ELECTRICAL CONNECTION ASSEMBLY

• US 20110300738A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Staubli Electrical Connectors AG (Stäubli Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Multi-Holding Ag
• Inventors: Hengel, Christian, Tiberghien, Alain-Christophe, Guin, Philippe, Feron, Jérôme, Chabirand, Michel
• Granted Patent: US 8,636,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/374
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/44 Means for preventing access to live contacts making use of a switch actuated by engagement of counterpart H01R13/7036
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/53 Bases or cases for heavy duty; Bases or cases for high voltage with means for preventing corona or arcing
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6315 allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

This electrical connection assembly includes a female element which includes at least one electrical contact, and a male electrical connection element intended to be inserted in the female element. The male element includes a plug and a sleeve that surrounds the plug and is mobile relative to the plug. At least one electrical contact is carried by the plug or the sleeve and is intended to be electrically connected to the electrical contact carried by the female element. An external radial surface of the sleeve includes at least two stages the diameters of which decrease in the direction toward a free end of the male element, and the female element including a body the internal radial surface of which includes at least two stages the diameters of which increase in the direction toward a mouth of the female element. According to the invention, the external surfaces of the stages of the sleeve are substantially complementary to the external surfaces of the stages of the internal surface of the body of the female element. Moreover, when the sleeve is fully inserted in the female element the stage of larger diameter of the male element is engaged in the stage of larger diameter of the female element and the stage of smaller diameter of the male element is engaged in the stage of smaller diameter of the female element.

Claims

1. Electrical connection assembly (12), including a female element (6) which includes at least one electrical contact (621, 622, 623), and a male element (4) intended to be inserted in the female element (6), the male element (4) including a plug (41) that extends along a longitudinal axis (A₄), a sleeve (43) that surrounds the plug (41) and that is mobile relative to the plug (41), and at least one electrical contact (412, 413, 414) that is carried by the plug (41) or the sleeve (43) and that is intended to be electrically connected to the electrical contact (621, 622, 623) carried by the female element (6), an exterior connection surface (S₄₁₂, S₄₁₃, S₄₁₄) of the electrical contact (412, 413, 414) of the male element (4) being covered by the sleeve (43) or the plug (41) in a first axial position of the sleeve (43) relative to the plug (41) and uncovered in a second axial position of the sleeve (43) relative to the plug (41), an external radial surface (436) of the sleeve (43) including at least two stages (433, 434) the diameters (D₄₃₃, D₄₃₄) of which decrease in the direction toward a free end (401) of the male element (4), and the female element (6) including a body (62) the internal radial surface (65) of which includes at least two stages (626, 628) the diameters (D₆₂₆, D₆₂₈) of which increase in the direction toward a mouth (63) of the female element (6),

characterized in that the external surfaces of the stages (433, 434) of the sleeve (43) are substantially complementary to the external surfaces of the stages (626, 628) of the internal surface (65) of the body (62) of the female element (6) and in that when the sleeve (43) is fully inserted in the female element (6) the stage (434) of larger diameter (D₄₃₄) of the male element (4) is engaged in the stage (626) of larger diameter (D₆₂₆) of the female element (6) and the stage (433) of smaller diameter (D₄₃₃) of the male element (4) is engaged in the stage (628) of smaller diameter (D₆₂₈) of the female element (6).

2. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that the male element (4) includes a connecting element (42) for fixing to a support (242) an element (419) forming one end of the plug (41) or the sleeve (43) opposite the free end (401) and in that the connecting element (42) allows movement of the support (242) relative to the plug (41) or the sleeve (43) in at least one direction intersecting the longitudinal axis (A₄) of the plug (41).

3. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 2, characterized in that the connecting element (42) is an elastically deformable element and may be a spring.

4. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 2, characterized in that the connecting element (42) is articulated to the plug (41) or the sleeve (43).

5. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 2, characterized in that the connecting element (42) is hollow to accommodate inside it at least one electrical cable (4120, 4130, 4140).

6. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 2, characterized in that the connecting element (42) extends globally axially along the longitudinal axis (A₄) of the plug (41).

7. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 2, characterized in that spring means are adapted to return the connecting element (42) to an initial position in which the connecting element (42) extends globally along the longitudinal axis (A₄) of the plug (41).

8. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that the male element (4) includes means (47) disposed axially between the sleeve (43) and an end element (419) of the plug (41) to urge (E₄₇) the sleeve (43) axially toward the first position of the sleeve (43) relative to the plug (41).

9. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that the male element (4) includes at least two electrical contacts in the form of parallel annular conductive tracks (412, 413, 414) disposed along the axis (A₄).

10. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one electrical contact (412, 413, 414) of the male element (4) is on an external radial surface (415) of the plug (41).

11. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that the plug (41) projects axially from the sleeve (43) and constitutes the free end (401) of the male element (4).

12. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that the female element (6) includes a flap (68) mobile axially relative to the body (62) of the female element (6) between a first position in which the flap (68) covers the electrical contact (621, 622, 623) of the female element (6) and a second position in which the electrical contact is uncovered by the flap (68).

13. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 12, characterized in that the flap (68) has an axial side (662) disposed on the same side as the mouth (63) and that is made from a conductive material and in that one end of the plug (41) at the same end as the free end (401) of the male element (4) includes a conductive part (411).

14. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 12, characterized in that it includes at least one sensor (71, 72) that detects the mobile flap (68) in its second position and/or the sleeve (43) in a configuration fully inserted inside the female element (6) and in that a control unit (10) is adapted to control the supply of electrical power to at least one electrical contact (621, 622, 623) as a function of the output signal (S₇₁, S₇₂) of each sensor (71, 72).

15. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the fully inserted configuration of the sleeve (43) inside the female element (6), the axial length (L_434/626) over which the stage (434) of larger diameter (D₄₃₄) of the sleeve (43) and the stage (626) of larger diameter (D₆₂₆) of the body (62) of the female element (6) overlap is greater than the axial length (L_433/628) over which the stage (433) of smaller diameter (D₄₃₃) of the sleeve (43) and the stage of smaller diameter (D₆₂₈) of the body (62) of the female element (6) overlap.

16. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that one element of the pair of elements comprising the male element (4) and the female element (6) is electrically connected to a battery (22) and the other element of the pair of elements comprising the female element (6) and the male element (4) is electrically connected to a source of electrical power (14) that may be a capacitor or an electrical distribution system.

17. Electrical connection assembly (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the elements of the pair of elements comprising the male element (4) and the female element (6) is mounted on a vehicle (2) and the other element of the pair of elements comprising the female element (6) and the male element (4) is mounted on a fixed charging station (8).

18. Electrical connection system (12) according to claim 17, characterized in that the male element (4) or the female element (6) that is mounted on the vehicle (2) includes at least one additional electrical contact connected to a control unit (20) of the vehicle (2).