# US 2014/0151146 A1 · Mold module utilized as power unit of electric power steering apparatus and electric power steering apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0151146 A1 - Document ID: US20140151146A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/983,727 - Filed: 2011-04-07 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-07 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Inventors: Daisuke Tanaka; Yoshihito Asao; Katsuhiko Omae; Tetsushi Watanabe - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151146A1 ## CPC - H10W 40/70: Fillings or auxiliary members in containers or in encapsulations for thermal protection or control - B62D 5/04: electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear - B62D 5/0406: {including housing for electronic control unit} - H02K 9/223: {Heat bridges} - H02K 11/33: Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics (H02K11/38 takes precedence) - H10W 40/10: Arrangements for heating - H10W 40/251: {Organics} - H10W 72/60: Strap connectors, e.g. thick copper clips for grounding of power devices - H02K 3/522: {for generally annular cores with salient poles} - H02K 5/08: Insulating casings - H02K 5/225: {Terminal boxes or connection arrangements (specially adapted for submersible motors H02K5/132)} - H02K 7/1166: {comprising worm and worm-wheel (structural association with bearings specially adapted for worm gear drives H02K7/081)} - H02K 9/227: {Heat sinks} - H05K 2201/10924: Leads formed from a punched metal foil - H05K 2201/10931: Exposed leads, i.e. encapsulation of component partly removed for exposing a part of lead, e.g. for soldering purposes - H10W 72/07336: {Soldering or alloying} - H10W 72/07653: {changes in shapes} - H10W 72/652: {comprising metals or metalloids, e.g. silver} - H10W 74/00: Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings - H10W 74/10: characterised by their shape or disposition - H10W 74/111: {the semiconductor body being completely enclosed} - H10W 90/736: {between a chip and a stacked lead frame, conducting package substrate or heat sink} - H10W 90/763: {between laterally-adjacent chips} - H10W 90/766: {between a chip and a stacked lead frame, conducting package substrate or heat sink} - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract There is provided a mold module and an electric power steering apparatus in which the temperature distribution in electronic components such as semiconductor chips utilized in an electronic relay and an inverter circuit unit is equalized and hence the heat radiation performance can be improved. In a mold module according to the present invention, a plurality of terminals for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective terminals are molded with a molding resin; at least part of the plurality of terminals are exposed at the rear side of the molding resin; an electric power steering apparatus according to the present invention utilizes the mold module. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A mold module utilized as a power unit of an electric power steering apparatus, formed by molding with a molding resin a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames, wherein at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the molding resin. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The mold module utilized as a power unit of an electric power steering apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the respective surface areas of the plurality of lead frames are set in accordance with the thermal loss in the electronic component mounted on the lead frame. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The mold module utilized as a power unit of an electric power steering apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the respective thicknesses of the plurality of lead frames are set in accordance with the thermal loss in the electronic component mounted on the lead frame. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The mold module utilized as a power unit of an electric power steering apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of lead frames are formed of wiring leads for connecting the plurality of electronic components. ### Claim 5 An electric power steering apparatus comprising: a speed reducing mechanism coupled with a steering shaft of a vehicle, a motor whose rotor shaft is coupled with the speed reducing mechanism, and a motor controller that controls electric power supplied to an armature winding of the motor so as to make the motor produce predetermined torque, wherein the motor controller is provided with a mold module in which a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames are molded with a molding resin and in which at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the mold resin, and wherein the rear side of the mold module is adhered to the case of the motor through the intermediary of a heat transfer resin. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the motor case to which the mold module is adhered is a speed-reducing-mechanism-side case fixed to the speed reducing mechanism. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the motor case to which the mold module is adhered is a case situated opposed to the speed reducing mechanism. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the mold module is provided with a protrusion that protrudes from the rear side, and the heat transfer resin is filled into a gap formed by the protrusion between the motor case and the rear side of the mold module. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 5, further including filler included in the heat transfer resin, wherein the gap between the motor case and the rear side of the mold module is secured by the filler. ### Claim 10 An electric power steering apparatus comprising: a speed reducing mechanism coupled with a steering shaft of a vehicle, a motor whose rotor shaft is coupled with the speed reducing mechanism, and a motor controller that controls electric power supplied to an armature winding of the motor so as to make the motor produce predetermined torque, wherein the motor controller is provided with a mold module in which a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames are molded with a molding resin and in which at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the mold resin, and the rear side of the mold module is adhered to the motor case through the intermediary of a ceramic insulation sheet. ### Claim 11 An electric power steering apparatus comprising: a speed reducing mechanism coupled with a steering shaft of a vehicle, a motor whose rotor shaft is coupled with the speed reducing mechanism, and wherein the motor controller is provided with a mold module in which a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames are molded with a molding resin and in which at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the mold resin, a heat sink, and a controller case that incorporates the mold module and the heat sink, and wherein the rear side of the mold module is adhered to the heat sink through the intermediary of a heat transfer resin. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller case is fixed to the speed-reducing-mechanism-side case of the motor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the heat sink has a heat sink opening portion formed at a position corresponding to a speed-reducing-mechanism-side case opening portion formed in the speed-reducing-mechanism case, and wherein a bus bar connected with the armature winding of the motor extends from the inside of the speed-reducing-mechanism-side case of the motor to the inside of the controller case by way of the speed-reducing-mechanism-side case opening portion and the heat sink opening portion and then is connected with the mold module in the controller case. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the mold module is provided with a protrusion that protrudes from the rear side, and the heat transfer resin is filled into a gap formed by the protrusion between the heat sink and the rear side of the mold module. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 11, further including filler included in the heat transfer resin, wherein the gap between the heat sink and the rear side of the mold module is secured by the filler. ### Claim 16 An electric power steering apparatus comprising: a speed reducing mechanism coupled with a steering shaft of a vehicle, a motor whose rotor shaft is coupled with the speed reducing mechanism, and wherein the motor controller is provided with a mold module in which a plurality of lead frames for forming wiring leads and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the respective lead frames are molded with a molding resin and in which at least part of the plurality of lead frames are exposed at the rear side of the mold resin, a heat sink, and a controller case that incorporates the mold module and the heat sink, and wherein the rear side of the mold module is adhered to the heat sink through the intermediary of a ceramic insulation sheet. ### Claim 17 (depends on 5) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the mold module includes power semiconductor chips of an electric-power conversion circuit that converts DC electric power from a DC power source into AC electric power and supplies the AC electric power to the armature winding. ### Claim 18 (depends on 5) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the mold module includes a relay semiconductor chip that can disconnect the motor from a power source. ### Claim 19 (depends on 5) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the motor is a controller-integrated motor in which the motor controller is mounted, and the motor controller is disposed along a direction in which the center axis of the rotor shaft of the motor extends. ### Claim 20 (depends on 5) The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the motor is a controller-integrated motor in which the motor controller is mounted, and the motor controller is disposed-at a position that is in parallel with the center axis of the rotor shaft of the motor.