WO2010041103A1

WO2010041103A1 - Electrical connector assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2010041103A1
Application number: PCT/IB2008/055329
Authority: WO
Inventors: Claude Casses; Jean Paul David; Paulo De Matos; Jean Pierre Jarnoux
Original assignee: Fci
Priority date: 2008-10-07
Filing date: 2008-10-07
Publication date: 2010-04-15

Abstract

The first connector (2) comprises an electrical contact (15) retained in a housing. The second connector (3) comprises: -an electrical contact (7) retained in a housing, -a cover (10) comprising an electrically insulating housing (11) and at least one contact piece (12) intermediate between respective electrical contacts (7, 15) of the first and second connectors, wherein the contact piece (12) of the cover (10) contacts the electrical contact (7) of the second connector (3) only when the first connector (2) is placed over the second connector (3) so as to prevents access to the contact piece (12).

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention relates to electrical connector assemblies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recent trends in the automotive industry are concerned with the use of electrically powered vehicles, or partly electrically powered vehicles (so-called "hybrid" vehicles) . Such vehicles use electrical batteries which supply the engine with electrical energy, but might also supply other electrical appliances of the vehicle.

Electrical connector assemblies are used to electrically connect the battery to electrical appliances. Such connector assemblies may comprise for instance a first connector connected to the battery, and a second connector, connected to the electrical appliance.

Each of these electrical connectors usually comprises an insulating housing and electrical terminals. The electrical terminals of both connectors are to be put in electrical contact with each other, while the housings are mechanically mated to each other.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a secured system, by which the electrical terminals electrically connected to the battery are prevented from being accessible to a human being. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To this aim, it is provided an electrical connector assembly according to claim one. In such a connector assembly the electrical contact (s) of each connector are floatingly mounted and retained in their respective housing. A cover with contact piece (s) intermediate between the respective electrical contacts of the first and second connectors is mounted over one of the connectors. The cover is electrically connected to the powered terminals only when the other connector is placed over the cover, in a pre-mated or mated position.

Consequently, the only electrical pieces which are accessible to a human being are not powered. In some embodiments, one might also use one or more of the features as defined in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will readily appear from the following description of one of its embodiments, provided as a non- limitative example, and of the accompanying drawings. On the drawings :

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a connector assembly,

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the assembly before connection,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line III-III in Fig. 1, of the connector assembly of Fig. 1 (not exploded, without the signal contacts) ,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV of

Fig. 5, of the connector assembly of Fig. 1 (not exploded),

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along line V-V of

Fig. 1 at an initial connection stage (without the signal contacts) ,

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to Fig. 5 for a first intermediate connecting stage, (without some signal contacts) ,

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 for a second intermediate connecting stage, (without some signal contacts) and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5 for a totally connected stage (without some signal contacts) .

On the different Figures, the same reference signs designate same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Fig. 1 shows the details of an embodiment of a connector assembly 1. This connector assembly is represented here in relation to a special application. However, the principle of the invention as defined in the claims could be used with connectors used in other applications .

In the present embodiment, the connector assembly comprises a first connector 2 and a complementary mating second connector 3. The second connector 3 is carried by a battery 4 (Fig. 2), for example handled by a robotic arm (not shown) .

The first connector 2 is for example carried by a base 5 (Fig. 2) of an automotive vehicle. For example, the configuration of Fig. 2 could occur in a battery replacement station of an automotive vehicle, where a robotic arm (not shown) of the station is able to displace the battery 4 and the second connector 3 assembled thereto longitudinally along a displacement axis Z. The frame of reference of the second connector 3 is thus defined by the axis Z of movement of the robotic arm, and transverse directions X and Y defined with respect to an arbitrary reference in this plane. The frame of reference of the first connector 2 is defined both by the position of the car in the station and the inevitable play of the base with respect to the vehicle. It is defined as (X' ) , (Y' ) , (Z' ) which are defined from the position and orientation of the base, and tend to be close to (X) , (Y) and (Z) for proper replacement. It will be understood that, due to the large number of vehicles likely to be serviced by the battery replacement station, the automotive vehicle, aiming to having its battery replaced, although being placed as accurately as possible with respect to the battery replacement station, will not necessarily have its first connector 2 in direct alignment with the second connector 3 carried by the battery and with the direction Z. At the stage, shown on Fig. 1, before battery insertion into the vehicle, there might be a play along the longitudinal insertion axis Z, plays along the transverse directions X and Y, as well as illustrated, rotational play about axis Y and, similarly, a rotational play about axis X. Finally, a torsion play about axis Z may also occur.

The connector which is described below aims at compensating all these plays. As described below, each connector 2, 3, comprises both power electrical contacts and signal electrical contacts, although having both is not absolutely necessary within the scope of the invention.

The description given below directly relates to the electrical connection of the power contacts.

The second connector 3 comprises an insulating housing 6 comprising a central portion 6a and two peripheral portions 6b symmetrical with respect to the central portion. Each portion comprises a plurality of passageways, in each one of which an electrical contact extends. Electrical power contacts 7 are provided in the central portion 6a and signal electrical contacts 8 are provided in the peripheral portions 6b. Each of these electrical power contacts is floatingly mounted in the housing, being biased by a respective spring 9 (Fig. 4) in a position wherein the contact abuts on the insulating housing 6 so as to prevent its further displacement along the direction Z. At this stage, the power electrical contacts 7 are also electrically connected with an electrical output of the battery 4.

The second electrical connector 3 further comprises a cover 10 which, in this initial state, is locked to the housing 6 of the second connector 3, as will be described in more details below in relation to Fig. 5. The cover is biased by springs 34 on the housing 6 (see Fig. 3) . The cover 10 comprises an insulating housing 11 carrying, for each power electrical contact 7 of the second connector, a respective contact piece 12, which is electrically conductive. The contact pieces 12 are electrically isolated from one another by the cover 11. Further, in the initial state as shown on Figs. 4 and 5, the contact pieces 12 are electrically insulated from their respective electrical contact 7, for example by a gap 13 filled with air between the contact piece 12 and the respective power electrical contact 7. The cover 10 totally surrounds the power electrical contacts 7, in a way that a user, with its fingers, cannot touch these electrical contacts.

Referring back to Fig. 1, the first connector 2 comprises a dielectric housing 14 which is made of several parts. It comprises a front portion 29 close to the mating end of the connector, and a remote base portion 22 mechanically retained on the base 5. In the present example, these two portions 29 and 22 are made as separate pieces. The front portion 29 comprises a central part 29a and two peripheral parts 29b, symmetrical with respect to the central part 29a. The central part 29a and peripheral parts 29b are designed to mate, respectively with the central 6a and peripheral parts 6b of the housing of the second connector 3. Each part 29a, 29b receives and lodges a respective dielectric housing 30a, 30b fixed on the front portion 29 by any suitable way such as clips 31. These housings 30a and 30b carry electrical contacts 15 (Fig. 4), 16 (Fig. 3), each respectively to be contacted to a contact 7, 8 of the second connector 2. These include power electrical contacts 15 and signal electrical contacts 16. The power contacts 15 are each floatingly mounted with respect to the housing 30a, for example each through a spring 17, which biases a respective power electrical contact 15 in the direction opposite direction Z' , into abutment with the dielectric housing 30a.

The central portion 29a of the front portion 29 is, for example cylindrical, and houses the power contacts 15, and has a cylindrical wall 19, radially outward, which defines a receiving space 20, for example annular. The receiving space 20 serves as a seat for the first end 21a of a spring 21 which extends upward, to a second end 21b, which is received in the base portion 22. The spring 21 tends to push the front portion 29 in the direction opposite to the direction (Z' ) into the position shown on Figs. 3 to 5, with respect to the base portion 22. The spring has appropriate longitudinal bending and torsion.

The base portion 22 of the first connector 2, which receives the second end 21b of the spring 21, is fixed to the base 5. The front portion 29 is able to move with respect to the base portion 22 in the X' -Y' plane of the automotive vehicle, thanks to any suitable means. For example, the housing 30a is connected to a plate 32 through a cross-shaped aperture 33 of the base portion 22. The plate 32 is able to slide on the top surface

22a of the base portion 22 in the X' -Y' plane.

The housing 14 is received in a cover 23 which is, for example, made of plastic, and comprises flexible walls, which bias the housing 14 centrally in the X' -Y' plane of the first connector 2. The cover 23 is fixed on the base 5.

Referring back to the second connector 3, and referring to Fig. 5, the second connector 3 comprises a lock, which, in a purely illustrative example provided here, comprises a plurality of lugs 24 which are slidably mounted in a direction transverse to the insertion axis Z in the cover 10 of the second connector. In the locked state shown on Fig. 5, each lug 24 projects through an opening 25 of the cover to interact with a complementary shaped locked part 26 of the housing 6. Each lug 24 is biased to this locking state by a respective spring 27 which bias on an internal face of the cover 10. All this takes place inside the cover 10 and is therefore not accessible to a user. In this locking state, the cooperation of the lug 24 with the opening 25 and the locking part 26 prevents any displacement of the cover 10 with respect to the housing 6 in the insertion direction Z. Consequently, the contact pieces 12 cannot touch the power electrical contact 7. Each lug 24 is slidable from the locked position shown on Fig. 5 radially outward to an unlocked state (shown on Fig. 6), against the bias of the respective spring 27, in which it is disengaged from the locking part 26 of the housing 6. Therefore, in the unlocked state of the lock, the cover 10 is able to move in a direction opposite to insertion direction Z with respect to the housing 6 between the locked position and a connection position .

The connector assembly comprises an actuator suitable for displacing the lock from its locking state to its unlocked state. In the example presented here, the actuator enables this only when the electrical contacts 15 of the first connector 2 are electrically contacted with the respective contact pieces 12 of the cover 10 of the second connector 3. For example, the lugs 24 are made of metal, or comprise a metallic part, and the housing 14 of the first connector 2 comprises, for each lug, a corresponding magnet 28 which is so located that the magnetic field exerted by this magnet exerts a sufficient force on the lugs 24 to overcome the bias of the spring 27 only after the electrical connection of the power electrical contact 15 with the contact piece 12. This is achieved by the suitable location of the magnet 28 in the housing 14 of the first connector 2, for example as shown on figures 5 and 6. The connector assembly which has just been described is operated as follows :

The connector assembly is its initial state, for instance as shown on Fig. 2. The robotic arm moves the battery and the second connector 3 along the insertion direction Z until it penetrates into the housing 14 of the first connector 2. This insertion can for example be guided by using slanted surfaces of the connectors. Upon continued insertion along insertion axis Z, the spring 21 allows for the rotation of the front portion 29 of the first connector 3 around the X' Y' and Z' axis of the base 5, and the front portion 29 slides in the X' -Y' plane with respect to the base portion 22. Simultaneously, the second connector 3 deforms the cover 23 so that the front portion 29 of the first connector 2 is aligned with the insertion direction Z. The spring 21 also allows torsion of the front portion 29 with respect to the base portion 22 around the Z' axis, if necessary, so that, at this stage represented on Fig. 6, only the gap in the Z direction between the two connectors remains .

For easier representation on the following drawings (Figs. 6 to 8), the connector assembly is shown in a theoretical state in which there is no gap to be copped with in the X or Y direction, nor about any rotational directions, i.e, the X' -Y' -Z' and the X-Y-Z frames of reference are identical. However, it should be understood that, in case of such plays, these are compensated by the spring 21 until the second connector 3 is released from the robotic arm.

As it is shown on Fig. 6, in a first intermediate state, the electrical contacts 15 are in electrical contact with the respective contact pieces 12 of the cover 10 of the second connector 3. It is only at this stage that the magnets 28 are located in front of the lugs 24 so that they remotely exert a magnetic force tending to displace the lock from its locking state to its unlocked state. In other words, on Fig. 5, the actuator is in its inactive state, because it is too far away from the lugs 24 and, in Fig. 6, it is in its active state. The magnets 28 are located in the housing 14 in such a way that they interact with the lugs 24 only when the housing covers and prevents access to the contact pieces 12. Advantageously, preventing access to the contact pieces 12 means in this document that it is not possible to touch the contact pieces with a finger. More advantageously, preventing access to the contact pieces 12 means in this document that it is not possible to touch the contact pieces with a tool such as a screw driver or any other rigid electrically conductive element.

It should be noted that the individual springs 17 allow compensating the possibly different plays between the electrical contacts 15 and their respective contact pieces 12. With the lock placed in its unlocked state, continued displacement by the robotic arm of the second connector 3 along the direction Z allows a relative displacement of the housing 6 with respect to the cover 10, and thus brings the electrical contacts 7 in electrical contact with the contact pieces 12 (Fig. 7) . It should be noted that the individual springs 9 allow compensating the possibly different plays between each electrical contact 7 and its respective contact piece 12 of the cover 10.

At this stage, current flows from the battery through the electrical contact 7 of the second connector, the contact piece 12 and the electrical contact 15 of the first connector 2, to the electrical appliance of the automotive vehicle. The signal contacts might have been placed in electrical communication before, simultaneously or after this. The robotic arm continues to displace the second connector 3 along the insertion direction Z until mechanical connection of the two connectors by any suitable, preferably easily removable connection (Fig. 8) . During this stage, the spring 21 is compressed, which also ensures a good electrical contact between the power contacts 15 of the first connector 2 and 7 of the second connector 3. To this end, the stiffness of the spring 21 is equal to the total stiffness of the other springs 7, 15 exerting a force parallel to the Z axis.

At this stage, the robotic arm can be disengaged from the battery 4.

Claims

1. An electrical connector assembly comprising complementary first and second connectors adapted to be mated with each other, wherein the first connector (2) comprises: - an electrically insulating housing (14, 30a,

30b) , at least one electrical contact (15) floatingly retained in the housing, wherein the second connector (3) comprises: - an electrically insulating housing (6), at least one electrical contact (7) floatingly retained in the housing, for electrical connection with a corresponding contact (15) of the first connector, - a cover (10) comprising an electrically insulating housing (11) and at least one contact piece (12) intermediate between respective electrical contacts (7, 15) of the first and second connectors, wherein the contact piece (12) of the cover (10) contacts the electrical contact (7) of the second connector

(3) only when the first connector (2) is placed over the second connector (3) so as to prevents access to the contact piece (12) .

2. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, further comprising: a lock (24) adapted to alternately take: a locking state wherein the cover (10) is fixed on the housing (6) of the second connector, in a locked position wherein the contact piece (12) is electrically insulated from the corresponding contact (7) of the second connector, an unlocked state wherein the cover (10) is movable with respect to the housing (6) of the second connector, between the locked position and a connection position wherein the contact piece (12) is in electrical contact with the corresponding contact (7) of the second connector . the connector assembly further comprising an actuator (28) adapted to alternately take an active state and an inactive state, the actuator being adapted, in its active state, to place the lock (24) from its locking state to its unlocked state.

3. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein the actuator (28) is prevented from taking its active state before the electrical contact (15) of the first connector and the corresponding contact piece (12) are in electrical contact.

4. Connector assembly according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, in its active state, the actuator (28) is adapted to remotely actuate the lock.

5. Connector assembly according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the lock (24) comprises at least one metallic locking piece displaceable with respect to the cover, and a spring (27) adapted to urge the locking piece toward its locking state, and wherein the actuator (28) comprises a magnetic piece carried by the housing (14, 30a, 30b) of the first connector, and generating a magnetic field, the metallic locking piece and the magnetic piece being so arranged that, in an intermediate mating position in which the electrical contact (15) of the first connector and the corresponding contact piece (12) are in electrical contact, the metallic locking piece (24) is disposed in the magnetic field so that the magnetic field exerts a force sufficient to move the locking piece to its unlocked state against the urge of the spring (27) .

6. Connector assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the first electrical connector comprises a front portion (29) floatingly mounted on a base portion (22) by way of a single spring (21) which compensates plays between the front portion and the base portion along three rotational degrees of freedom.

7. Connector assembly according to claim 6 wherein the spring (21) further compensates plays between the front portion (29) and the base portion (22) along a translational degree of freedom.

8. Connector assembly according to claim 7, wherein the front portion (29) is slidably mounted on the base portion (22) along the remaining two degrees of freedom, and wherein an elastic cover (23) biases the front portion.

9. System comprising: a base (5) , a connector assembly according to any of claims 1 to 8, - a power supply (4) having at least an electrical output, wherein the first electrical connector (2) is mounted on the base, wherein the second electrical connector (3) is mounted on the power supply, with its electrical contact (7) electrically connected to the electrical output.