and second semiconductor element pairs are connected in series to each other.

An electric power converter includes a stacked body in which a plurality of semiconductor modules and a plurality of coolers are stacked. Each of the semiconductor modules is provided with a main body that has semiconductor elements therein, a plurality of power terminals, and control terminals. Among the plurality of the power terminals respectively included in the two semiconductor modules adjoining in a stacking direction of the stacked body, at least parts of the power terminals are configured so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the stacking direction.

Electric power converter

A semiconductor module of an electric power converter includes an IGBT and a MOSFET which are connected in parallel to each other and provided on the same lead frame, either one of the IGBT and the MOSFET is a first switching element and the remaining one is a second switching element, and the conduction path of the second switching element is disposed at a position that is separated from a conduction path of the first switching element in the same lead frame.

Semiconductor module

A braking device for a vehicle includes a cylinder, a master piston having a pressure applying piston portion and a servo pressure receiving portion, an input piston, a pressure accumulating device, a pilot pressure generating device, and a regulator having a first piston slidably fitted into a housing and dividing an inside of the housing into a first pilot chamber and a servo pressure generating chamber, a valve mechanism connecting the servo pressure generating chamber with the pressure accumulating device or a reservoir in response to movement of the first piston, and a second piston fitted into the housing and dividing the inside of the housing into the first pilot chamber and a second pilot chamber, wherein the second piston is formed so that an end surface thereof exposed to the first pilot chamber has a larger pressure-receiving surface area than an end surface exposed to the second pilot chamber.

Braking device for vehicle

A vehicle brake device is provided with a regulator for generating a servo pressure acting on a master piston in a master cylinder, based on a pilot pressure. The regulator is provided with a brake fluid absorbing section communicating with a first pilot chamber for absorbing the brake fluid as the pilot pressure in the first pilot chamber in the quantity depending on the fluid pressure in the first pilot chamber. The brake fluid absorbing section comprises a piston receiving portion formed in a second piston and opening to the first pilot chamber, a pressure receiving piston slidably received in the piston receiving portion and making the first pilot chamber variable in capacity, and an urging member urging the pressure receiving piston toward the first pilot chamber side.

Growing community of inventors

Kariya, Japan

Hiroshi Shimizu