Patents by Inventor Tokihito Suwa

Tokihito Suwa 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: 8952525
    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: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiichi Ide, Takeshi Tokuyama, Nobutake Tsuyuno, Kinya Nakatsu, Tokihito Suwa, Yuujiro Kaneko
  • 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
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20140098588
    Abstract: A power module includes a plurality of semiconductor devices constituting upper/lower arms of an inverter circuit, a plurality of conductive plates arranged to face electrode surfaces of the semiconductor devices and a module case configured to accommodate the semiconductor devices and conductive plates, wherein the module case includes a heat-radiation member made of plate-like metal and facing a surface of the conductive plate and a metallic frame body having an opening that is closed by the heat-radiation member, and wherein a heat-radiation fin unit having a plurality of heat-radiation fins vertically arranged thereon is provided at a center of the heat-radiation member, and a joint portion with the frame body is provided at an peripheral edge of the heat-radiation member, and the heat radiation member has a heat conductivity higher than that of the frame body, and the frame body has a higher rigidity than that of the heat-radiation member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yujiro Kaneko, Tokihito Suwa, Shinji Hiramitsu, Takahiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 8659130
    Abstract: A power module includes: a sealing body including a semiconductor element having a plurality of electrode surfaces, a first conductor plate connected to one electrode surface of the semiconductor element via solder, and a sealing material for sealing the semiconductor element and the first conductor plate, the sealing body having at least a first surface and a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface; and a case for housing the sealing body. The case is configured by a first heat radiation plate opposed to the first surface of the sealing body, a second heat radiation plate opposed to the second surface of the sealing body, and an intermediate member that connects the first heat radiation plate and the second heat radiation plate. The intermediate member has a first thin section having thickness smaller than the thickness of the first heat radiation plate, more easily elastically deformed than the first heat radiation plate, and formed to surround the first heat radiation plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Takagi, Kaoru Uchiyama, Tokihito Suwa, Kinya Nakatsu, Takeshi Tokuyama, Shinji Hiramitsu
  • Publication number: 20130279230
    Abstract: Provided is a power conversion device including an insulating member manufactured such that a thickness di (mm) of the insulating member made from a resin, provided between a heat dissipating surface of a conductor plate bonded to a power semiconductor device and a heat dissipating plate that dissipates the heat of the power semiconductor device satisfies a relation of di>(1.36×10-8×Vt2+3.4×10-5×Vt?0.015)×?r, where a relative permittivity of the insulating member is Er and a surge voltage generated between the conductor plate and the heat dissipating plate accompanied by an ON/OFF switching operation of the power semiconductor device is Vt (V). The conductor plate of the power semiconductor device, the insulating member, and the heat dissipating plate are bonded by thermocompression bonding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Tokihito Suwa, Yujiro Kaneko, Masashi Yura, Nobutake Tsuyuno, Toshiaki Ishii, Junpei Kusukawa
  • Publication number: 20130265724
    Abstract: A power module includes a power unit equipped with plural power semiconductor devices, heat sinks, and a housing case. The power unit includes the power semiconductor devices, lead frames, and a sealing resin. The lead frames are coupled to the surfaces of each of the power semiconductor devices, and parts of the external surfaces of the upper and lower lead frames are bared out of the sealing resin. The housing case includes a housing base and a housing cover. The housing base, heat sink, power unit, heat sink, and housing cover are layered in that order. Assuming that S1 denotes the outline size of the housing base, S2 denotes the outline size of the housing cover, S3 denotes the size of the lead frame bared part of the power unit, the relationship of S1>S2>S3 is established. The housing cover is pressed and fixed to a receiving part of the housing base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: Hitachi Automative Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yujiro Kaneko, Tokihito Suwa
  • Publication number: 20130119525
    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: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobutake Tsuyuno, Hiroshi Hozoji, Toshiaki Ishii, Tokihito Suwa, Kinya Nakatsu, Takeshi Tokuyama, Junpei Kusukawa
  • Publication number: 20130062751
    Abstract: A power module includes: a sealing body including a semiconductor element having a plurality of electrode surfaces, a first conductor plate connected to one electrode surface of the semiconductor element via solder, and a sealing material for sealing the semiconductor element and the first conductor plate, the sealing body having at least a first surface and a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface; and a case for housing the sealing body. The case is configured by a first heat radiation plate opposed to the first surface of the sealing body, a second heat radiation plate opposed to the second surface of the sealing body, and an intermediate member that connects the first heat radiation plate and the second heat radiation plate. The intermediate member has a first thin section having thickness smaller than the thickness of the first heat radiation plate, more easily elastically deformed than the first heat radiation plate, and formed to surround the first heat radiation plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Inventors: Yusuke Takagi, Kaoru Uchiyama, Tokihito Suwa, Kinya Nakatsu, Takeshi Tokuyama, Shinji Hiramitsu
  • Patent number: 8174221
    Abstract: To provide a motor control apparatus that uses an inverter to drive an AC motor and hybrid automotive control apparatus adapted to drive an AC motor by use of an inverter while reducing torque pulsations during switching from PWM driving to rectangular-wave driving. The motor control apparatus 100 has a PWM driving mode in which to input a PWM signal to the inverter 8 and perform PWM driving of the AC motor 4, and a rectangular-wave driving mode in which to input a rectangular-wave signal to the inverter 8 and perform rectangular-wave driving of the AC motor 4. For switching from the PWM driving mode to the rectangular-wave driving mode, a driving-pulse switching block 140 performs the switching process within a maximum pulse-width range of high-level or low-level pulses developed in the PWM driving mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Kaneko, Tatsuyuki Yamamoto, Tokihito Suwa, Yuuichirou Takamune, Kenta Katsuhama, Kimihisa Furukawa
  • Publication number: 20110310585
    Abstract: A power semiconductor device includes a plurality of power semiconductor elements constituting upper and lower arms of an inverter circuit, a first sealing member sealing the plurality of power semiconductor elements, a positive electrode-side terminal and a negative electrode-side terminal each connected with any of the plurality of power semiconductor elements and protruding from the first sealing member, a second sealing member sealing at least a part of the positive electrode-side terminal and at least a part of the negative electrode-side terminal, and a case in which the power semiconductor elements sealed with the first sealing member are housed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tokihito SUWA, Yujiro Kaneko, Yusuke Takagi, Shinichi Fujino, Takahiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 8054633
    Abstract: A power converter which can attain a reliable electric connection with electrodes of a power module by facilitating positioning of conductors connected to the electrodes of the power module. The power converter includes the power module having the plurality of electrodes in the form of plate-shaped conductors within a casing having a lid, and also includes a plurality of plate-shaped conductors connected to the electrodes of the power module. Male screws are embedded in ones of the electrodes of the power module provided at least on the side of the lid to be projected therefrom, the plate-shaped conductors connected to the electrodes having the male screws are formed therein with holes at locations corresponding to the male screws, the male screws being inserted in the corresponding holes, and electrically connected with the electrodes with nuts fastened to the male screws.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tokihito Suwa, Keiji Kunii, Hisaya Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7990085
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a generator control unit having improved voltage response in a system which is not provided with a battery in a DC output unit. In order to control the DC voltage of the DC voltage output terminal in a state where an electric load is connected to the DC voltage output terminal of a power generation unit, a PWM signal generation unit 429 generates a field voltage to be applied to a field winding terminal of the power generation unit. A feedback control unit 422 calculates a field voltage command value to be given to the PWM signal generation unit 429. Further, the feedback control unit 422 includes a PT control unit 423 which calculates a voltage deviation between a DC voltage detection value and a DC voltage command value to generate the field voltage command value through a PI operation based on the voltage deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kimihisa Furukawa, Satoru Kaneko, Tokihito Suwa, Yuuichirou Takamune, Satoru Ohno, Kenta Katsuhama, Katsuyo Tsushima
  • Patent number: 7777433
    Abstract: The power converter for solving the above-described problem has a module section and a drive section for operating the module section. The drive section has a drive circuit. The drive circuit is provided so as to correspond to the first semiconductor element which is one of the semiconductor elements comprising the parallel circuit; wherein drive signals for operating the first semiconductor element are output. The drive signals that are output from the drive circuit are electrically branched and output to a second semiconductor element which is a separate semiconductor element from the first semiconductor element of the semiconductor elements comprising the parallel circuit. As a result, the second semiconductor element receives the branched drive signals and operates in the same manner as the first semiconductor element. Thereby, a motor converter favorable for control large current at a low cost is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Yamaguchi, Yuuji Maeda, Tokihito Suwa, Satoru Sigeta
  • Patent number: 7746023
    Abstract: A position detecting device which can increase accuracy in detecting the pole position of a motor used to perform quick acceleration and deceleration over the range from a zero speed to a high rotation speed, and a synchronous motor driving device using the position detecting device. A position detector detects basic-wave component signals in sensor signals and executes position calculation. A correcting unit calculates signal information representing at least one of a gain, an offset and a phase by a phase detector from the basic-wave component signals detected by an error calculator, and makes correction based on the calculated signal information such that a position detection error is zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Ajima, Hideki Miyazaki, Masataka Sasaki, Bunji Furuyama, Tokihito Suwa
  • Publication number: 20100045219
    Abstract: A position detecting device which can increase accuracy in detecting the pole position of a motor used to perform quick acceleration and deceleration over the range from a zero speed to a high rotation speed, and a synchronous motor driving device using the position detecting device. A position detector detects basic-wave component signals in sensor signals and executes position calculation. A correcting unit calculates signal information representing at least one of a gain, an offset and a phase by a phase detector from the basic-wave component signals detected by an error calculator, and makes correction based on the calculated signal information such that a position detection error is zero.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: Hitachi, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiyuki AJIMA, Hideki MIYAZAKI, Masataka SASAKI, Bunji FURUYAMA, Tokihito SUWA
  • Patent number: 7589400
    Abstract: The inverter has a plurality of arms for conducting or cutting off a current and each arm has a switching device and a first and a second wiring layer for connecting the switching device. The first and second wiring layers of each arm are respectively formed on insulating substrates, and one face of the switching device is fixed to the first wiring layer, and the second wiring layer and the other face of the switching device are electrically connected by a laminal conductor, and the laminal conductor has a first and a second connection, and the first connection of the laminal conductor is fixed to the other face of the switching device, and the second connection of the laminal conductor is fixed to the second wiring layer. Thereby, a large current of the inverter can be realized and the assembly capacity of the inverter or the vehicle drive unit will be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Hozoji, Toshiaki Morita, Satoru Shigeta, Tokihito Suwa
  • Publication number: 20090179510
    Abstract: A rotating electrical machine main body 40 includes a rotor 4 having a fan, a stator 1, and housings 2, 3. An inverter unit 30 includes a case 14 and a plurality of switching semiconductor devices 15. The rotating electrical machine main body 40 and the inverter unit 30 are coupled with each other when the case 14 is connected to the housing 3. A cooling air circulated by rotation of a fan 12a cools the inverter unit 30 before flowing into the housing. Part of the case 14 is disposed between the rotating electrical machine main body 40 and the switching semiconductor devices 15, preventing thermal radiation radiated (or irradiated) from the rotating electrical machine main body 40 from reaching the switching semiconductor devices 15.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2008
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Applicant: Hitachi, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Yoshida, Tokihito Suwa, Kazuto Oyama, Hisaya Shimizu, Yosuke Umesaki