Patent Application
20220384973
This application claims benefit of priority to European Patent Application No. 21177265.2 filed on Jun. 1, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention relates to the field of automotive connectors and more particularly to the field of power connectors for automotive vehicles. The invention relates in particular to a male and female power terminal assembly, as well as a male power terminal and a female power terminal.
In the field of automotive vehicles, including electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, high intensity currents can be transmitted through cables, cable harnesses and/or electrical power circuits, such as those interconnecting a battery, an electric motor, a converter, etc. When it is necessary to integrate connectors into cable networks intended to transmit such high intensity currents, connectors must be equipped with terminals having sufficient size and section so as to transmit these high intensity currents without excessive heating. Further, it is required to provide such male and/or female power terminals with an IP2X protection at their free end located near the mating face of the connector within which they are accommodated. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 10,553,996 discloses a connector assembly, including a male power connector and a female power connector. The male power connector includes a male connector housing 1000 and at least one male terminal 100. The female connector includes a female power connector housing 2000 and at least one female terminal 200 (see
The female terminal 200 includes a female connection portion 202 and a female contact portion 203. The female contact portion 203 includes:
The present disclosure aims at providing a connection solution for limiting the heating of the power terminals through which high intensity currents are transmitted.
The present disclosure aims at providing a connection solution for limiting the heating of the power terminals through which high intensity currents are transmitted.
According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a male and female power terminal assembly includes a male terminal extending longitudinally in a back-to-front direction, from a male connection portion to a male contact portion, the male contact portion including a cylindrical hollow portion made of an electrically conductive material, with an outer contact surface and an inner surface. The male and female power terminal assembly also includes a female terminal extending longitudinally parallel to, and in the reverse direction to, the back-to-front direction, from a female connection portion to a female contact portion. The female contact portion has a sleeve made of an electrically conductive material, within which the male contact portion is accommodated and a finger extending inside the sleeve parallel to, and in the reverse direction to, the back-to-front direction from a base attached to the sleeve to a free end. The outer contact surface of the male terminal is electrically connected to an inner surface of the sleeve. The finger includes a conductive portion made of an electrically conductive material and in that the male terminal further includes a connecting member made of an electrically conductive material, which is placed inside the cylindrical hollow portion of the male terminal, and which interconnects the conductive portion with the inner surface of the cylindrical hollow portion.
In one or more embodiments of the assembly according to the previous paragraph, the finger includes a protection element, made of an electrically insulating material, and attached at the free end of the finger.
In one or more embodiments of the assembly according to any one of the previous paragraphs, the sleeve extends in the reverse direction to the back-to-front direction up to an opening extending in a plane perpendicular to the back-to-front direction and the conductive portion extends in the reverse direction to the back-to-front direction up the plane.
In one or more embodiments of the assembly according to any one of the previous paragraphs, the includes a plurality of resilient blades extending longitudinally parallel to the back-to-front direction up the plane and having at least one contact point electrically contacting the outer contact surface.
In one or more embodiments of the assembly according to any one of the previous paragraphs, the assembly includes a connecting member placed in the sleeve and including a plurality of resilient strips, each strip having at least one contact point electrically contacting the outer contact surface.
According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a female power terminal extends parallel to a longitudinal direction, from a female connection portion to a female contact portion. The female contact portion has a sleeve made of an electrically conductive material. The sleeve extends up to an opening extending in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The female contact portion further has a finger extending inside the sleeve, parallel to a longitudinal direction, from a base attached to the sleeve to a free end. The finger includes a conductive portion made of an electrically conductive material.
In one or more embodiments of the female power terminal according to the previous paragraph, the conductive portion extends parallel to the longitudinal direction up to the plane.
In one or more embodiments of the female power terminal according to any one of the previous paragraphs, the finger includes a protection element, made of an electrically insulating material, and attached at the free end of the finger so as to stick out further from the opening.
In one or more embodiments of the female power terminal according to any one of the previous paragraphs, the sleeve includes a plurality of resilient blades extending longitudinally up the plane. Each blade has at least one contact point configured for electrically contacting the outer contact surface of a male terminal.
In one or more embodiments of the female power terminal according to any one of the previous paragraphs, the female power terminal further includes a connecting member placed in the sleeve and including a plurality of resilient strips. Each strip has at least one contact point configured for electrically contacting the outer contact surface of a male terminal.
According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a female power connector includes the female power terminal according to any one of the previous paragraphs and a female connector housing made of and electrically insulating material and defining at least one cavity for housing at least one female power terminal. The at least one cavity opening into an aperture configured for providing a “finger touch” prevention function, with a protection element mounted on the at least one female power terminal.
According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a male power terminal configured to interconnect with the female power terminal according to any one of the previous paragraphs is provided. The male power terminal extends longitudinally in a back-to-front direction, from a male connection portion to a male contact portion. The male contact portion including a cylindrical hollow portion made of an electrically conductive material, having an outer contact surface configured to be in electrical contact with the female terminal and having an inner surface. The male power terminal includes a connecting member made of an electrically conductive material, which is placed inside the cylindrical hollow portion, and which is configured to be in electrical contact with the female terminal.
In one or more embodiments of the male power terminal according to the previous paragraph, the cylindrical hollow portion is formed as an essentially tubular wall having a radial thickness equal or greater than 2.5 millimetres.
In one or more embodiments of the male power terminal according to any one of the previous paragraphs, a male connector includes a male connector housing made of an electrically insulating material and defining at least one cavity for housing at least one male power terminal, the at least one cavity opening into an aperture configured for providing a “finger touch” prevention function, with a protection element mounted on the at least one male power terminal.
The present invention is now described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Two examples of examples of embodiments of male and female terminal assemblies 1 are described below.
According to these two examples, as shown in
As illustrated in
For a male power terminal 100 having a diameter of 14 millimetres, the wall 109 of the cylindrical hollow portion 105 has for example a thickness T of about 2.5 millimetres. Such a thickness T is sufficient for carrying high intensity current at least up to 600 Amps.
The cylindrical hollow portion 105 has an outer contact surface 110 and an inner surface 111. A connecting member 120, made of an electrically conductive material, is placed inside the cylindrical hollow portion 105 of the male terminal 100. The connecting member 120 placed inside the cylindrical hollow portion 105 includes a plurality of resilient strips 121 each extending essentially longitudinally between two rings 122. Each ring 122 is in electrical contact with the inner surface 111 of the cylindrical hollow portion 105. Each strip 121 is bent so as to be able to resiliently be pushed toward the inner surface 111 and to exert a contact force at least one contact point.
As illustrated in
The female contact portion 203 includes a sleeve 204 and a finger 205. The sleeve 204 and the finger 205 are integrally formed with each other. In other words, the sleeve 204 and the finger 205 form a single-piece part. The sleeve 204 and the finger 205 are made of an electrically conductive material. The sleeve 204 is configured so to receive the male contact portion 103 when the male and female connectors are mated. The sleeve 204 extends, in the reverse direction to the back-to-front direction BF, up to an annular opening 207. The annular opening 207 extends in a plane perpendicular to the back-to-front direction BF. The sleeve 204 includes a plurality of resilient blades 206 extending longitudinally, parallel to the back-to-front direction BF, up this plane. The finger 205 includes a conductive portion 208 made of an electrically conductive material. The conductive portion 208 extends in the reverse direction to the back-to-front direction BF essentially up this plane too. The protection element 201 is attached to the conductive portion 208 by overmolding, or by insertion of a portion of the protection element 201 into the conductive portion 208, or by insertion of a portion of the conductive portion 208 into the protection element 201, etc. The protection element 201 is made of an electrically insulating material and attached at the free end of the finger 205. The protection element 201 sticks out further from the annular opening 207 formed by the free end of the blades 206. In other words, the protection element 201 is placed essentially on the other side of the plane with regard to the free end of the blades 206. The gap between the female connector housing 2000 and the protection element 201 is such that the “finger touch” prevention function is ensured.
Each blade 206 is provided with at least one contact point. In the vicinity of the female connection portion 202, each blade 206 is provided with a narrow portion 210 in order to make the blade 206 more flexible. In the vicinity of its free end, on its inner surface 211, each blade 206 is provided with a bulge 209 extending from the inner surface 211 of each blade 206 toward the finger 205. In the vicinity of its free end, on its outer surface 212, each blade 206 is provided with a notch 213 configured to accommodate a spring ring (not shown) that both strengthens the female contact portion 203 and increases the contact force at the contact point located on each bulge 209.
When the male and female connectors are mated, the male contact portion 103 is inserted in the female contact portion 203. More particularly, the outer contact surface 110 of the male contact portion 103 faces (at least over a certain area) the inner surface 211 of the blades 206, and the bulges 209 make an electrical contact with the outer contact surface 110 of the male contact portion 103. Further, the inner surface 111 of the wall 109 of the cylindrical hollow portion 105 faces (at least over a certain area) the outer surface 214 of the finger 205, and the bent portion of the resilient strips 121 makes an electrical contact with the outer surface 214 of the finger 205. Therefore, between the male terminal 100 and female terminal 200, there are contact points between each blade 206 of the female terminal 200 and the male contact portion 103, but also between the finger 205 and the inner surface 111 of the male contact portion 103 through the connecting member 120 (see
As illustrated in
The sleeve 204 and the finger 205 are integrally formed with each other. In other words, the sleeve 204 and the finger 205 form a single-piece part. The sleeve 204 and the finger 205 are made of an electrically conductive material. The sleeve 204 is configured so to receive the male contact portion 103 when the male and female connectors are mated. The sleeve 204 extends in the reverse direction to the back-to-front direction BF up to an annular opening 207. The annular opening 207 extends in a plane perpendicular to the back-to-front BF direction. The sleeve 204 includes a cylindrical wall 215 with an annular rib 216 around the annular opening 207. The rib 216 extends toward the finger 205, so as to maintain a connecting member 220 placed in said sleeve 204. The movement of the connecting member 220 parallel to the back-to-front direction BF is blocked in one direction by the rib 216 and in the opposite direction by a ledge 217 located at the bottom of the sleeve 204. The connecting member 220 includes a plurality of resilient strips 221 extending between two rings 222 stopped respectively by the ledge 217 and the rib 216. Each ring 222 is in electrical contact with the inner surface 211 of the cylindrical wall 215 of the female contact portion 203. Each strip 221 is bent toward the finger 205 so as to form a contact zone or contact point configured for electrically contacting the outer contact surface 110 of the male power terminal 100, when the male and female connectors are mated.
When the male connector 100 and the female connector 200 are mated, the male contact portion 103 is inserted in the female contact portion 203. More particularly, the outer contact surface 110 of the male contact portion 103 faces (at least over a certain area) the inner surface 211 of the cylindrical wall 215 of the female contact portion 203, and the bent portion of each strip 221 of the female terminal 200 makes an electrical contact with the outer contact surface 110 of the male contact portion 103. Further, the inner surface 111 of the wall 109 of the cylindrical hollow portion 105 faces (at least over a certain area) the outer surface 214 of the finger 205, and the bent portion of the resilient strips 121 of the male terminal 100 makes an electrical contact with the outer surface 214 of the finger 205. Therefore, between the male terminal 100 and female terminal 200, there are contact points between each strip 221 of the connecting member 220 mounted in the female terminal 200 and the male contact portion 103 of the male terminal 100, but also between the finger 205 and the inner surface 111 of the male contact portion 103 through the connecting member 120 of the male terminal 100. Such a configuration allows for a conduction of higher current intensities through the male terminal 100 and the female terminal 200 without excessive heating.
While this invention has been described in terms of the preferred embodiments thereof, it is not intended to be so limited, but rather only to the extent set forth in the claims that follow. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to configure a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Dimensions, types of materials, orientations of the various components, and the number and positions of the various components described herein are intended to define parameters of certain embodiments and are by no means limiting and are merely prototypical embodiments.
Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the following claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
As used herein, ‘one or more’ includes a function being performed by one element, a function being performed by more than one element, e.g., in a distributed fashion, several functions being performed by one element, several functions being performed by several elements, or any combination of the above.
It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. are, in some instances, used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contact.
The terminology used in the description of the various described embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
As used herein, the term “if” is, optionally, construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” is, optionally, construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context.
Additionally, while terms of ordinance or orientation may be used herein these elements should not be limited by these terms. All terms of ordinance or orientation, unless stated otherwise, are used for purposes distinguishing one element from another, and do not denote any order of arrangement, order of operations, direction or orientation unless stated otherwise.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21177265.2 | Jun 2021 | EP | regional |
