Patents by Inventor Kinya Nakatsu

Kinya Nakatsu has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8946567
    Abstract: A power module and a power converter device including the power module include: two base plates with their main surfaces facing each other; a semiconductor circuit unit disposed between the two base plates; a connecting member that is connected to the two base plates and forms a housing region in which the semiconductor circuit unit is housed; and an insulating member that is placed between the base plate and the semiconductor circuit unit and secures electrical insulation of the base plate and the semiconductor circuit unit. A rigidity or thickness of the connecting member is less than a rigidity or thickness of the base plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kinya Nakatsu, Hiroshi Hozoji, Takeshi Tokuyama, Yusuke Takagi, Toshiya Satoh, Taku Oyama, Takanori Ninomiya
  • Publication number: 20150022974
    Abstract: The metallic case of a power conversion apparatus includes a casing having a side wall, as well as an upper case and a lower case, a first area being formed between a cooling jacket provided at the inner periphery of the side wall and the lower case, the metal base plate dividing the first area between the cooling jacket and the upper case into a lower side second area and an upper side third area, first and second power modules being fastened to a top surface and a capacitor module being provided in the first area, driving circuits that drive inverter circuits of the power modules respectively being provided in the second area, and a control circuit that controls the driver circuits being provided in the third area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventors: Kinya NAKATSU, Hideyo SUZUKI, Fusanori NISHIKIMI, Takeshi MATSUO, Toshiya SATOU
  • Publication number: 20150003019
    Abstract: An insulation film that strongly adheres to a power semiconductor module having a resin sealer and a conductor plate and has high thermal conductivity is provided. An insulation layer 700 is provided between a power semiconductor module 302 and a heat dissipation portion 307B. The power semiconductor module 302 includes a resin sealer 348, which covers a circumferential side surface of a conductor plate 315, and a plurality of recesses 348D are provided in the resin sealer 348. The insulation layer 700 is formed of a spray coated film 710, an insulation film 720, and a resin layer 730, and the spray coated film 710 is formed on the surface of the resin sealer 348 including recesses 348D to form a seamless flat surface. The planar size of each of the recesses 348D is greater than the planar size of each flat portion 711, which forms the spray coated film 710.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Eiichi Ide, Eiji Nishioka, Toshiaki Ishii, Junpei Kusukawa, Kinya Nakatsu, Nobutake Tsuyuno, Toshiya Satoh, Masahiko Asano
  • Patent number: 8917509
    Abstract: An electric power conversion apparatus includes a channel case in which a cooling water channel is formed; a double side cooling semiconductor module that has an upper and lower arms series circuit of an inverter circuit; a capacitor module; a direct current connector; and an alternate current connector. The semiconductor module includes first and second heat dissipation metals whose outer surfaces are heat dissipation surfaces, the upper and lower arms series circuit is disposed tightly between the first heat dissipation metal and the second heat dissipation metal, and the semiconductor module further includes a direct current positive terminal, a direct current negative terminal, and an alternate current terminal which protrude to outside. The channel case is provided with the cooling water channel which extends from a cooling water inlet to a cooling water outlet, and a first opening which opens into the cooling water channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Tokuyama, Kinya Nakatsu, Ryuichi Saito, Keisuke Horiuchi, Toshiya Satoh, Hideki Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 8902623
    Abstract: In a power inverter, a coolant passage is fixed to a chassis to cool the chassis; the chassis is divided into a first region and a second region by providing the coolant passage in the chassis; a power module is provided in the first region as fixed to the coolant passage; a capacitor module is provided in the second region; and the DC terminal of the capacitor module is directly connected to the DC terminal of the power module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Fusanori Nishikimi, Kinya Nakatsu
  • Patent number: 8863869
    Abstract: The metallic case of a power conversion apparatus includes a casing having a side wall, as well as an upper case and a lower case, a first area being formed between a cooling jacket provided at the inner periphery of the side wall and the lower case, the metal base plate dividing the first area between the cooling jacket and the upper case into a lower side second area and an upper side third area, first and second power modules being fastened to a top surface and a capacitor module being provided in the first area, driving circuits that drive inverter circuits of the power modules respectively being provided in the second area, and a control circuit that controls the driver circuits being provided in the third area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kinya Nakatsu, Hideyo Suzuki, Fusanori Nishikimi, Takeshi Matsuo, Toshiya Satou
  • Publication number: 20140306791
    Abstract: An inverter is offered which has a substrate having a capacitor, a semiconductor device, and so on mounted thereon, a metal enclosure securely holding the substrate, and a choke coil of an open magnetic path structure. The choke coil has a rod-like core disposed perpendicularly to the substrate. The choke coil is electrically connected with the substrate via coil terminals on a coil element. At least one cutout is formed in a surface of the substrate which is located opposite to one axial end (lower end) of the rod-like core of the choke coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro KANAZAWA, Kinya NAKATSU, Haruaki MOTODA
  • Patent number: 8847374
    Abstract: A power semiconductor module includes a power semiconductor element formed with a plurality of control electrodes on one main surface, a first conductor plate bonded by way of a first solder material to one of the main surfaces of the power semiconductor element, and a second conductor plate bonded by way of a second solder material on the other main surface of the power semiconductor element. A first protrusion section protruding from the base section of the applicable first conductor plate and including a first protrusion surface formed over the upper side, is formed over the first conductor plate. A second protrusion section including a second protrusion surface formed facing opposite one of the main surfaces of the power semiconductor element. The first solder material is interposed between the power semiconductor element and the first conductor plate while avoiding the plural control electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiichi Ide, Shinji Hiramitsu, Hiroshi Hozoji, Nobutake Tsuyuno, Kinya Nakatsu, Takeshi Tokuyama, Akira Matsushita, Yusuke Takagi
  • Publication number: 20140286064
    Abstract: A capacitor device includes: a film capacitor element that comprises a coiled body in which an insulating layer and an electrification layer are laminated and wound together, and a pair of collector electrodes that are formed upon two opposite end faces of the coiled body; a case that comprises a capacitor housing portion within which the film capacitor element is received; a pair of inserts having insulation properties, one of which is inserted between one of the pair of collector electrodes and one of inner walls of the capacitor housing portion; and a mass of sealing and insulating material that is charged between the film capacitor element and the one of the inner walls of the capacitor housing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi KAMIZUMA, Kinya NAKATSU, Junpei KUSUKAWA, Takeshi TOKUYAMA
  • Publication number: 20140233204
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electric circuit device in which it is possible to achieve simultaneously the improvement of cooling performance and reduction in operating loss due to line inductance. The above object can be attained by constructing multiple plate-like conductors so that each of these conductors electrically connected to multiple semiconductor chips is also thermally connected to both chip surfaces of each such semiconductor chip to release heat from the chip surfaces of each semiconductor chip, and so that among the above conductors, a DC positive-polarity plate-like conductor and a DC negative-polarity plate-like conductor are opposed to each other at the respective conductor surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd
    Inventors: Takeshi TOKUYAMA, Kinya NAKATSU, Atushi KAWABATA
  • Publication number: 20140197532
    Abstract: A semiconductor module includes a case including a receiving space that is formed by a frame portion and a pair of wall portions disposed to face each other with the frame portion therebetween. The wall portion includes a heat-dissipation portions and a support wall that supports the heat-dissipation portions at the frame portion, and the wall portion includes a heat-dissipation portion and a support wall that supports the heat-dissipation portion at the frame portion. The heat-dissipation portions provided at the wall portion are separately provided by being disposed to face a plurality of semiconductor device blocks respectively. A plurality of separate heat-dissipation portions is surrounded by the support wall, the support wall is deformed to recessed from the frame portion through the separate heat-dissipation portions inside the case such that a plurality of insulating sheets is closely joined to a plurality of lead frames and the plurality of heat-dissipation portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Publication date: July 17, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiichi Ide, Takeshi Tokuyama, Nobutake Tsuyuno, Kinya Nakatsu, Tokihito Suwa, Yuujiro Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20140168901
    Abstract: A power module includes a sealed body in which a semiconductor chip-mounted conductor plate is sealed by a resin in such a manner that a heat dissipating surface of the conductor plate is exposed, a heat dissipating member that is arranged to face the heat dissipating surface, and an insulation layer that is arranged between the sealed body and the heat dissipating member. The insulation layer has a laminated body that is made by laminating an impregnation resin-impregnated ceramic thermal spray film and a bonding resin layer in which a filler having good thermal conductivity is mixed, and that is provided to be in contact with the heat dissipating member and at least the entirety of the heat dissipating surface, and a stress relief resin portion that is provided in a gap between the heat dissipating member and the sealed body to cover an entire circumferential end portion of the laminated body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiichi Ide, Eiji Nishioka, Toshiaki Ishii, Junpei Kusukawa, Kinya Nakatsu, Tokihito Suwa
  • Publication number: 20140160821
    Abstract: Technology leading to a size reduction in a power conversion apparatus comprising a cooling function and technology relating to enhancing productivity and enhancing reliability necessary for commercial production are provided. Series circuits comprising an upper arm and lower arm of an inverter circuit are built in a single semiconductor module 500. The semiconductor module has cooling metal on two sides. An upper arm semiconductor chip and lower arm semiconductor chip are wedged between the cooling metals. The semiconductor module is inserted inside a channel case main unit 214. A DC positive electrode terminal 532, a DC negative electrode terminal 572, and an alternating current terminal 582 of a semiconductor chip are disposed in the semiconductor module. The DC terminals 532 and 572 are electrically connected with a terminal of a capacitor module. The alternating current terminal 582 is electrically connected with a motor generator via an AC connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi TOKUYAMA, Kinya NAKATSU, Ryuichi SAITO
  • Patent number: 8743548
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electric circuit device in which it is possible to achieve simultaneously the improvement of cooling performance and reduction in operating loss due to line inductance. The above object can be attained by constructing multiple plate-like conductors so that each of these conductors electrically connected to multiple semiconductor chips is also thermally connected to both chip surfaces of each such semiconductor chip to release heat from the chip surfaces of each semiconductor chip, and so that among the above conductors, a DC positive-polarity plate-like conductor and a DC negative-polarity plate-like conductor are opposed to each other at the respective conductor surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Tokuyama, Kinya Nakatsu, Atushi Kawabata
  • Publication number: 20140133199
    Abstract: A power conversion device for a vehicle includes: a power module that includes a switching device and, upon operation of the switching device, converts DC power into AC power to be supplied to an electric machine for driving a vehicle; a capacitor module that includes a smoothing capacitor element, an input-side power source terminal for receiving DC power, and an output-side power source terminal for supplying DC power to the power module; and a noise removal capacitor for removing noise, wherein: the noise removal capacitor is built in the capacitor module, and the noise removal capacitor is electrically connected to the input-side power source terminal in a position where a distance between a connection position of the noise removal capacitor and the input-side power source terminal is less than a distance between a connection position of the noise removal capacitor and the output-side power source terminal of the capacitor module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi MATSUO, Kinya NAKATSU, Toshiya SATOH, Ken MAEDA
  • Patent number: 8723306
    Abstract: Heat radiation surfaces 7b and 8b of electrode lead frames 7 and 8 make thermal contact with heat radiation members 301 via insulation sheets 10 to dissipate heat from a power semiconductor element 5 to the heat radiation members (thick portions 301). Each of exposed areas of the heat radiation surfaces 7b and 8b and a surface 13b of a mold material (sealing material 13) adjacent to the exposed area produce an uneven step from which either one of the exposed area and the surface 13b adjacent to the exposed area projects. The step side surface formed between the convex surface and the concave surface of the uneven step has an inclined surface 7a or 13a so configured that an obtuse angle can be formed by the inclined surface and the convex surface and by the inclined surface and the concave surface for each.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobutake Tsuyuno, Hiroshi Hozoji, Toshiaki Ishii, Tokihito Suwa, Kinya Nakatsu, Takeshi Tokuyama, Junpei Kusukawa
  • Publication number: 20140118934
    Abstract: A power semiconductor module includes a first package having an upper arm circuit section, a second package having a lower arm circuit section, a metal case having a storage space to store the first package and the second package and an opening connecting with the storage space, and an intermediate connecting conductor to couple the upper arm circuit section with the lower arm circuit section; the case includes a first radiating section and a second radiating section facing the first radiating section through the storage space; the first package is arranged so that the arrangement direction of the first and second packages may be parallel to the respective surfaces facing the first and second radiating sections; and the intermediate connecting conductor couples an emitter side terminal extending from the first package with a collector side terminal extending from the second package in the storage space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Tokuyama, Kinya Nakatsu, Ryuichi Saito, Toshiya Satoh, Tokihito Suwa
  • Patent number: 8699254
    Abstract: In a power inverter, a coolant passage is fixed to a chassis to cool the chassis; the chassis is divided into a first region and a second region by providing the coolant passage in the chassis; a power module is provided in the first region as fixed to the coolant passage; a capacitor module is provided in the second region; and the DC terminal of the capacitor module is directly connected to the DC terminal of the power module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Fusanori Nishikimi, Kinya Nakatsu
  • Publication number: 20140078803
    Abstract: An electric power converter is provided with: a power semiconductor module, which has a power semiconductor element that converts a direct current into an alternating current; a capacitor module, which has a capacitor element that smooths the direct current; and a cooling body, which cools the power semiconductor module and the capacitor module. The capacitor module has a case, which has an approximately rectangular shape, has an opening formed in one surface, and has a space for housing the capacitor element; and a DC conductor for electrically connecting the power semiconductor element and the capacitor element to each other. The cooling body is formed to face the bottom surface on the inner wall of the case, and both the side surfaces of the case, the side surfaces facing each other. Between the capacitor element and the inner wall surfaces of the case, the direct current conductor is formed along the bottom surface and both the side surfaces of the case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsuo Nishihara, Ken Maeda, Kinya Nakatsu, Yukio Hattori
  • Patent number: 8674636
    Abstract: A power conversion device for a vehicle includes: a power module that includes a switching device and, upon operation of the switching device, converts DC power into AC power to be supplied to an electric machine for driving a vehicle; a capacitor module that includes a smoothing capacitor element, an input-side power source terminal for receiving DC power, and an output-side power source terminal for supplying DC power to the power module; and a noise removal capacitor for removing noise, wherein: the noise removal capacitor is built in the capacitor module, and the noise removal capacitor is electrically connected to the input-side power source terminal in a position where a distance between a connection position of the noise removal capacitor and the input-side power source terminal is less than a distance between a connection position of the noise removal capacitor and the output-side power source terminal of the capacitor module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Matsuo, Kinya Nakatsu, Toshiya Satoh, Ken Maeda