POWER CONVERTER, ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING AN ELECTRIC MACHINE AND A POWER CONVERTER, AND VEHICLE

Abstract

A power converter, includes a housing and a busbar arrangement, which is arranged inside the housing, wherein the power converter is designed to guide an alternating current along the busbar arrangement, the power converter also includes at least one planar flux-conducting element made of a magnetically highly permeable material, which is arranged between a wall of the housing and the busbar arrangement.

Claims

1. A power converter (1), comprising a housing (2) and a busbar arrangement (5), which is arranged inside the housing (2), wherein the power converter (1) is designed to guide an alternating current along the busbar arrangement (5), and at least one planar flux-conducting element (19, 20) made of a magnetically highly permeable material, which is arranged between a wall (13a, 14a) of the housing (2) and the busbar arrangement (5).

2. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the flux-conducting element (19, 20) is formed from a metal plate or a ferrite plate.

3. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a first housing element (3) and a cover element (11) formed from a magnetically low-permeable material, which cover element is arranged inside the first housing element (3), with a flux-conducting element (19) being arranged on the cover element (11) between the wall (13a) formed by the first housing element and the busbar arrangement (5).

4. The power converter according to claim 3, wherein the busbar arrangement (5) is guided out from the first housing element (3) through at least one opening (15, 16) in a second wall (13b) of the first housing element (3), and the flux-conducting element (19) is arranged on an opening-side edge portion of the cover element (11).

5. The power converter according to claim 4, wherein the cover element (11) has protrusions (25a-25d) pointing towards the at least one opening (15, 16) and the flux-conducting element (19) extends over the protrusions (25a-25d).

6. The power converter according to claim 3, wherein the cover element (11) has a greater thickness in a portion (21) on which the flux-conducting element (19) is arranged than in other portions.

7. The power converter according to claim 3, wherein the cover element (11) has an indentation (22), in which the flux-conducting element (19) is arranged.

8. The power converter according to claim 3, wherein the first housing element (3) houses a power electronics unit (8) of the power converter (1), which power electronics unit is designed to receive the alternating current on the input side or provide the alternating current on the output side.

9. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the housing (2) comprises a second housing element (4) with at least one opening (17, 18), through which the busbar arrangement (5) is guided into the second housing element (4), with a flux-conducting element (20) being arranged between the wall (14a) formed by the second housing element (4), which wall runs perpendicularly to a second wall (14b) comprising the at least one opening (17, 18), and the busbar arrangement (5).

10. The power converter according to claim 9, wherein the flux-conducing element (20) is arranged on the first wall (14a).

11. The power converter according to claim 9, wherein the housing comprises a first housing element (3) and a cover element (11) formed from a magnetically low-permeable material, which cover element is arranged inside the first housing element (3), with a flux-conducting element (19) being arranged on the cover element (11) between the wall (13a) formed by the first housing element and the busbar arrangement (5), wherein the busbar arrangement (5) is guided out from the first housing element (3) through at least one opening (15, 16) in a second wall (13b) of the first housing element (3), and the flux-conducting element (19) is arranged on an opening-side edge portion of the cover element (11), and wherein the housing elements (3, 4) are arranged against one another in such a way that the busbar arrangement (5) is guided through openings (15-18) from the first housing element (3) into the second housing element (4).

12. The power converter according to claim 11, wherein the flux-conducting elements (19, 20) are formed by a one-piece flux-conducting device passing through the openings (15-18).

13. The power converter according to claim 9, wherein the second housing element (4) houses a connection device (33) for connection of the busbar arrangement (5) to an electric machine (32).

14. An arrangement (31) comprising an electric machine (32) and a power converter (1) according to claim 1, wherein the power converter (1) is designed to provide the alternating current for generation of a rotary field of the electric machine (32).

15. A vehicle (30), comprising an arrangement (31) according to claim 14, wherein the electric machine (32) is designed to drive the vehicle (30).

Description

[0028] Further advantages and details of the present invention will become clear from the exemplary embodiments described hereinafter, with reference to the drawings. These are schematic illustrations and show:

[0029] FIG. 1 a basic illustration of a first exemplary embodiment of the power converter according to the invention;

[0030] FIG. 2 a perspective basic illustration of the first exemplary embodiment;

[0031] FIG. 3 a perspective basic illustration in the region of a second housing element of the first exemplary embodiment;

[0032] FIG. 4 a cut-away detailed illustration of a second exemplary embodiment in the region of a first housing element;

[0033] FIG. 5 a perspective basic illustration of a third exemplary embodiment of the power converter according to the invention;

[0034] FIG. 6 a perspective basic illustration of a fourth exemplary embodiment of the power converter according to the invention;

[0035] FIG. 7 a cut-away basic illustration of a fifth exemplary embodiment of the power converter according to the invention;

[0036] FIG. 8 a perspective basic illustration of a sixth exemplary embodiment of the power converter according to the invention; and

[0037] FIG. 9 a perspective basic illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention comprising an arrangement according to the invention.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a basic illustration of a first exemplary embodiment of a power converter 1.

[0039] The power converter 1 comprises a housing 2, which has a first housing element 3 and a second housing element 4. The housing 2 is formed from a low-permeable material, in the present case aluminium or aluminium alloy, in order to reduce the weight of the power converter 1. The power converter 1 furthermore comprises a busbar arrangement 5, which comprises two busbar groups 6, 7, each having three busbars 6a, 6b, 6c, and 7a, 7b, 7c. The busbar arrangement 5 is connected on the output side to a power electronics unit 8 of the power converter 1 configured as an inverter, with each busbar group 6, 7 guiding a three-phase alternating current. In addition, the power converter 1 comprises a direct voltage connection 9, which is connected via further busbars 10 to an input of the power electronics unit 8.

[0040] The power electronics unit 8, the direct voltage connection 9, and the busbars 10 are fully housed in the first housing element 3, which additionally houses a cover element 11 and a printed circuit board 12, which is arranged between the power electronics unit 8 and the cover element 11 and comprises a control electronics unit for the power electronics unit 8. The second housing element 4 by contrast forms a connection box or a junction box for connection of an electric machine to the power converter 1, for which purpose the second housing element 4 houses a connection device 33 (see FIG. 9).

[0041] The first housing element 3 has a first wall 13a (see FIG. 2), which forms a ceiling of the first housing element 3, a second wall 13b formed as a side wall, further side walls, and a third wall 13c forming a base. The side walls extend perpendicularly from the third wall 13c and thus form a receiving volume closed off by the first wall 13a. The second housing element 4 has a first wall 14a (see FIG. 4), a second wall 14b formed as a side wall, further side walls, and a third wall (not shown) opposite the first wall 14a.

[0042] The busbar arrangement 5 extends from the power electronics unit 8, through two openings 15, 16 arranged in the second wall 13b of the first housing element 2 and through two openings 17, 18 formed in the second wall 14b of the second housing element 4, into the second housing element 4. The first busbar group 6 extends consequently through the openings 15, 17, and the second busbar group 7 through the openings 16, 18. Inside the second housing element 4, the busbar arrangement 5 extends into the drawing plane of FIG. 1.

[0043] Inside the first housing element 3, the busbar arrangement 5 extends largely between the third wall 13c and the cover element 11. A first flux-conducting element 19 is arranged on the cover element between the busbar arrangement 5 and the first wall 13a. The first flux-conducting element is situated on an opening-side edge portion of the cover element 11. A second flux-conducting element 20 is arranged on the first wall 14a of the second housing element 4, between said wall and the busbar arrangement 5. The flux-conducting elements 19, 20 are each planar with a thickness of 1 mm and are formed from a highly permeable metal sheet made of a soft iron material and are used to shield magnetic alternating fields in a frequency range up to 1 kHz in order to improve the electromagnetic compatibility of the power converter 1.

[0044] FIG. 2 is a perspective basic illustration of the power converter 1 and shows the arrangement of the first flux-conducting element 19 on the cover element 11 and the first wall 13a of the first housing element 3 in a position not connected to the side walls. The first flux-conducting element 19 rests against the substantially flat cover element 11.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a perspective basic illustration of the power converter 1 in the region of the second housing element 4.

[0046] The angled profile of the busbar arrangement 5 once it has passed through the openings 17, 18 can be seen. The second flux-conducting element 20 is arranged on the first wall 14a by being placed in a slot formed therein and is adhesively bonded or welded to said first wall.

[0047] Further exemplary embodiments of the power converter 1 will be described hereinafter, wherein like or functionally like components are provided with identical reference signs, Unless otherwise described, the further exemplary embodiments correspond to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a cut-away detailed illustration of a second exemplary embodiment of a power converter 1 in the region of the first housing element 3 without the busbar arrangement 5 and without the flux-conducting element 19.

[0049] The cover element 11, in a portion 21 on which the first flux-conducting element 19 is arranged, has a greater thickness than in its other portions. Sufficiently large eddy currents may thus be generated in the cover element 11 in order to further increase the shielding effect.

[0050] An indentation 22 is additionally formed in the portion 21 on the side of the cover element facing away from the busbar arrangement 5, with the flux-conducting element 19 being arranged in said indentation. The indentation, similarly to the flux-conducting element 19, is 1 mm deep, such that an edge 23 of the indentation terminates flush with the flux-conducting element 19.

[0051] FIG. 5 is a perspective basic illustration of a third exemplary embodiment of the power converter 1. In the third exemplary embodiment the first housing element 3, on its second wall 13b, has a frame-like protrusion 24 surrounding the openings 15, 16. The cover element 11 has protrusions 25a, 25b, which point towards the openings 15, 16 and which rest against the protrusion 24 and are connected via an offset 26 to the portion 21 on which the first flux-conducting element is arranged. The portion 21, however, is not thickened in the second example embodiment.

[0052] FIG. 6 is a perspective basic illustration of a fourth exemplary embodiment of the power converter 1. In the fourth exemplary embodiment the first housing element 3 likewise comprises the protrusion 24. The cover element 11 has four protrusions 25a to 25d, which protrude towards the openings 15, 16 from the thickened portion 21 and rest against the protrusion 24. The first flux-conducting element 19 extends in this case also over the protrusions 25a to 25d.

[0053] FIG. 7 is a cut-away basic illustration of a fifth exemplary embodiment of the power converter 1. In the fifth exemplary embodiment collar-like portions 27 of the second housing element 4, which collar-like portions delimit an opening 17, 18 each, protrude into the openings 15, 16 in the first housing element 3.

[0054] FIG. 8 is a perspective basic illustration of a sixth exemplary embodiment of the power converter 1, in which the first wall 13a of the first housing element 3 and the first wall 14a of the second housing element 4 are formed by a one-piece ceiling element 28.

[0055] In accordance with a seventh exemplary embodiment (not shown), the flux-conducting elements 19, 20 are formed by a one-piece flux-conducting device passing through the openings 15 to 18.

[0056] The aforementioned exemplary embodiments are generally combinable. In accordance with further exemplary embodiments, a or each flux-conducting element 19, 20 may be formed from a ferrite plate. In further exemplary embodiments it is provided that a or each flux-conducting element 19, 20 is incorporated into the cover element 11 or into the first wall 14a of the second housing element 4, for example is secured by a fusing, rolling, sintering or plating process, or by means of fastening elements, such as screws or rivets.

[0057] FIG. 9 is a basic illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle 30 with an exemplary embodiment of an arrangement 31. This comprises an electric machine 32, which is designed to drive the vehicle 30, and a power converter 1 according to one of the previously described exemplary embodiments. The power converter 1 is designed to provide the alternating current for generating a rotary field of the electric machine 32. The connection device 33 arranged in the second housing element 4 is also shown, by means of which connection device the electric machine 32 is connected via the busbar arrangement 5 to the power electronics unit 8 of the power converter 1.