Arrangement of components for transferring electric current

Abstract

An arrangement of components for transferring electric current from a current-feeding component to a current-discharging component, including a first component, which feeds current to the arrangement or discharges current from the arrangement. The first component includes a first metallic material and, on at least one surface, has at least one spring lamella composed of the first metallic material and machined out of the first metallic material at the surface. The lamella is machined out of the first metallic material at the surface of the first component such that it is connected monolithically to the first component in a connecting region and, starting therefrom extends as far as a free end and, when deflected out of a rest position toward the surface of the first component, exerts a spring force directed away from the surface. A second component is in immediate contact with the lamella of the first component.

Claims

1. An arrangement of components for transferring electric current from a current-feeding component to a current-discharging component, the arrangement comprising: a first component, the first component being the component feeding current to the arrangement or being the component discharging current from the arrangement, the first component comprising a first metallic material and, on at least one surface, having at least one spring lamella composed of the first metallic material and machined out of the first metallic material at said surface, the at least one spring lamella being machined out of the first metallic material at the surface of the first component by a separating process and by a bending process in such a way that the at least one spring lamella is connected monolithically to the first component in a connecting region, the first metallic material of the first component having a greater hardness in the connecting region than outside the connecting region, and, starting from the connecting region, the at least one spring lamella extends as far as a free end thereof, and, when the at least one spring lamella is deflected out of a rest position thereof in a direction toward the surface of the first component, the at least one spring lamella exerts a spring force directed away from the surface of the first component; and a second component, the second component being in immediate contact with the at least one spring lamella of the first component.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein only the first component and the second component are situated in a current path of the arrangement.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the separating process comprises a cutting, chiseling, peeling, plowing or furrowing process.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spring lamella extends obliquely at an angle of less than 80° to the surface of the first component in the rest position.

5. The arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the at least one spring lamella extends obliquely at an angle of from 40° to 70° to the surface of the first component in the rest position.

6. The arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the at least one spring lamella has a convex contour between the connecting region and the free end of the at least one spring lamella on a side facing away from the first component.

7. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spring lamella is divided into a plurality of segments, starting from the free end thereof.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first component is composed at least partially of a metallic composite material comprising the first metallic material and a second metallic material, the second metallic material having a higher electric conductivity than the first metallic material.

9. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first component has an electrically insulating layer, the electrically insulating layer being at least partly removed on a side of the at least one spring lamella facing away from the surface of the first component.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connecting region is a first connecting region and the second component is composed at least partially of a metallic material and on at least one surface thereof has at least one spring lamella composed of the metallic material, the at least one spring lamella of the second component being machined out of the metallic material at surface of the second component in such a way that the at least one spring lamella of the second component is connected monolithically thereto in a second connecting region and, starting from the second connecting region, the at least one spring lamella of the second component extends as far as a free end thereof, and the at least one spring lamella of the second component is in contact with the at least one spring lamella of the first component.

11. The arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the at least one spring lamella of the first component is in contact with the at least one spring lamella of the second component in such a way that the first component remains connected to the second component when the first and second components change position relative to one another.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Illustrative embodiments of the invention are explained in greater detail by means of the schematic drawings. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows schematically a first component having linear lamellae;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a side view of a first component having linear lamellae;

(4) FIG. 3 shows an arrangement of a first component and of a second component;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a side view of a first component having lamellae with a kink;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a side view of a first component having convexly curved lamellae;

(7) FIG. 6 shows schematically a first component having segmented lamellae;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a plan view of a first component having transversely extending lamellae;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a plan view of a first component having longitudinally extending lamellae; and

(10) FIG. 9 shows a plan view of a first component having obliquely extending lamellae.

(11) In all the figures, mutually corresponding parts are provided with the same reference signs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) FIG. 1 shows schematically a first component 10 having six lamellae 3. The component 10 comprises a metallic composite material 13, which is composed of a first metallic material 11 and of a second metallic material 12. The two materials 11 and 12 can be connected to one another by roll bonding. The second metallic material 12 has a higher electric conductivity than the first metallic material 11 and accounts for the predominant proportion of the volume of the first component 10. Only at the surface of the first component 10 is there a layer of the first metallic material 11. The lamellae 3 are machined out of this first metallic material 11. The lamellae 3 are each connected in a connecting region 31 to the first component 10 and extend from the surface of the first component 10 to a free end 32. The lamellae 3 slope relative to the surface of the first component 10. The slope of the lamellae 3 remains the same as far as the free end 32 thereof. The lamellae have neither a kink nor a curvature. They thus extend in a linear manner.

(13) The lamellae 3 each have the shape of a strip and have a length L, a width B and a thickness D. The width B is measured from the base of a lamella 3 at the connecting region 31 to its free end 32. The lamellae 3 extend over the entire width of the component 10. The current carrying capacity of the spring contact can be set by means of the distance between adjacent lamellae 3. Irrespective of the precise embodiment of the lamellae 3, the distance between adjacent lamellae can be 0.1 to 15 mm.

(14) The first component 10 furthermore has a region in which there are no lamellae. In this region, there can be means (not illustrated) for making contact with other electric conductors, e.g. holes with screw fasteners.

(15) FIG. 2 shows a side view of a first component 10 according to FIG. 1. The angle α which the sloping lamellae 3 enclose with an imaginary line that is parallel to the surface of the first component 10 is approximately 45°. There is no force acting on the lamellae 3. They are in their rest position.

(16) FIG. 3 shows a side view of an arrangement 1 consisting of a first component 10 and of a second component 20. The first component 10 corresponds to the component 10 illustrated in FIG. 2. The lamellae 3 of the first component 10 are in contact with the second component 20. The second component 20 exerts a force in the direction of the first component 10 on the lamellae 3. The lamellae 3 are thereby deflected out of their rest position. They now slope more steeply toward the surface of the first component 10 than in the case of FIG. 2, and the angle which they enclose with the surface of the first component 10 is smaller than in the rest position. By virtue of the deflection out of the rest position, the lamellae 3 exert a spring force on the second component 20. This spring force brings about a contact pressure of the lamellae 3 against the surface of the second component 20. The higher the contact pressure, the lower is the electric transfer resistance between the lamellae 3 and the second component 20. Because the lamellae 3 are an integral constituent of the first component 10, there is no significant electric resistance between the first component 10 and the lamellae 3.

(17) FIG. 4 shows a side view of a first component 10 having lamellae 3 that have a kink. The lamellae 3 start at the surface of the first component 10 at the same slope angle α as the lamellae 3 on the component 10 illustrated in FIG. 2. At approximately half their width, the lamellae 3 have a kink. That part of a lamella 3 which is situated between the kink and the free end 32 of the lamella 3 encloses an angle which is smaller than the slope angle α with the surface of the first component 10 at the base of the lamella 3. If the lamellae 3 formed in this way are deflected out of their rest position by a second component 20, that part of the lamella 3 which is situated between the kink and the free end 32 hugs the surface of the second component 20 very well. The contact area available for the transfer of the current is thus enlarged.

(18) FIG. 5 shows a side view of a first component 10 having convexly curved lamellae 3. The lamellae 3 start at the surface of the first component 10 at the same slope angle as the lamellae 3 on the component 10 illustrated in FIG. 2. By virtue of the convex curvature of the lamellae 3, the angle which the tangent to the surface of the lamella encloses with the surface of the first component 10 changes continuously. It becomes steadily smaller. At the free end 32 of the lamellae 3, this angle is approximately the same size as the corresponding angle in the case of the lamellae 3 with a kink that are illustrated in FIG. 4. The effects and advantages described in conjunction with FIG. 4 also apply to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5.

(19) FIG. 6 shows schematically a first component 10 having segmented lamellae 3. The component 10 illustrated here can be regarded as a development of the component 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. Starting from their free end 32, the lamellae 3 are each divided into a plurality of mutually adjacent segments 33 by cuts or slots. The cuts or slots can preferably extend into the connecting region 31 at the base of the lamellae. The individual segments 33 can be deflected independently of one another out of their respective rest position. This enables the lamella 3 to adapt better to irregularities in the surface of the second component 20. The contact area thus becomes larger.

(20) FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 each illustrate a plan view of a first component 10. The respective first components 10 in these figures differ in the alignment of the lamellae 3 relative to the longitudinal extent of the first component 10, which, by way of example, is embodied as a busbar in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. In the illustrative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the lamellae 3 are arranged transversely to the longitudinal extent of the busbar. In the illustrative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the lamellae 3 are arranged parallel to the longitudinal extent of the busbar. In the illustrative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9, the lamellae 3 are arranged obliquely to the longitudinal extent of the busbar. The embodiments illustrated show the great flexibility of the arrangement according to the invention for transferring electric current from a first to a second component.