TECHNICAL FIELD

The present specification generally relates to power control assemblies for motors in vehicles and, more specifically, to integrated power control assemblies with built-in cooling systems for motors in electric and/or hybrid electric vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Conventional motor drive systems in electric and/or hybrid electric vehicles consist of three parts—the motor, the power control unit (PCU) and the high voltage cables. In this type of system, the motor and its corresponding PCU are designed and installed separately. However, the power density is limited due to the existence of cables and separated enclosures. The interconnecting cables produce extra power loss, weight, and volume, reducing the system efficiency. The cooling systems are designed separately for the motor and PCU, thereby increasing the complexity of the cooling system.

Further, as power control assemblies are designed to operate at increased power levels, they generate high heat flux. This means that the printed circuit board (PCB) and the active and passive components disposed on the PCB in the power control assembly should be able to withstand higher temperatures and thermally induced stresses. Conventional heat sinks may be unable to remove sufficient heat to effectively lower the operating temperature of the power control assemblies to acceptable temperature levels. Further, conventional heat sinks and cooling structures may require additional bonding layers and thermal matching materials (e.g., bond layers, substrates, thermal interface materials). These additional layers and other factors add packaging size and substantial thermal resistance to the overall power control assemblies and make their thermal management challenging.

Accordingly, it may be desirable to have alternate power control assemblies having cooling mechanisms.

SUMMARY

The present specification relates to integrated power control assemblies with built-in cooling systems for motors in electric and/or hybrid electric vehicles. In one embodiment, an integrated power control assembly configured as an inverter for a motor is disclosed. The integrated power control assembly is mounted directly on an axial end of the motor and includes one or more power plates, one or more cooling plates coaxially disposed on and thermally connected to the one or more power plates, and one or more circuit boards circumferentially disposed around the one or more power plates. An individual power plate has a power card having one or more switching semiconductor devices corresponding to individual phases of the motor. The individual power card is electrically coupled to the motor through one or more busbars. An individual circuit board is electrically coupled to an individual power card corresponding to an individual phase of the motor. The individual circuit board has a first surface electrically coupled to the one or more power plates and a second surface opposite to the first surface.

In another embodiment, a motor assembly including a motor and an integrated power control assembly configured as an inverter for the motor, is disclosed. The integrated power control assembly is mounted directly on an axial end of the motor and includes one or more power plates, one or more cooling plates coaxially disposed on and thermally connected to the one or more power plates, and one or more circuit boards circumferentially disposed around the one or more power plates. An individual power plate has a power card having one or more switching semiconductor devices corresponding to individual phases of the motor. The individual power card is electrically coupled to the motor through one or more busbars. An individual circuit board is electrically coupled to an individual power card corresponding to an individual phase of the motor. The individual circuit board has a first surface electrically coupled to the one or more power plates and a second surface opposite to the first surface.

These and additional features provided by the embodiments described herein will be more fully understood in view of the following detailed description, in conjunction with the drawings.

