BE1031015B1 - Contact assembly for an electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A contact assembly for an electrical connector (100), comprising: at least one contact element (3, 3') with a first end region (31, 31') which is designed to be connected to a corresponding connector, and a second end region (33, 33') facing away from the first end region (31, 31') which is designed to be connectable to a load line (103, 103'); a housing element (15) which comprises at least a front wall (151) and side walls (153A-153D), the contact element (3, 3') extending at least partially through the housing element (15); a contact plate (5, 5') which is arranged on the contact element (3, 3') in the direction of extension of the contact element (3, 3') on the second end region (33, 33'); and a heat capacity element (7, 7') which can be arranged in the housing element (15) in an intermediate space between the contact plate (5, 5') and the front wall (151), and wherein the housing element (15) is adapted to hold the heat capacity element (7, 7') in the intermediate space. The invention further proposes an electrical plug connector (100), in particular a charging plug connector of a charging device for charging an electric vehicle.

Description

Contact assembly for an electrical connector

The invention relates to a contact assembly for an electrical connector and an electrical connector, in particular a charging connector of a

Charging device for charging an electric vehicle.

Such a contact assembly for an electrical connector usually has at least one contact element with a first end region which is designed to

Connect to a corresponding connector and a first

End region facing away from the second end region, which is designed to be connectable to a load line. The contact assembly also has a housing element which comprises at least a front wall and side walls, wherein the contact element extends at least partially through the housing element.

Particularly in the field of e-mobility, there are high requirements for connectors and associated cable harnesses in terms of current carrying capacity and the associated thermal loads. In addition to the cables, the

Connectors are regularly exposed to high charging currents, e.g. of 800 amps and more. These high currents should be transmitted with as little power loss as possible. The power loss increases quadratically with the current.

For fast charging with direct current, charging times are often between 10 and 30

minutes, although these charging times are expected to be further reduced in the future. Due to the large masses of the current-carrying parts, the heating curves are so pronounced that the equilibrium temperature is sometimes only reached after several

minutes. The norm stipulates that at any time during charging no

Component within the connector may experience a temperature increase of more than 50 Kelvin. Due to the normative definition of connectors in the area of E-

Mobility, it is not possible to scale the geometries of the contact elements in order to achieve a higher current carrying capacity and a lower temperature increase.

Rather, the existing standardized connector geometries are intended to achieve the greatest possible

Power transmission can be achieved and at the same time the resulting electricity heat in the

Connectors can be made controllable.

This has often been successfully achieved with actively cooled connectors and charging cables. However, the technical effort that usually has to be made for this is reflected in the costs and effort for the production of the actively cooled

Components of the corresponding charging devices. DE 10 2016 107 409 A1, for example, proposes a connector with active cooling.

In DE 10 2016 105 308 A1 a vehicle charging socket with

Heat capacity elements are described. The heat capacity elements described have a phase change material that delays the heating of the contact elements and thus enables longer charging times or higher charging currents.

These phase change materials are often referred to by the English term phase

Change Material (PCM). Examples of phase change materials consisting of a material composite of graphite and paraffin are described in DE 10 2018 126 854 A1.

However, the known phase change materials have very low mechanical strength. Due to the low mechanical strength, simple joining methods, such as screwing the

Phase change materials on the plug contacts cannot be used. Furthermore, automated assembly processes cannot be used, or can only be used to a limited extent.

The object of the present invention is to provide a contact assembly in which a heat capacity element on a contact element provides the greatest possible

The amount of heat generated by a current flow through the contact element can be dissipated and the heat capacity element can be easily and reliably connected to the

Contact element can be arranged.

This object is solved by an article having the features of claim 1.

Accordingly, the contact assembly for an electrical connector has at least one

Contact element with a first end region which is designed for connection to a corresponding plug connector, and a second end region facing away from the first end region which is designed to be connectable to a load line.

The contact assembly also has a housing element which has at least one

front wall and side walls, wherein the contact element extends at least partially through the housing element. Furthermore, the

Contact assembly has a contact plate which is arranged on the contact element in

Direction of the contact element at the second end area. In addition, the

Contact element has a heat capacity element which can be arranged in the

Housing element in a space between the contact plate and the front wall, and wherein the housing element is adapted to accommodate the heat capacity element in the

to keep space between them.

The at least one contact element can be made of one or more parts from a conductive

material and have a cylindrical cross-section at least in some areas. The first end region can be designed as a contact pin or as a contact socket for connection to a corresponding contact socket or a corresponding contact pin of a corresponding connector. The second

The end region can have a receptacle to which an electrical line designed as a load line can be connected. For example, the contact element can be designed to transmit electrical currents of more than 300 A, for example up to 800 A. The receptacle at the second end region can, for example, be an electrical

Connection, such as a screw or cable connection. The mount can also be on the

Contact plate can be arranged which is mechanically and electrically connected to the contact element and can be part of the current path.

The contact plate is arranged on the contact element in the direction of the contact element at the second end region. One end of the contact element at the second

The end area can be flush with one side of the contact plate, or extend through the contact plate or protrude from the contact plate.

Contact plate can be a flat element that can be several millimeters thick and that can be made of a conductive material. The conductive material can be the same conductive material that is used for the contact element or alternatively a different conductive material. The contact plate can be connected to the

Contact element can also be designed as a single piece or as a single piece. The arrangement of the

Contact plate on the contact element can be used as thermally and electrically conductive

Arrangement or connection of the contact plate with the contact element can be realized. For example, the contact plate can have an opening through which the contact element can extend. For example, the opening can be designed as a lateral opening that can be introduced into a groove in the contact element. The opening can also be a through-opening in the surface of the

Contact plate through which the contact element can extend at least in part. The contact plate can also be connected to the

Contact element must be connected.

The housing element comprises at least a front wall and side walls. The

Housing element can be made of an electrically insulating plastic material, for example as an injection-molded part. Furthermore, the housing element can be rectangular or essentially rectangular and the side walls can extend from a base area, which can be realized by the front wall, in particular at a right angle to the base area. In particular, the

Housing element has four side walls, which at their end remote from the base

End are bordered at the same height by a rectangular ring surface lying in one plane.

The heat capacity element may have a geometry that substantially corresponds to the

geometry of the gap to fill the gap, in particular the heat capacity element is block-shaped and formed in one piece from a metal or a graphite-based material. In one example, the

Heat capacity element can simply be inserted into the gap and connected to a

surface of the contact plate. For this purpose, at least one

Area of the heat capacity element corresponding to the surface of the

The contact plate must be designed to be flat in order to achieve a good thermal connection.

The heat capacity element can comprise a phase change material or can be made of such a material. The heat capacity element can be made of a single material or of several different materials. The

Heat capacity element is designed to absorb heat from the contact element.

The heat capacity element is thermally connected to the contact element via the contact plate, so that heat can flow from the contact element into the heat capacity element and be absorbed there. This is based on the idea of providing an increased heat capacity on an electrical connector, due to which the heating of the electrical connector, in particular the

contact element of the electrical connector, can at least be slowed down.

This can be useful, for example, in the case of an electrical connector for a charging device for an electric vehicle and can effectively prevent excessive

Prevent heating on such a charging device.

In the assembled position, the heat capacity element is in the housing element in the

Space between the contact plate and the front wall and the

Housing element holds the heat capacity element in the space.

By arranging the heat capacity element in the housing element between the contact plate and the inside of the front wall, a permanent and reliable thermal connection of the M heat capacity element to the 5 contact element can be achieved by means of a frictional connection, so that the current heat generated at the contact element can be dissipated in order to avoid high current flows through the

contact element to enable.

In one embodiment, the front wall has at least one through-opening for

Insert the first end section of the contact element.

The passage opening can be circular so that the first end area, which serves as

Contact pin or contact socket, can be inserted through the opening. The housing element can be the one behind the first

End areas of the contact element are electrically isolated from the environment.

In one embodiment, the contact assembly has a clamping element which is made of an elastic material, in particular in a layered form, and which can be arranged in the housing element in a region between the front wall and the

Heat capacity element to connect the heat capacity element to the

Contact plate to clamp.

The elastic material may comprise a silicone foam material which can be arranged at least in part on the inside of the front wall and which, in the mounted position, permanently presses against the heat capacity element in order to

Heat capacity element to be clamped to the contact plate for a reliable thermal connection of the heat capacity element to the contact plate.

In one embodiment, the contact assembly comprises a thermally conductive material, wherein the thermally conductive material can be arranged between at least one surface of one of the first contact plates and the heat capacity element, in particular can be arranged in a layered manner.

The thermally conductive material can also be used as a gap filler material or

Thermal interface material can be referred to as a thermal interface material. For example, the gap

Filler material can be a silicone material. By using the thermally conductive

Material may cause gaps between the contact plate and the

Heat capacity element even without permanent pressure on the

Heat capacity element can be thermally bridged.

In one embodiment, at least one of the side walls, in particular all

Side walls, at least one locking element is arranged which is adapted to lock with the contact plate in order to hold the contact plate in the intermediate space in the assembled position of the contact assembly.

The locking element can be located in a section of the

Side wall can be inserted or molded into the material of the side wall in a hook-like manner and can enclose the contact plate at least in some areas in order to hold the

Contact plate in the space between the housing in mounted position of the

Contact assembly. When locked in place, the locking element prevents the contact element and the contact plate from moving out of the housing. In a further

In this embodiment, all four side walls comprise at least one locking element, in particular two or more locking elements.

In one embodiment, the housing element has at least one support surface, wherein in the mounted position the contact plate rests at least partially on the

support surface.

The support surface can be web-shaped in the housing element and spaced from the

Front wall on an inner side of the side walls and in the mounted position the contact plate can at least partially, for an improved fit, on the

rest on the support surface.

In one embodiment, the contact plate is arranged on the contact element in a first plane transversely, in particular at right angles, to a second plane in the direction of travel of the contact element.

The contact plate can be mounted at right angles to the contact element or around the

contact element. This allows the greatest possible

space must be created.

In one embodiment, the contact plate has a receiving element for connection to the load line. In the embodiment, the contact plate is thermally and electrically connected to the contact element and forms part of the current path. The

Receiving element can be arranged on a side of the contact plate which is

facing away from the front of the housing element and designed as a screw or cable connection.

In one embodiment, the heat capacity element is made of a material with a specific heat capacity of more than 0.5 kJ/(kg K), in particular more than 1.0 kJ/(kg K).

For example, the heat capacity element is made of a material with a high specific heat capacity, e.g. a specific heat capacity of more than 0.5 kJ/(kg*K), in particular more than 1.0 kJ/(kg*K). Alternatively or additionally, the

Material has a high thermal conductivity, e.g. over 50 W/(m*K), especially over 100

W/(m*K) to enable efficient heat conduction away from the contact element.

In one embodiment, the heat capacity element comprises a phase change material.

A phase change material can be understood here as a material that, at a

Phase change solid/liquid large amounts of heat at constant temperature and small

For example, the phase change material can be made from a

Material composite made of graphite and paraffin.

By using a phase change material, high volume-related

Temperature storage densities are possible.

In one embodiment, the heat capacity element has a solid, cuboid-shaped body. Such a design allows a large

Heat capacity can also be achieved at the \heat capacity element

Cooling fins must be arranged through which heat can be dissipated to the environment.

In one embodiment, the contact assembly has a further contact element, a further contact plate and a further heat capacity element, which are arranged at least partially in the housing element.

The additional contact element, the additional contact plate and the additional

Heat capacity element can be equal and/or mirror image to the contact plate, the

heat capacity element and the contact plate and together with the

Contact plate, the heat capacity element and the contact plate in the same

Housing element can be arranged. For example, the housing element can be rectangular and have a web element that extends through a

Housing center extends to divide the housing element into two sub-housings for a two-pole design of the contact assembly.

Furthermore, the invention relates to an electrical connector, in particular a charging connector of a charging device for charging an electric vehicle, comprising at least one contact assembly described herein.

The idea underlying the invention will be explained in more detail below using the embodiments shown in the figures. They show:

Figures 1A and 1B are schematic views of a contact assembly according to a

embodiment;

Figures 2A - 2D are schematic sectional views through the contact assembly according to the previously shown embodiment;

Figures 3A - 3C are schematic views of a housing element used in the previously shown embodiment; and

Figures 4A — 4D are schematic views of an electrical connector according to an embodiment with a

Contact assembly.

Figure 1A shows an exploded view of a contact assembly 1, i.e. before

Arranging the heat capacity elements 7, 7' in the space between the

Contact plates 5, 5° and an inner side of the front wall 151, according to a

Embodiment. The contact assembly 1 shown is designed as a two-pole assembly and therefore has two contact elements 3, 3' that are electrically insulated from one another and are arranged together with the respective attachments in a housing element 15. For this purpose, the

Housing element 15 is rectangular and has a front wall 151 and four

side walls 153A - 153D. The housing element 15 is open on the back, the housing element 15 therefore has no rear wall opposite the front wall 151 for at least partially introducing the

Elements of the contact assembly 1 into the housing interior. The housing element 15 has a web element 157 which extends through a housing center to

Housing element 15 to be divided into two sub-housings for the two-pole design of the

Contact assembly 1.

The contact elements 3, 3° shown are designed as pin contacts and each have a first end region 31, 31' for connection to a corresponding socket of a corresponding connector (not shown). The respective first

The second end regions 33, 33' facing away from the end regions 31, 31° are connectable to a

Load line (not shown). To connect to the load line, the terminals shown

Embodiment, the contact plates 5, 5' each have a receiving element 13, 13°, which serves as

Cable connection is formed. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1A, the

Contact elements 3, 3' are thermally and electrically connected to the respective contact plates 5, 5' and form part of the current path. The receiving elements 13, 13° are arranged on one side of the contact plates 5, 5, which faces the front side 151 of the

housing element 15.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, the contact assembly 1 has a clamping element 11, 11' for each pole, each of which is made of an elastic silicone rubber

Material, layered, and which can be arranged in the

Housing element 15 in an area between the inside of the front wall 151 and the respective heat capacity element 7, 7° and in mounted position, by a

Compression of the elastic silicone rubber material, durable against the

Heat capacity elements 7, 7°. In the embodiment shown, the

Clamping elements 11, 11° can be attached to the inside of the front wall 151, in particular for gluing to the inside of the front wall 151. The two

Heat capacity elements 7, 7° each have a

Phase change material and are block-shaped.

Also, in the embodiment shown in Figure 1A, a thermally conductive

Material 9, 9' is arranged in layers between each surface of the contact plates 5, 5' and the heat capacity elements 7, 7' in order to compensate for possible gaps between the

To thermally bridge the contact plates 5, 5° and the heat capacity elements 7, 7'.

Figure 1B shows the embodiment of the contact assembly 1 of Figure 1A in assembled

Position. To transfer to the assembled position, the contact elements 3, 3' are each inserted with their first end areas 31, 31' into a corresponding through hole

155, 155' in the material of the housing element 151 (as shown in Figure 1A).

The clamping elements 11, 11°, heat capacity elements 7, 7‘ and thermally conductive

Materials 9, 9' are stored in the housing 15 in the respective spaces between

Front wall 151 and the contact plates 5, 5'. For this purpose, a plurality of spring-elastic locking elements 159A - 159N are formed on the side walls 153A - 153D, which are adapted to lock with the contact plates 5, 5'. When transferred to the assembled position shown in Figure 1B, the locking elements 159A - 159N are first brought in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the contact elements 3' 3 by the contact plates 5, 5 being guided past and engage behind the

Contact plates 5, 5' at least partially, after the contact plates 5, 5° to the

locking elements 159A — 159N.

In the embodiment shown, the contact elements 3, 3° on the contact plates 5, 5' are arranged in a mirror image to one another, relative to the web element 157.

Figures 2A - 2D show schematic sectional views through the contact assembly 1 according to the embodiment previously shown in Figures 1A and 1B. Figure 2A shows a section along the extension direction of the contact element 3 of the embodiment shown in Figure 1A.

The contact element 3 shown has at the first end region 31 a

Contact element 3 has a contact tip connected to it and is introduced with the second end region 33 into an opening 51 in the surface of the contact plate 5 and is positively connected to the contact plate 5. In the embodiment shown, a material of the contact plate 5 extends into a groove surrounding the contact element 3 to produce the positive connection. In further embodiments, the second end region of the contact element is also materially connected to the contact plate. As shown in Figure 2A, the contact element 3 extends at right angles from the contact plate 5. In the embodiment shown, the heat capacity element 7 can be arranged in the space between the contact plate 5 and the inside of the front wall 151. Optionally, the clamping element 11 shown and the thermally conductive material 9 can also be arranged in the space.

The contact assembly 1 is inserted by inserting the first end portion 31 into the

Through opening 151 of the housing element 15 is transferred into the mounted position shown in Figure 2B. In the embodiment shown, the contact plate 5 is moved in the direction of the housing element 15 until the contact plate 5 is on the

The support surface 158 comes to rest and the locking elements 159A — 159N with the

Lock the contact plate 5 to hold the heat capacity element 7 in the gap.

An enlargement of the area shown in Figure 2A with the support surface 158 and the

Locking element 159A is shown in Figure 2B. In Figure 2B, the hook-shaped

Design of the locking element 159A is illustrated. In the embodiment shown, a side surface of the locking element 159A is designed to be tapered in order to

To facilitate smoothing of the contact plate. In the embodiment shown, at least the material of the side surface 153B is designed to be spring-elastic in the region of the locking element 159A formed on the side surface 153B.

Figure 2C shows the sectional view of the embodiment of the

Contact assembly 1 is shown in the assembled position. In Figure 2D, the enlargement already shown in Figure 2B is shown in the assembled position with the contact plate 5 inserted. In the assembled position, the locking element 159A engages behind the inserted

Contact plate 5 at least in some areas.

Figures 3A - 3C show schematic views of the housing element 15 used in the previously shown embodiment.

The housing element 15 shown in Figure 3A for a two-pole

Contact assembly has a web element 157 which extends through a housing center to divide the housing element 15 into two sub-housings for the two-pole

Design of the contact assembly. It is also shown that the housing element 15 is open on the back, for at least partially introducing the

Elements of the contact assembly. Hook-shaped and spring-elastic locking elements 159A - 159N are formed on the side walls 153A - 153D, which are adapted to

Locking with the contact plates. In the assembled position, the contact plates are held between the support surface 158 and the locking elements 159A — 159N and the

Contact elements extend at least partially through the

Through openings 155, 155".

Figures 3B and 3C show enlargements of a

Corner area of the housing element without and with inserted contact plate 5.

Figures 4A to 4D show schematic views of an electrical connector 100 with a two-pole contact element 1 according to an embodiment. The

Connector 100 is designed as a charging connector of a charging device for charging a

electric vehicle. In particular, the charging connector is designed as a combined

Charging System, CCS, plug, which can also be called a combo plug, is shown.

As shown, the charging connector is divided into two areas: The upper part corresponds to a so-called Type 2 connector. The lower part, in which the two-pin

Contact element 1 is used for electrical charging with direct current.

Figure 4A shows an exploded view of the connector 100.

Connecting to the load lines 103, 103' extending from the connector 100, the receiving elements 13, 13° are each connectable to one end of the

Load lines 103, 103' are designed. In the embodiment shown, an insulating sheath-free end region of the load lines 103, 103' can be held clamped in a receiving element 13, 13° and electrically contacted.

Figure 4B shows a rear view of the connector 100 with the

Contact element 1 without rear housing half. Figure 4C shows a rear view of the connector 100 with contact element 1 arranged therein and with rear

A front view of the connector 100 with the

Contact element is shown in Figure 4D. As shown, the first end regions 31, 31' of the contact elements are held in electrically contactable manner in the connector 100.

List of reference symbols 1 Contact assembly 3,3 Contact element 31, 31‘ First end area 33, 33° Second end area 5,5 Contact plate 51 Through hole in contact plate 7,7 Heat capacity element 9, 9 Thermally conductive material 11, 11 Clamping element 13, 13° Receptacle element

Housing element 15 151 Front wall 153A - 153D Side wall 155, 155‘ Through opening 157 Web element 158 Support surface 159A — 159N Locking element 100 Electrical connector 103, 103‘ Load cable

Claims (13)

Patent claims 1. Contact assembly for an electrical connector (100), comprising: at least one contact element (3, 3°) with a first end region (31, 31°) which is designed to be connected to a corresponding connector, and a second end region (33, 33°) facing away from the first end region (31, 31”), which is designed to be connectable to a load line (103, 103'); a housing element (15) comprising at least a front wall (151) and side walls (153A-153D), wherein the contact element (3, 3°) extends at least partially through the housing element (15), characterized by a contact plate (5, 5) which is arranged on the contact element (3, 3%) in the direction of extension of the contact element (3, 3%) at the second end region (33, 33'); and a heat capacity element (7, 7°) which can be arranged in the housing element (15) in a gap between the contact plate (5, 5) and the front wall (151), and wherein the housing element (15) is adapted to hold the heat capacity element (7, 7”) in the gap. 2. Contact assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the front wall (151) has at least one through opening (155, 155”) for inserting the first end region (31, 31°) of the contact element (3, 3’). 3. Contact assembly according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized by a clamping element (11, 11°) which is made of an elastic material, in particular in a layered form, and which can be arranged in the housing element in a region between the front wall (151) and the heat capacity element (7, 7°) in order to clamp the heat capacity element (7, 7°) to the contact plate (5, 5°) in the mounted position. 4. Contact assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a thermally conductive material (9, 9°), wherein the thermally conductive material (9, 9) can be arranged between the contact plate (5, 5) and the heat capacity element (7, 7%), in particular can be arranged in a layered manner. 5. Contact assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least on one of the side walls (153A-153D), in particular on all side walls (153A-153D), at least one locking element (159A - 159N) is arranged, which is adapted to lock with the contact plate (5, 5°) in order to hold the contact plate (5, 5°) in the intermediate space in the assembled position of the contact assembly. 6. Contact assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing element (15) has at least one support surface (158), wherein in the mounted position the contact plate (5, 5°) rests at least partially on the support surface (158). 7. Contact assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact plate (5, 5) is arranged in a first plane transversely, in particular at right angles, to a second plane in the direction of travel of the contact element (3, 3") on the contact element (3, 3). 8. Contact assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact plate (5, 5') has a receiving element (13, 13°) for connection to the load line (103, 103'). 9. Contact assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat capacity element (7, 7°) is made of a material with a specific heat capacity of more than 0.5 kJ/(kg K), in particular more than 1.0 kJ/(kg K). 10. Contact assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat capacity element (7, 7) comprises a phase change material. 11. Contact assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat capacity element (7, 7) has a solid, cuboid-shaped body. 12. Contact assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a further contact element (3°), a further contact plate (5°) and a further heat capacity element (7°), which are arranged at least in regions in the housing element (15). 13. Electrical connector, in particular a charging connector of a charging device for charging an electric vehicle, comprising at least one contact assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims.