Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho

Toshiaki Nagase

Jun Ishikawa

Hiroyuki Onishi

Toshinari Fukatsu

Naohito Kanie

Kazuyoshi Kontani

Kenichi Sofue

Hiromitsu Yoshiyama

Koichi Akagawa

Hiroyuki Kobayashi

Tomohiro Yamagami

Tomohiro Ohba

Takashi Nagashima

Nobuyuki Inayoshi

Toshiaki Fukatsu

Takahiro Nakamura

An inverter device includes an inverter circuit, which has switching elements in a bridge connection, a capacitor, which is connected in parallel to the input side of the inverter circuit, a control device, which controls the inverter circuit, a temperature detector, which detects the temperature of the capacitor, a degree-of-deterioration determiner, which determines the degree of deterioration of the capacitor, and a warm-up controller. When the temperature of the capacitor detected by the temperature detector is lower than a prescribed temperature, the warm-up controller controls the switching elements of the inverter circuit to supply a direct current set based on the degree of deterioration and the temperature of the capacitor to the coil of an electric motor connected to the output side of the inverter circuit.

Inverter device

A plurality of arm elements is arrayed along a first direction of a substrate. Each arm element includes a plurality of semiconductor elements connected in parallel. Each arm element is configured such that a plurality of semiconductor elements is arrayed along a second direction of the substrate which is perpendicular to the first direction and separated into a first element group and a second element group. The substrate includes a first region where the semiconductor element included in the first element group is arranged and a second region where the semiconductor element included in the second element group is arranged, and the first region and the second region are separated along the second direction. An input electrode unit and an output electrode unit are arranged along the first direction in a region provided between the first region and the second region on the substrate.

Semiconductor device having a substrate and input and output electrode units

An inverter device includes a substrate, upper arm elements, lower arm elements, positive and negative input electrodes, and an output electrode. The upper arm elements serve as an upper switching element and are arranged along a first direction. The lower arm elements serve as a lower arm switching element and are arranged along the first direction. At least one of bus bars of the positive and negative input electrodes and the output electrode extends parallel to the first direction. At least one of the bus bars of the positive and negative input electrodes and the output electrode has a length in the longitudinal direction that is greater than a width between two ends of the upper arm elements and the lower arm elements in the first direction.

Inverter device with upper and lower arm elements

A switching circuit () includes: a plurality of insulated gate transistors (-) connected in parallel between a high voltage line (L) and a low voltage line (L); gate resistors (-) each provided for one of the plurality of insulated gate transistors (-) and each including a first terminal connected to a gate electrode of each of the insulated gate transistors (-); and a single gate voltage application unit () configured to apply pulsing gate voltage to the gate electrode of each of the insulated gate transistors (-) via the gate resistors (-). A second terminal of each of the gate resistors (-) provided for each of the plurality of insulated gate transistors (-) is connected to the gate voltage application unit () via a gate voltage apply line (L), and a single capacitor is connected between the gate voltage apply line (L) and the high voltage line (L).

Switching circuit

An inverter includes a warm-up control section and a switching control section. In a state in which an electric motor is not operating, the warm-up control section controls switching elements of an inverter circuit to perform warm-up control, in which direct currents are supplied to the coils of the respective phases of the electric motor, when the temperature of the capacitor is lower than a prescribed temperature. When a warm-up control is switched to a normal operation control, the switching control section sets initial phases of alternating currents such that the relationship between the values of the alternating currents supplied to the coils of the electric motor in the normal operation control matches with the relationship between the values of the direct currents that have been supplied to the corresponding coils of the electric motor in the warm-up control.

Inverter

A semiconductor unit includes a semiconductor chip, a ceramic substrate having a circuit pattern on which the semiconductor chip is mounted, and a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature. The semiconductor unit further includes a pressing member for retaining the temperature sensor by pressing against the ceramic substrate.

Semiconductor unit

An electronic unit includes a first circuit board having a power semiconductor device and an electrolytic capacitor and a second circuit board having an electronic component to control the power semiconductor device. The second circuit board is arranged perpendicular to the first circuit board and along the surface of the electrolytic capacitor. The electronic unit further includes a connecting member being jointed at one end thereof to the first circuit board and jointed at the other end thereof to the second circuit board for electrical connection between the first and second circuit boards.

Electronic unit

A power converter includes a switching device composed of parallel-connected semiconductor chips evenly divided into two groups. The power converter includes a positive conductor, a capacitor and an output electrode. The positive conductor includes first and second terminal portions. The output electrode includes an end portion joined to a base portion having first and second connecting portions. The output electrode is formed so as to reduce or cancel a difference existing between an inductance Lof a current path from a positive terminal of the capacitor to the first terminal portion and an inductance Lof a current path from the positive terminal to the second terminal portion, by providing a difference between an inductance Lof a current path from the first connecting portion to the end portion and an inductance Lof a current path from the second connecting portion to the end portion.

Power converter

A power converter includes a base plate having thereon a switching device, and positive and negative conductors respectively including main portions disposed parallel to the base plate. One of the main portions is placed over the other of the main portions. The main portions are disposed adjacent to and parallel to each other. The main portions are insulated from each other. The power converter includes a capacitor having positive and negative terminals electrically connected to the respective main portions of the positive and negative conductors. Each of the positive and negative conductors includes a side portion extending from the main portion toward the base plate, and a terminal portion extending from the side portion and joined to the base plate. The side portion is formed with a cutout extending from the end adjacent to the base plate to the opposite end connected to the main portion.

A power converter apparatus that includes a substrate, plate-like positive and negative interconnection members, capacitors, and a cover is disclosed. Pairs of groups of switching elements are mounted on the substrate. The cover is arranged over the substrate to encompass the switching elements, the positive interconnection member, the negative interconnection member, and the capacitor. The positive interconnection member and the negative interconnection member each have a terminal portion that is joined to a circuit pattern on the substrate by ultrasonic bonding.

Power converter apparatus

A power converter apparatus that includes a substrate, plate-like positive and negative interconnection members, and capacitors is disclosed. Pairs of groups of switching elements are mounted on the substrate. Each of the positive interconnection member and the negative interconnection member has a terminal portion. The terminal portion has a joint portion that is electrically joined to a circuit pattern on the substrate. The switching elements are arranged in the same number on both sides of the joint portion of at least the positive interconnection member of the positive and negative interconnection members.

A power converter apparatus includes a substrateon which switching elements Q, Qto Qare mounted, positive and negative terminal interconnection membersmounted on the substrate, and a capacitorhaving a positive terminalconnected to the main body of the positive terminal interconnection memberand a negative terminalconnected to the main body of the negative terminal interconnection member. The interconnection members each have a plate-like main bodythat is located above and parallel to the substrate. The main bodies of the interconnection members are stacked to be close to each other while being electrically insulated from each other. Each of the positive terminal interconnection member and the negative terminal interconnection member further includes a plate-like extensionthat extends from the corresponding main body toward the substrate, and a terminal portionthat extends from the extension and is joined to the substrate. The extensions extend to positions closest to the substrate, while being parallel to and close to each other.

A first wiring member and a second wiring member, through which currents flow in directions opposite to each other, each have a flat plate shape and are arranged to be adjacent and opposed to each other, to thereby reduce inductances of the first wiring member and the second wiring member due to an effect of a mutual inductance. A joint of the first wiring member and a joint of the second wiring member are joined to the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the semiconductor device through ultrasonic bonding, respectively. As a result, the joint of the first wiring member and the joint of the second wiring member are not required to be provided with exclusive portions for screw mounting unlike a conventional manner, so each of the joints can have a small area, to thereby making it possible to reduce inductances of the first wiring member and the second wiring member.

Terminal connection structure for semiconductor device

A semiconductor apparatus is characterized in that it comprises a semiconductor module having a plurality of semiconductor elements and an external connection terminal for externally connecting electrodes of the semiconductor elements in the semiconductor module, wherein the semiconductor elements in each semiconductor module are connected in parallel and/or in series via the external connection terminal.

Semiconductor apparatus and production method thereof suitable for electric power devices

In a semiconductor apparatus in which a main current of a semiconductor device flows through a wiring pattern formed on an insulation circuit board, the rise in temperature of the wiring pattern is suppressed and the increase in cost of parts can be minimized. On the insulation circuit board, a copper pattern is formed. A heat spreader is soldered to the copper pattern, and the heat spreader is loaded with a semiconductor chip. An external electrode and the heat spreader are arranged to shorten the distance between the side of the external electrode and the side of the heat spreader.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi-ken, Japan

Toshiaki Nagase