FR3098027A1 - Electrical connection device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrical connection device (1) comprising a first part and a second part, the first part comprising a first support (101) and at least one electrical conductor (11B), engaged and held by a first end, the first support (101) being configured to ensure electrical contact between said first electrical equipment item and the at least an electrical conductor (11B), the second part comprising a second support (200) configured to be engaged with a second connector of a second electrical equipment, the first support (101) of the first part comprising at least a first housing for receiving and holding the at least one electrical conductor (11B) by the respective first end and the second support (200) of the second part comprising at least a second housing (21B) for receiving and holding the at least one electrical conductor (11B) by a respective second end. Abstract figure: Figure 1

Description

Electrical connection device

The present invention relates to the field of electrical equipment, in particular for high voltage applications, in particular intended for electrical systems for electric or hybrid vehicles.

The present invention finds its application, for example, in inverters or DC/DC converters, and more particularly in high voltage electric chargers for vehicles. In this context, the present invention relates, more specifically, to an electrical connection device.

It is known to implement electrical connectors for electrically connecting electrical equipment to each other or to an electrical power supply network, in particular in a high voltage environment. For example, so-called “high voltage” electrical connectors are used to connect high voltage electrical equipment in electric or hybrid vehicles.

Electrical connectors are thus provided on a wall or a cover of electrical equipment, in particular high voltage, for example to connect said electrical equipment to an electrical supply network. An extension of said electrical connector is necessary to bring the electrical energy from the electrical supply network to an electronic card placed in the chassis of the electrical equipment.

Such an electrical connector integrated into a chassis of electrical equipment thus makes it possible to electrically connect this electrical equipment to an electrical supply network or to another electrical equipment.

In the state of the art, it is therefore necessary to design such an extension making it possible to interface with such an electrical connector integrated in the chassis, for example in a cover of such a chassis, in order to supply a electronic card housed in said chassis. For this purpose, according to the state of the art, extensions are used in the form of flexible cables. Thus, such an electrical connector is coupled to flexible electrical wires which are welded or crimped on traces or tongues which emerge from said electrical connector. At the opposite end of these electrical wires, said electrical wires are welded to electrical conductors provided to be plugged in or screwed via lugs to an electrical connector of the electronic card, and thus electrically connected to said electrical connector of the electronic card, for electrically connecting said electronic card to another piece of electrical equipment or to an electrical supply network.

A drawback of this known solution lies in the fact that the electrical wires, which are flexible, are impractical to handle. Indeed, the electrical wires are likely to rotate and it is particularly difficult to align the lugs and screws, in order to screw the lugs, inducing complex assembly operations.

There is therefore a need for an electrical connection device, in particular high voltage, for electrical equipment, allowing easy connection, from the outside of said electrical equipment, to an electronic card of said electrical equipment by means of an assembly process. simple and fast, along a single axis.

To this end, the present invention proposes an electrical connection device for electrical equipment, comprising a first part and a second part, the second part being in particular configured to form a second electrical connector intended to connect said electrical equipment to another electrical equipment. or to an electrical power supply network, the first part comprising a support and at least one electrical conductor, preferably two electrical conductors, in particular rigid, configured to electrically connect said electrical connection device to an integrated electrical connector belonging to a card electronics of said electrical equipment.

More specifically, the subject of the invention is an electrical connection device comprising a first part and a second part,
the first part comprising a first support and at least one electrical conductor, engaged and held by a first end, in the first support, the first support of the first part being configured to be engaged with a first connector of a first electrical equipment, so as to ensure electrical contact between said first electrical equipment and the at least one electrical conductor,
the second part comprising a second support configured to be engaged with a second connector of a second electrical equipment, so as to ensure electrical contact between said second electrical equipment and the at least one electrical conductor,
the first support of the first part comprising at least a first housing for receiving and holding the at least one electrical conductor via the respective first end and the second support of the second part comprising at least a second housing for receiving and holding the at least one electrical conductor via a respective second end.

According to one embodiment, the at least one electrical conductor is flat.

In particular, the electrical conductor is blade-shaped.

Advantageously, the at least one electrical conductor is rigid.

According to one embodiment, the first part comprises two electrical conductors.

According to one embodiment, the two electrical conductors have different shapes allowing them to be distinguished.

According to one embodiment, the two electrical conductors are obtained from identical blanks, and are distinguished by the direction of at least one folding of the first end.

According to one embodiment, the bends of a pair of electrical conductors are made mirrored, one relative to the other.

According to one embodiment, the electrical connection device also comprises a leg made from material of the first support, the leg being configured to guide and allow the assembly of the first support of the first part of the connection device with the second support of the second part.

According to one embodiment, the second end of the at least one electrical conductor is configured to be held by snapping into the second support.

According to a variant, the second end of the at least one electrical conductor has a first protrusion extending from an edge of the electrical conductor, said first protrusion being configured to be folded against a face of the at least one electrical conductor, the first protrusion comprising a opening configured to receive a fixing lug so as to fix said at least one electrical conductor by snap-fastening in the second support.

According to a variant, the second end of the at least one electrical conductor has a second protrusion extending opposite the first protrusion from an opposite edge of the electrical conductor, said second protrusion being configured to be folded against an opposite face of at least one electrical conductor, the second protrusion being configured to come against a wall of said second housing. In particular, said first and second protrusions are configured to be folded around the at least one electrical conductor on either side of said electrical conductor.

According to one embodiment, the second part is mounted on a frame of the first electrical equipment, in particular on an outer wall of said frame.

According to one embodiment, the first support of the first part is configured to be engaged with the first connector of an electronic card of the first electrical equipment and/or the second support is configured to be engaged with the second connector, in particular an electrical supply network.

According to one embodiment, the first end of the at least one electrical conductor has a shape with saw teeth preventing disengagement of said at least one electrical conductor with respect to the support.

According to one embodiment, the first support comprises a marking lug configured to allow foolproofing when mounting the first part of the electrical connection device in the first electrical equipment.

The present invention also relates to electrical equipment comprising a chassis housing an electronic card, said chassis having an external wall, said equipment comprising an electrical connection device as briefly described above, said second part emerging at least in part from the wall external to the exterior of the electrical equipment, and said first part of the electrical connection device being connected to the electronic card, so as to electrically connect said electronic card to the exterior of said electrical equipment.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, given solely by way of example, and referring to the accompanying drawings given by way of non-limiting examples, in which identical references are given to similar objects. and on which:

is a schematic representation of an example of an electrical connection device according to the invention;

is another schematic representation of the exemplary electrical connection device;

shows a first part of the example electrical connection device;

represents electrical conductors of the exemplary electrical connection device;

represents a couple of electrical conductors of the example of electrical connection device;

represents an electrical conductor of the example of electrical connection device before bending;

represents a section of an electrical conductor of an example of an electrical connection device according to the invention.

It should be noted that the figures expose the invention in detail to implement the invention, said figures can of course be used to better define the invention if necessary.

Referring to Figures 1 to 7, which show an embodiment, the present invention consists of an electrical connection device 1 for electrical equipment, said device comprising a first support 101, for example in molded plastic, and at least 1 electrical conductor, preferably two electrical conductors 11A, 11B, as shown in the figures, said electrical conductors 11A, 11B being plugged into a second support 200 which is intended to allow the electrical connection with a second electrical equipment, such as a network power supply.

According to a preferred embodiment, the electrical conductors 11A, 11B are rigid. These may in particular be blade-shaped, flat and rigid electrical conductors, also referred to as "leadframes". An advantage linked to the rigidity of the electrical conductors 11A, 11B lies in the fact that it induces a stiffening of the whole of the electrical connection device 1 and in the fact that said electrical conductors 11A, 11B are thereby easier to precisely positioned with a view to being engaged in the second support 200 and in the first support 101, during assembly of the electrical connection device 1. The electrical connection device 1, according to this embodiment, thus forms a rigid assembly , exempt from flexible electrical cables responsible for powering the electronic board.

The electrical conductors 11A, 11B are plugged into and held in first housings of the first support 101, by their respective first end 111A, 111B, visible in FIG. 4. The first support 101 is in particular intended to be engaged in an electrical connector integrated into an electronic card housed in the chassis of the electrical equipment, in order to supply said electronic card with electrical energy in particular. The electrical connector integrated into the electronic card can advantageously serve as a guide stud for plugging the electrical conductors 11A, 11B into said electrical connector.

Via their respective second ends 112A, 112B, the electrical conductors 11A, 11B are plugged into second respective housings 21A, 21B of the second support 200, as shown in FIG. 1 and again in FIG. 2. The electrical conductors 11A , 11B are thus held, for example by clipping, via their respective second end 112A, 112B, in the second support 200.

According to one embodiment, the first support 101 further comprises a guide means, in particular in the form of a passageway arranged in the mass of said first support 101, of a wire 3 conveying an interrupt signal, also designated "interlock signal" in English.

The electrical connection device 1 according to an example of the invention therefore comprises two parts visible in Figures 1 and 2. A first part 10, also shown independently of the second part, in Figure 3, comprises the first support 101 and at least one electrical conductor, in this case two electrical conductors 11A and 11B. According to a preferred embodiment, said electrical conductors 11A, 11B are "leadframes", in other words rigid and flat electrical conductors. Preferably, seals 15A, 15B, in particular rectangular in the case of "leadframes", are fitted to said electrical conductors 11A, 11B to seal the connection corresponding to the plugging in of the second ends 112A, 112B of the electrical conductors 11A, 11B in the second part of the electrical connection device 1, corresponding to the second support 200. In particular, during their assembly, the seals 15A/15B come against a stop formed on the respective electrical conductor 11A, 11B.

The first ends 111A, 111B of the electrical conductors 11A, 11B are respectively plugged into a first housing of the first support 101 which is intended to be engaged in an electrical connector integrated into the electronic card. For example, as can be seen in Figure 4, the first end 111A, 111B of each electrical conductor 11A, 11B may have a shape 16A, 16B with saw teeth, in particular of different length, to come into engagement, with corresponding shoulders provided in said first housing, and thus prevent the disengagement of the electrical conductors 11A, 11B vis-à-vis the first support 101.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2 to 4, more particularly in FIG. 4, when the electrical connection device 1 comprises two electrical conductors 11A, 11B, said electrical conductors 11A, 11B respectively comprise a bend 12A, 12B, allowing them to be distinguish one from the other and in particular allowing them to be corrected during their assembly on the first support 101. In particular, the electrical conductors 11A, 11B have mirror symmetry with respect to each other. More particularly, at their respective first end 111A, 111B, the electrical conductors 11A, 11B have two successive bends configured so that the insertion of each electrical conductor 11A, 11B, on the one hand into the second support 200 and d on the other hand in the first support 101 can only be done in respective first and second housings; in other words, there is a mounting direction such that a first electrical conductor 11A can only be plugged into a single second housing 21A of the second support 200 and into a single corresponding first housing of the first support 101, and vice versa for the second conductor electrical 11B.

The marking lug 13 provided on the first support 101, according to one embodiment, allows keying by guaranteeing in particular plugging in the correct direction of the electrical conductors 11A, 11B in the first support 101, by their first end 111A, 111B respectively. Once the electrical conductors 11A, 11B have been plugged in, the marking lug 13 can also receive a cable 3 in a suitable slot. Such a cable 3, for example illustrated in FIG. 1, is in particular integrated into the connection device 1 and performs an interrupt function, commonly referred to as an “interlock” function.

Figures 1 to 3 also show a leg 14 made from the material of the first support 101, said leg 14 making it possible to guide and assemble the first support 101 of the first part of the device with the second support 200 of the second part.

Referring to Figure 6, the at least one electrical conductor 11A, 11B comprises, on the side of its second end 112A, 112B, protuberances 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B extending facing each other from opposite edges of the at least one electrical conductor 11A, 11B, for example as illustrated in FIG. 6. The protrusions 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B are configured to be folded around the at least one electrical conductor 11A, 11B on either side of the at least one at least one electrical conductor 11A, 11B, as can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 7. The central part of the electrical conductor 11A, 11B, that is to say that located between the two protrusions 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, is used for current flow.

According to the embodiment represented in FIG. 6 in particular, a first of the protrusions 1A, 1B comprises an opening configured to receive a fixing lug so as to fix said at least one conductor 11A, 11B by snap-fastening in the second support 200, the second protrusion 2A, 2B being intended to come against a wall of said second housing 21A, 21B.

The protuberances 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B are folded against the surface of at least one electrical conductor 11A, 11B. Once the first protuberance 1A, 1B has been folded against one face of the at least electrical conductor 11A, 11B, it can then receive the fixing lug. The second protrusion 2A, 2B is folded against an opposite face of the at least one electrical conductor 11A, 11B to be opposite the first protrusion 1. Thus, the second protrusion 2A, 2B is in contact with a wall of the second housing 21A, 21B and forms a thickness forming a counter-support for holding the second end 112A, 112B in the second housing 21A, 21B. This thickness therefore contributes to the positioning of the conductor 11A, 11B.

The cooperation between the fixing lug and the first protrusion 1A, 1B also allows mounting in one direction of at least one electrical conductor 11A, 11B in the second support 200 of the second part of the electrical connection device 1.

The second end 112A, 112B of the electrical conductor 11A, 11B may only include the first protrusion 1A, 1B which folds up against the electrical conductor 11A, 11B.

The first part 10 of the electrical connection device 1 is in particular connected, for example clipped, via the first support 101, to a first connector of an electronic card arranged in the chassis of the electrical equipment. The first part 10 of the electrical connection device 1 is also plugged, in particular mounted by force, via the at least one electrical conductor 11A, 11B in the second part of the electrical connection device, namely the second support 200.

The present invention thus makes it possible to simplify the assembly of electrical equipment by facilitating the electrical connection between the electrical connection device 1, the second part of which typically forms a second support 200 integrated into the chassis of said electrical equipment, and, hand, an electrical card housed in said chassis and, on the other hand, a second electrical equipment or an electrical power supply network.

By improving the rigidity of such an electrical connection device 1, the present invention also makes it possible to ensure better guidance of the first part of said electrical connection device, which is connected, via the first support 101, to the electronic card , electrically connecting said electronic card and said second electrical equipment or said electrical power supply network via the at least one electrical conductor 11A, 11B and the second support 200.

In the prior art, an electrical cable is welded on the one hand to an electrical conductor, in particular a trace or a tongue, which emerges from a first connector, in particular intended to be connected to an electronic card. On the other hand, the electrical cable is welded to an electrical conductor, in particular a trace or a tab, which emerges from a second connector, in particular integrated into a frame. In the connection device 1, a single electric conductor 11A, 11B, in particular in the form of a blade, replaces the conductors of the first connector, of the second connector and the electric cable; which in particular facilitates the electrical connection between the electronic board and electrical equipment outside the chassis.

Claims (11)

Electrical connection device (1) comprising a first part (10) and a second part,
the first part (10) comprising a first support (101) and at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B), engaged and held by a first end (111A, 111B), in the first support (101), the first support ( 101) of the first part (10) being configured to be engaged with a first connector of a first electrical equipment, so as to ensure electrical contact between said first electrical equipment and the at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B),
the second part comprising a second support (200) configured to be engaged with a second connector of a second electrical equipment, so as to ensure electrical contact between said second electrical equipment and the at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B),
the first support (101) of the first part (10) comprising at least a first housing for receiving and holding the at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B) by the respective first end (111A, 111B) and the second support (200 ) of the second part comprising at least one second housing (21A, 21B) for receiving and holding the at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B) via a respective second end (112A, 112B). Electrical connection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B) is flat. Electrical connection device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, in which the first part (10) comprises two electrical conductors (11A, 11B). Electrical connection device (1) according to claim 3, in which the two electrical conductors (11A, 11B) have different shapes (12A, 12B) allowing them to be distinguished. Electrical connection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a leg (14) made from material of the first support (101), said leg (14) being configured to guide and allow assembly of the first support (101) of the first part (10) of the electrical connection device (1) with the second support (200) of the second part. Connection device according to one of the preceding claims, in which the second end (112A, 112B) of the at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B) is configured to be held by snap-fastening in the second support (200). Electrical connection device (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the second end (112A, 112B) of the at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B) has a first protrusion (1A, 1B) extending from an edge of the conductor (11A, 11B), said first protrusion (1A, 1B) being configured to be folded against a face of the at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B), the first protrusion (1A, 1B) comprising an opening configured to receive a fixing lug so as to fix said at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B) by snap-fastening in the second support (200). Electrical connection device (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the second end (112A, 112B) of the at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B) has a second protrusion (2A, 2B) extending opposite screw of the first protrusion (1A, 1B) from an opposite edge of the electrical conductor (11A, 11B), said second protrusion (2A, 2B) being configured to be folded against an opposite face of the at least one electrical conductor (11A, 11B ), the second protrusion (2A, 2B) being configured to come against a wall of said second housing (21A, 21B). Electrical connection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the second part is configured to be mounted on a frame of the first electrical equipment, in particular on an outer wall of said frame. Electrical connection device, according to one of the preceding claims, in which the first support (101) of the first part (10) is configured to be engaged with the first connector of an electronic card of the first electrical equipment and/or the second bracket (200) is configured to engage with the second connector. Electrical equipment comprising a chassis housing an electronic card, said chassis having an external wall, said equipment comprising an electrical connection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, said second part (200) emerging at least in part from the wall external to the exterior of the electrical equipment, and said first part of the electrical connection device (1) being connected to the electronic card, so as to electrically connect said electronic card to the exterior of said electrical equipment.