CHARGER RECEPTACLE

• US 20120276782A1
• Filed: 04/27/2011
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Stack, John, Nathan, John F., Pavlovic, Slobodan
• Granted Patent: US 8,668,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/660
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49149 by metal fusion bonding

Abstract

A charging receptacle having a barrel and a base configured to facilitate interconnecting electrical elements of a cordset with a vehicle charging system. The barrel may be configured to facilitate alignment of the electrical elements and the base may be configured to facilitate mounting the charger receptacle to a vehicle or other device having a system reliant on electrical energy provided through the cordset.

Claims

1. A charger receptacle configured to facilitate interconnecting a cordset having a plurality of cordset electrical terminals with a corresponding plurality of vehicle electrical terminals of a vehicle charging system, the charger receptacle comprising:

a barrel having a plurality of connection openings shaped to guide the plurality of cordset electrical terminals into an electrically conducting mating arrangement with the plurality of vehicle electrical terminals; and

a base connected to the barrel, the base having a plurality of fastener openings shaped to receive fasteners used to fasten the base to the vehicle charging system.

2. The charger receptacle of claim 1 wherein the base is connected to the barrel with a weld.

3. The charger receptacle of claim 2 wherein the weld is a spun weld.

4. The charger receptacle of claim 1 wherein the barrel is comprised of a molded plastic.

5. The charger receptacle of claim 4 wherein the base is connected to the barrel after the barrel is molded.

6. The charger receptacle of claim 4 wherein the base is comprised of a material different than the molded plastic material of the barrel.

7. The charger receptacle of claim 1 wherein the barrel includes a first alignment element and the base includes a second alignment element, the first alignment element aligning with the second alignment element when the barrel is connected to the base.

8. The charger of claim 7 wherein the first alignment element is a tab.

9. The charger of claim 7 wherein the second alignment element is a tab.

10. The charger of claim 7 wherein an outer perimeter of the barrel connected to the base is predominately cylindrical.

11. The charger of claim 10 wherein the first alignment element extends exteriorly away from the outer perimeter of the base.

12. The charger of claim 1 wherein the barrel includes a retaining element at an end opposite of the base, the retaining element configured to be removably interlocked with the cordset.

13. A charger receptacle configured to facilitate interconnecting a cordset having a first plurality of electrical terminals with a corresponding second plurality of electrical terminals of an electrical system, the charger receptacle comprising:

a barrel having a plurality of connection openings shaped to guide the first plurality of electrical terminals relative to the second plurality of electrical terminals; and

a mounting base separately connected to the barrel.

14. The charger receptacle of claim 13 wherein the mounting base is separately connected to the barrel with a spun weld.

15. A method of manufacturing a charger receptacle, the charger receptacle configured to facilitate interconnecting a cordset having a first plurality of electrical terminals with a second plurality of electrical terminals of an electrical system, the charger receptacle having a barrel and a base, the barrel having a plurality of connection openings shaped to guide the first plurality of electrical terminals into an electrically conducting mating arrangement with the second plurality of electrical terminals of the electrical system and the based being configured to be mounted to the electrical system, the method comprising:

frictionally heating an interface between the barrel and the base to a temperature sufficient to cause formation of a welded connection therebetween.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein a portion of the barrel proximate the interface is cylindrical and a portion of the base proximate the interface has a matching cylindrical opening.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising frictionally heating the interface by one of spinning the barrel relative to the base and spinning the base relative to the barrel.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising spinning the one of the base and the barrel such that a first alignment feature on the barrel aligns with a second alignment feature on the base.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising positioning at least a portion of the barrel within the base prior to frictionally heating the interface.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising molding the barrel prior to molding the base.