Plug connector part having a temperature sensor device

• US 10,439,336 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoenix Contact E-Mobility Gmbh (Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Contact E-Mobility Gmbh (Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG)
• Inventors: Fuehrer, Thomas, Rose, Markus, Finken, Bodo
• Primary Examiner(s): Leon, Edwin A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jeancharles, Milagros
• Application Number:
  US15/501,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20170237205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 43962022
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• 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: G01K 1/16 Special arrangements for conducting heat from the object to the sensitive element
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6683 with built-in sensor
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A plug connector part for connection to a mating plug connector part includes: at least one electrical contact element for carrying an electrical current and establishing electrical contact with at least one other contact element of a mating plug connector part; and a temperature sensor device for recording an increase in temperature of the plug connector part, the temperature sensor device including at least one sensor element, which is designed to detect infrared radiation emitted by the at least one electrical contact element.

Claims

1. A plug connector part for connection to a mating plug connector part, comprising:

a plurality of electrical contact elements configured to carry an electrical current and to establish electrical contact with other contact elements of the mating plug connector part; and

a temperature sensor device configured to record a rise in temperature of the plug connector part, the temperature sensor device comprising a plurality of sensor elements and a printed circuit board on which the plurality of sensor elements are arranged, each of the sensor elements being associated with one of the contact elements to detect an increase in temperature of the associated contact element,

wherein the sensor elements are configured to detect infrared radiation emitted by the contact elements, and

wherein conducting elements configured to conduct infrared radiation to the sensor elements are arranged between each sensor element and the associated contact element such that a number of the conducting elements is equal to a number of the sensor elements and a number of the contact elements.

2. The plug connector part according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sensor elements is configured to detect infrared radiation in a wavelength range of between 0.7 μ

m and 1000 μ

m.

3. The plug connector part according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of sensor elements is configured to detect infrared radiation in a wavelength range of between 1 μ

m and 100 μ

m.

4. The plug connector part according to claim 1, wherein the sensor elements are disposed on the printed circuit board so as to be offset from one another.

5. The plug connector part according to claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board extends in a shape of a plate along an extension plane, which is spanned by an insertion direction in which each of the plurality of contact elements is configured to be brought into plugged engagement with at least one other contact element, and a transverse direction.

6. The plug connector part according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor elements are spatially spaced apart from the plurality of contact elements such that at least one sensor element of the plurality of sensor elements is configured to receive infrared radiation emitted by at least one contact element of the plurality of contact elements via an air interface.

7. The plug connector part according to claim 1, wherein a conducting element configured to conduct infrared radiation from the at least one contact element to the at least one sensor element is disposed between the at least one sensor element and the at least one contact element.

8. The plug connector part according to claim 7, wherein the conducting element comprises an inner space, into which the plurality of contact elements of the plug connector part extend, the conducting element being configured to conduct infrared radiation emitted by at least one contact element of the plurality of contact elements to at least one sensor element of the plurality of sensor elements.

9. The plug connector part according to claim 8, wherein the conducting element comprises an inner wall which delimits the inner space and is configured to reflect infrared radiation.

10. The plug connector part according to claim 9, wherein the inner wall comprises a reflective coating.

11. The plug connector part according to claim 1, wherein the sensor elements comprise temperature sensors configured to record a change in temperature of the contact elements.

12. The plug connector part according to claim 11, wherein a conducting element configured to conduct heat is arranged between each sensor element and the associated contact element.