Patent Application
20220193713
This application claims the benefit of German Patent Application No. 102020134045.1 filed on Dec. 17, 2020, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to lubrication devices, and more particularly, lubrication devices for applying solid lubricants.
Plug and socket devices are used in numerous technical fields to create detachable connections for the transmission of electrical currents and/or signals. In most cases, electrically conductive contact elements of the plug and socket devices to be connected are placed into physical contact with each other during a mating operation. In many applications, after the transmission has been completed, the connection is released again, thus completing a mating cycle. With each mating cycle, wear occurs on the contact surfaces of the plug and socket devices. This surface wear has a negative impact on the service life, maintenance frequency and/or repair requirements of the plug and socket devices.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a lubricant applicator for applying a solid lubricant to an electrically conductive contact element of a plug and socket device. The applicator includes an applicator section having a lubricating surface. The lubricating surface is formed by a solid body made of or containing the solid lubricant. The applicator section is sized and shaped in the form of a complementary mating contact to be plugged together with the contact element.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which:
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
As schematic structure of exemplary embodiments of a lubricant applicator 1 according to the present disclosure is shown with reference to
As shown in
The lubricant applicator 1 is adapted to be plugged together with the contact element 8 in that the applicator section 12 is configured (e.g., sized) in the form of a mating contact (not shown) complementary to the contact element 8. When the lubricant applicator 1 is plugged together with the contact element 8 and when they are pulled apart, the lubricating surface 14 of the applicator section 12 moves along the contact element 8 while generating the abrasion 20 on the lubricating surface 14. Thus, a layer of solid lubricant is applied to the contact element 8. In other words, the contact element 8 is lubricated with the solid lubricant. This process corresponds to steps of the method according to the present disclosure. Preferably, the method according to the invention is carried out in an electrically inactive state of the plug and socket device 10.
If the plug and socket device 10 complies with a known standard, a design 22 of the applicator section 12 may correspond, at least in sections, to the geometry of a mating contact (not shown) defined in this standard and complementary to the contact element 8. In particular, the lubricating surface 14 may be configured in the form of a contact surface (not shown) of the mating contact thus defined. In this way, it is ensured that the lubricating surface 14 bears against the contact element 8, preferably in a frictional manner, in the state 24 of the lubricant applicator 1 plugged together with the contact element 8 (see
The lubricant applicator 1 may comprise a support body 26 on which the solid body 16 forming the lubricating surface 14 is located. In particular, the solid body 16 may be screwed to the support body 26 (see
As further shown in
Still referring to
Alternatively, the lubrication surface 14 may face inwardly or lie inwardly with respect to the support body 26. Further alternatively, the applicator section 12 and/or the support body 26 may also be conical, prism-shaped, pyramid-shaped, or a combination of the preceding shapes.
Referring to
If the connector 10 complies with a standard or norm, a design 56 of the mating face 54 may correspond, at least in sections, to the design of a mating face defined in the standard or norm of a mating device (not shown) complementary to the plug and socket device 10. Furthermore, the position of the at least one lubricant applicator 1 in the connector face 54 may correspond to a position of the mating contact (not shown) defined in the standard or norm and complementary to the contact element 8.
The applicator device 2 according to the invention may also include a plurality of lubricant applicators 1. In the exemplary embodiment of the applicator device 2 shown in
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
Furthermore, the applicator device 2 is held on the plug device 10. In particular, the plug and socket device 10 comprises a housing 64 in which the at least one contact element 8 is arranged so as to be accessible from the outside and on which the applicator device 2 is held. The plug and socket device 10 shown in
In the embodiment shown, the charging station 6 is a public charging point 74. In particular, the charging station 6 is a fast-charging station 76. The charging station 6 is configured to electrically charge an energy storage device (not shown) of the connected electric vehicle via the charging plug 66 in a charging mode. Depending on the application, the charging station 6 may comprise any number of further charging cables 72 and further assemblies 4.
In the embodiment shown in
According to an embodiment not shown, a charging station which has already been constructed and which comprises blind sockets for holding its charging plugs can be upgraded according to the invention by fixing a suitable number of lubricant applicators according to the invention in the respective blind sockets.
In addition, those areas in which it is believed that those of ordinary skill in the art are familiar, have not been described herein in order not to unnecessarily obscure the invention described. Accordingly, it has to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.
It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.
Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural of the elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments “comprising” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102020134045.1 | Dec 2020 | DE | national |
