# US 2014/0153189 A1 · Electric power converter

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- Number: US 2014/0153189 A1
- Document ID: US20140153189A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/096,681
- Filed: 2013-12-04
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-04
- Assignees: Denso Corporation
- Applicants: Denso Corporation
- Inventors: Makoto OKAMURA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153189A1

## CPC

- H02M 7/003: {Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections}
- H05K 1/0213: {Electrical arrangements not otherwise provided for}
- H05K 7/14329: {specially adapted for the configuration of power bus bars}
- H05K 7/20927: {Liquid coolant without phase change}
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS

## Abstract

An electric power converter has a stacked body formed by stacking a plurality of semiconductor modules and coolers, a capacitor, and positive and negative bus bars. Each of the bus bars is formed by two sheets of plate members, respectively. Each of the plate members has a body portion, a plurality of extended portions, and a plurality of terminal connecting portions. The terminal connecting portions are connected to power terminals of the semiconductor modules. The main body portion of each plate member are joined to each other so that the terminal connecting portion of the one of the plate members and the terminal connecting portion 44 of the other one of the plate member are disposed alternately in a stacking direction of the stacked body.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electric power converter comprising:
a stacked body formed by stacking a plurality of semiconductor modules having power terminals projecting from a sealed portion where a semiconductor element is sealed and coolers that cool the semiconductor modules;
a capacitor for smoothing a DC voltage; and
a bus bar that electrically connects the power terminals and the capacitor; wherein,
the bus bar is made of a plurality of plate members that are electrically connected to each other;
each of the plate members is provided with a body portion disposed so that a main surface thereof is perpendicular with respect to a projecting direction of the power terminal,
a plurality of extended portions extending from the main body portion in an extending direction perpendicular to both a stacking direction of the stacked body and the projecting direction, and
terminal connecting portions erected in the projecting direction from each of the extended portions,
a main surface of the terminal connecting portion is perpendicular with respect to the stacking direction; wherein,
the terminal connecting portions are joined to the power terminals and are connected to each other;
the main body portion of each plate member are joined to each other to form the bus bar so that the terminal connecting portions formed in the same plate member do not adjoin to each other in the stacking direction; and
the bus bar is formed by combining the plurality of plate members while the extended portions extend toward the same direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electric power converter according to claim 1, wherein,
the power terminal are composed of a positive terminal and a negative terminal where the DC voltage is applied,
the bus bar is composed of a positive bus bar that connects between a positive electrode of the capacitor and the positive terminal, and a negative bus bar that connects between a negative electrode of the capacitor and the negative terminal,
the positive bus bar and the negative bus bar are constituted of two plate members that include a proximate plate member disposed at a position close to the sealed portion in the projecting direction and a distant plate member disposed at a position farther from the sealed portion than the proximate plate member,
a set of terminal pair is formed by the positive terminal and the negative terminal disposed adjacent to each other in the extending direction,
the terminal pairs take either a first connection state A or a second connection state B,
the positive terminal is connected to the proximate plate member of the positive bus bar and the negative terminal is connected to the distant plate member of the negative bus bar in the first connection state A,
the positive terminal is connected to the distant plate member of the positive bus bar and the negative terminal is connected to the proximate plate member of the negative bus bar in the second connection state B, and
the terminal pair that takes the first connection state A and the terminal pair that takes the second connection state B are disposed alternately in the stacking direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electric power converter according to claim 1, wherein,
the capacitor has a plurality of capacitor elements that are connected in parallel to each other, and
each of the plate members that constitutes the bus bar is connected to the respective capacitor elements.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The electric power converter according to claim 2, wherein,
the capacitor has a plurality of capacitor elements that are connected in parallel to each other, and
each of the plate members that constitutes the bus bar is connected to the respective capacitor elements.