TWO-PART ELECTRICAL POWER CONTACT FOR A CHARGING CIRCUIT FOR CHARGING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Abstract

An electrical power contact, for a fixed electrical outlet of a vehicle for connecting a battery of the vehicle to an external DC electrical source, consists of two conductive parts mechanically cold-assembled through snap-riveting, connecting part and a connection terminal. A first of the two conductive parts is provided with a shoulder and with a protruding portion protruding with respect to the shoulder, the other conductive part comprising a wall having a bearing face bearing against the shoulder and a free face opposite the bearing face. The wall is has a through-hole opening onto a counterbore forming a recess for the free face. The protruding portion passes through the through-hole and has a head housed in the counterbore.

Claims

1. An electrical power contact for the passage of direct currents greater than 10 Amps, consisting of two separate solid conductive parts made from metal, namely a connecting part and a connection terminal for connecting the electrical power contact to a conductor, a first of the two conductive parts being provided with a shoulder and a protruding portion with respect to the shoulder, a second of the two conductive parts comprising a wall having a bearing face bearing against the shoulder and a free face opposite the bearing face, the wall being passed through by a through-hole having an open end on the bearing face and an opposite end open on a counterbore constituting a recess in the free face, the protruding portion passing through the through-hole, wherein the protruding portion has a flared free end forming a head housed in the counterbore, the head having a cross-section greater than a passage section of the through-hole forming a connection that cannot be disassembled between the two conductive parts.

2. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the counterbore consists of a set of one or more faces having a symmetry of revolution about a common axis.

3. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the head does not protrude with respect to the counterbore.

4. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the through-hole is cylindrical.

5. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the protruding portion comprises an intermediate portion between the head and the shoulder, the intermediate portion being housed in the through-hole.

6. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the connection terminal consists of the first conductive part.

7. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the connection terminal consists of the second conductive part.

8. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the connection terminal is tubular.

9. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the connection terminal is angled.

10. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the connecting part forms a pin.

11. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the connecting part forms a socket.

12. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein the connecting part is metallic and comprises a surface treatment at least locally.

13. The electrical power contact of claim 1, wherein a contact interface without welding or brazing is formed between the head and the counterbore.

14. A batch of several electrical power contacts of different dimensions, comprising a first electrical power contact and a second electrical power contact according to claim 1, the protruding portion of the first of the two conductive parts of the first electrical contact having dimensions identical to the protruding portion of the first of the two conductive parts of the second electrical contact, the through-hole and the counterbore of the second of the two conductive parts of the first electrical contact having dimensions identical to the through-hole and to the counterbore of the second of the two conductive parts of the second electrical contact.

15. The method of manufacturing an electrical power contact according to claim 1, comprising forming the head by cold deformation, that provides a contact interface between the head and the counterbore without welding or brazing.

16. The manufacturing method of claim 15, wherein the counterbore does not undergo plastic deformation during the cold deformation of the head.

17. The manufacturing method of claim 15, wherein the cold deformation is carried out without burring.

18. The manufacturing method of claim 15, wherein the cold deformation is carried out by snap-riveting.

19. The manufacturing method of claim 15, wherein before cold deformation, the protruding portion is inserted into the through-hole without shrinking.

20. The manufacturing method of claim 15, wherein before cold deformation, the protruding portion is inserted into the through-hole with shrinking.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0027] Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the following disclosure, with reference to the appended figures, which illustrate:

[0028] FIG. 1, an axial sectional view of an electrical contact according to a first embodiment of the invention

[0029] FIG. 2, an isometric view in axial section of the electrical contact of FIG. 1;

[0030] FIG. 3, an axial sectional view of a connection terminal of the electrical contact of FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 4, an axial sectional view of a step of assembling the connection terminal of FIG. 3 with a connecting part to form the electrical contact of FIG. 1;

[0032] FIG. 5, an axial sectional view of a step of cold deformation of a free end of the connecting part by snap-riveting, after the assembly step of FIG. 4;

[0033] FIG. 6, an axial sectional view of an assembly step of an electrical contact according to a second embodiment of the invention;

[0034] FIG. 7, an axial sectional view of the contact of FIG. 6 after assembly;

[0035] FIG. 8, an isometric view in axial section, of the assembly step of FIG. 6;

[0036] FIG. 9, an axial sectional view of an assembly step of an electrical contact according to a third embodiment of the invention;

[0037] FIG. 10, an axial sectional view of the contact of FIG. 9 after assembly;

[0038] FIG. 11, an isometric view in axial section of the electrical contact of FIG. 10;

[0039] FIG. 12, an axial sectional view of an assembly step of an electrical contact according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;

[0040] FIG. 13, an axial sectional view of the contact of FIG. 12 after assembly;

[0041] FIG. 14, an isometric view in axial section of the electrical contact of FIG. 13;

[0042] FIG. 15, an axial sectional view of an assembly step of an electrical contact according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;

[0043] FIG. 16, an axial sectional view of the contact of FIG. 15 after assembly;

[0044] FIG. 17, an isometric view in axial section of the electrical contact of FIG. 15.

[0045] For greater clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs in all of the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0046] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an electrical contact 10 intended to equip an electrical outlet attached to the body of a vehicle for the connection of a vehicle battery to an external DC power source. This electrical contact is intended to be mounted in an insulating outlet body, fixed to the bodywork. In practice, such a fixed outlet, or base, comprises power contacts for conveying high-intensity direct currents, which may exceed 50 or even 100 Amps, as well as control contacts used to transmit information between the vehicle and the external charging device. The electrical contact 10 of FIG. 1 may of course be used for both types of use, but is more particularly intended, due to its dimensions and its electrical resistance characteristics, for the transmission of high currents.

[0047] The electrical contact 10 is made up of two separate solid metal conductive parts, namely a connecting part 12 to the external electrical source, and a connection terminal 14 for connecting the electrical power contact 10 to a stripped end of a wire conductor that is connected directly or indirectly to a terminal of the vehicle battery. In this embodiment, the connecting part 12 is a solid pin having a symmetry of revolution about a reference axis 100 of the electrical contact 10 and having a functional surface that has a standardized profile to penetrate into a socket or a bell of another outlet. The connection terminal 14 is tubular to accommodate the stripped end of a connection cable to a vehicle battery for the purpose of welding or crimping this stripped end, and also has a symmetry of revolution about the reference axis 100.

[0048] The invention relates more particularly to the attachment between these two parts 12, 14, which must not be able to be dismantled and which must have mechanical characteristics of resistance to forces and vibrations and electrical characteristics of minimum resistance in order to avoid contact losses and heating.

[0049] In FIGS. 1 and 2, which illustrate the electrical contact 10 after assembly of the two parts 12, 14, it can be seen that a first of the two conductive parts, here the connecting part 12, is provided with a shoulder 16 and a protruding portion 18, projecting with respect to the shoulder 16.

[0050] The second conductive part, here the connection terminal 14, comprises a wall 20 having a bearing face 22 bearing against the shoulder 16 and a free face 24 opposite the bearing face 22. The wall 20 is passed through by a cylindrical opening 26 having an open end on the bearing face 22 and an opposite end open on a counterbore 28 that is recessed with respect to the free face 24.

[0051] The protruding portion 18 passes through the through-hole 26 and has a flared free end 30 forming a head housed in the counterbore 28, the head 30 having a cross-section greater than a passage section of the through-hole 26. The protruding portion 18 comprises an intermediate portion 32 between the head 30 and the shoulder 16, this intermediate portion 32 being housed in the through-hole 26, in close contact with the walls of the through-hole 26.

[0052] FIG. 3, which illustrates the second conductive part 14 before assembly, shows that the counterbore 28 is constituted by a succession of faces having a symmetry of revolution about a common axis 100, which is the axis of the cylindrical hole 26, and more precisely, a flared frustoconical face 281 leading to an annular planar face 282 surrounded by a cylindrical face 283.

[0053] The assembly of the electrical contact comprises a first step of positioning the two parts, illustrated in FIG. 4, followed by a step of irreversibly securing the two parts, illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 4 shows that the protruding portion 18 of the first part 12, in this stage, is cylindrical and that its free end does not yet comprise the enlarged section head. The protruding portion 18 has passed through the through-hole 26 and its free end protrudes with respect to the counterbore 28, whereas the bearing wall 22 bears against the shoulder 16. In this case, the protruding portion 18 of the first part 12 has been made to penetrate the hole 26 without any particular effort, because the dimensions of the two parts are adjusted, in the sense that they do not present any dimensional interference that would impose shrinking.

[0054] To form the enlarged head 30, a rivet 200 is introduced into the connecting part 14. The rivet combines a movement of revolution about its axis 300 and a movement of precession of its axis of revolution about the reference axis 100 of the through-hole 26, which allow it to roll on the free end 30 of the protruding portion 18 and gradually, in successive passes, to push the material from the free end of the protruding portion 18 radially into the available volume delimited by the counterbore 28.

[0055] This deformation is carried out cold and the pressures exerted are low, so that the counterbore does not undergo plastic deformation. The resulting assembly cannot be dismantled. The two parts 12, 14 are preferably made of an identical metallic material, in particular copper or brass, so that the connection does not undergo differential thermal deformation. The interface between the two parts 12, 14 is produced without welding or brazing and does not require any subsequent treatment.

[0056] During use, the current passes between the two parts 12, 14 preferentially in the contact zone between the head 30 and the chamfer 28, and to a lesser extent at the planar interface between the bearing face 22 and the shoulder 16.

[0057] FIGS. 6 to 8 illustrate an electrical contact according to a second embodiment, which differs from the previous one by the shape of the connection terminal 14, in the shape of a square, allowing flat welding of one end stripped of a connection cable to the vehicle battery.

[0058] FIGS. 9 to 11 illustrate an electrical contact according to a third embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment by the shape of the connecting part 12, which is a socket forming a bulb intended to receive a pin by elastically deforming.

[0059] FIGS. 12 to 14 illustrate an electrical contact that combines the connecting part 12 of the third embodiment and the angled connection terminal of the second embodiment.

[0060] In each of the second, third and fourth embodiments, the assembly of the two parts 12, 14 is carried out in a manner similar to the first embodiment, by first inserting the protruding portion 18 of the first part 12 in the through-hole 26 of the second part, then by deforming the free end of the protruding portion 18 using a snap-riveting tool positioned on the side of the free face 24 of the wall 20.

[0061] It should be noted that this method of manufacturing the electrical contact 10 in two parts allows a modular manufacture to be envisaged for different types of electrical contacts 10 that have the same type of connecting part 12 and different types of connection terminals 14, as illustrated by the first and third embodiments, or by the second and fourth embodiments. Similarly, it is possible to manufacture different types of electrical contacts 10 that have the same type of connection terminal 14 and different types of connecting parts 12, as illustrated by the first and second embodiments, or by the third and fourth embodiments.

[0062] According to a fifth embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 18, it is possible to form the through-hole 26 and the counterbore 28 on the connecting part 12, while the shoulder 16 and the protruding portion 18 are formed on the connection terminal 14. However, this variant is limited to connecting parts 12 having a wall 20 with a free face opposite a bearing face. It also requires particular attention during the snap-riveting operation, so as not to alter the functional surfaces of the connecting part 12.

[0063] In all the embodiments, the two parts 12, 14 are preferably made from an identical metallic material, in particular copper or brass, so that the connection does not undergo differential thermal deformation after assembly. The connecting part 12 has preferably undergone a surface treatment at least locally, preferably a silver or nickel plating at its functional surface intended to cooperate with another connecting part. The through-hole 26, the counterbore 28 and the protruding portion 18 do not require any particular surface treatment.

[0064] The electrical contact 10 according to the invention has been described here as an element of a fixed outlet, or base, secured to the body of a motor vehicle. But such an electrical contact may also be an element of an electrical plug, that is to say, a mobile electrical outlet at the end of a flexible cable external to the vehicle, intended to be connected to the vehicle to recharge its battery.

[0065] In all the embodiments, the connecting part 12, whether it forms a pin capable of being inserted into a socket or a socket into which a pin can be inserted, defines an insertion axis 100 that preferably coincides with the axis of the through-hole 26 and preferably constitutes an axis of symmetry for the counterbore 28. Where appropriate, the axis of insertion constitutes an axis of symmetry of revolution for the connecting part 12 of order 1 (in particular if the connecting part 12 is a pin) or of order greater than 1 (in particular if the connecting part 12 is a socket).

[0066] Naturally, the examples shown in the figures and discussed above are provided for illustrative and non-limiting purposes only. It is explicitly provided that it is possible to combine the various illustrated embodiments in order to provide others.

[0067] The connection terminal may be provided with an interface for mechanical fixing of an electrical conductor, which may be a stripped wire conductor, an electric bar or a plate, by means of a fixing element such as a screw, a rivet or a bolt.