SUBMERGIBLE FUSED RECEPTACLE ASSEMBLY FOR A VEHICLE CHARGING INLET

• US 20140038463A1
• Filed: 07/10/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Natter, Brantley, Pavlovic, Slobodan, Lopez, Juan, Drescher, Gerhard
• Granted Patent: US 8,956,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/620.34
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/00 Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/684 the fuse being removable
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors of trolley lines B60M1/28
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49174 Assembling terminal to elongated conductor

Abstract

A receptacle assembly for a vehicle charging inlet is provided having a base with apertures formed through, an external receptacle extending from the base in a first direction for receiving a charging cable connector, and an internal receptacle extending from the base in a second direction, opposite the first direction, for receiving a plurality of wires from a wire harness. The internal receptacle defines an internal cavity having at least one terminal receptacle formed about one of the apertures and at least one fuse receptacle. The internal receptacle includes wire channels for routing a wire having an inline fuse from the terminal receptacle to the fuse receptacle and from the fuse receptacle to a wire outlet. The inline fuse is received by the fuse receptacle.

Claims

1. A receptacle assembly for a vehicle charging inlet comprising:

a base for mounting to a vehicle panel, the base having a first side facing a first direction, a second side facing a second direction opposite the first direction, and apertures formed through for receiving terminals;

an external receptacle extending from the base in the first direction for receiving a charging cable connector;

at least one terminal receptacle extending from the base in the second direction, the terminal receptacle being formed about one of the apertures and defining a terminal cavity;

at least one fuse receptacle extending from the base in the second direction, the fuse receptacle defining a fuse cavity;

at least one terminal having a proximal end disposed in the terminal receptacle and a distal end extending from the base in the first direction within the external receptacle for connecting with a mating terminal; and

a wire attached to the proximal end of the terminal, the wire including an inline fuse attached directly thereto, the inline fuse being disposed in the fuse receptacle.

2. The receptacle assembly of claim 1, wherein the inline fuse includes a lead directly connected to the proximal end of the terminal.

3. The receptacle assembly of claim 1, wherein the wire includes a first wire portion and a second wire portion separated by the inline fuse, the inline fuse including a first lead attached to the first wire portion and a second lead attached to the second wire portion, the second wire portion connecting the inline fuse to the proximal end of the terminal.

4. The receptacle assembly of claim 1, wherein the receptacle assembly connects the at least one terminal and inline fuse directly to a vehicle harness without an internal printed circuit board, bus bar, or flexible circuit.

5. The receptacle assembly of claim 1, further comprising a fuse cover enclosing the inline fuse in the fuse receptacle.

6. The receptacle assembly of claim 1, further comprising wire channels formed in second side for routing the wire from the terminal receptacle to a wire harness.

7. The receptacle assembly of claim 6, further comprising an internal receptacle extending from the base in the second direction that receives a plurality of wires from the wire harness, the internal receptacle defining an internal cavity within which the terminal receptacle, fuse receptacle and wire channels are located.

8. A receptacle assembly for a vehicle charging inlet comprising:

a flange for mounting to a vehicle panel;

a base having a first side facing a first direction, a second side facing a second direction opposite the first direction, and apertures formed through for receiving terminals;

an external receptacle extending from the base in the first direction for receiving a charging cable connector; and

an internal receptacle extending from the base in the second direction for receiving a plurality of wires from a wire harness, the internal receptacle defining an internal cavity having at least one terminal receptacle formed about one of the apertures and at least one fuse receptacle, both the terminal receptacle and the fuse receptacle extending from the base in the second direction, the internal receptacle including wire channels for routing a wire from the terminal receptacle to the fuse receptacle and from the fuse receptacle to a wire outlet.

9. The receptacle assembly of claim 8, wherein the fuse receptacle includes a peripheral wall defining a fuse cavity for receiving an inline fuse, the peripheral wall having a pair of grooves, each groove at opposite ends of the fuse receptacle, for receiving a pair of fuse leads.

10. The receptacle assembly of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one terminal having a proximal end disposed in the terminal receptacle and a distal end extending from the base in the first direction within the external receptacle for connecting with a mating terminal;

a wire including a first wire portion and a second wire portion, the second wire portion attached to the proximal end of the terminal; and

an inline fuse, disposed in the fuse receptacle, separating the first wire portion from the second wire portion, the inline fuse having a first lead attached to the first wire portion and a second lead attached to the second wire portion.

11. The receptacle assembly of claim 10, further comprising a fuse cover enclosing the inline fuse in the fuse receptacle.

12. The receptacle assembly of claim 10, wherein the internal receptacle is filled with potting material and overmolded with the potting material to form a cover enclosing the internal receptacle.

13. The receptacle assembly of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one terminal having a proximal end disposed in the terminal receptacle and a distal end extending from the base in the first direction within the external receptacle for connecting with a mating terminal;

an inline fuse disposed in the fuse receptacle having a first lead and a second lead, the second lead attached directly to the proximal end of the terminal; and

a wire attached directly to the first lead and routed through the wire channels to the wire outlet.

14. The receptacle assembly of claim 13, further comprising a fuse cover enclosing the fuse in the fuse receptacle.

15. The receptacle assembly of claim 13, wherein the internal receptacle is filled with potting material and overmolded with the potting material to form a cover enclosing the internal receptacle.

16. A method for assembling a wire harness to a receptacle assembly for a vehicle charging inlet, the method comprising:

providing the receptacle assembly having a base with a first side facing a first direction, a second side facing a second direction opposite the first direction, and a plurality of apertures formed therethrough, the receptacle assembly including a fuse receptacle extending from the base in the second direction;

providing the wire harness including a plurality of wires, each wire having a terminal attached to a first end of the wire, at least one wire including an inline fuse attached directly thereto;

inserting a second end of each wire through one of the apertures; and

routing at least the wire including the inline fuse through wire channels formed on the second side of the base so that the inline fuse is received by the fuse receptacle.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

placing a fuse cover over the inline fuse enclosing it in the fuse receptacle.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

attaching the second end of each wire to a connector for connecting the wire harness to a vehicle harness.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the receptacle assembly further includes an internal receptacle extending from the base in the second direction, the internal receptacle defining an internal cavity within which the fuse receptacle, apertures and wire channels are located.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

depositing potting material into the internal receptacle over the fuse receptacle and plurality of wires; and

molding the potting material to the receptacle assembly to seal the terminals, the inline fuse, and the plurality of wires to the second side of the base.