EP4002596A1

EP4002596A1 - Electrical connector

Info

Publication number: EP4002596A1
Application number: EP20208994.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Guido Woeste; Alfred Fohs; Oliver Mertler
Original assignee: Aptiv Technologies Ltd
Current assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
Priority date: 2020-11-20
Filing date: 2020-11-20
Publication date: 2022-05-25

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector, in particular for high voltage applications, for example in a vehicle electrical system, the electrical connector comprising first and second sheet metal parts wherein each sheet metal part defines at least two connection portions, a casing accommodating the first and second sheet metal parts and being formed from an electrically insulating material by overmolding the first and second sheet metal parts.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector, in particular for high voltage applications, which is configured to be used, for example, in a vehicle electrical system as a power distributor connecting a power supply, typically a high voltage battery, to one or more electrical consumers of an electrical vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Connecting a power supply to one or more electrical consumers of an electrical vehicle is commonly realized using electrical splice connectors or electrical distribution boxes, inside of which multiple pairs of wire ends of the same potential are connected to each other. However, the electromagnetic compatibility of many splice connector devices is not sufficient for high voltage applications. Also the number of output connections is typically limited to two or three. Electrical distribution boxes are not only space-consuming, but also require a lot of components as they commonly accommodate connector interfaces, each of which requires a header part mounted inside the distribution box and a connector part mounted to the supply and consumer electrical lines, resulting in a costly and complex connector design.
Furthermore, known electrical distribution devices require manual assembly steps, e.g., manual splicing of the correct wire ends by brazing or ultrasonic welding, manual assembly of the wires inside a distribution box, mounting of a housing, etc. However, manual processing steps are costly as well as error-prone, which is particularly critical when high-voltage applications are affected that are highly safety-relevant.
Accordingly, due to increasing production volumes, in particular in the field of electrical vehicles, and due to rising safety requirements, there is a need for cost-efficient electrical connection solutions, which are automatable and reliable while providing flexibility regarding the field of application.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an electrical connector according to the independent claim. Embodiments are given in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.
According to a first aspect, the present disclosure is directed at an electrical connector, in particular for high voltage applications, for example in a vehicle electrical system, comprising first and second sheet metal parts, wherein each sheet metal part defines at least two connection portions, and a casing accommodating the first and second sheet metal parts and being formed from an electrically insulating material by overmolding the first and second sheet metal parts. The casing defines at least two plug-in receptacles for receiving terminals at the connection portions, wherein each plug-in receptacle accommodates a connection portion of the first sheet metal part and a connection portion of the second sheet metal part.
Essentially, an electrical connector according to the present disclosure comprises first and second parts stamped from sheet metal material which function as busbars, each having at least two connection portions. Each connection portion is configured to be connected to a power supply or a power consuming device, in particular via a terminal and a wire. In one embodiment the connection portions are male contacts, in particular with a blade-like shape, to be connected to female wire terminals, while a reverse arrangement is possible.
The at least two connection portions of the same sheet metal part have the same electrical potential. Each sheet metal part may define more than two connection portions, which all have the same electrical potential.
The first and second sheet metal parts are overmolded by an electrically insulating material, which makes the electrical connector touch-proof and waterproof so that the safety requirements for high voltage applications are met. The casing is formed to define plug-in receptacles around the connection portions of the first and second sheet metal parts, which allows directly connecting wire terminals to the connection portions of the electrical connector by simply plugging them in. In particular, the plug-in receptacles may be designed and function as individual elements like the rear sides of known connection systems. In comparison to commonly used connector-header-type connections, the connector and header are basically combined into a single part in the electrical connector according to the present disclosure, making a plurality of components dispensable. This results in a simplified and more cost-efficient electrical connector.
With the simplified plug-in connector design it becomes possible to automate the connecting of the wire terminals with the connection portions of the first and second sheet metal parts. The connecting step may be performed, e.g., on a harness manufacturing machine or using other established processes and machinery. This allows extremely flexible processing, e.g., assembly of different electrical connection layouts on the same machine. By omitting manual processing steps, the frequency of errors can be reduced. Overall, automated processing allows a much more cost-efficient assembly process.
At the same time, the electrical connector design according to the present disclosure provides great flexibility in scaling the connector to the requirements of the desired application. The number of connection portions of the electrical connector can be easily adjusted by either choosing a different layout of the low-cost and easy-to-manufacture first and second sheet metal parts serving as electrical splices. Alternatively, blind caps may be used to easily reduce the number of connection portions if desired. Furthermore, the electrical connector may be adapted to various cable types, terminal types, voltage ranges and power loads by adjusting the conductor cross section of the first and second sheet metal parts or busbars accordingly. In this way, cables with cross sections of 2.5 - 6 mm² or even larger may be used, for example with class 1 connectors with 2.8 mm pins for 2.5 - 4 mm² cross sections or class 2 connectors with 6.3 mm pins for 4 - 6 mm² cross sections. The electrical connector according to the present disclosure may be used for high voltages between 60 V and 1 kV or even up to 1.5 kV or 2.5 kV, but also for low voltage applications. Depending on the respective application, further sheet metal parts may be included in one electrical connector owing to the modular design of the electrical connector. Thus, the electrical connector provides a large variability regarding possible applications.
The connector contour formed by overmolding of the first and second sheet metal parts can be shaped closely around the first and second sheet metal parts, resulting in a space-saving electrical connector.
According to an embodiment, the first and second sheet metal parts are electrically insulated from each other. Insulation can be created by placing electrically insulating material between the first and second sheet metal parts to prevent contact between the sheet metal parts inside the electrical connector. In particular, the electrically insulating material may be injected during overmolding of the casing and, in particular, the electrically insulating material of the casing may also serve to electrically insulate the first and second sheet metal parts. In an embodiment, the first and second sheet metal parts have different electrical potentials. If there are further sheet metal parts present in the electrical connector, they may be electrically insulated from each other and/or from the first and second sheet metal parts, making the number of potentials of the electrical connector easily variable according to the application requirements.
According to a further embodiment, at least one of the first and second sheet metal parts is bent into a 3-dimensional structure. Thus, realization of almost arbitrary 3-dimensional connector contours is possible by overmolding of the first and second sheet metal parts. Thus, the electrical connector can be adapted to meet the spatial requirements of each application.
At least two connection portions of the first sheet metal part and at least one connection portion of the second sheet metal part may lie in a common connection plane. In particular, all of the connection portions of the first and second sheet metal parts may lie in a common connection plane. In the latter case, the electrical connector may have an overall shape that is essentially 2-dimensional or rather flat and all wire terminals may lie in the same plane after connecting them to their respective connection portions. Also two or more, in particular all, connection portions of a sheet metal part which is bent into a 3-dimensional structure may lie in a common connection plane, especially, if the connection portions are bent back from the third dimension into the common connection plane.
According to an embodiment, each connection portion has a blade-like shape, the blade defining a corresponding blade plane, which coincides with the corresponding connection plane of the connection portion. Furthermore, several or all of these blade planes may coincide forming a common connection plane of the corresponding connection portions.
A connector assembly according to the present disclosure may comprise first and second sheet metal parts which have the same basic shape. In particular, the first and second sheet metal parts may be identical. In either case, the first and second sheet metal parts may be oriented such that one of the first and second sheet metal parts is flipped over with respect to the other. The basic shape of a sheet metal part may relate to the 2-dimensional shape of the sheet metal part, i.e., the shape of the punching die used for punching the sheet metal part. Thus, the first and second sheet metal parts may be punched by the same punching die.
Furthermore, they may also be bent into the same 3-dimensional shape after punching, thus making the first and second sheet metals parts identical. Alternatively, the parts may have the same 2-dimensional shape, but may be bent into differing 3-dimensional structures before assembly of the electrical connector.
For arranging the parts in the electrical connector, one of the first and second sheet metal parts may be flipped over, e.g. by 180°. The axis around which the flipping over occurs may be chosen differently depending on the desired relative arrangement of the first and second sheet metal parts. When the first and second sheet metal parts are identical, i.e., bent into identical 3-dimensional structures, the flipping over of one of the parts results in an opposite orientation of the protrusions into the third dimension of the first and second sheet metal parts. This helps to internally separate and electrically insulate the first and second sheet metal parts from each other, while at the same time maintaining a generally flat connector design.
Further, in order to be compatible with additional control functions, the electrical connector may comprise at least one control loop element, in particular wherein said control loop element is formed from a further sheet metal part. For example, the control loop element may be configured to perform additional safety functions, e.g., as part of a high voltage interlock loop, designed to switch off the high voltage system in case of a malfunction. The control loop element may comprise more than one sheet metal part and/or any kind of wiring and/or, if applicable, relevant circuitry. In particular, the at least one control loop element is configured to be integrated into a layer or sandwich structure of the electrical connector. Connectivity to the control loop may be provided in particular via the plug-in receptacles of the electrical connector.
In another embodiment, the electrical connector further comprises at least one shielding means located between the at least two sheet metal parts and an outer surface of the casing. The shielding means may comprise a highly conductive material, e.g. a metal sheet, a wire mesh or the like. The highly conductive material may be shaped to surround the first and second sheet metal parts in order to provide a good electromagnetic compatibility and a continuous electromagnetic shielding of the electrical connector.
The shielding means may comprise at least one electrically conducting shielding sheet, which is arranged at least generally parallel to a main extension plane of the first and second sheet metal parts. According to an embodiment, the shielding means comprises two shielding sheets covering the area parallel to the main extension plane of the first and second sheet metal parts above and below the first and second sheet metal parts. The contour of the shielding sheet or shielding sheets may be similar to the 2-dimensional projection contour of the first and second sheet metal parts along the main extension plane, and typically similar to the overall shape of the electrical connector. Additional shielding sheets may be positioned in between individual layers of the electrical connector, if required.
According to a further embodiment, the first and second sheet metal parts, the control loop element and/or the shielding means form a layered structure. In particular, the structure may be a sandwich-like structure with the individual layers, e.g., the first and second sheet metal parts as well as further sheet metal parts and other functional elements, stacked on top of each other. In particular, the layers are stacked parallel to their respective main extension planes. If the first, second and further sheet metal parts, after punching them from sheet metal, are bent in a way that they protrude into a third dimension, the main extension plane of the first, second and further sheet metal parts may be chosen as the plane which has the largest area 2-dimensional projection.
According to another embodiment, at least one of the first and second sheet metal parts comprises at least one fuse section between at least two electrical connection portions. A particularly simple and cost-efficient design of the fuse section is achieved by integrating a melting fuse into the at least one of the first and second sheet metal parts. In particular, the fuse section may be an integral part of the sheet metal part having a reduced cross-sectional area in comparison to adjacent sections of the sheet metal part. Such a melting fuse may be produced by punching the sheet metal part from a sheet metal material. Alternatively, a separate melting fuse available on the market may serve as the at least one fuse section of the first and/or second sheet metal parts and may be connected to at least one sheet metal part by soldering or the like.
Depending on the positioning of the at least one fuse section in the at least one sheet metal part, the number and position of fused and unfused connection portions, i.e. the fuse pattern of the sheet metal part, varies. A fuse may either protect individual connection portions by being arranged directly preceding the respective connection portion, or protect a group of connection portions by being arranged preceding a branch of the sheet metal part common to the group of connection portions, or protect all connection portions by being arranged directly following a connection portion connected to a power supply. Thus, the fuse pattern may be adapted to the application.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, each plug-in receptacle defines an insertion direction and at least two plug-in receptacles are arranged such that their insertion directions differ from each other, in other words their insertion directions are not parallel to each other. The insertion direction is typically defined by an axis along which a connection portion and a corresponding terminal are connected to each other. The insertion direction typically coincides with a direction of longitudinal extension of the connection portion.
For example, the insertion directions defined by at least two plug-in receptacles can be opposite or antiparallel to each other. Furthermore, the insertion directions may lie in one common insertion plane and enclose an arbitrary angle with each other. This is particularly relevant for quasi-2-dimensional electrical connectors, i.e., electrical connectors with a rather flat design, in particular whose connection portions all lie in a common connection plane. Alternatively, the insertion directions may lie in insertion planes which are parallel to each other, but are shifted along their normal vector. In a further embodiment, the insertion directions defined by at least two plug-in receptacles may lie in different planes which enclose an arbitrary angle with each other. This may be particularly relevant for 3-dimensional electrical connector designs which exhibit plug-in receptacles and/or connection portions extending in various directions of space. In particular, the insertion directions may lie in different planes which are oriented perpendicular to each other.
Of course, it is possible that the insertion directions of other plug-in receptacles of the same electrical connector may be parallel to at least one of the plug-in receptacles having different insertion directions from each other. Overall, a huge number of connector geometries are possible, in particular X-shaped, Y-shaped, H-shaped, E- or comb-shaped, h-shaped geometries which are depending on the application requirements.
According to another embodiment, each plug-in receptacle is configured to receive at least two terminals together with at least one of a sealing element and a closure element. The terminals serve for establishing an electrical connection with corresponding connection portions, the seals and closure elements help establishing a waterproof, touch-proof and durable connection. The seals may comprise rubber rings or similar elements in accordance with the required level of sealing. The closure elements may include caps made from plastic or rubber material, which close off the connection. Each wire may be provided with an individual sealing element and/or closure element. Alternatively, several wires may share a common sealing element and/or closure element.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed at an electrical connector assembly, comprising an electrical connector as described above, and a plurality of electrical lines, which are each terminated with a terminal, said terminals configured to be received, in particular in groups of at least two, by the plug-in receptacles and to be connected to the connection portions of the electrical connector. The electrical lines typically comprise wires, which may be single core or multi core wires depending on the specific application. The electrical connector itself is scalable depending on the specific application by choosing first and second sheet metal parts with a conductor cross section, connection portion type, etc. suitable for the selected application.
The number of connection portions of the electrical connector assembly may be chosen according to the number of electric lines to be connected via the electrical connector. For example, five connection portions may be provided. In particular, there should be enough connection portions for connecting at least one input line and the required number of output lines to the electrical connector, e.g., one power supply line and one or a plurality of power consumer lines. As described above, the number of connection portions is scalable according to the application requirements by modifying the basic shape of the first and/or second sheet metal part.
The connection between a connection portion of the electrical connector and a terminal of an electrical line may be a detachable plug-in connection. Alternatively, the connection may be irreversible. In this case, once connected, the terminal cannot be detached from the connection portion without destroying the electrical connector and/or the terminal. This efficiently prevents manipulation of a connection once correctly established.
The present disclosure is also directed at a method for manufacturing an electrical connector, in particular for high voltage applications, for example in a vehicle electrical system, comprising the steps of punching first and second sheet metal parts from a sheet metal material, bending the first and second sheet metal parts into a desired 3-dimensional shape, placing the first and second sheet metal parts in an injection mold, and overmolding the first and second sheet metal parts with an electrically insulating material to form an electrical connector as described above. The number of connection portions as well as the size and the conductor cross section can be adapted to the requirements of the specific application by choosing the sheet metal material and punching dies accordingly.
The number of poles and their arrangement inside the electrical connector is determined by the number of sheet metal parts as well as their 3-dimensional shape. Owing to the modular design of the electrical connector, extended functionalities like shielding, fusing, or a control loop can be added as required by including further functional parts, e.g., further layers, before overmolding. In an embodiment the overmolding of the first and second sheet metal parts and, if applicable, further functional parts, is performed such that the electrically insulating material is properly injected into insulation spaces formed between the first, second and further sheet metal parts or additional layers in order to establish electrical insulation between them. For obtaining a compact electrical connector contour, the contour of the injection mold may be shaped to closely follow the shape of the layered structure comprising the first and second sheet metal parts and, if applicable, further functional parts, while also forming plug-in receptacles.

DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments and functions of the present disclosure are described herein in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1: shows an electrical connector assembly comprising first and second sheet metal parts, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 2: is a detailed view of the first and second sheet metal parts shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3: shows an electrical connector assembly comprising first, second and third sheet metal parts, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 4: is a detailed view of the first, second and third sheet metal parts shown in Fig. 3.
Fig. 5: is an assembly sketch of a shielded electrical connector comprising a high voltage interlock loop, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 6: shows a shielded electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 7: shows first and second sheet metal parts comprising five connection portions each, and the second sheet metal part additionally comprising a fuse section, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 8: shows first and second sheet metal parts as shown in Fig. 7, and the second sheet metal part comprising a fuse section arranged differently than in Fig. 7, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 9: shows first and second sheet metal parts as shown in Fig. 7, wherein each one of the first and second sheet metal part comprises a fuse section, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 10: shows a planar 1-sided electrical connector contour comprising five plug-in receptacles, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 11: shows a planar 4-sided electrical connector contour comprising four plug-in receptacles, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 12: shows a planar star-shaped electrical connector contour comprising six plug-in receptacles, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 13: shows a planar 2-sided electrical connector contour comprising five plug-in receptacles in accordance with Fig. 2, 3, 4.
Fig. 14: shows a planar 3-sided electrical connector contour comprising three plug-in receptacles.
Fig. 15: shows a 3-dimensional electrical connector contour comprising four plug-in receptacles, three of them arranged in a common plane and one perpendicularly protruding out of the common plane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Fig. 1 depicts an electrical connector assembly 10, for example in a vehicle electrical system, which is, in particular, suited for high voltage applications, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 1, the electrical connector assembly 10 comprises an electrical connector 12 and several electrical lines 14 that can be connected to the electrical connector 12 along an insertion direction 16.
The electrical connector 12 includes first and second sheet metal parts 18 (solid line) and 20 (dashed line) which serve as first and second busbars of the electrical connector 12. Each of the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 according to the present embodiment defines five connection portions 18a and 20a, which are each constructed as male blade-type connection portions. The connection portions 18a are electrically connected with each other internally in the electrical connector 12 through the first sheet metal part 18 and thus all have the same electrical potential. The same applies to the connection portions 20a of the second sheet metal part 20. While each of the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 according to the present embodiment defines five connection portions 18a and 20a, the number of connection portions of the electrical connector assembly may be chosen according to the number of electric lines to be connected via the electrical connector, as described previously. As described above, the number of connection portions is scalable according to the application requirements by modifying the basic shape of the first and/or second sheet metal part.
The electrical connector 12 further comprises a casing 22 which is formed from an electrically insulating material by an overmolding process and which is shaped to accommodate the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20. The casing 22 defines a number of plug-in receptacles 24, wherein each plug-in receptacle 24 accommodates a connection portion 18a of the first sheet metal part 18 and a connection portion 20a of the second sheet metal part 20.
The plug-in receptacles 24 are configured to receive end sections of the electrical lines 14. In the depicted embodiment each plug-in receptacle 24 is designed to receive the end sections of two electrical lines 14, namely one electrical line 14 for each connection portion 18a and 20a accommodated in via the plug-in receptacle 24.
As shown in Fig. 1, each electrical line 14 comprises a wire 26 terminated by a terminal 28. The terminals 28 are constructed as female terminal pieces and attached to the wires 26 via crimping, soldering, brazing or the like. The terminals 28 are configured to be connected to the connection portions 18a and 20a of the electrical connector 12. To this end, each terminal 28 is inserted into a plug-in receptacle 24 along the insertion direction 16 and a contact is established with a designated connection portion 18a or 20a.
Furthermore, each wire 26 comprises a sealing ring 30 to be received inside the associated plug-in receptacle 24 together with the terminal 28, and an end cap 32. Both the sealing ring 30 and the end cap 32 help to protect the electrical connection against the influence of humidity and tightly enclose all electrically conducting parts in a touch-safe manner thereby increasing the safety of the connection. The electrical lines 14 may be arranged in groups that share a common end cap 32, as shown in Fig. 1 for the upper pair of electrical lines 14, or each electrical line 14 may be equipped with an individual end cap 32 as shown in Fig. 1 for the lower pair of electrical lines 14.
The first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 are stacked on top of each other to form a sandwich-like layered structure. More specifically, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the second sheet metal part 20 is placed on top of the first sheet metal part 18.
The first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 are electrically insulated from each other, so that the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 may have different electrical potentials and serve, e.g., as a positive and a negative poles of a two-way electrical connector.
Fig. 2 illustrates in more detail the assembly of the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 in the electrical connector 12. Fig. 2 shows a top view and a side view of the first sheet metal part 18 (left column, solid line). The first sheet metal part 18 having the basic shape shown in Fig. 2 may be produced by means of a punching die by punching from sheet metal material. The first sheet metal part 18 comprises a hook-shaped core region 18b with connection portions 18a sticking out sideways away from the core.
After punching, the sheet metal part 18 is bent into a 3-dimensional structure as depicted in the lower section of the left column in Fig. 2. In the side view of the first sheet metal part 18 it becomes obvious that the connection portions 18a are, in a kinked region 18c, bent out of a plane defined by the core region 18b. The outer ends of all five connection portions 18a which serve to establish the connection to the terminals 28, are aligned in a common connection plane, which is offset from and parallel to the plane defined by the core region 18b.
The middle column of Fig. 2 shows a corresponding top and side view of the second sheet metal part 20. As seen in the top view, the second sheet metal part 20 has the same basic shape as the first sheet metal element 18. Consequently, the same punching die can be used to form the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20. Furthermore, the second sheet metal part 20 may be manufactured using the same bending process to form a 3-dimensional, partly kinked structure, as the first sheet metal part 18. The first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 are thus identical.
When aligning the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 to form the electrical connector 12, the second sheet metal part 20 is flipped over by 180° in the vertical direction as indicated by arrow 34 with respect to the first sheet metal part 18, before arranging the sheet metal parts 18 and 20 on top of each other parallel to their core planes 18b and 20b (right column of Fig. 2).
Like the five connection portions 18a of the first sheet metal part 18, all five connection portions 20a of the second sheet metal part 20 lie in a common connection plane offset from and parallel to the plane of the core region 20b. However, as the second sheet metal part 20 has been flipped over, the connection plane 20a is offset from the core plane 20b in a direction (downwards in the side view of Fig. 2) opposite from that of the connection plane of the first sheet metal part 18 (upwards in the side view of Fig. 2).
Thus, when aligning the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 such that their connection planes coincide, i.e., such that all connection portions 18a and 20a lie in a common connection plane, an insulation space 36 is formed between the core regions 18b and 20b and the kinked regions 18c and 20c of the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20, thereby preventing direct electrical contact between them (Fig. 2, right column, side view). As for the connection portions 18a and 20a, they are spatially separated in the connection plane (Fig. 2, right column, top view).
Following the punching and bending steps, the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 are placed in an injection mold in the desired relative arrangement as shown in the right column of Fig. 2 and are overmolded with an electrically insulating material to form the casing 22 of the electrical connector 12. In the same overmolding step, the insulation space 36 is filled with the electrically insulating material of the casing, thereby ensuring that both the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 are electrically insulated from each other and may thus serve as power distributors having different potentials.
Possible variants of an electrical connector 12 may be scaled with the power load requirements of the desired application. For example, busbars formed from first and/or second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 having a larger conductor cross section than the first sheet metal part shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be used for higher power loads. Also the connection portions 18a and 20a may be designed to be connected to wires 26, typically single core wires, having a larger wire cross section.
Furthermore, the number of potentials of the electrical connector 12 may be scaled as well. The electrical connector 12 of Fig. 3 includes first, second and third sheet metal parts 18, 20 and 38, of which only respective connection portions 18a, 20a and 38a are shown (bottom right plug-in receptacle, dashed lines). Accordingly, each plug-in receptacle 24 provides access to three connection portions 18a, 20a and 38a, which are electrically insulated from each other. In addition, each sheet metal part 18, 20 and 38 can have a different electrical potential. The general contour of the electrical connector 12 resembles the contour shown in Fig. 2 for the electrical connector comprising two potentials.
Fig. 4 shows a possible arrangement of the busbars in order to obtain the electrical connector design of Fig. 3. Based on the layered structure of Fig. 2 (right column), the third sheet metal part 38, which is not bent into a 3-dimensional shape but remains a 2-dimensional sheet after punching, is introduced in between the first and second sheet metal elements 18 and 20, dividing the insulation space 36 into two halves. If necessary, the kinked regions 18c and 20c may be adapted to protrude farther from the core planes 18b and 20b in their respective direction of protrusion in order to provide sufficient electrical insulation.
Fig. 5 shows an electrical connector 12 comprising first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 and, additionally, a shielding means and a control loop element 40 in a semi-assembled state, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
The control loop element 40 is formed from a further sheet metal part. For example, the sheet metal part forming the control loop element 40 may be part of a high voltage interlock loop which acts as a high voltage safety system switching off the high voltage when interrupted. As the sheet metal part forming the control loop element 40 is a signaling device, a smaller conductor cross section is sufficient in comparison to the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 that serve as electrical connector busbars. The sheet metal part forming the control loop element 40 is arranged between the first sheet metal part 18 and the second sheet metal part 20.
The shielding means includes first and second shielding sheets 42 and 44. In the depicted embodiment, the first and second shielding sheets 42 and 44 are stamped metal sheets. However, in other embodiments, the first and second shielding sheets 42 and 44 may be formed of a wire mesh or a comparable conductive material. In the electrical connector 12 shown in Fig. 5, the first shielding sheet 42 is arranged underneath the first sheet metal part 18, while the second shielding sheet 44 is arranged on top of the second sheet metal part 20. Thus, the first and second sheet metal elements 18 and 20 are enclosed to a certain extent by the shielding sheets 42 and 44, in particular parallel to the main extension planes of the first and second sheet metal parts18 and 20, where most interference fields are eliminated.
After assembling the layered structure of the first shielding sheet 42, first sheet metal part 18, control loop element 40, second sheet metal part 20 and second shielding sheet 44, as shown in Fig. 5, the connector contour and casing 22 is formed by overmolding the layered structure with an electrically insulating material in an injection mold. In the finalized electrical connector 12, the first and second shielding sheets 42 and 44 are located between the outer surface of the casing 22 and the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20.
Also Fig. 6 depicts a shielded electrical connector 12 which is very similar to the shielded connector 12 of Fig. 5 but omits the sheet metal element for the control loop element 40, e.g., because the electrical connector 12 of Fig. 6 is only applied for low power applications. This illustrates the modular concept of the electrical connector 12, where additional functions, e.g., shielding, control loop circuitry, may be integrated or omitted in accordance with the requirements of the desired application.
As a further additional functionality which may be added in a modular fashion, the first sheet metal part 18 and/or the second sheet metal part 20 may comprise a fuse section that is designed to be and function as a melting fuse 46. According to the embodiments shown in Figs. 7 to 9, such a melting fuse 46 may be formed by a section of the first and/or the second sheet metal part 18, 20 having a reduced conductor cross section produced conveniently during the punching of the first and/or the second sheet metal part 18, 20.
Each melting fuse 46 is located in between two or more connection portions 18a, 20a of the first and/or the second sheet metal part 18, 20 and establishes a corresponding fuse pattern including fused (F) and unfused (U) connection portions 18a, 20a. The number and position of fused and unfused connection portions depends on the position of the melting fuse 46 as well as to which connection portion 18a, 20a the power supply (S) is connected.
Figs. 7 and 8 exemplarily illustrate how a fuse section, i.e. a melting fuse 46 may be positioned in the second sheet metal part 20 of Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6, resulting in a variety of fuse patterns of unfused (U), fused (F) and supply (S) connection portions 20a. Alternatively or additionally, a melting fuse 46 may also be comprised in the first sheet metal part 18 as depicted in Fig. 9. While the first and second sheet metal parts 18 and 20 may be identical parts each comprising a melting fuse 46 in the same position, the melting fuse 46 may also be arranged differently in the first and second sheet metal parts 18, 20 in order to obtain various fuse patterns.
Figs. 10 to 15 depict electrical connectors 12 with various connector geometries and various numbers of plug-in receptacles 24, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Each plug-in receptacle 24 defines an insertion direction 16 along which an electric line 14 with a terminal 28 needs to be inserted. The electrical connectors 12 of Figs. 10 to 14 are quasi-2-dimensional electrical connectors, since in all of these electrical connectors 12 the insertion directions defined by the plug-in receptacles 24 are located in a common plane coinciding with or parallel to the drawing layer.
While all five plug-in receptacles 24 of the E- or comb-shaped electrical connector 12 of Fig. 10 have insertion directions 16 parallel to each other, the plug-in receptacles 24 of the electrical connectors 12 of Figs. 11 to 15 are arranged such that they define at least two insertion directions 16 per electrical connector 12. Fig. 11 shows a four-sided connector 12 with the insertion directions 16 mutually perpendicular or antiparallel to each other. Fig. 12 shows a six-sided star-shaped connector geometry. Fig. 13 shows a two-sided electrical connector 12 having five plug-in receptacles 24 with antiparallel insertion directions 16. Fig. 14 shows a three-sided electrical connector 12 whose three plug-in receptacles 24 are equally spaced on a circular contour with an angular distance of 120°.
The electrical connector 12 of Fig. 15 is similar to the one of Fig. 14, but has an additional plug-in receptacle 24 which protrudes perpendicularly from the plane in which the remaining three plug-in receptacles 24 are arranged, thus giving rise to additional flexibility regarding the spatial arrangement of the wires and devices to be connected to the electrical connector 12. The various geometries shown in Figs. 10 to 15 are only supposed to illustrate how possible electrical connector 12 geometries may look. Of course, further variations of the geometry are possible.

Reference numeral list

10: electrical connector assembly
12: electrical connector
14: electrical lines
16: insertion direction
18: first sheet metal part
18a: connection portions of first sheet metal part 18
18b: core region of first sheet metal part 18
18c: kinked region of the first sheet metal part 18
20: second sheet metal part
20a: connection portions of second sheet metal part 20
20b: core region of second sheet metal part 20
20c: kinked region of the first sheet metal part 20
22: casing
24: plug-in receptacle
26: wire
28: terminal
30: sealing ring
32: end cap
34: direction of flipping over
36: insulation space
38: third sheet metal part
38a: connection portion of the third sheet metal part 38
40: control loop element
42: first shielding sheet
44: second shielding sheet
46: melting fuse
F: fused connection
U: unfused connection
S: connection to power supply

Claims

Electrical connector (12) for high voltage applications in a vehicle electrical system, the electrical connector (12) comprising:
first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) wherein each sheet metal part (18, 20) defines at least two connection portions (18a, 20a),

a casing (22) accommodating the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) and being formed from an electrically insulating material by overmolding the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20), wherein the casing (22) defines at least two plug-in receptacles (24) for receiving terminals (28) at the connection portions (18a, 20a), wherein each plug-in receptacle (24) accommodates a connection portion (18a) of the first sheet metal part (18) and a connection portion (20a) of the second sheet metal part (20).
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with claim 1,
wherein the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) are electrically insulated from each other.
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with claim 1 or 2,
wherein at least one of the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) is bent into a 3-dimensional structure.
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
wherein at least two connection portions (18a) of the first sheet metal part (18) and at least one connection portion (20a) of the second sheet metal part (20) lie in a common connection plane.
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
wherein all of the connection portions (18a, 20a) of the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) lie in a common connection plane.
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
wherein the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) have the same basic shape.
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
wherein the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) have the same basic shape and the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) are oriented such that one of the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) (18) is flipped over with respect to the other.
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
further comprising at least one control loop element (40), optionally wherein said control loop element (40) is formed from a further sheet metal part.
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
further comprising at least one shielding means (42, 44) located between the at least two sheet metal parts (18, 20) and an outer surface of the casing (22).
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
wherein the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20), the control loop element (40) and/or the shielding means (42, 44) form a layered structure.
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
wherein at least one of the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) comprises at least one fuse section (46) between at least two electrical connection portions (18a, 20a).
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
wherein each plug-in receptacle (24) defines an insertion direction (16) and at least two plug-in receptacles (24) are arranged such that their insertion directions (16) differ from each other.
Electrical connector (12) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims,
wherein each plug-in receptacle (24) is configured to receive at least two terminals (28) together with at least one of a sealing element (30) and a closure element (32).
Electrical connector assembly (10), comprising:
an electrical connector (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, and

a plurality of electrical lines (14), which are each terminated with a terminal (28), said terminals (28) configured to be received, optionally in groups of at least two, by the plug-in receptacles (24) and to be connected to the connection portions (18a, 20a) of the electrical connector (12).
Method for manufacturing an electrical connector (12) for high voltage applications in a vehicle electrical system, comprising the steps of
punching first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) from a sheet metal material,

bending the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) into a desired 3-dimensional shape,

placing the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) in an injection mold, and

overmolding the first and second sheet metal parts (18, 20) with an electrically insulating material to form an electrical connector (12) according to any one of claims 1 to 13.