# US 9,520,802 B2 · Power semiconductor module, power converting apparatus and railway car > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,520,802 B2 - Document ID: US9520802B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/517,904 - Filed: 2010-01-18 - Published: 2012-10-11 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2010-01-18 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Applicants: Takeshi Tanaka; Yasushi Nakayama - Inventors: Takeshi Tanaka; Yasushi Nakayama - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9520802B2 ## CPC - H02M 7/003: {Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections} - B60L 3/003: {relating to inverters} - B60L 7/14: for vehicles propelled by AC motors - B60L 15/007: {Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles} - B60L 50/51: characterised by AC-motors - B60L 2200/26: Rail vehicles - Y02T 10/64: Electric machine technologies in electromobility - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - 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) - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A power semiconductor module applied to a power converting apparatus for a railway car includes an element pair formed by connecting an IGBT and an SiC-FWD in anti-parallel to each other and an element pair formed by connecting an Si-IGBT and an SiC-FWD in anti-parallel to each other. The element pair and the element pair are housed in one module and configured as a 2-in-1 module in a manner that the first element pair operates as a positive side arm of the power converting apparatus and the second element pair operates as a negative side arm of the power converting apparatus. The element pairs are formed such that a ratio of an occupied area of SiC-FWD chips to an occupied area of IGBT chips in the element pairs is equal to or higher than 15% and lower than 45%. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A power semiconductor module comprising: a first element pair formed by connecting, in reverse parallel to each other, a first switching element and a first diode element formed by a wide band gap semiconductor in a size for setting a ratio of an occupied area of the first diode element with respect to an occupied area of the first switching element to be equal to or higher than 15% and lower than 45% of the occupied area of the first switching element; and a second element pair formed by connecting, in reverse parallel to each other, a second switching element and a second diode element formed by a wide band gap semiconductor in a size for setting a ratio of an occupied area of the second diode element with respect to an occupied area of the second switching element to be equal to or higher than 15% and lower than 45% of the occupied area of second switching element, wherein the first switching element and the first diode element are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed in plan view, the second switching element and the second diode element are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed in plan view, and the first element pair and the second element pair are housed in one module and configured as a 2-in-1 module. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The power semiconductor module according to claim 1, wherein the first and second diode elements and the first and second switching elements are formed in sizes for equalizing temperature rises. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The power semiconductor module according to claim 1, wherein the wideband gap semiconductor is semiconductor formed using silicon carbide, a gallium nitride base material or diamond. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The power semiconductor module according to claim 1, wherein the first and second switching elements are IGBT elements or MOSFET elements. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The power semiconductor module according to claim 1, further comprising: a first collector electrode to which a collector of the first switching element and a cathode of the first diode element are connected; a first emitter electrode to which an emitter of the first switching element and an anode of the first diode element are connected; a second collector electrode to which a collector of the second switching element and a cathode of the second diode element are connected; and a second emitter electrode to which an emitter of the second switching element and an anode of the second diode element are connected, the first collector electrode, the first emitter electrode, the second collector electrode, and the second emitter electrode being provided on an upper surface of the power semiconductor module. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The power semiconductor module according to claim 5, wherein the first and second diode elements and the first and second switching elements are formed in sizes for equalizing temperature rises. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The power semiconductor module according to claim 1, wherein the first and second diode elements and the first and second switching elements include a plurality of chips, and a number of the chips included in the first and second diode elements is larger than a number of the chips included in the first and the second switching elements. ### Claim 8 A power converting apparatus comprising a power semiconductor module configured as a 2-in-1 module that houses: a first element pair formed by connecting, in reverse parallel to each other, a first switching element and a first diode element formed by a wide band gap semiconductor in a size for setting a ratio of an occupied area of the first diode element with respect to an occupied area of the first switching element to be equal to or higher than 15% and lower than 45% of the occupied area of the first switching element; and a second element pair formed by connecting, in reverse parallel to each other, a second switching element and a second diode element formed by a wide band gap semiconductor in a size for setting a ratio of an occupied area the second diode element with respect to an occupied area of the second switching element to be equal to or higher than 15% and lower than 45% of the occupied area of the second switching element, wherein the first switching element and the first diode element are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed in plan view, and the second switching element and the second diode element are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed in plan view. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The power converting apparatus according to claim 8 mounted on a vehicle and configured to supply electric power to an electric motor that drives the vehicle, wherein an electric current flows to the first diode element and the second diode element during acceleration of the vehicle, and an electric current flows to the first switching element and the second switching element during deceleration of the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The power converting apparatus according to claim 8 mounted on a vehicle and configured to supply electric power to an electric motor that drives the vehicle, wherein an electric current flows to the first switching element and the second switching element during acceleration of the vehicle, and an electric current flows to the first diode element and the second diode element during deceleration of the vehicle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) A railroad vehicle comprising: the power converting apparatus according to claim 8 mounted on a vehicle and configured to supply electric power to an electric motor that drives the vehicle; and the electric motor supplied with the electric power from the power converting apparatus to generate a driving force. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The power converter apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first and second diode elements and the first and second switching elements include a plurality of chips, and a number of the chips included in the first and second diode elements is larger than a number of the chips included in the first and the second switching elements. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The power converter apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first and second diode elements and the first and second switching elements are formed in sizes for equalizing temperature rises.