Electric power conversion apparatus

1. An electric power conversion apparatus comprising:

a plurality of semiconductor modules each of which has a plurality of control terminals;

a frame that receives the semiconductor modules therein, the frame having, at least, a pair of side walls that face each other with the semiconductor modules interposed therebetween;

a control circuit board which is located outside of the frame and to which the control terminals of the semiconductor modules are connected;

a reinforcing and fixing member that extends to connect the side walls of the frame, thereby reinforcing the frame, the reinforcing and fixing member also having the control circuit board fixed thereto so that the reinforcing and fixing member is positioned between the control circuit board and the semiconductor modules; and

a cooling device arranged in the frame to cool the semiconductor modules, and

wherein

in the reinforcing and fixing member, there is formed at least one through-hole through which the control terminals of the semiconductor modules extend so as to be connected to the control circuit board, and

the at least one through-hole of the reinforcing and fixing member is sized so that void spaces are formed between an inner surface of the at least one through-hole and the control terminals of the semiconductor modules.

2. The electric power conversion apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the frame has a plurality of facing pairs of side walls, and all the side walls of the frame together enclose the semiconductor modules.

3. The electric power conversion apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing and fixing member is integrally formed with the side walls of the frame into one piece.

4. The electric power conversion apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor modules are stacked with a plurality of coolant passages of the cooling device to form a stacked body, and the stacked body is received in the frame.

5. The electric power conversion apparatus as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the semiconductor modules are alternately stacked with the coolant passages.

6. The electric power conversion apparatus as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the frame also has a bottom wall that extends, on the opposite side of the stacked body to the reinforcing and fixing member, to connect the side walls of the frame.

7. The electric power conversion apparatus as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the stacked body is sandwiched between the reinforcing and fixing member and the bottom wall of the frame.

8. The electric power conversion apparatus as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the side walls of the frame are respectively positioned on opposite sides of the stacked body in a stacking direction of the stacked body, and

a pressing member is interposed between the stacked body and one of the side walls of the frame in the stacking direction to press and thereby hold the stacked body.

9. The electric power conversion apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , the at least one through-hole of the reinforcing and fixing member comprises a plurality of through-holes through each of which a corresponding one of the control terminals of the semiconductor modules extends so as to be connected to the control circuit board, and

each of the through-holes has a cross section that tapers toward the control circuit board, thereby allowing the corresponding control terminal to be positioned, by the through-hole, with respect to the control circuit board.

10. The electric power conversion apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor modules are aligned with each other in an X direction, the at least one through-hole of the reinforcing and fixing member has a smaller width than the semiconductor modules in a Y direction, and the reinforcing and fixing member is made of an electrically conductive material.