Inverter with reduced wiring inductance and increased current balance between semiconductor switching elements

Claim 1

An inverter device comprising: an arrangement of a plurality of semiconductor switching elements connected in parallel in each phase to constitute an upper arm and a lower arm of a bridge circuit, said arrangement having a longitudinal extension, a smoothing capacitor disposed laterally in proximity to the longitudinal extension of the parallel-connected semiconductor switching elements, a direct current circuit portion comprising two short-circuiting bars connecting both ends of the smoothing capacitor to the input ends of the respective semiconductor switching elements, and an output circuit portion comprising a short-circuiting bar connecting the output ends of the semiconductor switching elements to an output terminal; wherein the two short-circuiting bars of the direct current circuit portion are each formed of a conducting plate bent so as to have a crank-shaped cross section having outside flat surfaces, one of the outside flat surfaces of each of the two conducting plates is connected to the input end of each semiconductor switching element, and the other outside flat surfaces of the respective conducting plates are superimposed on each other, in close proximity, via an insulator.