Electrical interface assembly

Abstract

An interface assembly includes an interface housing including a receiving portion arranged inside an interface cavity of the interface housing, for receiving an electrical contact element. The interface housing further includes at least two latches and an electrical contact element for transferring electrical power. The electrical contact element includes a busbar portion and a plug-in portion. The busbar portion includes at least two latching noses. Each of the at least two latching noses is assigned to one of the at least two latches to block a release movement of the assigned latching nose upon mating of the electrical contact element and the interface housing.

Claims

1. An interface assembly for an electrical power connector, comprising: an interface housing comprising a receiving portion arranged inside an interface cavity of the interface housing, for receiving an electrical contact element, the interface housing further comprising at least two latches; and the electrical contact element for transferring electrical power comprising a busbar portion and a plug-in portion comprising an essentially cylindrical shape, wherein the busbar portion comprises at least two latching noses and wherein each of the at least two latching noses is assigned to one of the at least two latches to block a release movement of the assigned latching nose upon mating of the electrical contact element and the interface housing.

2. The interface assembly according to claim 1, wherein the interface housing further comprises an essentially cylindrical wall component, an axis of which extends in a mating direction of the electrical contact element.

3. The interface assembly according to claim 2, wherein the busbar portion comprises a fixation portion configured to hold the plug-in portion, wherein the fixation portion extends perpendicular to the mating direction and comprises an outer guiding contour, and wherein the interface housing comprises a corresponding contour arranged inside the interface cavity.

4. The interface assembly according to claim 2, wherein the essentially cylindrical wall component comprises a diameter between 30 mm and 60 mm.

5. The interface assembly according to claim 2, wherein the essentially cylindrical wall component comprises a thickness of the wall component between 1.5 mm and 3 mm.

6. The interface assembly according to claim 2, wherein the at least two latching noses are arranged on opposite sides of the busbar portion extending perpendicular to the mating direction of the electrical contact element in a plane of the busbar portion.

7. The interface assembly according to claim 1, wherein the electrical contact element is configured to transfer electrical power of at least 5 kW.

8. The interface assembly according to claim 1, wherein a portion of each latch is configured to slide along the assigned latching nose during mating and wherein a portion of each latch comprises a first inclined surface such that a normal surface of the first inclined surface points towards a mating direction of the electrical contact element.

9. The interface assembly according to claim 8, wherein the busbar portion, when viewed from the receiving portion along mating direction of the electrical contact element, comprises a recess subsequent to the latching nose and wherein the recess extends coplanar with the busbar portion and is configured that the first inclined surface of each of the latches can be received within the recess after mating.

10. The interface assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plug-in portion comprises a diameter perpendicular to mating direction of the electrical contact element between 6 mm and 10 mm.

11. The interface assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plug-in portion comprises a length in a mating direction between 30 mm and 50 mm.

12. An electrical connector, comprising an interface assembly according to claim 1 and a housing that at least partly contains a plug-in portion of an electrical contacting element.

13. The interface assembly according to claim 1, wherein the busbar portion is in the form of a strip or bar.

14. An interface assembly for an electrical power connector, comprising: an interface housing comprising a receiving portion arranged inside an interface cavity of the interface housing, for receiving an electrical contact element, the interface housing further comprising at least two latches wherein the interface housing further comprises an essentially cylindrical wall component, an axis of which extends in a mating direction of the electrical contact element and wherein the at least two latches are arranged at an interior surface of the cylindrical wall component; and the electrical contact element for transferring electrical power comprising a busbar portion and a plug-in portion, wherein the busbar portion comprises at least two latching noses and wherein each of the at least two latching noses is assigned to one of the at least two latches to block a release movement of the assigned latching nose upon mating of the electrical contact element and the interface housing.

15. The interface assembly according to claim 14, wherein each of the at least two latches are arranged on a respective spring element of the cylindrical wall component that is configured to elastically deflect in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction.

16. The interface assembly according to claim 15, wherein the respective spring element is integrally formed with the cylindrical wall component.

17. The interface assembly according to claim 16, wherein the essentially cylindrical wall component resembles a segment of a hollow cylinder, wherein a center angle of a base of the hollow cylinder is between 120° and 360° and wherein the respective spring element is arranged on an open edge of the cylindrical wall component.

18. The interface assembly according to claim 14, wherein the busbar portion is in the form of a strip or bar.

19. An interface assembly for an electrical power connector, comprising: an interface housing comprising a receiving portion arranged inside an interface cavity of the interface housing, for receiving an electrical contact element, the interface housing further comprising at least two latches; and the electrical contact element for transferring electrical power comprising a busbar portion and a plug-in portion comprising an essentially cylindrical shape, wherein the busbar portion comprises at least two latching noses and wherein each of the at least two latching noses is assigned to one of the at least two latches to block a release movement of the assigned latching nose upon mating of the electrical contact element and the interface housing, wherein a portion of each latch is configured to slide along the assigned latching nose during mating and wherein a portion of each latch comprises a first inclined surface such that a normal surface of the first inclined surface points towards a mating direction of the electrical contact element and wherein a portion of each latching nose, which is assigned to slide along the first inclined surface of another of the at least two latches during mating, comprises a second inclined surface such that the first inclined surface of the latch and the second inclined surface of the latching nose are arranged essentially parallel during mating.

20. The interface assembly according to claim 19, wherein the busbar portion is in the form of a strip or bar.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1a schematically shows an interface assembly, in a three-dimensional view;

(3) FIG. 1b schematically shows the interface assembly of FIG. 1, rotated by 180° around the mating direction;

(4) FIG. 2 schematically shows the interface assembly of FIG. 1 upon mating, including a detail of the latch elements;

(5) FIG. 3a schematically shows the interface assembly of FIG. 1 when mated; and

(6) FIG. 3b schematically shows a close-up view of the interface assembly of FIG. 1 when mated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIGS. 1a-3b show an embodiment of an interface assembly 10 for an electrical power connector. The interface assembly 10 includes an interface housing 100 and an electrical contact element 200.

(8) The interface housing 100 includes a receiving portion 110, which may be configured to receive at least a part of the electrical contact element 200, in particular a plug-in portion 220 thereof. The receiving portion 110 is arranged inside a cavity and may include a through hole configured for receiving the plug-in portion 220 of the electrical contact element 200. After mating the electrical contact element 200 and the interface housing 100, the plug-in portion 220 may be connected to a respective electrical element (not shown in FIG. 1), e.g., a counter connector, a socket, a cable or others, which may be also mated with the interface housing 100 on a backside, opposite to the shown cavity.

(9) The interface housing 100 further includes an essentially cylindrical wall component 120, which encases the cavity and the receiving portion 110 at least partly. The axis of the receiving portion 110 and the axis of the essentially cylindrical wall component 120 may coincide and extend in a mating direction 300 of the electrical contact element 200. The essentially cylindrical wall component 120 can resemble a segment of a hollow cylinder, in which a center angle of a base area may range from between 120° and 360° to between 190° and 270°. A diameter 121 of the essentially cylindrical wall component 120 may range between 30 mm and 60 mm and the thickness 122 of the essentially cylindrical wall component 120 may be between 1.5 mm and 3 mm.

(10) The interface housing 100 further includes two latches 130, 135. The two latches 130, 135 can be arranged on an interior surface 141 of the cylindrical wall component 120. The two latches 130, 135 may further be arranged on a spring element 133, which is configured to elastically deflect in a direction 139 perpendicular to the mating direction 300 (s. FIG. 2). The spring element 133 can be attached to the open edges of the segment of a hollow cylinder, such as e.g., the essentially cylindrical wall component 120. Alternatively, the spring element 133 can also be integrally formed with the essentially cylindrical wall component 120, which may provide a cost-efficient manufacture of the spring element 133. It may be noted that to enable deflection of spring element 133, the spring element 133 may be not in contact with the interface housing 100. In contrast, the essentially cylindrical wall component 120 may be arranged in contact with the interface housing 100 at least for the most part.

(11) The interface housing 100 includes at least one securing means being formed as a through hole 150, 151. In the embodiment illustrated in the Figures, two through holes are present. However, also different numbers of securing means are applicable. Each of the through holes 150, 151 serves for receiving a further securing element, such as a screw or a bolt, for securing the interface housing 100 to a counterpart (not shown).

(12) The interface assembly 10 further includes an electrical contact element 200, which is configured to transfer electrical power in the range of at least 5 kW up to at least 30 kW, in particular in a higher voltage vehicle system, such as a 48 volts vehicle electrical system. The electrical contact element 200 includes a busbar portion 210, which may resemble a metallic strip or bar. Busbar portion 210 includes the two latching noses 211, 212, which in combination with the two latches 130, 135 are configured to block a releasement movement of the electrical contact element 200 after mating with the interface housing 100. The two latching noses 211, 212 may be arranged on opposite sides of the busbar portion 210 and may extend perpendicular to the mating direction in a plane of the busbar portion 210.

(13) The busbar portion 210 further includes a fixation portion 213, which can be integrally formed with the busbar portion 210 or attached to it separately. The fixation portion 213 extends perpendicular to the mating direction 300 and may be formed by bending the respective end of the bus bar portion 210, if both elements are formed integrally. The fixation portion 213 has an outer guiding contour 214, which is configured to fit into a corresponding contour 140 on an interior surface 141 of the interface housing 100 inside the interface cavity. The corresponding contour 140 may closely encase the outer guiding contour 214, after mating, to prevent rotations or misplacements of the electrical contact element 200 and allow for a firm fit inside the interface housing 100.

(14) The electrical contact element 200 further includes a plug-in portion 220, which is secured to the fixation portion 213. For example, the plug-in portion 220 may be secured to the fixation portion 213 by inserting the plug-in portion 220 into a hole of the fixation portion 213. After the inserting, a collar of the plug-in portion 220 may be pressed onto the fixation portion 213 so that a collar area of the plug-in portion 220 may be firmly fixed with the fixation portion 213. The plug-in portion 220 has an essentially cylindrical shape and is configured to be guided into the receiving portion 110 of the interface housing 100. A diameter 222 of the plug-in portion 220 may range between 6 mm and 10 mm and a length 221 of the plug-in portion 220 may range between 30 mm and 50 mm.

(15) While FIG. 1a shows the embodiment of the interface assembly 10, FIG. 1b illustrates the interface assembly 10 rotated by 180° around the mating direction 300, to allow for a detailed visibility of all components. To further illustrate a mating of the interface housing 100 with the electrical contact element 200, FIG. 2 shows an intermediate state during a mating process, while FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate the interface assembly 10 after mating.

(16) In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each latch 130, 135 can be configured to slide along the assigned latching nose 211, 212 during mating. To allow for an easier and/or improved latching, an edge of each latch 130, 135 may be belled. Therefore, each latch 130, 135 includes a first inclined surface 132. A surface normal 134 of the first inclined surface 132 points advantageously towards mating direction 300. Similarly, a portion of each latching nose 211, 212, which during mating is sliding along the first inclined surface 132, may also include an inclined surface, i.e., the second inclined surface 216. This may provide an improved sliding of the first inclined surface 132 on the second inclined surface 216 during mating which may run essentially parallel. FIG. 2 further shows the deflection of the spring element 133 during mating. An enlarged section 136 illustrates an exemplary arrangement of the first and second inclined surfaces 132 and 216 during mating.

(17) In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the busbar portion 210 further includes a recess 215. The recess 215 is located essentially subsequent to latching noses 211, 212, when seen from the receiving portion 110 along mating direction 300. The recess 215 extends in the plane of the busbar portion 210. An exemplary arrangement of latch 135 and corresponding latching nose 212, which may similarly, in particular mirror-symmetrically, also represent an arrangement of the latching nose 211 and latch 130, is illustrated in an enlarged view in FIG. 3b. In this manner, each of the latching noses 211, 212 can be received within the recess 215 after mating for efficiently blocking an unintended release movement of the latching noses 211, 212. However, if required, the present embodiment may allow an unlatching of the electrical contact element 200 from the interface housing 100 without breaking of any securing means. By intentionally deflecting the latches 130, 135 manually or using a tool in a direction 139 perpendicular to the mating direction 300, the latching noses 211, 212 can be released from the latches 130, 135. Thus, the electrical contact element can be easily removed. Advantageously of the present embodiment, the latching system can be reused multiple times.

LISTING OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(18) 10 interface assembly 100 interface housing 110 receiving portion 120 cylindrical wall component 121 diameter of the cylindrical wall component 122 thickness of the cylindrical wall component 130, 135 latch 132 first inclined surface 133 spring element 134 normal surface 136 enlarged section 139 deflection direction 140 corresponding contour 141 interior surface 150, 151 through hole 200 electrical contact element 210 busbar portion 211, 212 latching nose 213 fixation portion 214 outer contour 215 recess 216 second inclined surface 220 plug-in portion 221 length of the plug-in portion 222 diameter of the plug-in portion 300 mating direction