IP Library › Granted Patent US 12691741

Granted Patent B2

US 12691741 · App. 18/236,646 · Granted Jul 28, 2026

Control module for high power motor

Inventors: Abhisheka Moturu (Perry Hall, MD); John T. Linko (Cockeysville, MD); Frederick C. Malonzo (Towson, MD); Michael J. Kowalski (Towson, MD); Christopher W. Shook (Bel Air, MD); Alastair G. Valentine (Baltimore, MD); Eric L. Kunz (Shrewsbury, PA); Anjali Garg (Gambrills, MD)

Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.

B60K1/04 A01D34/78 B60L15/007 H02K5/15 H02K5/225 H02K7/006 H02K11/30 H05K7/1427 A01D34/58 A01D34/66 A01D2101/00 B60K2001/0438 B60Y2200/223

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12691741
App. No.: 18/236,646
Granted: Jul 28, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A control module for a high power motor includes a mounting frame made up of thermally-conductive material including a bottom wall and four side walls; a circuit board disposed within the side walls of the mounting frame; power switches configured as an inverter circuit oriented in two arrays mounted on opposite surfaces of the circuit board; an auxiliary circuit board extending substantially perpendicularly from the circuit board; capacitors mounted on the auxiliary circuit board with a long axis thereof extending parallel to the circuit board and away from the power switches; and connectors mounted between an edge of the circuit board and distal ends of the capacitors.

Claims (44)

1 . A control module comprising:

a mounting frame made up of thermally-conductive material and comprising a bottom wall and four side walls projecting from the bottom wall;

a circuit board disposed within the four side walls of the mounting frame;

a plurality of power switches configured as an inverter circuit, the plurality of power switches comprising: a first array of power switches mounted on a first surface of the circuit board, and a second array of power switches mounted on a second surface of the circuit board opposite the first array of power switches;

an auxiliary circuit board extending substantially perpendicularly from the first surface of the circuit board;

a plurality of capacitors mounted on the auxiliary circuit board with a long axis thereof extending parallel to the circuit board and away from the first array of power switches, with a distal end thereof leading towards a first edge of the circuit board; and

a plurality of connectors mounted on the first surface of the circuit board adjacent the first edge of the circuit board and adjacent the distal end of the plurality of capacitors.

2 . The control module of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first heat sink disposed above the circuit board and in thermal contact with the first array of power switches; and

a second heat sink mounted on the bottom wall of the mounting frame below the circuit board and in thermal contact with the second array of power switches.

3 . The control module of claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of power output terminals mounted on the first surface of the circuit board adjacent a second edge of the circuit board opposite the first edge and proximate the first array of power switches.

4 . The control module of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of power output terminals includes output posts that extend perpendicularly from the first surface along an axis that is substantially parallel to the first array of power switches.

5 . The control module of claim 4 , wherein the first heat sink includes at least one circumferential rib arranged to penetrate into a space between the respective plurality of power output terminals.

6 . The control module of claim 5 , wherein the at least one circumferential rib comes into contact with one of the four side walls of the mounting frame.

7 . The control module of claim 4 , wherein the output posts are received through the circuit board and coupled to metal slugs mounted on the second surface of the circuit board.

8 . The control module of claim 2 , wherein the first heat sink and the second heat sink are secured to one another via a plurality of fasteners passing through the circuit board.

9 . The control module of claim 1 , further comprising two power input posts mounted on a top surface of the circuit board adjacent the auxiliary circuit board, wherein the two power input posts receive electric power from a power source and are coupled to the inverter circuit.

10 . The control module of claim 1 , further comprising a controller mounted on the circuit board and configured to control a switching operation of the inverter circuit.

11 . The control module of claim 1 , wherein the inverter circuit comprises three pairs of high-side Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) and three pairs of low-side FETs, wherein each pair includes two power switches coupled in parallel, and wherein the first array of power switches comprises the three pairs of high-side FETs and the second array of power switches comprises the three pairs of low-side FETs.

12 . The control module of claim 1 , wherein the inverter circuit comprises three pairs of high-side Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) and three pairs of low-side FETs, wherein each pair includes two power switches coupled in parallel, and wherein the first array of power switches comprises one high-side FET from each pair of the three pairs of high-side FETs and one low-side FET from each pair of the three pairs of low-side FETs, and the second array of power switches comprises another high-side FET from each pair of the three pairs of high-side FETs and another low-side FET from each pair of the three pairs of low-side FETs.

13 . The control module of claim 1 , wherein a height of the plurality of capacitors relative to the circuit board is less than a height of the plurality of connectors.

14 . A control module comprising:

a mounting frame made up of thermally-conductive material and comprising a bottom wall and four side walls projecting from the bottom wall;

a circuit board disposed within the four side walls of the mounting frame;

a plurality of power output posts extending perpendicularly from the first surface of the circuit board proximate the first array of power switches and oriented along an axis that is substantially parallel to the first array of power switches;

a first heat sink disposed above the circuit board and in thermal contact with the first array of power switches; and

a second heat sink mounted on the bottom wall of the mounting frame below the circuit board and in thermal contact with the second array of power switches,

wherein the first heat sink and the second heat sink are secured to one another via a plurality of fasteners passing through the circuit board and the first heat sink includes at least one circumferential rib arranged to penetrate into a space between the respective plurality of power output posts.

15 . The control module of claim 14 , wherein the at least one circumferential rib comes into contact with one of the four side walls of the mounting frame.

16 . The control module of claim 14 , further comprising:

an auxiliary circuit board extending substantially perpendicularly from the first surface of the circuit board adjacent the first heat sink; and

a plurality of capacitors mounted on the auxiliary circuit board with a long axis thereof extending parallel to the circuit board and away from the first heat sink, with a distal end thereof leading towards a first edge of the circuit board.

17 . The control module of claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of connectors mounted on the first surface of the circuit board adjacent the first edge of the circuit board and adjacent the distal end of the plurality of capacitors.

18 . The control module of claim 14 , further comprising two power input posts mounted on a top surface of the circuit board adjacent an auxiliary board, wherein the two power input posts receive electric power from a power source and are coupled to the inverter circuit, wherein the first heat sink includes recessed portions arranged to accommodate the two power input posts.

19 . A control module comprising:

a mounting frame made up of thermally-conductive material and comprising a bottom wall and four side walls projecting from the bottom wall;

a circuit board disposed within the four side walls of the mounting frame;

a first heat sink disposed above the circuit board and in thermal contact with the first array of power switches;

a second heat sink mounted on the bottom wall of the mounting frame below the circuit board and in thermal contact with the second array of power switches; and

two power input posts mounted on a top surface of the circuit board adjacent an auxiliary board, wherein the two power input posts receive electric power from a power source and are coupled to the inverter circuit,

wherein the first heat sink includes recessed portions arranged to accommodate the two power input posts and the first heat sink and the second heat sink are secured to one another via a plurality of fasteners passing through the circuit board.

20 . The control module of claim 19 , further comprising a plurality of power output posts extending perpendicularly from the first surface of the circuit board proximate the first array of power switches and oriented along an axis that is substantially parallel to the first array of power switches.